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There is more information available on this subject at Non-playable character on the English Wikipedia. |
Non-playable character (NPC), or Bots[1] refers to any character in a gameplay scenario whose actions are not controlled by the player, but rather through an artificial intelligence. Several modes include NPCs including Firefight, Multiplayer and most prominently Campaign.
Overview
There are three types of NPCs: hostile, allied, and neutral. Hostile NPCs will attack the player on sight with whatever is available at their disposal, or deter the player in some way. Allied NPCs will actively fight the enemies of the player and generally help them. Neutral NPCs will not engage in any combat whatsoever.
NPCs on either side have the ability to enter vehicles on the map. This can give either side huge advantages. NPCs can enter the turrets and side seats of larger vehicles, and drive certain vehicles. Which vehicles and the NPC's skill with them, is dependent on which game is played.
NPCs have unlimited ammo for their weapons. However, they must reload once they are done their magazines. In Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 the player can switch weapons with allied NPCs, helping to resolve issues of low ammo or help optimize combat efficiency for your team of NPC. Conversely, you can obtain slightly more powerful weapons that may not be available on the ground.
Some may feature unique triggers and dialogue that differentiate them from "normal" allies because they are vital to the development of the game's storyline.
Every Halo game allows the player to be stealthy and eliminate enemies from behind without alerting other NPCs. This mechanic is extended to have special animations in Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians called assassinations.
Gameplay
First-person shooters
- Main article: First-person shooter
In Halo: Combat Evolved, there are several types of NPCs. Some of whom are important story characters like Captain Jacob Keyes and 343 Guilty Spark. Keyes is only seen a few times, but if he is killed, the mission is failed and you must restart the level. 343 Guilty Spark is invincible and immune to any attacks on him during the game. Avery Johnson and Marcus Stacker are two others but they can be killed with no repercussions.
In Halo 2, all NPCs are invincible. They usually fight alongside the player and lead allies into battle. Most of the time they are also armed with stronger weapons and feature unique dialogue that is integral to the storyline.
In Halo 3, they share the same characteristics of Halo 2's NPCs, but when they take too much damage, they will fall to the ground, lifeless, and stay there until the battle is over. Soon after, they will stand back up and utilize the nearest available weapon, which usually tends to be their own.
In Halo 3: ODST, the same rules still apply from Halo 2, though certain NPCs are playable in some campaign levels (for example, Tayari Plaza is told from Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck's point of view, but he is an NPC ally in NMPD HQ). The only NPC excluded from the "invulnerable" rule is Vergil.
In Halo: Reach NPCs function more akin to those in Halo 2; they are invincible however still react to incoming fire. Unlike in Halo 2, however, the player cannot swap weapons with allied those in NOBLE Team. Halo: Reach also features the Fireteam system, which is a unique way of recruiting friendly AIs.
In Halo 4, Thomas Lasky is the only unique NPC. He is completely invincible and doesn't flinch when shot. Halo 4 Spartan Ops also features Parg Vol as an enemy who can be fought.
In Halo 5: Guardians, both Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris are unique NPCs that are dubbed "Musketeers" by 343 Industries. The Musketeers can take damage and go into a "final stand" or "down-but-not-out" state from which they can be revived. Similarly, the Musketeers can revive players in the same state. Musketeers can also be ordered by the player to take vehicles, attack enemies, look at different objects in the environment, take weapons and move to different locations.[2] In the gametype Warzone, players can fight a variety of different NPCs to earn points including "Legendary" enemies that are specific to the maps they are fought on.
