Factions and NPCs

Overview

The world of Zhou is populated with factions and NPCs that react to Cheng's actions and choices. Faction reputation, NPC relationships, and time-based schedules create a city that responds dynamically to player behavior.

Major factions

Multiple factions operate within Zhou, each with their own relationship meters and gameplay rewards:

• Star Fall Society: the primary resistance faction, led by The Master. Alignment provides stealth tools and non-combat mission paths

• Celestial Defectors: former servants of the Celestials who have turned against their masters. Aligning with them teaches Cheng high-risk, high-reward combos that favor aggressive, all-in combat styles

Building reputation with specific factions unlocks unique element modifiers for the Elemancer system, crafting recipes, and exclusive quest lines.

NPC schedules

NPCs in Zhou follow daily schedules tied to the game's time cycle. Vendors open and close their shops, civilians follow work-home routines, and patrol routes shift between day and night. Zifei Wu gave the example of "someone gets off work at 7 PM," meaning players need to plan their approach around NPC availability. A target might be vulnerable only during their commute home, or a contact might only be reachable at their workplace during business hours.

Relationship system

Cheng can build relationships with individual NPCs through conversations, quest completion, and repeated interaction. Completing side quests increases relationship points, and these points influence the main story's difficulty and available paths. The developers gave a direct example: befriending an NPC who controls a building can lead that NPC to remove the guards, opening a non-combat route through an otherwise heavily defended mission area.

Some NPCs interact with both of Cheng's identities through the dual identity system without connecting them, creating complex social dynamics where information learned in one identity can be leveraged in the other.

Vendors

Merchants throughout Zhou sell crafting materials, consumables, and equipment. After major quest completions, certain vendors rotate their inventory to include rare cores available on a weekly basis. Regular visits to vendor districts reward players with access to materials that may be difficult to find through exploration alone.

Companions

Certain NPCs join Cheng as temporary companions during specific missions. These allies provide combat support and narrative dialogue, but they are not permanent party members. Their availability depends on story progression and relationship status.