Soulslike games tend to have a number of shared elements that define the genre: a stamina gauge that fuels your offense and mobility in combat, dodge rolls whose efficacy is affected by your [equip load], a limited stock of healing supplies that replenish on rest, and of course bonfires or similar devices that serve as checkpoints. It’s by now a well-saturated genre, and many iterations are keen to make tweaks to the formula to stand out. In this regard, No Rest for the Wicked is no different, as it makes several notable deviations from the norm. One of the most important is with checkpoint system; known as Whispers in No Rest for the Wicked, these serve roughly the same function as bonfires in Souls games, but with numerous differences - they do not heal you, they also serve as fast travel points and using them does not cause enemies to respawn, to name some of the more important ones. This page will explain in detail how Whispers work in No Rest for the Wicked, comparing and contrasting their functionality with more well-known Soulslike titles for series veterans.
Whispers are glowing ribbons of light that can be found in out-of-the-way places.
What Whispers Do¶
It won’t be long after you wash up on The Shallows that your wanderings will bring you into contact with a bluish-white strand of light, undulating and unraveling, with numerous smaller ribbons cast into the wilderness around it. This wisp of light is your port in the storm, serving as a checkpoint - if you should die you’ll respawn at the last Whisper you’ve channeled. To channel a Whisper, just approach it and press the indicated button when prompted.
(1 of 2) Channel a Whisper and if you die - say by doing something stupid like confusing the interact and dodge buttons…
Channel a Whisper and if you die - say by doing something stupid like confusing the interact and dodge buttons… (left), …you’ll respawn at the last Whisper you channeled! (right)
This should feel familiar enough if you’ve played… well, most any RPG, but especially Soulslikes. There are some differences, however:
- You do not recover Health or Focus when channeling Whispers, nor will your durability be restored - pretty much everything statistical remains unaffected when you’re near or interact with Whispers
- Debuffs and affiliations will not be cured, paused or in any other way mitigated near a Whisper.
- You don’t have anything comparable to Estus Flasks, so you won’t restock any healing items.
- Time does not advance when channeling Whispers.
- Enemies, resources and treasures do not respawn.
- You do not need to be at a Whisper to level up or spend stat points.
As you can see, Whispers are rather underwhelming on their own. Unlock bonfires, save points or other forms of checkpoints Whispers provide no relief or succor - they don’t even deter enemies from approaching, although they’re typically located in out-of-the-way places away from enemy spawns. Still, don’t lure enemies to them hoping they’ll assist you in any way - if anything they might just prove distracting. Fortunately, there’s one mitigating factor that keeps Whispers useful: fast travel.
Once you reach Sacrament you’ll also be able to fast travel at Whispers, but this is solely for fast traveling between the last Whisper you channeled and Sacrament.
Whispers and Fast Travel¶
As mentioned earlier, Whispers aren’t just checkpoints - they’re also waypoints. After you reach Sacrament you’ll be able to fast travel via Whispers, although this has some limitations. You can only fast travel at the last Whisper you channeled, and only between said Whisper and the Whisper in Sacrament… basically the Whisper you’ve channeled functions as a town portal. This might not sound mind-bogglingly good, but consider that enemies do not respawn when you use Whispers (rather they respawn over time), and you’ll be able to cook food, access storage and buy and sell items at Sacrament without losing any progress. This allows Whispers to function similarly to how checkpoints function in other games, just with a bit more effort, as you can recuperate and resupply before traveling back to the last Whisper you channeled.
Finding a Whisper, then, functionally secures your progress in a contested region, you can even leave Sacrament on foot to grab resources in other areas without forfeiting progress. Just make sure you don’t channel another Whisper while you’re out and about and you’ll be able to move between town and the Whisper you’ve channeled on a whim.
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