NPC memory
NPCs remember what happens to them. After every conversation, the system compresses what just happened into memories and updates the NPC's disposition toward you.
Memory types
Memories come in four types:
- Player — direct conversations with you. These are the strongest memories and carry the most weight in future interactions.
- Gossip — what they heard from other NPCs. Gossip propagates through the settlement based on who talks to whom.
- Reaction — emotional responses to gossip that touches something personally relevant (their goal, fear, secret, or someone they care about).
- Injected — memories you manually add through the Journal's Characters tab. Use these to plant backstory or course-correct.
How recall works
When you talk to an NPC, the system pulls a mix of their most recent memories plus the most relevant ones based on what you're actually discussing. How many recent memories are included depends on your plan tier. Related memories are grouped into narrative threads (visible in the Memory Web) so the NPC gets the full arc of a storyline, not just a single moment out of context.
Private memories
If a memory is deemed private — a romantic moment, a shared secret, something personal — the NPC keeps it to themselves. Private memories don't propagate as gossip and don't influence world events. They only surface when you talk to that NPC directly.
Managing memories
You can search, pin, edit, delete, and inject memories from the Journal's Characters tab.
Hero plan accounts get longer NPC memories before they start getting compressed.