You probably already know what I’m talking about here: that thing where you’re in the middle of dialogue with an NPC, but the rest of the scene has chosen not to cooperate. It’s a common feature of RPGs, but it shows up extra often in Bethesda games, and of course has returned in Starfield. I can’t get enough of it.

My favorite example so far is the video embedded above, which tells the very brief tale of a chipper fellow who fails to watch his own back.

These mid-dialogue attempted murders come in lots of flavors, though. Sometimes it’s not a messed up bone-spider thing that ruins the NPC’s day, for example, but the player themselves.

Case in point: You never know when NPC dialogue is going to trigger, and the instinct to throw a grenade when you see a bunch of enemy-like figures standing around waiting for you is a strong one. It’s a habit that tends to rule out negotiation, but it does lead to funny moments.

Here’s one:

See more

And if that isn’t enough proof that we’re overeager with grenades, another player did exactly the same thing:

See more

I’ve also discovered a special third flavor of disruptively violent mid-dialogue behavior in Starfield: Sometimes the culprit isn’t a monster and isn’t the player, but is instead the player’s apparently malfunctioning robot companion. Make sure you check on Vasco’s state of mind now and then, because:

See more

And here’s one more from the old-fashioned surprise monster attack category:

Finally, I’ll leave you with a classic of the genre, recorded in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Some things never change, and I wouldn’t want them to.

Farewell.