4Game

Before you all start to flame me, just read the wall of text please. and then let me know

Many people have offered ideas for implementing NPCs into Valheim, and the biggest counter argument to it, is often that it will remove replay-ability of earlier biomes or reduce the survival aspect of the game.

I do not necessarily agree with this, provided the NPCs are limited and come with their own interactions/mechanics. I came up with an idea for NPCs in Valheim that might work well, and still leave the choice to the player on whether to have them or not. I believe they can even add to the survival aspect, if done right.

Summoning NPCs

NPCs can only be summoned when you hang a boss trophy at the spawn. So, the number of NPCs is limited to the number of bosses defeated. At this point, Odin or Hugin will appear and ask whether you would want company in Valheim. if you accept, an NPC will be summoned, if you refuse, you wont get the chance until you hang the next boss trophy on the spawn.

NPCs that have been summoned, will initially distrust you, but won’t be outright hostile at first. So, you have to earn their trust (basically the taming mechanics renamed) by providing them with a place to stay and some comfort levels and some food. If you fail to provide them with these needs, they will become hostile to you, and set up their own camp/base.

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Friendly NPCs

NPCs that are friendly can be given menial tasks, such as being sent out to gather berries or meat or stay near the base to farm carrots/turnips. They will always have a slower rate of gathering (or a maximum number of farmable crops) than what you would gather yourself (such as only 30 raspberries in a day, where a player can easily do 100, if they dedicate a trip for it). They can’t be sent to gather metals or wood. They can also not be given tasks to cook higher levels of food/potions or craft weapons, other than arrows for themselves.

NPCs can only be sent into biomes of which the boss has already been defeated (so they can’t help you gather materials in the biome you are currently in or even have not yet reached, nor will they be able to help you kill a boss.)

NPCs can die when sent on tasks, if they do, you will get a notification and a death marker of that NPC, where you can find a summoning stone which you can then use to summon a new NPC at the spawn. As a counter to this, you can give NPCs equipment such as armor and weapons to increase their survivability.

NPCs will improve in their tasks over time, as well as with higher comfort levels provided, so it is rewarding to keep your NPCs safe and their dwellings comfortable.

Once you have earned the trust of an NPC, you will have to maintain that by keeping their comfort levels somewhat similar to your own, so if you have maximum comfort, and your NPCs only have 5 or 6, they wont like that and will start to distrust you again, eventually turning hostile and leaving your service.

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Hostile NPCs

Hostile NPCs will set up their own camp, if there are multiple Hostile NPCs, there is a chance they set up camp together.

Hostile NPCs will actually get access to materials and items from the same biome as the player is in. (so they can wear the same grade of armor/weapons as the player)

Hostile NPCs will, from time to time, try to steal your supplies such as food, leathers and coal, but not metals, wood or stone. They will never take all of your supplies, but will take between 10 and 25 of a given food, leather or coal. Nothing major, just a general annoyance.

Once an NPC has turned hostile, you can’t earn their trust back anymore, the only way to get a new ally then, is to kill the NPC and use the dropped summoning stone to summon a new NPC at the spawn, which you will again have to earn its trust.

Hostile NPCs will not die, unless killed by the player.

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TL/DR:

NPCs can be an added feature that can actually add to survival aspect of the game, without taking anything away from it. Provided its done right.