First of all, I do understand that exploration is important for some. However there is nothing more frustrating then trying to find a location for a basic thing going by some cryptic text. I used Wowhead often for WoW simply because I don't find it interesting to try and find where these 10 boars I needed to kill were, mostly because the text was written so horribly.

One of the things I should say though is that, IMO, Age of Conan's quest text is written very well. While I normally do skip quest text (especially if I've read it before) I have read quite a bit of it, and it's written well. I look at the X's on the map like the person actually pointing out that "hey, it's right here on the map" which makes sense. I mean, if you're going to be running around with a map why the hell wouldn't you ask for a clarification about it?

Plus, I think that exploration really is more than just playing an advanced game of Hide and Seek with mobs. I view exploration as looking for those special places that not many people have gotten to, not just looking for a quest.

The other thing is that, as you mentioned, sites such as wowhead or the mapping program for EQ always come along. In WoW I had an addon that even let me search quests by which one I was doing, and was able to easily find the coordinates for it. However, having to deal with addons or other sites is clunky -- which is why I love the addition in Conan.

One thing I should mention though is that some cases for quests (in Conan) there are other spots where you can find the mobs that is outside the circle. Often time these are less camped so it does slightly reward you for exploring.

Either way I think that putting quest objectives on the map is a big plus for most gamers.