Another informational post about NPCs. This will discuss their behavior, attributes, and other information, based on observations I’ve made while making them fight countless times and through regular gameplay.
The Dead NPC in Chat Bug:
Now, I’m sure that if you’ve played WoM for quite some time, you’ll often see an NPC with strange name colors in the chat saying their line. Here’s how this works: The NPC’s color is chosen at random, similar to roblox players’ chat colors in other games. This leads to the discrepancy in the name, but there’s more to this. The message will be broadcast to every player on the map, regardless of their proximity to the npc. Why do these two things happen? Because the NPC is dead. This bugs both the chat colors and proximity chat, leading to the thing being bugged. This only happens with civilian NPCs, such as shops and townsfolk. It cannot happen with combat NPCs as they do not say any messages out of reputation fear, only alerts.
Environmental DoT:
If an NPC puts environmental DoT down (puddles, clouds, and glass shards), and another NPC steps in it, it will always do 19 static damage, regardless of the caster or target’s level or equipment. This is a different case for players DoTing NPCs, or vice versa, and it does not apply to applied statuses (like scorched, burning, etc).
NPC Aggroing:
NPCs presumably use raycasting to aggro, which is why they usually do not aggro if you are out of sight. NPCs usually will aggro to players unless they, or the player, are broken. However, they are often oblivious to other NPCs. The reason behind this is unknown, btu that is why natural NPCs fights are rare. They will always aggro when hit, however. (Again, unless they are broken). This is probably because some function inside their aggro script triggers when being hit.
Councils do not attack unless you have a bounty. Even demon rep will not lead them to chase you. Only heroes and exiled aggro upon low rep, and of course civilians flee if your reputation is too low. Everything other good rep NPC aggros with bounty.
Despawning:
NPCs can not despawn under the following conditions:
- If they have a quest
- If they are the target of a quest
- If they are aggroed to a player or NPC
- If a player is nearby^
^There are some exceptions to this. Shops may despawn when alerted by a player if the other conditions are fulfilled, and sometimes combat NPCs do on occasion.
Otherwise, if all are met, the NPC will naturally vanish after some unknown period of time.
Structure Despawning:
The time it takes for a structure to despawn after all NPCs inside are gone is unknown. Structures’ NPCs will not despawn if they are a quest target. otherwise, they will disappear one by one, except if they have a quest. Structures never despawn while one of its NPCs are still on the map.
On an unrelated note, here’s the chest amount per structure, which does not appear to fluctuate:
MC/Bandit camp: 5
MC/Bandit outpost: 8
Sailboat: 2
Ketch ship: 6
Chambers (both types): 6
Level range for randomized NPCs:
Common combat NPCs have a level cap of either 6-49 ( outpost bandits, bounty hunters wizards, dark wizards) or 6-50 (bandits, MC scouts)
Minibosses (heroes and villains) seem to have a cap of 60-120.
Wanted shops and town civilians are always lv 1.
Wandering shops are unknown, but it seems to be 5 to 40? Needs confirmation.
Comms are 60-85? Unsure.
Captains are lv 300-400.
Guards and soldiers are lv 48-52. (This changes with player level cap increases, though of course TGR is removing the MC outright.)
Miscellaneous:
Out of the three melee weapons NPCs can use, archers seem the most effective. Daggers are powerful only when they can get quick consecutive stabs in. Throwing is less effective than arrows. Shortswords trade attack speed for damage, but if the target high jumps it is effectively wasted.
All criminal NPCs can attack each other. This includes bandits of different factions attacking one another as well as bandits not part of any of the three groups.
Outpost bandits will never offer quests (and presumably captains too).
NPCs love high jump spells. However, this usually leads to them taking more damage than they could have taken when fighting other npcs, as they will jump over attacking sometimes.