NPC (XC1)

NPCs, Non-Player Characters, are characters in Xenoblade Chronicles and Future Connected. They are characters appearing on the field that are not in the player's party. Every NPCs that the player can access can be talked to. NPCs can appear and disappear depending on set conditions and, likewise, have their dialogue changed depending on story progress, progress, Area Affinity and more. NPCs can engage in , during which they will talk automatically using speech bubbles, with no input needed from the player.
==Types of NPCs==
NPCs can be put in three distincts categories:
*Named NPCs: These NPCs will be registered on the Area Affinity Chart once they are interacted with and can be traded with. They appear as a green dot on the minimap.
*Named NPCs without affinity: Important story characters that appear as NPCs. Despite being named, they do not appear on the Area Affinity Chart, do not offer quests and cannot be traded with. They appear as a yellow dot on the minimap.
*Unnamed NPCs: These NPCs have generic, massively used, names, do not appear on the Area Affinity Chart and cannot be traded with. They do not appear on the minimap.
==Dialogue==
As every humanoid NPCs in Xenoblade Chronicles can be interacted with, they all have dialogue. Much like the NPCs themselves, NPC dialogue follows a schedule. Starting at 0:00, NPC dialogue may change every three hours. This means that, if an NPC start their day at 9:00, they will have a set of two specific dialogues, playing one after the other and repeating in that order if talked to again, for the next three hours until 12:00, upon which another set of dialogues may play instead. Some NPCs may only have one dialogue in a set rather than two.
Not every one of these sets of dialogues are unique, and it is possible for a NPC with a nine hour schedule to only have the one set play.
These dialogues may change depending on story progress, quests completed or the total amount of Area Affinity gained.
==Named NPCs==
Named NPCs have a storyline upon which their quests, or the quests they are involved in, will be based on. As such, the bulk of their dialogues will change depending on quest completed rather than story progress, with some exceptions.
===Schedules===
Unlike unnamed NPCs, most named NPCs have a home they come out of and return to at the beginning and end of their schedule. Each NPC's schedule can be seen on their Affinity Chart entry, with NPCs starting their walk home three hours before the one shown in their entry, meaning that their availability during that time will depend on how far they are from home and how quick they walk. As an example, Jolele will go back home in around four seconds while will take roughly two minutes. Depending on the NPC, their schedule may vary in complexity, though most will stick to a daytime or nighttime based schedule.
Less complex schedules will see the NPC leave their house to travel to a set location where they will stay until they must return home, upon which they will walk back home and disappear at their door.
More complex schedules will see the NPC leave their home to travel to a set location then, at a set time, walk to another set location. This behaviour may repeat multiple times depending on the NPC.
Some NPCs do not have an end to their schedule, they can be found anytime in the area they live in. Depending on the NPC, they can stay in place the whole time, like Daza or cycle between a few places, like Earnest.
NPC schedules are not set in stone and may change depending on quest completion. As an example, Miller, who at first cycles between two places in the without having an end to his schedule, will switch to a 6:00-18:00 schedule once A Young Captain's Request is completed.
===Trading===
Named, non-story, NPCs can be traded with. The items they offer depend on the area they are located in, in a few cases, special conditions. More items become available as Area Affinity increases.
===Affinity Chart===
Named NPCs will appear on the Area Affinity Chart once they are interacted with. Once on there, it is possible to see some information on them, such as their rough location, their age or the items they can trade.
NPCs on the Affinity Chart may form Affinity links between each other. Affinity links describe the relationship between two NPCs with a symbol and a few words. Forming Affinity links will award the party with some Area Affinity, the amount depending on how the link is formed. Affinity links formed during NPC dialogue will award 50 Area Affinity, shown as one star in the notification, while links formed during quests may award more Area Affinity.
===Quests===
Named NPCs are able to give quests. Unlike generic quests given by unnamed NPCs, these quests are storylines that may involve the quest giver as well as other named NPCs. As such, meeting NPCs other than the quest giver can be required for the quest to appear, as well as creating a specific Affinity link.
==Named NPCs without affinity==
These NPCs are primarily characters that take part in the story. They mostly follow the same schedules as named NPCs, though they cannot give quests, appear on the Area Affinity Chart and trade.
===List of NPCs===
These characters appear as NPCs at some point during the story:
*Dickson
*Dunban
*Dunga
*Fiora
*Juju
*Kallian
*Linada
*Miqol
*Otharon
*Reyn
*Riki
*Sharla
*Vanea
*Vangarre
==Unnamed NPCs==
Unnamed NPCs, aside from Gem Man, do not have a proper name and instead have a name that fit their current situation, such as "Colony 9 Resident" or "Refugee". These NPCs mostly give generic quests with little to no storyline, with the exception of a few Tephra Cave quests, and cannot appear on the Area Affinity Chart nor be traded with.
Unnamed NPCs can have their dialogue change depending on story progress or quest completion, usually sticking with one or the other. As such, some unnamed NPCs may talk about a specific named NPC's situation and have this dialogue be unchanged all the way to the end of the game. As an example, a Colony 9 Resident near Rocco's first location near Gem Man's Stall will comment on his family situation after each of the storyline's quests are completed.
===Schedule===
Unnamed NPCs do not have a home and will follow a simple schedule of "daytime" (between 6:00 and 18:00) and "nighttime" (between 18:00 and 6:00) during which they will not move from their position. Some of them can have a more complicated schedule, during which they will move about between locations or have the hours they are available at be different.
===List of areas with unnamed NPCs===
The following is a list of areas with unnamed NPCs. The areas may be further broken down depending on needs.
*Colony 9
*Tephra Cave
*Bionis' Leg
*Colony 6
*Makna Forest
*Frontier Village
*Eryth Sea
*Alcamoth
*Valak Mountain
*Fallen Arm
*Mechonis Field
*Agniratha
*Bionis' Shoulder
==In Future Connected==
In Future Connected, due to the removal of trading and the Affinity Chart, there are fewer differences between named and unnamed NPCs, with important story characters now considered one of the former:
*Certain unnamed NPCs are able to leave and go home at the beginning and end of their schedule like named NPCs rather than simply appearing and disappearing out of thin air at their relevant location.
*As there are no generic quests in the game, only named NPCs may give quests.
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