Pacifism runs have become rather popular among gamers recently. Many look at it as a fun challenge to complete a game without killing, or sometimes even damaging, other characters, especially in normally violent games. In this respect, RPGs are usually the genre of choice since they tend to offer the player a multitude of options on how to complete a particular game.
They often feature skill systems and branching paths designed to be taken advantage of by the player over the course of their playthrough, many of which resulting in a nonviolent outcome. Here are some RPGs thatsupport a pacifist playthrough.
7The Outer Worlds
Though it’s not a AAA RPG,The Outer Worldsdoes a fantastic job of giving the player a multitude of options for completing quests, as well as plenty of skills that are conducive to a nonviolent character build.
Stealth, dialogue, defense and tech skills are all supremely useful to a pacifist, as they unlock those alternative paths during quests that don’t involve simply killing everything in sight. The player can even (in typical Obsidian fashion) avoid the final boss fight altogether if they play their cards right regardless of which side they chose.
6Deus Ex
Deus Exis often Lauded as one of the best 3D RPGs in gaming, and for good reason. Not only can the player kill almost everything in the game, they can just as well kill nothing in the game if they want. The ability to complete a pacifist run is something that the sequels also share, withDeus Ex: Human Revolution,even havingan achievement for completing one. It’s not exactly an easy task, but it is nonetheless possible.
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Specializing in stealth and infiltration skills and augmentations (lock picking or electronics for example) while primarily using non-lethal weapons and tactics is a must when attempting this playthrough.
5Dishonored
TheDishonoredseries is all about giving the player opportunities to avoid combat. Whether it’s helping out the right people, picking the right abilities, or simply being cautious, it is very possible to complete the game without killing anyone. In fact, there is an achievement/trophy for it (though it has some minor stipulations).
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Certain powers like Blink and Possession enhance Corvo’s stealth capabilities. However, the player also ought to be careful in how they choose to help certain characters in distress as they can make missions easier or harder to complete peacefully. Saving often is recommended.
4Undertale
A classic example of an RPG that supports a pacifist run,Undertale’strue ending can only be unlocked by completing thetrue pacifist route. The true pacifist route is rather difficult, because achieving it heavily dependent on the player’s narrative choices, rather than simply running away from conflict like one would do in something likeSkyrim.
For example, the player must actively choose to spare Asgore, which will lead into the final confrontation with Asriel. It’s worth noting that this ending is also only achieved if the True Lab is unlocked after the battle with Asgore.
3Fallout
TheFalloutseries has always been one of the best RPGs for a pacifist run. This is especially true for the Black Isle and Obsidian developed games in the franchise,Fallout 1, 2andNew Vegas. These games are very good at giving the player either verbal or indirect ways of finishing quests that don’t involve killing or even hurting other characters.
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InFallout 1,for example, the player can convince the master to commit suicide, while inFallout: New Vegas, Legate Lanius can be talked down from his assault on Hoover Dam.Fallout 3is a little bit trickier due to some quests requiring that something be killed. However, the player can resort to utilizing companions likeFawx, Dogmeat or Charonto do the killing on their behalf. This way, the player can beat the game and come out with only having killed that first Radroach during the prologue.
2Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Developed by Troika Games and released in 2001,Arcanumis similar to the originalFalloutgames (no surprise, considering the two games share certain developers) in how accommodating it is for pacifistcharacter builds. Completing a pacifist run involves no less than a strong investment in defensive magical abilities, intelligence and charisma related skills, as well as some minor cheating so to speak.
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This “cheating” comes in the form of the three magic beans, which have the power to resurrect any dead character. This essentially gives the player three strikes, as NPCs brought back using the beans won’t count as kills.
1Disco Elysium
Disco Elysiumis unique for an RPG in that it doesn’t really feature a combat system. One might think that it’s easy to complete a pacifist run then; however, the game is deceptively challenging in this regard.Words carry weightinDisco Elysium, so much so that the player’s words can bring harm to them or others even though there isn’t a combat system.
Being a pacifist doesn’t just mean not killing anyone, it specifically means not hurting others. And inDisco Elysium,the potential to be extremely hurtful to others is readily apparent. Resisting this urge and choosing one’s words carefully is the key to completing a true pacifist run in this game.
