Can You Kill NPCs in Starfield? – Answered

The galaxy is fully yours to explore, and that means meeting tons of different, unique people on your journey through Starfield. But sometimes your meet is less than stellar, and all that these NPCs end up doing is just annoying the hell out of you. Not for long since we have guns in space. But can you point them to that shopkeeper who somehow became the bane of your existence?

Can NPCs Die in Starfield?

The answer is yes and no. You can kill random NPCs like the numerous citizens you’ll find in the cities. But the big, important NPCs like shopkeepers or your companions, are straight-up invincible, no matter what you do. This is usually the case with Bethesda titles, and it isn’t different here in Starfield as the story would be somewhat broken without them.

You can shoot, kick, stab, or explode them as you like, but the maximum reaction you’ll get is seeing them crouching in pain for a few seconds before getting up as if nothing even happened to them. If you try to do it in the middle of a city or end up hitting an unrelated, unnamed NPC, local security might try to get you arrested, so be careful when trying that.

Related: Is The “Wanted” Trait Worth It In Starfield? – Answered

Companions, as we’ve already discussed here, are just the same. They won’t die even when brutally assaulted by enemies, boasting the same pathetic crouching animation when they receive enough damage. This makes them quite useful for various tasks, such as distracting enemies while you sneak your way to their throats.

Named NPCs also don’t seem to bother you trying to make an attempt on their lives. They may call security in the aforementioned cases, but will treat you normally if you come back later. It kinda ruins immersion a bit, but the game wouldn’t be able to properly continue if a central character in a questline suddenly vanished from existence.