Quick-Add & Surge Mode
Small tasks, fast XP. Formerly known as Shards — now folded straight into your Quest log.
What Happened to Shards?
Shards used to be a separate task type — a checkbox item lighter than a full quest. They have since merged into the Quest system. Nothing about the mechanic disappeared — the small, fast, no-fuss task is still exactly one tap away. It just runs through the same engine as everything else now, under a new name: Quick-Add.
If you played MainQuest before this change, you may still see the word "Shard" on an older, un-updated mobile install — that is expected, and your data carried over cleanly. Update the app and it will read the same way it does here.
Quick-Add: The Fast Lane for Quests
Quick-Add is the fast lane into your Quest log on web. Type a name into the Quick-Add row, hit Enter, and it is on your list — no difficulty prompt, no objectives, no deadline to set. It slots in at Easy difficulty automatically, so you never have to think about it.
Think of Quick-Add as the quick-capture tool for your productivity. That random errand, the quick email reply, the small chore you keep forgetting — these are all perfect Quick-Add candidates.
On mobile, the Quick-Add row hasn't shipped yet — small tasks go through the regular quest form (the + button), which defaults to Medium difficulty unless you pick Easy.
When to Quick-Add vs Build a Full Quest
The distinction is straightforward: if a task takes more than a few minutes or has meaningful complexity, build a full Quest with a difficulty rating. If it is quick and simple, Quick-Add it.
Quick-Add it
- • Reply to that email
- • Clean your desk
- • Take out the trash
- • Schedule a dentist appointment
- • Water the plants
Build a full Quest
- • Write a report
- • Build a project feature
- • Study for an exam
- • Deep clean the kitchen
- • Prepare a presentation
A Quick-Add Quest is an ordinary quest underneath — it earns the age bonus if left open, can be edited, given a deadline, or swept in a Surge later. And there's no pressure baked in: leaving one unfinished never costs HP.
XP and the Daily Cap
A Quick-Add Quest completes at Easy difficulty and awards 8 XP on the day you create it — the standard Easy-tier payout, same formula as every other Quest. And because it's an ordinary non-daily quest underneath, the age bonus applies too: leave one sitting a week and it pays up to 15 XP when you finally clear it.
Daily XP Cap
Quick-Add XP counts toward the same 100 XP daily cap as every other Quest. Once you hit the cap, you can still check items off (they will be marked complete), but they will not award additional XP until the next day. The day resets at 3 AM.
Most players use a mix of full Quests and Quick-Add entries to reach the cap, with higher-difficulty Quests providing the bulk of the XP and Quick-Add filling in the gaps.
Surge Mode
Surge Mode transforms Quest completion into a rapid-fire experience, on both mobile and web. Instead of navigating to each item individually, Surge Mode presents your open Quests in a streamlined interface where you can check them off one after another in quick succession.
How Surge Mode Works
Activate Surge Mode from your Quest list, pick which open Quests to include (all of them, by default), and choose a duration — 15, 25, 45, or 60 minutes. A countdown starts, and your selected Quests appear in a focused, distraction-free interface. Check off each one and immediately move to the next. Every Quest you clear during a Surge still pays its full XP.
- • The target list is locked in at the start — quests created mid-sweep wait for the next one.
- • Change your mind mid-sweep? Un-check a quest and its XP is clawed back on the spot.
- • Your sweep time counts toward your focus stats — Surge is real focus time, not a loophole.
- • Running out the clock costs nothing: the sweep just ends in a summary of quests cleared and XP banked.
Surge Mode is built for those moments when you have accumulated a batch of small tasks and want to clear them all at once. It is particularly effective after a busy day when quick wins help you feel productive before winding down.
Quick-Add Strategies
Quick-Add is simple by design, but using it strategically can improve your overall productivity system:
Quick-Add in Your XP Economy
Quick-Add fits into the broader XP and leveling system as the lightweight end of the same Quest economy — not a separate track. Higher-difficulty Quests still carry the bulk of your XP and the meaningful stakes (HP damage on abandon, quality ratings, skill linking). Quick-Add complements them by giving every small task a fast, honest way to pay out.
The leveling formula is 100 + (level - 1) x 10 XP to reach the next level. At 8 XP per same-day Quick-Add completion, that is roughly 13 items to earn 100 XP — close to one day at the cap on Quick-Add alone. Most players will level faster by mixing in higher-difficulty Quests, but Quick-Add ensures that no small win goes unrewarded.
