By Chynna Mansfield
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Red Dead Redemption 2
Related
6 Open-World Games That Are Great Despite Frustrating Combat
7 Open-World Games About Revenge
13 Open-World Games With The Best Stories, Ranked
Key Takeaways
- Engaging with collectibles offers a break from campaign intensity in open-world games, but painstaking completion is sometimes rewarded with frustration.
- Hunting for specific collectibles can be a chore, especially without helpful indicators on the map.
- Some collectibles, while providing lore and rewards, rely on glitches, tedious tasks, or hidden story progression, making completion cumbersome.
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After spending hours on a main campaign, it can be therapeutic to slow the pace and pivot to hunting collectibles. It's time-consuming and tedious, but there's nothing more satisfying to a gamer than 100% completion — especially if it's a particularly beloved title. Open-world games, in particular, reward thorough exploration by scattering hundreds of collectibles across the map for players to meticulously track down, just to say they have.
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There's a small crop of open-world games that have gone out of their way to be sincerely strange to stand out from the crowd.
While grinding for collectibles can add plenty of additional content to lengthy open-world games, it isn't always an enjoyable experience to painstakingly locate certain items, check off tasks, and often feel around in the dark for collectibles that aren't already pinpointed on the map. Collectibles in open-world games operate with a "no pain, no gain" approach, but that doesn't mean it's any less strenuous going through the painful part. Here are some of the most frustrating collectibles in open-world games — even if they're a necessary evil.
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10 Pigeons (Grand Theft Auto 4)
Daunting Without The Aid Of A Map
Grand Theft Auto 4
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:95/100 Critics Recommend:100%
- Platform(s)
- PC , Xbox 360 , PS3
- Released
- April 29, 2008
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
In Grand Theft Auto 4's Liberty City, players can encounter and collect (kill) pigeons, which are dubbed "flying rats" according to the slang term and the trophy name. By obtaining all the pigeons, players can work toward 100% completion and unlock an Annihilator Helicopter to be accessed on top of the MeTV building in place of the Maverick.
However, pigeons cannot be located on the in-game map, so the only way to find them is by scouting the streets and buildings for hours on end. It's even less worthwhile knowing that helicopters can just be found in set locations throughout Liberty City, so the only real rewards are the Flying Rats trophy and bragging rights.
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9 Feathers (Assassin’s Creed 2)
Like Finding A Needle In A Haystack
Assassin's Creed 2
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Platform(s)
- macOS , Nintendo Switch , PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One
- Released
- November 7, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
Finding 100 tiny feathers across various cities in Assassin's Creed 2 might be a heartfelt gesture by Ezio to his younger brother, Petruccio, but it's one of the more infuriating tasks. By doing so, players get an Auditore cape, the In Memory of Pertuccio achievement, and a heartwarming cutscene between Ezio and his mother.
Thankfully, there are plenty of guides online that make tracking down the feathers easier than ever, but there's a lot to be said about the person who found them all in the first place, since only the most patient players could tolerate hours of mindlessly searching around a huge open-world map. It's certainly gratifying to finally get them all, but in this case, it's all about the destination, not the journey.
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8 Riddler Trophies (Batman: Arkham City)
Require Some Level Of Critical Thinking And Foresight
Batman Arkham City
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Platform(s)
- PS3 , PC , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox 360 , Nintendo Wii U
- Released
- October 18, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Interactive
The Riddler Trophies became a staple of the Arkham games, appearing across all four titles and even Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. There are actually a few valuable rewards for collecting all the Riddler Trophies, so it's worth the extra effort. Plus, Batman: Arkham City specifically features Riddler Trophies designed to be obtained by both Batman and Catwoman, so the variety in gameplay keeps the challenge refreshing.
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That doesn't make getting the glowing green souvenirs any less of a hassle, however, as Riddler Trophies are like cockroaches scattered around Gotham. Finding these Riddler Trophies is fun to an extent, but after a while, it starts to get a little ridiculous — especially since one of the challenges involves detonating explosive gel markers consecutively. The only catch is that the game never explicitly states how to do that, so someone had to figure out that zooming in detonates them one at a time. That's just one of many grievances to hunting the Riddler Trophies.
7 Animals (Red Dead Redemption 2)
Only A Task For The Most Patient Players
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38 9.1/10
Red Dead Redemption 2
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:96/100 Critics Recommend:94%
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Stadia
- Released
- October 26, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
In order to complete the Compendium in Red Dead Redemption 2, players must gather information about various species of animals, plants, fish, horses, weapons, and more. Aside from the Legendary animals, which can be killed and skinned for fashion or profit, there are 178 different species of animal to encounter in the Wild West, ranging from alligators and snakes to breeds of canines.
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Related
6 Open-World Games That Are Great Despite Frustrating Combat
These open-world games may feature nerve-wracking combat mechanics, but they have redeeming features that make playing them worth it.
Arthur and John must study and skin every kind of animal (including variants of the same species) to add them to the Compendium and unlock the Zoologist and Skin Deep trophies. Nothing much needs to be said beyond the fact that there are 12 different species of snake alone, all found in different climates, so imagine enduring that for almost every other species as well.
6 Spider-Bots (Marvel's Spider-Man 2)
Only Manageable After Unlocking An Ability First
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10 9/10
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Open-World
Action-Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:90/100 Critics Recommend:97%
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 5
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Unlike many of the other collectibles in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the Spider-Bots won't naturally appear on the in-game map. By collecting all Spider-Bots, players can unlock a side mission with some pretty significant lore to the Spider-Man universe (as well as 150 XP and 100x Tech Parts for each bot found). It's possible to unlock an ability on the Suit Tech tree for Traversal, which allows Spider-Bots to show up on the mini-map, but that isn't overly helpful unless the Spider-Bots happen to be in range already.
