You probably already know what I’m talking about here: that thing where you’re in the middle of dialogue with an NPC, but the rest of the scene has chosen not to cooperate. It’s a common feature of RPGs, but it shows up extra often in Bethesda games, and of course has returned in Starfield. I can’t get enough of it.
My favorite example so far is the video embedded above, which tells the very brief tale of a chipper fellow who fails to watch his own back.
These mid-dialogue attempted murders come in lots of flavors, though. Sometimes it’s not a messed up bone-spider thing that ruins the NPC’s day, for example, but the player themselves.
Case in point: You never know when NPC dialogue is going to trigger, and the instinct to throw a grenade when you see a bunch of enemy-like figures standing around waiting for you is a strong one. It’s a habit that tends to rule out negotiation, but it does lead to funny moments.
Here’s one:
I’ve only been playing #Starfield for an hour and the literal funniest thing just happened. pic.twitter.com/5VxNvlYR9eSeptember 1, 2023
And if that isn’t enough proof that we’re overeager with grenades, another player did exactly the same thing:
I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you wanted to talk first 😅😂 #Starfield #XboxSeriesX pic.twitter.com/6yWerYljwCSeptember 2, 2023
I’ve also discovered a special third flavor of disruptively violent mid-dialogue behavior in Starfield: Sometimes the culprit isn’t a monster and isn’t the player, but is instead the player’s apparently malfunctioning robot companion. Make sure you check on Vasco’s state of mind now and then, because:
Vasco wtf man 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/PQ5lMa2fhbSeptember 7, 2023
And here’s one more from the old-fashioned surprise monster attack category:
Sarah was giving me an earful for accidentally killing an innocent NPC. Maybe next time she should just let me do what I do best 🤭🤭🤭 from r/Starfield
Finally, I’ll leave you with a classic of the genre, recorded in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Some things never change, and I wouldn’t want them to.
Farewell.