Talking Over Fighting
Some games give you three dialogue options and call it a day, while others let you spend hours questioning characters, making promises, and talking yourself into trouble. Can you guess which one we prefer? We’re not the only ones, either! Plenty of people love to gab with NPCs to see what sorts of mischief they can get into, and these 20 titles are the best worlds to go hog wild in.
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1. Baldur's Gate 3
Few RPGs give you as much freedom in conversations as BG3. Everything—literally everything—can change how people interact with you: your race, class, background, and previous decisions all unlock unique responses. Even seemingly minor interactions offer persuasion checks, intimidation, and entirely unexpected solutions.
2. Disco Elysium
Talking isn't something you do between missions in this game. Oh, no; conversations are practically the entire game. Your skills frequently interrupt discussions with observations, arguments, and suggestions, sometimes giving you completely ridiculous things to say. You can also interrogate suspects, debate political ideologies, or spend an embarrassing amount of time convincing someone you're a superstar.
3. Fallout: New Vegas
We know a lot of what makes Fallout fun is the missions, but don’t count out the chatting! New Vegas especially offers special dialogue for skills like Speech, Science, and Barter, allowing anyone clever enough to resolve situations without reaching for a weapon.
4. Planescape: Torment
For a game released in 1999, this one still holds up for the extraordinary amount of reading it asks you to do. That’s a good thing! As the Nameless One, you'll question companions about their histories and uncover memories that help explain your mysterious immortality. Not to mention, specific characters like Morte and Dak'kon have extensive conversations available, and a high Intelligence score reveals information other builds might miss.
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5. Mass Effect 2
What’s Mass Effect without a little dialogue…or trying to romance the right person? Shepard has plenty to say, especially when the fate of an entire crew depends on maintaining everyone's loyalty. Mass Effect 2 wisely uses its dialogue wheel to meet specific morality requirements, and during confrontations, your ability to navigate an argument can determine who stays loyal.
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6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
We all knew that this one would give us tons to play with—and it certainly does. Geralt may have a reputation for being reserved, but The Witcher 3 gives him an impressive amount of dialogue, allowing you to scope out complicated situations and decide how much sympathy certain people deserve. What makes it all so satisfying is that an innocent-looking option can have consequences you won't even uncover until later.
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7. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Anyone who thrives under complicated character builds can appreciate how frequently this game acknowledges their choices. Make no mistake: your alignment, abilities, and chosen path influence conversations. Choosing the Lich path, for example, opens up story developments you wouldn't even touch for an Angel character.
8. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Larian Studios was at it again with this one, experimenting with elaborate dialogue systems long before Astarion hit the scene. Character tags introduce different responses, while origin characters score dialogue connected to their personal histories. Playing as an elf also provides unusual investigative opportunities.
9. Dragon Age: Origins
Before BioWare introduced a more streamlined dialogue wheel, Dragon Age: Origins allowed you to pick from a ton of responses. Your character's origin influences how certain people treat you, too, particularly when returning to places associated with your background.
10. Tyranny
Most fantasy RPGs ask one thing of you: defeat an evil empire. Tyranny, however, places you in the service of one that's already taken over the planet. As a Fatebinder, you're constantly interpreting laws, settling disputes, and deciding how to enforce the authority of the Overlord Kyros. You also have plenty of opportunities to support either army, undermine their leaders, or pursue your own interests.
11. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Exploring the Deadfire Archipelago involves a heck of a lot more talking than its pirate setting suggests. It’s all about reputation, class, race, and disposition in this one, each of which allows different personalities to approach situations differently. Conversations with faction leaders also get even more important when deciding whether to support the Royal Deadfire Company, Huana, Vailian Trading Company, or Príncipi.
12. Torment: Tides of Numenera
Don’t knock this unusual science-fantasy RPG so fast. It puts enormous emphasis on dialogue and philosophy! You’ll run into people who challenge identity, mortality, and responsibility, often presenting several ways to investigate an issue. And thanks to the game's Crisis system, certain confrontations can also be resolved through chit-chat, not combat.
13. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
Obsidian's Knights of the Old Republic II gives you plenty of chances to challenge what you think you know about the Jedi and Sith. If this game teaches you anything, it’s that you don’t know what you think you do! The coolest thing is that your influence can also unlock personal revelations and, in some cases, opportunities to train comrades as Force users.
14. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
Oh, how we love a good vampire game—especially one that lets you yap as much as play. Being a vampire doesn't mean abandoning your social skills, especially in the dangerous nightlife of LA. Here, it’s a fine line between persuasion, intimidation, and seduction options, with certain clans receiving completely different lines of dialogue.
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15. The Age of Decadence
Rather than pretending every character can do everything, The Age of Decadence makes your background central to what’s available. A merchant might negotiate a few bucks off an item whereas a trained assassin would prefer threats or a more…permanent solution. Political intrigues offer numerous branching interactions, too, although choosing the wrong words can quickly get you in trouble.
16. Pentiment
Set in 16th-century Bavaria, Pentiment follows a Mr. Andreas as he investigates mysteries in the village. Choose wisely, though. Your selected background determines whether you can demonstrate knowledge of subjects like theology, law, or medicine during discussions. Since the game's conversations are also influenced by social relationships, deciding whom to question is just as important as choosing what to say.
17. Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Look, we’re all for cyberpunk technology and fantasy creatures, but the conversations deserve a little credit as well! Your etiquette skills provide specialized responses when dealing with different groups, allowing you to navigate situations that might otherwise turn ugly. Conversations also reveal detailed personal histories that influence individual missions.
18. Citizen Sleeper
It’s pretty simple in this one. You play as an escaped artificial body trying to survive on a space station. That said, you’re also given license to develop relationships with fellow residents, and you only do it through conversations that determine which stories become available. Decisions about whom to trust, which jobs to accept, and how to spend your limited time can send those relationships in noticeably different directions.
19. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Say what you want about this 2001 RPG, but you can’t say it wasn’t ambitious. Despite its age, it adjusts conversations to account for your attributes and reputation. Intelligence also plays a major role in the dialogue system; exceptionally unintelligent characters get drastically simplified responses. Your technological or magical specialization affects certain encounters, too, giving you even more reasons to experiment.
20. Wasteland 3
Postapocalyptic Colorado sure is packed with difficult conversations. Wasteland 3 is all about dialogue checks, letting characters persuade or intimidate others depending on what skills they bring to the table. Almost everything is a consequential decision, and your responses help determine how major factions view the Desert Rangers.
