Summary
- RPGs like Final Fantasy 10 and The Witcher 3 require a variety of consumables like potions and alchemical creations for efficient combat.
- Games like Darkest Dungeon demand meticulous inventory management to survive status effects and limited resources.
- Strategic use of consumable items can be crucial in RPGs like Octopath Traveler, BG 3, and Fallout NV for success in battles.
In addition to the powerful weapons and game-changing skills that players unlock over the course of a given RPG adventure, many games offer a wealth of consumable items. Players can stuff their packs with potions and curatives before setting off to take on monsters and bandits in their heroic quests.
But not every consumable item is created equal. There are plenty of RPGs out there where consumable items end up being dead weight more often than not. In other games, though, a well-timed item can turn the tide of battle. In these RPGs, success can hinge on what you have in your inventory.
The Most Punishing RPGs That Reward Careful Planning, Ranked
RPGs like Fear & Hunger, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Darkest Dungeon demand meticulous planning due to harsh penalties for mistakes.
10 Metaphor: ReFantazio
Cooking By The Book
Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
This high-fantasy spin on the tried and true Persona formula makes a number of changes to combat. The game rewards characters, be they allies or enemies, with extra turns if they hit an enemy's weakness, and removes turns if their attack misses or is deflected. As such, elemental damage is more crucial than ever. The variety of items that let players deal damage of a certain type can help them set up some elaborate combo turns in combat.
Additionally, during downtime, players can take advantage of the game's robust cooking system, creating elaborate dishes with powerful effects. This gives them valuable options for both healing and dealing with the game's many insidious status ailments. In Metaphor: ReFantazio's quest for the crown, it pays to be prepared.
9 Octopath Traveler
By Theft Or Trade
Octopath Traveler
- Released
- July 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Octopath Traveler is best known for pioneering the HD-2D art style that's now common among retro RPGs. But the game has a lot of other features to set it apart from other RPGs, most notably its roster of eight playable characters, each of which has different means of interacting with the world. The Merchant and Thief characters, for instance, can buy from or rob passing NPCs respectively, keeping the party's item stocks full.
This is important, because items are vital to combat in Octopath Traveler. Players are encouraged to exploit enemies' elemental weaknesses to gain an edge, so items that deal specific types of damage are integral to coming out on top, as are the usual healing and status items familiar to most JRPG fans.
8 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The Right Tint
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
- April 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sandfall Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
Setting aside the truly potent Pictos and weapons used to enhance the characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the library of consumable items is relatively small. Players have a small assortment of Tints to consume in battle. These elixirs will either heal characters, revive them from being knocked out, or give them energy points to use on their special moves.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 7 Hardest Bosses, Ranked
From hand cramps to ridiculous self-healing abilities, the hardest bosses in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 expect mastery from players, and nothing less
As fans upgrade the capabilities of these items over the course of the game, they'll become more and more integral to the flow of combat. Feeding a character a substantial number of action points at a critical moment can help them dish out immense amounts of damage. The other major consumable item, Colours of Lumina, lets characters equip even more Luminas, unlocking potent new moves for them.
7 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Supplying The Dragonborn
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
Skyrim is stuffed to the gills with potions. In addition to the standard potions for refilling health, magicka, and stamina, players can find potions that make their armor and weapons more effective, increase certain skills, poison their foes, and everything in between. With the game's robust alchemy system, players can even brew their own potions from ingredients they recover across the game's open world.
Potions are far from the only consumable item fans can take advantage of. Spell tomes give players new incantations to wield, while soul gems let them keep their enchanted weapons charged and ready to use. There are a lot of valuable items to keep on hand if players want to be well-equipped as they wander the wilds of Skyrim.
6 Baldur's Gate 3
Unconventional Solutions
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
In its quest to replicate the experience of playing Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate 3 has included an extensive library of potions for players to utilize in combat. Fans can stuff their inventories with much more than just potions, however. The game is rich with variety and versatility, and the Tav can pick up just about anything that might help.
Players can take encounters in some truly bizarre directions by keeping items like explosive barrels handy and using them to turn the tide of combat. Exploring the landscape will often reveal a lot of items that can be turned into useful tools with enough imagination.
5 Final Fantasy 10
Putting It Together
Final Fantasy 10
- Released
- December 17, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
The Final Fantasy franchise is an archetypal JRPG with all the usual item types one would expect. Final Fantasy 10 is no exception, with a wide variety of items on offer to help players stay alive in some of its tougher encounters. Especially in the early game, consumable items are valuable for keeping status conditions in check.
Later in the game, the introduction of Rikku gives consumable items new life. This character is entirely built around using items in battle, and even combining multiple consumables to create strange and unexpected new effects. FFX players should make regular use of the many shops along the way to keep their party well-stocked and ready.
4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A Hunter's Tools
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
As any fan of the Witcher franchise will attest, it's important to have the right equipment on hand when hunting a creature. The Witcher 3 simulates the hunt brilliantly, with a wide array of alchemical creations for players to arm themselves with before they go hunting.
In addition to standard potions, as seen in other prominent fantasy games, The Witcher 3 includes a robust mutagen system. This lets players alter Geralt's very being in order to activate specific buffs and make sure he's ready for whatever challenges await him in his quest.
3 Bloodborne
Fear the Old Blood
Bloodborne
- Released
- March 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
FromSoftware's soulsborne games have always had a rich array of consumable items, with varying degrees of utility, but Bloodborne in particular encourages players to kit themselves out with consumable tools. The game's primary healing method, for instance, is a consumable that players will need to hoard desperately throughout the game. The same goes for ammunition for the title's vicious firearms.
8 Scariest Monsters In Bloodborne, Ranked
Bloodborne has no shortage of horrible monsters and intimidating bosses, but the following are unparalleled in terms of fear factor.
In addition to these two core resources, players can also build out their kit with Molotov cocktails and fire paper to exploit the greatest weakness of the beasts roaming the streets of Yharnam. Restoratives like antidotes and sedatives are also vital in dealing with the deadly status conditions players might pick up during the hunt.
2 Fallout: New Vegas
Post-Apocalyptic Prospecting
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Inventory management is critical in Fallout: New Vegas. Combat in this game can be punishing, especially at low levels, so having a robust stock of healing items on hand is crucial. More esoteric consumables like skill books and magazines can shift key dialogue scenes, which can have significant ramifications.
The versatility and utility of consumable items goes beyond healing and skill aid. Specific types of chem can bring major boons as well, like a potent damage buff or the ability to resist harm, though the chance of addiction makes them quite risky to use. Players can even equip different types of bullets in their guns, giving them potentially more valuable options against certain foes.
1 Darkest Dungeon
Don't Skip Supply
Darkest Dungeon
- Released
- January 19, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Blood and Gore, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Red Hook Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG
There are few games where inventory management is a more dire matter of life and death than in Darkest Dungeon. The items a player purchases for a given mission are very often the difference between success and crushing failure, as untreated status effects like Bleeding and Blight can prove disastrous for a character without access to the proper curatives.
Players will also need to pack a ready supply of torches to keep the halls lit. If the light goes out, the game's already crushing difficulty will skyrocket. Without enough food on hand, characters will also starve. The game's limited inventory means fans will often have to make hard choices about what to keep and what to discard, and those choices can have devastating consequences.
Ranking The 8 Best Grimdark RPGs
RPGs are a gateway into many amazing fantasy worlds, though some take a much harsher approach, implementing the “grimdark” tone to explore fiction.