The gameplay of many games revolves around the fact that you assert yourself against your enemies, if necessary by force of arms. For some players it is precisely because of this that it is appealing to try something completely different. That was about the Reddit user TK-576who wanted to experience GTA 5 as a pacifist. So from start to finish without killing a single enemy.
The venture came to an early end, however. Because in GTA 5 there is often no other way out than unpacking your opinion booster and distributing resounding arguments. But through this attempt we now at least know how many opponents you have in the open world game really have to do. This video shows each one:
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No pacifism in GTA 5
The final number is quite surprising. Because in order to get to the end sequence, pacifists must inevitably have to complete exactly 726 NPCs to the virtual beyond. Alternative ways, such as sneaking or the use of non-lethal weapons, usually do not exist.
The kills are distributed among all three main characters. Interestingly, Trevor Philips, who is featured in the game as a violent psychopath, isn’t the protagonist with the most defeated enemies. Franklin gets this title. Michael De Santa, who actually doesn’t want to have anything to do with organized crime, comes home with the fewest kills.
- Michael De Santa: 172 Kills
- Trevor Philips: 258 Kills
- Franklin: 295 Kills
- All three together: 1 Kill
No unnecessary deaths: In this statistic, only the “mandatory kills” really count. All missions in which you can sneak have ended silently. In addition, no police chases were initiated and civilians were not accidentally shot. In addition, people fled from fights in which that was possible.
The end of the canon counts: However, TK-576 broke this rule in the end. Theoretically, the game can be completed with fewer deaths. However, he chose to choose the ending that became canon in GTA Online. A total of 93 additional opponents have to believe in it.
Even in Call of Duty there are pacifists
As the Reddit user further explains, GTA 5 comes off relatively well with it. After all, the endeavor also takes 36 hours. Max Payne, on the other hand, shot 1,216 enemies in his third adventure alone, while Gordon Freeman carried 2,751 enemies into digital nirvana in Half-Life – even though this journey can be completed in just four hours.
Pacifist runs are possible in some games that you don’t expect. For example in the multiplayer mode of Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War. A player achieved prestige without killing a single opponent himself.
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CoD Cold War: Prestige without a kill
But even in GTA 5’s multiplayer mode, there are people who have renounced violence. We reported on one of them years ago when we examined nonviolent gameplay in Fallout 4, CoD: Modern Warfare and GTA Online.