Max Buddy History 20 or so?

[iGame3D]

So I noticed buddies will go missing or get a mercy killing at around history 20.
Just kind of accepted that the game forces their death at some point, now getting to see what that point is. Maybe you can confirm.

First Josip went "Missing" right at the end of a mission, and I was like WTF?
So loaded from the save, and then found him, he was huffing and puffing, then keeled over and took the five morphine syrettes to the neck. History at 21.

Just now Frank went missing after the pipeline operation, I was like damn, but figured ok, whatever, but I hear this voice mumbling among the dead bodies. So I find Frank on the ground with blue smoke, that wasn't there the first three times I checked the area.
So I go to heal him, and instead whip out a pistol, I'm not even carrying, and blow his brains out. Oh damn. So I reload.

I hear Frank, look in the same spot, but he's not there, check the journal and he's missing. Then I turn around twice and there he is in the spot he wasn't, kneeling and mumbling.
I wait, and wait, but he doesn't die or get up.
I crouch and switch to machete just to have a clear look at him.
When I stand up my machete goes into pre-kill pose.
I wait some more, and finally just swung for his head since he'd served his purpose of upgrading my safehouses to the max.
History 20.

So is 20 or so the point of no return for buddies?

[Art Blade]

I never payed attention to that detail. Sounds like a good idea, I'll keep it in mind since I plan to keep my buddies this time. By the way, you can increase the history points for the rescue buddy. When he saves you, your history with him increases. Just don't go, wound him instead. Doesn't matter whether you shoot him face-to-face or in the back, he won't remember that. Once you heal him, how merciful hehe, you get a raise in his history. If you don't whack him, you can do it twice, with luck thrice in a row. You can inflict some damage to yourself in between and have him rescue you again for a change, so it looks like shoot him, burn yourself, shoot him, burn yourself etc. Make a savegame every time you do it just in case you "overdose" it  ;)

[Art Blade]

Since you came up with this topic, I was tempted to test some on my own. I found out how to easily max your history with your rescue buddy (see funny tips topic) and now I have my best buddy in Bowa at 7 history and, hehe, my rescue buddy at 22. Alive and kicking.

During all that I noticed what you described: buddy just kneels but doesn't lay down to pop a blue smoke - but that seems to be coincidence. Apparently that happens if your buddy gets injured in a tight area, no room to make his moves, can't lay down - so the animation stops and your buddy just kneels. Before that and after that I saw the regular routine, but I only could heal my buddy once - the first time. Else, the morphine addiction killed him every time.

Now I'm going to take my next main mission in Bowa and that will make my best buddy swap places with my rescue buddy due to the history points (tested that already). I am curious if being best buddy at 22 will make him dissapear sometime :) Will keep you posted up.

[Art Blade]

Darn, why has it to be that bloody main (buddy) mission where I am to blow up the garage in Sefapane! I don't wan't to blow it up because I want to keep Sefapane intact. That way I will miss out on a safehouse upgrade, but it will help another topic - where we are wondering when or why we get the gren AT upgrade for the safehouse. Once I get to the prison escape part, the "new weapons available" message might as well upgrade the AT, with or without completing every buddy missions. We'll see about that :)

Ok,  going on with the missions... I'll let you know.

[Art Blade]

Alright, my best buddy (now Frank, my ex-rescue buddy) survived the last mission unharmed, was in a good mood, and his history with me is at 24 points :)

[PZ]

Wow, not sure I have ever seen my history that high!

[Dweller_Benthos]

That's for sure, either the buddies stay in the bar except for a mission, because I hardly ever need a rescue, or I kill them after I get their side missions done. Most history I ever had was maybe 8 or 10.

[mmosu]

I had Hakim go missing after a main mission once, but his history was low (he had been the riverboat captain at the beginning of Bowa Seko and by default my best buddy at the start, and this happened right after my first mission with him).  So as far as my experience goes, a "missing" buddy doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how extensive their history is.