Warcraft: When NPCs Have Player Panels

The aftershocks of the Third World Update lingered for a long time across every inch of Azeroth.

Almost immediately upon receiving the news, all players rushed to experience this more realistic world.

Some people went straight to the slums to see if the NPC civilians who had been oppressed would really fight back.

Someone slipped into the tavern, chatted with the owner, and searched for the scantily clad barmaids, testing whether these NPCs could actually remember their names.

Some people even went directly to the city hall and submitted their job applications.

After all, the detailed update announcement stated that participants can now engage in local government affairs, something that was previously unthinkable.

Xia Yige was also a member of the army.

The first thing she did after logging in today wasn't to try out the new gameplay, but rather, as usual, she opened her friends list and found that familiar name.

William.

The names in the list are grayed out, with no online prompts or map locations displayed.

More than a month has passed since the game update, and William is still nowhere to be found.

"Maybe it's because the update just finished and the NPCs haven't refreshed yet," Xia Yige frowned, trying to reassure herself. She remembered that during previous minor system updates, there had been instances where NPCs would briefly go offline, but they would return to normal after a few hours.

She patiently strolled through the blood-red new main city.

Occasionally, when passing by simply dressed commoners, one would stop to listen to their complaints in twos and threes about the exorbitant taxes levied by the nobles.

She tried to strike up a conversation with these people, but they looked at her warily and turned away.

She remembered how, whenever she encountered trouble, William would always do his best to help her whenever she found him.

He never refuses to help players who ask. He's one of the few NPCs who can be chatted with normally without players needing to build up their relationship with him. Although NPCs nowadays all have this feature, the original "white moonlight" is still unforgettable.

But now, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find William.

Xia Yige traveled to every corner of Lordaeron.

She even went out of her way to ask a few NPCs who had interacted with William before, but whether they were soldiers in the Crusaders or civilians in the slums, they all just shook their heads blankly.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Sergeant William."

"I don't know where he went."

A new recruit who was on good terms with William frowned and thought for a long time before whispering, "I've seen Captain William before, but it was a long time ago. He was standing alone by the ruins of the slums. I haven't seen him since."

She started posting on game forums, asking other players if they had seen William.

The post had barely been published when it received a lot of replies.

"Never seen it before."

"I'm looking for him too."

Where is William?

The forum was indeed buzzing for a long time, with all sorts of speculations about William's disappearance.

Some say that William may have been targeted by nobles in retaliation, given the plot of the story where he offended them and might have been secretly dealt with.

Some joked that William might have gotten tired of the game world, ascended away from Azeroth, and gone to other unexplored areas.

Some people even joked that William might have secretly traveled to our world...

Xia Yige, however, had her own judgment.

She wrote her conjecture on the forum, her tone certain: "I think William wasn't targeted for revenge, nor did he leave. As an awakened NPC, he must have completed his historical mission. Therefore, he was recycled by the system."

This hypothesis quickly gained the approval of many players.

One commenter added, "That's certainly possible. Before the update, William handled almost all the quests related to ordinary people. Incidentally, he also guided players to participate in and understand the situation in Lordaeron in this version."

"He's basically a beginner's guide and a plot driver. Now that the NPCs have all awakened, and players can do more things, William's role doesn't seem as significant anymore."

"Yeah, yeah. Before, if you wanted to team up with an NPC for an adventure, you had to ask William. Even joining the Crusade required going through a series of complicated quests before you could get William's recommendation. But now? You can team up with any NPC you want, and if you want to work at the city hall, you can just submit an application. You don't even need William's help to join the army anymore."

"To put it bluntly, William was just an NPC used by the system for a transitional period. I agree with this view. Now that the world update is complete, his mission is over, and he will naturally be taken back."

Looking at these comments, Xia Yige felt a mix of emotions. Although she was unwilling to accept this fact, she had to admit that what everyone said made sense.

The world before the update has undergone a gameplay transformation compared to now. It has shifted from an action-adventure RPG to an RPG + simulation management game.

Players are no longer limited to fighting monsters, leveling up, and completing system tasks. They now have more choices and the gameplay is more engaging, meeting the expectations of most players.

Many people have given up on leveling up by fighting monsters and instead found a part-time job; they can help the owner knead dough and bake bread in a bakery, earning a lot of silver coins every day, and they can also chat with the owner and listen to him tell stories about Lordaeron.

Some joined the army of Lordaeron, starting as ordinary soldiers, patrolling with the army, participating in battles against the undead, and gradually rising through the ranks, experiencing military life outside of the nobility.

Others, through their intelligence, joined the city government. They participated in city management, helped formulate rules, and resolved conflicts among ordinary citizens, truly experiencing the thrill of being in control. This experience also provided them with valuable insights for future civil service exams.

Xia Yige also tried out these new ways to play.

These games were indeed novel and interesting, immersing her in them so much that she sometimes even forgot about William's disappearance.

Time is the thing that can dilute everything.

Players' attention has been completely drawn to these new things.

They no longer frequently discuss William in the forums, no longer make a point of looking for him, and even when they do mention him, it's just a casual remark like, "Oh, that original AI NPC, it seems he's disappeared."

Just like those fleeting internet celebrities in real life, once there's no new news, they're gradually forgotten.

Xia Yige rarely mentioned William again after that.

She's busy every day working part-time in the game, and also has to step out of the game to make her own videos.

Occasionally, when she sees soldiers in sergeant's armor in the army, she still subconsciously glances at them a few more times, always feeling that those figures are somewhat similar to William.

She suddenly realized that, for the players, William's mission might truly have come to an end.

But what about the world?