The RPG genreis one of the most popular in the history of gaming. Ever since the first RPG video game came out several decades ago, players have become addicted to games that follow this template, spending hundreds of hours completing every quest, talking to every character, and leveling their skills to slay their enemies. That said, as wonderful as RPGs are, they’re not all created equal, as some have more game mechanics than others, which makes them considerably more interesting.
Some RPGs treat NPC companions as nothing but random characters that players can occasionally talk to and use as battle allies or even cannon fodder. However, others truly take advantage of their potential importance and turn them into clever ways for the character to become more powerful, gain new skills, and evenunlock several side questsfor additional hours of fun.
Dragon Age: Inquisitionis a welcome continuation to the saga, adding new weapons, abilities, storylines, and a wide range of characters that complement the game beautifully. While exploring the world of Thedas, players will come across many dangers and creatures to interact with—some friendly, some not.
By talking to as many NPCs as possible and earning their favor, players can improve their companions' approval rating to unlock new quests, combat strategies, and abilities, which can come in handy when enemies are charging against them.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis, arguably, one ofthe best RPGs of the early 2000s, and possibly one of the best ever made. With its classic RPG turn-based combat style, great character, and world design, and nearly endless possibilities in terms of armor, weapons, and Force powers, this game was years ahead of its time. As the main character’s story is unraveled, they will meet many NPCs on the arduous journey to find the Star Map and defeat the evil Darth Malak.
Talking to world NPCs will not only unlock additional dialogue options, side quests, and certain items but can also allow the main character to romance Bastila as she witnesses the main character’s noble actions. While the game itself is pretty long and there are plenty of side quests to cover without talking to NPCs, conversations with them add another layer of depth to game interactions and can help boost the leveling process.
Exploring a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland 200 years after the bombs dropped is a golden scenario for a survival RPG, and no one understood that better than Bethesda Studios. Surviving the Boston Commonwealth can be very challenging, as it’s plagued with giant insects, cannibal super mutants, deranged robots, and vicious Deathclaws—having a strong bond with the right companions is not a nice-to-have, but rather a critical aspect of the game.
Anyone who’s played aFalloutgame knows that with every one of the character’s main actions, there will be a reaction from their companions. Positive reactions can result in improved perks, better combat abilities, and new possibilities for additional storylines, whereas negative reactions will have the opposite effect. SinceFalloutis largely a perk-based game witha strong resource management focus, getting along with NPC companions to make traversing the wasteland easier is strongly advised.
WhenThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntcame out, it redefined what “Next Gen” meant at the time. Not only because of the great graphics it had but also because of the amazing, lively, vast world players got to explore. By continuing Geralt’s story, players were able to reconnect with old companions from previous games, while also meeting new, interesting ones that added complexity, richness, and depth to the main story.
InThe Witcher 3, companion relationships help make Geralt stronger not through unlocking new powers and perks, but rather throughunlocking new side queststhat culminate with the Gray Wolf getting legendary armor, swords, and other rare items. Great examples of this are the armors from all Witcher schools, the fabled Aerondight, and small fortunes here and there, which can be used to upgrade items and buy potion ingredients.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim,is, undeniably, a masterpiece that has withstood the test of time, as it’s been almost a decade and a half since its release and there are still hundreds of thousands of players worldwide exploring the lands of Tamriel. While traversing the world, players will come across many dangers and situations where they can help others. By saving NPCs and interfering in conflicts, players can get considerable discounts in shops, and also unlock different side quests that often yield valuable rewards and even invitations to join a specific guild.
Collecting valuable items and being able to purchase better armor, weapons, and other combat elements for cheap can be a great advantage beforebattling the powerful bossesthat roam Tamriel.
