quest giver
/kwɛst ˈɡɪv.ər/
CommonAn NPC who gives players a task or mission to complete. Also describes anyone in real life who assigns a task or sets someone on a mission.
Playful and self-aware. Calling someone a quest giver in real life is usually a joke about how game-like or arbitrary an assignment feels.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | my manager is such a quest giver. just handed me a ticket with 0 context and said 'should be quick' | A manager assigned work in the vague, unexplained way an RPG NPC would. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | my DM has a quest giver who gives out terrible jobs for no reward and we love him | A dungeon master's NPC has become a beloved recurring character despite being unhelpful. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | the professor assigned a group project. full quest giver energy. | The teacher's assignment framed the situation like an RPG task being handed out. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | found a random NPC quest giver in the middle of nowhere. his quest was to bring him a flower. he gave us nothing. | An in-game character gave the players a task with no meaningful reward. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- Describing an NPC who assigns the players a task in an RPG.
- Humorously describing a boss, teacher, or authority figure who assigns work.
- Joking about a situation that feels like an RPG mission being handed out.
Do not use it when
- You mean a manager or teacher in a serious professional context.
Origin and context
Standard RPG and video game design term for characters who initiate missions for the player. Widely used in game design writing and player communities. The humorous real-life application emerged as gaming language crossed into everyday internet vocabulary.
- First seen
- 1980s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/quest-giverUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0