On this page
- Match the quest system to your server
- 1. Quests, by PikaMug
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 2. BetonQuest
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 3. BeautyQuests
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 4. NotQuests
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 5. AuroraQuests
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- Test one complete quest before building dozens
- Install a candidate on your test server
- Consider scrolls or personal daily assignments
Key takeaways
5- Quests offers a chat editor; BeautyQuests builds quests through in-game graphical interfaces.
- BetonQuest supports branching conversations and visibility controlled by conditions.
- NotQuests lists Minecraft 26.3 support, requires Java 25 for its current release and does not support Spigot.
- AuroraQuests combines storyline and scheduled random pools and requires AuroraLib.
- Check individual releases and test one complete quest before building a large quest catalogue.
For server owners choosing a quest plugin, the first decision is how players should experience quests and how your team should build them. This comparison covers five free options, from chat and graphical editors to branching conversations and timed quest pools. You will leave with a shortlist and a small test plan before committing to a full quest system.
Match the quest system to your server
Start with the content you want to create. A repeatable gathering task, an NPC conversation and a branching adventure need different authoring tools. These are the differences confirmed by the projects' pages checked on 25 October 2026.
| Plugin | Design focus | Good fit for | Free or paid | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quests, by PikaMug | In-game chat editor and optional quest acceptance GUI | Objective-based quests with varied rewards | Free | Current releases list Minecraft 1.8 to 1.21.11 plus 26.1 and 26.2; 26.3 is not confirmed |
| BetonQuest | Branching conversations and conditional content | Story-driven adventures | Free | Listing includes 26.1, 26.2 and 26.3 |
| BeautyQuests | In-game graphical quest creation | Teams that prefer building quests through menus | Free, with a separate paid expansion | Recent builds list 1.20.6, 1.21 to 1.21.11, and 26.1 to 26.2; check the release channel because development builds are also available |
| NotQuests | Nested objectives, conversations and reputation | Layered progression and repeatable character journeys | Free | Current release requires Java 25 or newer; Spigot is unsupported |
| AuroraQuests | Storyline pools and scheduled random quests | Recurring tasks alongside longer progression | Free | Match the individual release to your server version and install the required companion library plugin |
1. Quests, by PikaMug
PikaMug's Quests provides objective-based questing with an in-game chat editor. Players can accept several quests at once and receive rewards for completing them.
What it does well
Its objectives include item delivery, combat, enchanting and visiting locations. Rewards can include items, experience, permissions and quest points, with a leaderboard for those points. An optional GUI gives players another way to accept quests.
Who it suits
Shortlist it if your team wants to create conventional quests through chat commands. The mix of objectives and rewards gives you room to plan a starter quest chain, gathering assignments or exploration tasks without making dialogue the centre of every quest.
What to watch
The current releases list Minecraft 1.8 to 1.21.11 plus 26.1 and 26.2. Minecraft 26.3 support is still not confirmed by the checked 5.3.2 release page. Also check the author and address: PikaMug's project uses the Modrinth slug quests.classic. A different project uses the name Quests too, so the name alone is not enough to identify it.
2. BetonQuest
BetonQuest combines quests with multi-path conversations and content controlled by conditions. Its feature set puts substantial emphasis on building adventures around individual player progress.
What it does well
It includes quest logs, menus, quest items, notifications and per-player language selection. Conditions can control whether players, NPCs and holograms are visible. Those tools are relevant when different players should encounter different stages of a story.
Who it suits
Shortlist BetonQuest for an adventure where conversations branch and the world should respond to completed objectives. Before choosing it, sketch one conversation with two outcomes and decide what each outcome should unlock. Use that as your trial project.
What to watch
Its Modrinth listing includes Minecraft 1.13.x to 1.21.x and versions 26.1, 26.2 and 26.3. The authoring workflow was not confirmed in the available research, so this comparison does not promise a particular editor or file format. Check the documentation linked from its listing before deciding how your team will maintain the content.
3. BeautyQuests
BeautyQuests lets you build quests through in-game graphical interfaces. It also supports NPC dialogue with branching paths, bringing visual authoring and story features into the same plugin.
What it does well
The project lists more than 20 stage types, including mining blocks, killing mobs, reaching locations, interacting with blocks and taming entities. Requirements can involve experience levels, regions and permissions. It also offers rewards, a configurable scoreboard and holograms that mark available quests.
Who it suits
Shortlist it when the people creating quests prefer working through menus. Its stage variety makes it worth testing for a survival server that wants several kinds of assignments, while branching dialogue gives you another route for story content.
What to watch
Recent builds list Minecraft 1.20.6, 1.21 to 1.21.11, and 26.1 to 26.2. Check both compatibility and the release channel: 2.1.0+build.144 is marked Alpha and explicitly described as a development build, while 2.1.0 is marked Release. The development build's notes advise backing up plugin data and any database, then testing on a separate server. Check the exact release you intend to use rather than choosing from the project's broad compatibility range alone. A paid expansion exists, so confirm which edition contains the features you need.
