Deliverance's Most Notorious NPC Annoyances

Even after 150 hours in Crimson Desert now, I’m still discovering things I didn’t know were there—sometimes, things I didn’t think were possible. For me, this game stretches the boundaries of what the open-world sandbox is capable of, with more variety, more interactivity, and more possibility in its world than in any I’ve ever seen before. I guess we’ll see if that changes when The Elder Scrolls 6 launches in 2068, but until then, Crimson Desert is the new standard in my eyes. However, for all the surprises it continues to throw at me, there’s one thing I’ve noticed from the moment I started playing that I’ve tried to ignore, and while it really doesn’t bother me all that much, it reminds me of a similar “problem” I encountered when I played the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance in 2018.

Crimson Desert is actually like Kingdom Come: Deliverance in many ways, though it’s particularly similar in how it forces Kliff and the other playable characters to learn pretty much anything before they’re capable of doing it. I’ve noticed some other similarities as well, though, like how the world reacts to you, its lack of handholding, and its massive open world filled with plenty of interesting potential discoveries. But there is one, perhaps less significant similarity between the games’ NPCs, where they seem to be so taken aback by you even gently brushing shoulders with them that you walk away feeling like you’ve just ruined someone’s life. It can be humorous at times, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was back in 2018, playing the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance again.

Crimson Desert Review: A Remarkable Open World That Often Asks Too Much

Crimson Desert offers one of the most impressive worlds in gaming, but the deeper you go, the more it asks you to meet it on its own terms.

Crimson Desert’s NPCs Hate Being Bumped Into, Almost as Much as KCD’s

Playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance almost 8 years ago was quite a bit different from playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 today. The sequel not only brought a much larger open world into the picture, but it also refined a lot of the systems that the first game introduced, ultimately making it easier for new players to get on board. The first game didn’t have those bells and whistles though, and was still slightly rough around the edges, to the point that if you weren’t committed to the somewhat hardcore nature of its gameplay, it almost didn’t care. There were quirks that seemed to be perfectly fine with being quirks, and even some bugs that made the experience more memorable.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s NPCs Would Get Angry at You for Touching Them Even Slightly

But one thing I remember very vividly is how Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘s NPCs reacted to me, at least initially. I don’t just mean they reacted to me when I passed by, as in greeting me or making a comment about my stench. I mean anytime I bumped into them, they treated me like I was the worst person to ever live, as though I wandered around with a depraved mind and insufferable hunger that could only be satiated by throwing my body weight against passersby.

Passive-aggressive comments like “Are you blind?” and “Have you gone mad?” amused me to the point that I almost wanted to interrupt everyone else’s otherwise peaceful jaunt even more. Guards were especially irritated by my apparent stupor, even threatening me with prison if I didn’t watch where I was going. I know none of this is necessarily new to open-world games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but it was on such a different level that a mod was even created to make NPCs more tolerant of being slightly rubbed up against—because that was the real issue.

The Kingdom Come: Deliverance mod, called “NPCs complain less when bumped,” was created by BlacRyu.

Shortly after the game launched, a couple of my friends and I spent weeks pretending to be Kingdom Come: Deliverance NPCs when we’d cross paths, poking fun at how easy it was to infuriate them. It might have been enough to distract from the game’s immersion, but that didn’t stop us from having fun with it. I only say that to show just how much of an unspoken issue it was, even before it became as publicly known as it eventually did.

Fortunately, while I don’t remember Warhorse Studios directly addressing the problem, I do remember the day I logged in and the NPCs seemed to be much more forgiving of my incessant stumbling. The streets were suddenly quieter than they once were, and I felt like I could actually reach my destination without feeling like I was running through an obstacle course just to avoid the constant chatter. Again, I’m not sure if Warhorse ever actually did something or not, but it sure seemed like it. A part of me even missed being hated by so many.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s NPCs Have Followed Me Into Crimson Desert’s Pywel

It’s a good thing Crimson Desert came along, then, because its NPCs seem to hate me just as much as Kingdom Come: Deliverance‘s once did, if not more. It’s already hard enough trying to get through a town without bumping into a random stranger, simply because there are so many NPCs in the game, but Pearl Abyss had to go and make sure every single one of them responds to me with deep disdain every time I do. Even Crimson Desert‘s kids think I’m evil when I trip over them on my way to see the butcher.

Some of them are a bit nicer than others, but still can’t stand the sight of me once my burly arms have left a couple of bruises on theirs. I’ve had NPCs seem to condemn me to death when I steamroll them, while others respectfully inquire about what my problem is. I had one kid say I was a “really bad man” when I bumped into them playing Crimson Desert the other day, which is interesting, as that seems like a really low bar for a person’s character. I always return my shopping cart. So what if I sometimes run into people on my way there?

Even Crimson Desert‘s kids think I’m evil when I trip over them on my way to see the butcher.

I don’t know yet if other Kingdom Come: Deliverance fans have noticed the same trend in Crimson Desert, and I’m not sure Pearl Abyss even has it on its radar as something that needs to be fixed. It’s definitely not a dire issue, but after over 150 hours, I do think it’s starting to wear on me. It just feels like I’m playing an impossible game of Minesweeper every time I traipse through a town. I’m glad the devs are working on some of the game’s more pressing issues, but I wouldn’t mind if this eventually found its way onto the list. Until then, I guess I’ll just continue to run people over with my legendary horse.