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It's a fun side task, but some of the Spider-Bots require some critical thinking in order to reach them, such as maneuvering Spider-Man off tall buildings. The Spider-Bots are nice trinkets to have, but the drawn-out process of finding them makes it significantly less engaging — and made all the more frustrating by the cool lore that comes at the end of finding them all.
5 Audio Logs (Watch Dogs)
Easy To Miss And Not Worth The Hassle
Watch Dogs
Open-World
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:79/100
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS3 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Nintendo Wii U , PC , Stadia
- Released
- May 26, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In Watch Dogs, Audio Logs can be found on computers and cell phones all throughout Chicago. There are 101 Audio Logs to find in total, but only 10 are needed to unlock all the in-game items, and there are no achievements associated with finding all the Audio Logs. Watch Dogs hands over the first four Aiden Pierce logs during the opening sequence of the game, but many need to be found by completing side missions, such as QR Codes or Privacy Invasions.
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Related
7 Open-World Games About Revenge
Many open-world games feature revenge as the driver of the plot and narrative, enabling moraly challenging stories.
It's simple enough to skim through a guide and track them down, but it's quite easy to miss a lot of them, particularly when they're tucked away across several floors and multiple buildings. They help to build the game's lore and can be replayed as many times as the player desires, but they're ultimately far more trouble than they're worth.
Potentially Relies On Glitches To Obtain
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
RPG
Action
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:81/100 Critics Recommend:83%
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Nintendo Switch , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In order to receive the Crown of Barenziah in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the player must retrieve all 24 Stones of Barenziah scattered across Skyrim. After all 24 stones are handed in, the Dragonborn can then venture to Tolvald's Cave to find the Crown of Barenziah. Upon successful completion of the "No Stone Unturned" quest, the Dragonborn receives the ability Prowler's Profit, which greatly increases the chance of finding multiple precious gems in their set places, like chests, burial urns, and corpses.
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While not every stone is a hassle to find, there are a few that slow down the entire process, such as the one in the Thalmor Embassy. If it's missed the first time, it requires a glitch to obtain, which isn't something that just anyone would know. It's also infuriating that half of the stones are located in dungeons or require completing a dungeon to have access to them.
3 Merlin Trials (Hogwarts Legacy)
Certain Spells Must Be Unlocked To Complete Them
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy
Action
RPG
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:84/100 Critics Recommend:89%
- Released
- February 10, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Software
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Interactive
- Platform(s)
- PC , Switch , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
While Hogwarts Legacy's Merlin Trials aren't exactly trinkets to keep or collect, they are optional side quests that can be found all throughout the World Map. Once completed, they award players with additional inventory slots, allowing them to carry more equipment and items. In total, there are 95 Merlin Trials, and each requires the knowledge of specific spells, such as Depulso and Flipendo, to successfully unlock them.
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Not only can it be mind-numbing to try and figure out what the Merlin Trials are asking for, it's also even more frustrating to learn that players cannot advance with some Merlin Trials without completing certain segments of the story first. There's also the matter of the Merlin Trials being objectively less fun than many of the other tasks, such as breeding beasts or growing plants.
2 Jade Statues (Sleeping Dogs)
A Story Mission Later On Defeats The Purpose
Sleeping Dogs
Open-World
Action
Systems
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS3 , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , PC
- Released
- August 14, 2012
- Developer(s)
- United Front Games
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
Jade Statues in Sleeping Dogs can be collected after the "Amanda" mission and the kung-fu master, Sifu, will teach the player new melee moves for each Jade Statue they recover. First, the Jade Statues have to be found by going in completely blind and searching high and low. But, that isn't even the worst of it, as players can spend hours crawling the streets of contemporary Hong Kong in search of the Jade Statues, just for Sleeping Dogs to offer a surefire method for finding them later on in the game's main plot.
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It's a real slap in the face for anyone genuinely trying to find the Jade Statues earnestly when Tiffany calls as part of a story mission (Tifany's Song), and the locations of all the Jade Statues appear on the map afterward anyway. It definitely defeats the point of a collectible when Sleeping Dogs makes it seem as though the Jade Statues must be found the old-fashioned way, just to hand them over on a silver platter.
1 Inhibitors (Dying Light 2 Stay Human)
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Action
RPG
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:76/100
- Released
- February 4, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Techland
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , Switch , Xbox One
- Publisher(s)
- Techland
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Inhibitors are collectible artifacts found in Dying Light 2 Stay Human that increase Aiden's stats. There are 126 Inhibitors overall, but many players find themselves stuck at 124 or 125, as the last few are especially tricky to find. For anyone missing two of them, it's usually an error in which quests are chosen and how the story unfolds from a non-linear standpoint in order to access the areas where the Inhibitors are.
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For those with only one Inhibitor missing, it's usually the one tucked away in the 987 safe or the one floating in midair at the Wharf Radio Tower ruins. Both of these are easy to miss, which immediately slows the momentum of anyone looking to get them all and forces players to retrace their steps, which is always the most disagreeable option.
More
13 Open-World Games With The Best Stories, Ranked
The focus in open-world games is often placed on explorations and player freedom, but some titles manage to tell awesome stories, too.
15
- Video Games
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Grand Theft Auto 4
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