4. NotQuests
NotQuests combines multi-path objectives with nested sub-objectives, conversations and reputation. It also includes tags, variables and quest profiles that let players restart content.
What it does well
Objectives can contain further sub-objectives, while conversations support conditions and actions. Its custom GUI builder uses YAML. Together, those features give you tools for organising more detailed progression and presenting it through a custom interface.
Who it suits
Shortlist it for quests with several layers of completion or a progression system involving reputation. If restarting a journey matters to your design, include quest profiles in your trial. Build one small example before planning a large catalogue of interdependent objectives.
What to watch
The project lists Minecraft 1.17.x through 26.3, but it explicitly does not support Spigot or Bukkit. Its current release requires Java 25 or newer. Treat the server platform and Java requirement as initial selection checks, before spending time designing quests.
5. AuroraQuests
AuroraQuests combines customisable menus with different quest pool types. Those pools include global storylines and timed random quests scheduled through cron.
What it does well
The listing includes more than 30 task types, multiple rewards per quest, and leaderboards and levelling for individual pools. It also supports cross-server MySQL synchronisation. These features are worth examining when recurring quests should have progression beyond a single completion reward.
Who it suits
Shortlist it when your design combines longer storylines with scheduled random assignments. Decide whether you want shared story content, recurring pools or both, then test one pool before expanding the schedule.
What to watch
AuroraQuests requires the current version of its separate companion library plugin, identified on its listing. The project listing includes Minecraft 26.2, but its overall compatibility range does not mean every build supports older servers. For example, the older 2.2.0 release lists Minecraft 1.20.4 to 1.20.6 and 1.21.x. Pick the individual build matching your server version; the checked pages do not confirm 26.3 support. The page also notes biome filter limitations on its supported threaded server platform, so check that caveat if it affects your planned tasks.
Test one complete quest before building dozens
Our team recommends testing the same small assignment in each shortlisted plugin. That makes the editing process and player experience easier to compare.
- Choose one objective and one reward that the candidate supports.
- Create the quest using its documented authoring workflow.
- Accept it as a player and check how progress is displayed.
- Complete it and verify the reward.
- Check your intended repeat or reset behaviour before creating more content.
If NPC conversations matter, check the quest plugin's integration list before choosing an NPC system. Our NPC plugin comparison helps with that separate decision. Do not assume that an integration listed on a project page is a mandatory dependency.
Install a candidate on your test server
Choose a release that matches your server, read its dependency instructions, and include any required companion plugins. Use the route that matches where your test server runs.
- Stop the test server using its console.
- Place the selected plugin jar and required dependency jars in its
pluginsdirectory. - Start the test server and read the console output before following the project's first-quest instructions.
- Stop the test server from the Console.
- Use the File Manager or SFTP to upload the selected jars into
plugins. - Start it from the Console and check the startup output. If its Java requirement cannot be met by the Docker images available in the Startup tab, ask your host.
- Stop the test server through the panel.
- Use Files / FTP to upload the selected jars into
plugins. - Start the server and check the console output. If the required server software is unavailable through JAR selection, or the Java version is unsuitable, ask your host.
Consider scrolls or personal daily assignments
A broad quest system may be more than your design needs. These two paid plugins made by our team address narrower quest formats, so consider them when those formats match your plan.
ScrollQuest, made by our team, uses paper scrolls for missions. Players right-click to track and claim them. Consider it when you want the scroll itself to be the way players interact with a mission.
zDailyQuests, made by our team, gives each player five random daily quests on their own 24-hour timer. It includes rewards and a bonus for completing all five. Consider that format when your goal is a personal set of recurring assignments.
Frequently asked questions
Which Minecraft quest plugin has a GUI editor?
BeautyQuests explicitly supports creating quests through in-game graphical interfaces. Quests by PikaMug uses an in-game chat editor and offers an optional GUI for accepting quests, which is a different function.
Should we choose Quests or BetonQuest?
Quests by PikaMug is worth testing for objective-based quests built through a chat editor. BetonQuest is worth testing when branching conversations and condition-controlled content are central to your design. Compare them using one small quest that represents what your server needs.
Which quest plugins list Minecraft 26.3 support?
The checked listings for BetonQuest and NotQuests include Minecraft 26.3, but that does not establish compatibility for every release. Quests 5.3.2 lists support through 26.2, and the checked BeautyQuests builds also list versions through 26.2. AuroraQuests' checked pages do not confirm 26.3 support. Check the exact plugin build, release channel, server platform and Java requirements before installing.
Do Minecraft quest plugins require an NPC plugin?
An advertised NPC integration does not by itself establish a mandatory dependency. Quests, BetonQuest, BeautyQuests and NotQuests list NPC integrations, but the research does not confirm a universal NPC requirement. Read the selected release's requirements before adding companion plugins.
Which quest plugin supports daily or recurring tasks?
AuroraQuests advertises timed random quest pools scheduled through cron. zDailyQuests, made by our team, gives each player five random quests on a personal 24-hour timer, with rewards and an all-five completion bonus. Choose according to whether you need scheduled pools or personal daily sets.
