Ever wondered what would happen if you dropped a pile of valuable loot in the middle of a medieval town? Turns out, Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has an answer—and it’s mesmerizing. A recent Reddit post revealed how NPCs in the game instinctively gather items based on their social class, making for a strangely hypnotic display of digital scavenging.
NPCs That Actually Care About What You Leave Behind
In most open-world games, dropping items usually results in them lying untouched until the game despawns them. But in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, things play out a little differently.
One player, known as Mcloganator on Reddit, tested this mechanic by tossing 3,000 groschen worth of items into a town square. What followed was a slow but steady process of NPCs collecting the loot—not randomly, but based on their social hierarchy.
- Beggars eagerly picked up anything they could get their hands on.
- Common folk selected mid-tier items, ignoring things that seemed beneath them.
- Nobles walked past cheap junk, interested only in high-value goods.
The result? A strangely organic, time-lapse-style display of medieval capitalism at work.
A Feature Born From Complex AI Decisions
The reason this works so well comes down to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s AI system. According to Patrik Papšo, a programmer and open-world scripter at Warhorse, the system evaluates three key factors before an NPC picks up an item:
- Item Value – More expensive items are more appealing.
- NPC Social Multiplier – Determines whether the NPC thinks the item is worth taking.
- Competition – If another NPC is already picking it up, they might back off.
Papšo, commenting on the viral Reddit video, admitted, “Haha, that’s an NPC behaviour I made!” He went on to explain that while this system feels natural, it’s carefully designed to prevent chaotic item hoarding or unintended bugs.
The Feature That Almost Made the Cut—But Didn’t
As immersive as this AI system is, it could have been even more intricate. Warhorse originally planned for NPCs to recognize stolen goods that were dropped by a player.
Imagine this: You steal a noble’s ring, feel guilty, and decide to get rid of it in a crowded street. If the original owner happened to pass by and saw it, they would recognize it and alert the guards, leading to your arrest.
While this would have been a fascinating addition, the feature was scrapped because it was too unpredictable. Players discarding multiple items often wouldn’t connect a random guard arresting them with something they had thrown away hours ago.
Another scrapped feature involved NPCs who had already “reserved” an item. If the player picked up that item before them, the NPC might then steal it straight from the player’s inventory. While unintended, the bug was oddly realistic—though probably frustrating for players.
The Future of NPC Behavior: Could Games Go Even Deeper?
Watching NPCs sort through a pile of junk in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 might not sound thrilling on paper, but in practice, it speaks to the next level of realism in gaming.
What if future RPGs pushed this concept even further? Imagine a world where:
- NPCs don’t just pick up items, but actively trade, barter, or hoard them.
- A thief steals your sword, then sells it at the local market—where you later spot another warrior wielding it.
- Items travel through the world, changing hands as time passes, creating small but meaningful emergent stories.
Some games already play with these mechanics. Dwarf Fortress, for example, lets dwarves claim items as their own. But seeing this kind of system work in a fully realized open-world RPG is a different beast entirely.
Bethesda, are you taking notes?
