Necesse NPCs Guide — All 20 Types & How to Recruit
Necesse features 20 NPC types — 16 recruitable settlers that work for you, and 4 special non-recruitable characters. Here's how to find, recruit, and manage every NPC.
Recruitable Settlers (16)
All settlers do hauling, crafting, forestry, and farming by default. Each has a special role too.
Early Game NPCs (Available from Start)
| NPC | Special Role | Recruit Cost (Extra) |
|---|---|---|
| Elder | Gives quests, sells Revival Potions | None — arrives automatically |
| Villager | No special role | Leather, Wheat, Wool |
| Blacksmith | — (special crafting in development) | Copper Bar, Iron Bar, Gold Bar |
| Farmer | Fertilizes crops | Fertilizer, Sunflower, Wheat |
| Guard | Hauling only | Health Potion, Attack Speed Potion, Battle Potion |
| Angler | Can be sent fishing | Various fish |
| Hunter | Hunts small animals | Leather, Wool |
| Animal Keeper | Tends Cows and Sheep | Leather, Wool |
Mid-Game NPCs (After Evil's Protector Boss)
| NPC | Special Role | Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemist | Sells potions and rockets | Complete "Kill Evil's Protector" |
| Gunsmith | — (in development) | Complete "Kill Evil's Protector" |
| Miner | Can be sent mining | Can appear in caves after Evil's Protector |
Late-Game NPCs
| NPC | Special Role | Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Mage | Enchants trinkets and weapons | Complete "Kill Void Wizard" |
| Explorer | Can be sent to explore caves | Complete "Kill Pirate Captain" |
| Broken Pirate | — (in development) | Complete "Kill Reaper" |
| Stylist | Changes player appearance | Complete "Kill Reaper" |
| Trader | — (in development) | Complete "Kill Rune Chief" |
Special (Non-Recruitable) NPCs (4)
| NPC | Where to Find |
|---|---|
| Exotic Merchant | Visits your settlement periodically, sells rare items |
| Pawnbroker | Found in NPC villages (not recruitable since V0.32) |
| Friendly Witch | Appears on Swamp surface |
| Jonas | Appears during Incursion events |
How NPC Happiness Works
NPC happiness directly affects their performance:
- Happier NPCs = better shop prices, shorter break times
- Happiness depends on: room size, furniture quality, food quality
- Each NPC has personality traits (e.g. "Jogger", "Gardener") — satisfying their trait-specific needs greatly boosts happiness, work efficiency, and movement speed
- Unhappy NPCs may go on strike and stop working
NPC Death & Replacement
If a settler dies (raids, monsters, boss summons):
- They do NOT respawn
- A settler of the same type will have a very high chance to appear as a visitor soon after
- Avoid summoning bosses near your settlement — they WILL kill NPCs
Adventure Party System
You can bring settlers into caves and incursions as an adventure party. Prepare them with:
- Health Potions (they take damage)
- Food (hunger drains 2x faster)
- Buff potions
- Recall Scroll (for emergency extraction)
Boss HP scaling: Each party NPC adds ~20% boss HP, diminishing with each additional NPC (caps at 10).
For detailed settler recruitment guides, see our Settlers Guide.