Making Non-Combat Builds Viable

What do you do when you want to add a non-combat character to a game with heavy combat? We often design combat systems assuming everyone can deal damage. Otherwise, how can they gain experience points or get past bosses?

Some games get around this through dedicated alternatives to violence. Undertale is known as the RPG where "The Friendly RPG Where Nobody Has To Die." Instead of fighting enemies and bosses, you can talk to and "spare" them. This is different than what I am talking about because it revolves around this mechanic. I am more focused on games that are mostly about combat but want to include a few non-combat routes.

Experience points are the first hurdle. If progression comes from killing things, then non-combat builds can't progress. The solution is to tie progression to something a step removed from combat. In Brogue, you get stronger by finding items. Potions of Strength and Life permanently increase your stats, while Scrolls of Enchantment improve your equipment. You don't need to kill every enemy since if you can find a creative way to avoid them, you still progress.

Even if you want experience tied to enemies dying, the player doesn't necessarily need to be the one to kill them. Heroes of the Storm differs from many other MOBAs in that it has no last-hit mechanic. Instead, minions drop experience orbs when they die. Players simply need to move close enough to pick them up before they disappear. Teams also share experience, creating space for characters that struggle with lane pressure but help the team in other ways.

Things get a bit trickier when it comes to defeating bosses. The animal-evolution roguelike "Everything Is Crab" solves this using "cataclysm" mechanics. In the final boss fight, asteroids rain down from the sky. They damage everyone and increase in frequency over the fight. However, you can evolve "Cataclysm Resistance" to reduce the damage you take. Even if you are bad at dealing damage, you can still win by surviving until the cataclysm kills the boss.

Generally, if you have a combat game, things will probably have to die. The key to making non-combat roles viable is recognizing that the player does not need to be the one to kill them. Once you decouple death from progression, you can open up many new routes and builds.