Starfield's NPCs keep procedurally jumpscaring players mid-conversation, and now I live in fear

The creepiest guy leans in front of an NPC mid-conversation in Starfield.
(Image credit: Bethesda Game Studios / Zealousideal-Tie4755 on Reddit)

While NPCs getting bodied in the middle of a chat with your Starfield character is plenty funny, I've a far less slapstick thing to be afraid of now. While this hasn't happened to me yet, now I know it's only a matter of time. After all, once is chance, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.

The first incident comes from Starfield Reddit user welshscott5, who had an unwelcome visitor lean into view mid-sentence, then drift back into the ether with a look of raw disappointment. Starfield's NPC expressions can sometimes be uncanny, which makes the surprisingly true-to-life disdain on display here all the more hilarious. Maybe they stole his space sweetroll or something.

I was casually talking to an NPC when this happened, spent about 5 minutes in uncontrollable laughter from r/Starfield

Then there's this moment from ArduousAttempt, where Cora turns from likeable space-tyke to hallway girl from The Shining, staring death into the back of Sam's skull at the worst possible time. The lighting in this one's really doing most of the work, she looks like a spectre risen from the grave to punish him for his misdeeds.

Don't you worry Sam, your secret is safe with me. from r/Starfield

The hattrick in this trend of accidental jumpscares comes from user Zealousideal-Tie4755, whose NPC bonding turned into a complete horror show. I'm undecided as to whether this stare is meant to be warning the player away from self-confessed mushroom liker Muria Starkiewicz, or threatening them like a jealous lover.  

this guy just sat down in between us mid convo from r/Starfield

What was at first an isolated incident is now, for sure, something that can just manifest mid-conversation. The comments in these threads are rife with people sharing their own experiences of NPCs butting in, which is both a delightful quirk of Starfield's real-time conversations and a quiet threat. I will be experiencing this eventually. It's inevitable, like the heat death of the universe or a meteor strike on Earth, and I'm unfortunately a big wimp who spooks easily.

Starfield guideStarfield traitsStarfield companionsStarfield romance optionsStarfield console commandsStarfield mods

Starfield guide: Our hub of advice
Starfield traits: The full list, with our top picks
Starfield companions: All your recruitable crew
Starfield romance options: Space dating
Starfield console commands: Every cheat you need
Starfield mods: Space is your sandbox

Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

Read more
The creepiest guy leans in front of an NPC mid-conversation in Starfield.
Starfield promises it still exists as silence drives fans to space-madness, but it mostly just annoys everyone: 'They are deliberately choosing not to communicate more'
The outlast trials setting
'You just have to make them think this world is real, and this world can hurt you': The Outlast Trials devs discuss a changing horror genre and an insatiable need for scares
A man turns away from an open window while monsters gather in the dark
Look Outside is a survival horror RPG where you absolutely should not look outside
Paradise building in the sun in Avowed
Avowed's inert cities remind me just how good we had it in Skyrim and Oblivion
Aloy
'Creepy,' 'ghastly,' 'rancid': Viewers react to leaked video of Sony's AI-powered Aloy
A TV with immersive lighting showing a ghost from Phasmophobia on screen.
Terrifying horror nopefest Phasmophobia combined with immersive room lighting looks like an easy way to give yourself a chronic case of the brown trousers
Latest in RPG
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Starfield: Shattered Space
By the time Bethesda was on Starfield, you'd 'basically get in trouble' for breaking schedule, says former dev: 'A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having the freedom to do what you want'
Sphene applauds in Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story.
I'm not yelling 'we're so back!' yet, but Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story could be the first sign the MMO is returning to what made it so critically-acclaimed
Latest in News
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event