Poly Loot Quests and NPCs – Early Interactions
A compact reference to key NPC functions, the opening hunt turn-in, the merchant’s XP Totem, and Ability Rune quest sources in the Index.
Take your opening sword, hunt chickens and sheep, then return to the captain for XP and coins. Collect quests before you grind. Poly Loot lets you hold several quests at once, and early objectives overlap heavily — killing the same chickens or wolves can feed multiple quest counters simultaneously. Grinding before you have accepted the relevant quest earns no credit and forces a repeat trip, so sweeping every quest-giver first is the single most important early habit.
Quest and NPC quick reference
Early quest-givers include Gibb (rescues you at spawn and sends you to get a weapon), Captain Mara, Ser Aldric, the Mayor, and Miner Tom. The limited Pumpkin Hammer chain also includes Hazel the Hex Witch, Wisp the Bell, and Vesper Nocturne. This is a quick reference to known interactions, rather than a complete NPC roster. Use the quest markers you see in-game as the final authority, since NPC positions and balance change with updates.
| NPC | Where | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Gibb | Spawn area | Rescues you at spawn; sends you to get a weapon |
| Captain Mara | Starting settlement | Gives your opening sword and first hunt; return after the hunt for XP and coins |
| The Mayor | Starting settlement | Gives a quest |
| Other settlement NPCs | Outdoors and in nearby buildings | At least one gives two quests; others give early tasks |
| Cave quest-givers | Inside and around the nearby cave | Mob-clearing tasks; one grants an Ability Rune; one introduces abilities |
| Miner Tom | Deeper in the cave | Pickaxe quest that opens mining progression |
| Gold mine quest NPC | Near the gold mine | Quest that keeps generating gold passively while you work on other objectives |
Starting settlement quest-givers
Start with Captain Mara in the starting settlement:
- Take her opening sword to receive XP and coins. The King Chicken cutscene plays at this point.
- Hunt the chickens and sheep around the starting area to complete the first hunt's objectives.
- Return to Captain Mara and report to finish the hunt and receive XP and coins.
Return to Captain Mara for further quests as you progress. In one early-game progression example, she gives a King Chicken quest on a later visit.
Before leaving the starting area, check the NPCs with quest markers — outdoor NPCs, indoor NPCs in nearby buildings, and the Mayor. Quest NPCs are spread around the map, and you can hold several quests at once.
Other early tasks include a dog capture, a "save the captive" recruit quest (noted to require stronger gear), and an injured NPC with a broken leg who cannot reach the tower on his own. Map objectives also include a pigs-and-wolves hunt and an escort to bring a lost son home. For that escort, walk the son back to his mother and report to her; the game displays "quest complete".
Merchant support for quest combat
The merchant sells totems, mount items, and shards, including damage and coin totems. If you have enough currency, buy an XP Totem. Place it on the ground where several enemies spawn close together: enemies killed within its radius give 50% more XP. Use it for the fighting portion of your quests.
Daily, story, and achievement quests are useful leveling goals alongside the NPC chain. You can accept multiple quests at once.
Cave quest-givers, including the abilities quest
Continue into the nearby cave and check each branch. One route introduces abilities; others feed into normal combat progression. A quest NPC in this area can grant an Ability Rune, and quest completion counts among Ability Rune sources alongside daily login rewards, the spider, and the Triple Head Cobra. To look up Ability Rune sources, open the Index and select its items view. Certain quests award runes; this does not apply to every quest NPC. If the abilities encounter feels too difficult, return after upgrading your gear.
Duel NPC interactions
Click a duel NPC and select "start a duel" to challenge them. Winning duels can award Ability Runes.
Mid-tier progression NPCs
After the beginner quests, the chain moves to mid-tier NPCs:
- Miner Tom, deeper in the cave chain, gives the pickaxe quest that opens mining progression. Pickaxes are crafted at the Crafting station and upgrade through the mining route.
- A nearby cave NPC gives a simple mob-clearing quest — he just tells you to clear up mobs and that's about it.
- A quest tied to the gold mine keeps producing gold passively while you work on other objectives. Gold mine storage upgrades use gold, iron, and coal, and adding coal doubles the gold rate.
- The early chain overall leads toward finding bones and fighting monsters and skeletons; if those fights feel slow, upgrade your weapon, armor, or stats first.
Limited Pumpkin Hammer quest NPCs
The limited Pumpkin Hammer event has its own sequence. When that event is available, begin by lighting 10 lanterns with a candle, then follow these interactions:
- Talk to Hazel the Hex Witch and collect her four ingredients, following the red diamond markers to find them.
- Visit Wisp the Bell, the ghost, and find five hidden guests.
- Go up the castle stairs and look to the left of the castle for Vesper Nocturne. Complete her rhythm game to receive the final hammer part.
Managing quest progress
Clear overlapping objectives by fighting manageable enemies and collecting requested drops. Turn quests in together before equipping new loot.
Common mistakes: grinding before collecting quests (missed credit, repeated trips), forcing one difficult fight instead of taking an easier quest line for upgrades first, ignoring ordinary drops that are practical upgrades, and forgetting resource systems like the gold mine and mining.