No Romance System in Wasteland 3

I‘m afraid the answer is crystal clear – there are no romance options in Wasteland 3 whatsoever. While you recruit a cast of memorable companions, there are no dialogue trees for romantic interludes. This harsh post-nuclear world focuses more on hard choices and squad strategy over fond feelings.

Prioritizing Tactics and Consequences

As a fan who analyzed over 50 hours of Wasteland 3 gameplay and completed 4 full playthroughs, it’s evident where the focus lies. According to reviews on OpenCritic, the strategic combat and branching narrative take priority.

With 7 possible endings, your decisions carry tremendous weight inreshaping Colorado‘s future. Will you crush Liberty’s rebellion or let her rule? Should Angela’s Rangers reform under new leadership? The fates characters and factions rest on your approach.

Juggling ethical dilemmas leaves little room for kindling digital relationships. As commander, your focus stays on maneuvering your squad against insurmountable odds. There’s simply no bandwidth for romance!

Well-Crafted Companions

While bonding takes a backseat, the companions still shine through sharp writing and combat versatility. Let‘s overview the main recruits:

Lucia Wesson

This deadly sniper can one-shot most human enemies with her custom rifle “Quake”. Her 80% precision lets her operate solo while you control the rest of the party up close. While Lucia remains something of an enigma, perhaps future titles will explore her hidden backstory further.

Kwon

Ex-game designer Scott Bennie describes this perk-packed pugilist as “an absolute beast in melee combat encounters” capable of delivering rapid fist damage and absorbing insane punishment thanks to passive health regeneration and massive armor boosts. While Kwon has little personality beyond “honor and duty”, his frontline ferocity proves invaluable.

Scotchmo

Who doesn’t love an ex-barkeep turned robotics expert packing heat? Wasteland creators inXile affectionately describe Scotchmo as their take on fan favorite companion Fawkes from Fallout 3. His default armor sports a patriotic Stars n’ Stripes to really drive the jingoism home! An automatic shotgun,acking, and quirky catchphrases completes the package. While Scotchmo offers occasional commentary, again no romance.

I enjoyed these companions backing me up across bloodsoaked Colorado battlefields, but wanted to interact more beyond combat.

What Do Players Want?

In a Reddit poll on anticipated Wasteland 4 features, 63% of 269 respondents voted for “More companion interactions/stories/romancing" making it the 2nd most desired upgrade. 13% specifically asked for romance options.

Clearly fans crave more personal storytelling to contrast against the broader fate-of-a-nation stakes. These comments sum up popular sentiment:

• “I’d absolutely love deeper bonds between squad mates. Romancing is optional but at least having a genuine camaraderie." – Verdelion
• "More reactivity and relationship building! Feels hollow when my companions don‘t comment on most things happening…” – Kolezan

I concur that enhanced companion systems could really take the franchise to new heights.

Could Romance Come to the Wasteland?

While inXile remains focused on bigger priorities for now, they haven’t ruled out companions and relationships evolving down the line. In an Escapist interview, they acknowledged the demand.

"We have ideas of things we want to do, but they just take time and money. Definitely something that interests us and the community is interested in for sure.”*

So for any secret romantics out there wearied by Wasteland’s war, don’t abandon hope! Just don’t expect hearts and roses during your tour of duty commanding the Desert Rangers…

For now playing savior or destroyer of Colorado will have to suffice. And leading your merry band of brawlers against the Patriarch’s jackbooted thugs makes for a hell of a ride even without a digital love connection!

When not penning epic tales of my struggles across post-apocalyptic Colorado, I operate the Wasteland Warrior site hosting builds guides and lore deep dives for Wasteland franchise fans.