The Different Types of Quests

There are six main types of quest you can give your players and a good mix of them will stave off boredom and change the dynamic of the team as you can play up to different class strengths. 

1. Kill Quest 

Sometimes a dude just needs to die.

The kill quest is your bread and butter type of quest. Send your party to clear out a goblin cave that has been raiding merchant caravans just outside the town etc. These are the most straight forward missions to give out and plan but the completion can lead to a plot hook or unforeseen problem.  

2. Escort Quest

Go here and make sure this dude doesn't die on the way.

These can be fun, on the rails missions as once they get going the DM can be very prescriptive. It is a literal railroad. As is often the case the mission is never meant to be completed or is designed solely to move the party to another location thereby revealing the next plot hook. These are often necessary to more your story along so don't be worried about the cliche. This can even be used as the start of your campaign to get the characters unified over a shared problem.

3. Defense Quest 

These dudes can't stand against those dudes, keep the first dudes safe. 

These tend to be rarer in RPGs than they do in video games. It's a good way of building up your characters' confidence in their abilities if they overcome wave after wave of bad guys threatening a town. Prestige, fame and rewards can be theres and depending on their alignment can lead to some interesting interactions with the local powers if they are seen to be saviours and want to throw their weight around. 

4. Fetch Quest

Come back with this thing from that dude. 

Very similar to the escort quest but the macguffin can have different safety requirements and then also be tracked down if stolen. Also bringing it back to the right person can be an important development point.

5. Talk to X Quest

Talk to that dude. 

Plot development and potentially moving to a new location all wrapped up in one neat package. 

6. Gather Quest

This dude needs x amount of this thing, do that. 

Get me all the Nirnroot you can find and I'll make you some sweet potions... 

So there you go, mix up your quests to give your players variety. There are many different ways to use them for misdirection or plot development. Redemption from a previous misstep can be a powerful motivator. 

May you roll well.