Halo Infinite will feature NPCs on multiplayer maps in special multiplayer training sessions. These "Bots" come in four types: Recruit, Marine, ODST, and Spartan.[1]
List of Halo NPCs
| Faction | Relationship to Player |
|---|---|
| UNSC Marines | Allied |
| Elites | Hostile |
| Grunts | Hostile |
| Jackals | Hostile |
| Hunters | Hostile |
| Sentinels | Allied (Until Two Betrayals, then hostile) |
| Flood | Hostile |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Jacob Keyes | Allied | |
| 343 Guilty Spark | Neutral | |
| Staff Sergeant Avery J. Johnson | Allied | |
| Lat 'Ravamee | Hostile |
| Faction | Relationship to Player | |
|---|---|---|
| UNSC Marines | Allied (To the Master Chief) | Hostile (To the Arbiter) |
| UNSC ODSTs | Allied | |
| Elites | Allied (To the Arbiter) Hostile (To John-117) | |
| Grunts | Allied (To the Arbiter) Hostile (To John-117) | |
| Jackals | Allied (To the Arbiter until Quarantine Zone) Hostile (To John-117 and the Arbiter after Quarantine Zone) | |
| Hunters | Allied (To the Arbiter) Hostile (To John-117) | |
| Drones | Allied (To the Arbiter until Quarantine Zone) Hostile (To John-117 and the Arbiter after Quarantine Zone) | |
| Brutes | Allied (To the Arbiter until Quarantine Zone) Hostile (To John-117 and the Arbiter after Quarantine Zone) | |
| Sentinels | Hostile | |
| Enforcers | Hostile | |
| Constructors | Neutral (Appear as enemies in cross-hairs, but do not attack) | |
| Flood | Hostile |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Master Gunnery Sergeant | Allied | |
| Commander Miranda Keyes | Allied | |
| Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson | Allied | |
| Spec Ops Commander Rtas 'Vadumee | Allied | |
| 343 Guilty Spark | Neutral | |
| Brute Chieftain Tartarus | Hostile | |
| Heretic Commander Sesa 'Refumee | Hostile | |
| Prophet of Regret | Hostile |
| Faction | Relationship to Player |
|---|---|
| UNSC Marines | Allied |
| Elites | Allied |
| Brutes | Hostile |
| Drones | Hostile |
| Grunts | Hostile |
| Jackals | Hostile |
| Hunters | Hostile |
| Sentinels | Allied (Until Halo, then hostile) |
| Constructorss | Neutral (Appear as enemies in cross-hairs, but do not attack) |
| Flood | Hostile (Allied for only The Covenant) |
| Voi factory workers | Allied |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| The Arbiter | Allied | All levels except Tsavo Highway |
| 343 Guilty Spark | Neutral (Until Halo, then hostile) | |
| Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson | Allied | |
| Commander Miranda Keyes | Allied | |
| Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds | Allied |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck | Allied | |
| Taylor H. "Dutch" Miles | Allied | |
| Michael "Mickey" Crespo | Allied | |
| Kojo "Romeo" Agu | Allied | |
| Captain Veronica Dare | Allied | |
| Unnamed NMPD Officer | Allied (Upon discovering Dr. Endesha's body if the player has collected 29 Audio logs, turns hostile) | |
| Vergil | Allied |
| Faction | Relationship to Player |
|---|---|
| UNSC Army | Allied |
| UNSC Marines | Allied |
| UNSC ODSTs | Allied |
| Elites | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Grunts | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Jackals | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Brutes | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Drones | Hostile |
| Engineers | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Hunters | Hostile (Allied only if an Elite in Firefight) |
| Moa | Neutral |
| Civilian | Neutral |
| Gúta | Hostile |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Carter-A259 | Allied | |
| Catherine-B320 | Allied | |
| Jun-A266 | Allied | |
| Emile-A239 | Allied | |
| Jorge-052 | Allied | |
| Sergeant Major Duvall | Allied | |
| Ardo 'Moretumee | Hostile |
| Faction | Relationship to Player |
|---|---|
| UNSC Marines | Allied |
| UNSC Spartans | Allied |
| Elites | Hostile |
| Grunts | Hostile |
| Jackals | Hostile |
| Hunters | Hostile |
| Promethean Crawler | Hostile |
| Promethean Watcher | Hostile |
| Promethean Knight | Hostile |
| Sentinels | Allied |
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Lasky | Allied | |
| Parg Vol | Hostile |
| Faction | Relationship to Player |
|---|---|
| UNSC Marines | Warzone Only. Allied and Hostile |
| Elites | Hostile |
| Grunts | Hostile |
| Jackals | Hostile |
| Hunters | Hostile |
| Promethean Crawler | Hostile |
| Promethean Soldier | Hostile |
| Promethean Watcher | Hostile |
| Promethean Knight | Hostile |
Musketeers
| Character | Relationship to Player | Levels Encountered |
|---|---|---|
| Petty Officer Second Class Linda-058 | Allied | |
| Petty Officer Second Class Kelly-087 | Allied | |
| Lieutenant, Junior Grade Frederic-104 | Allied | |
| Spartan Olympia Vale | Allied | Every level excluding |
| Spartan Holly Tanaka | Allied | Every level excluding |
| Spartan Edward Buck | Allied | Every level excluding |
Production notes
During the development of Halo: Combat Evolved, the Keelbug was conceptualized as a method to remove NPC dead bodies in order to free up memory in the game.
Sources
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Inside Infinite - July 2021 (Retrieved on Jul 27, 2021) [archive]
- ^ Halo 5: Guardians ViDoc: A Hero Reborn