Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 740 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 540 out of 740
  2. Mixed: 102 out of 740
  3. Negative: 98 out of 740
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  1. Mike_M
    Jun 16, 2018
    5
    Review on hold, pending fix of quest bugs and a few companion or ability bugs.
  2. GaryLinekar
    Jun 15, 2018
    5
    Lots of content and deep mechanics. Great replay value due to endless numbers of builds and branching storylines. The game falls short in its character design choices and writing, vital to fantasy games. When the 999th big aggressive female appears to show you how women can be strong too, you start to get the feeling that their goal isn't to create the most immersive and magical fantasyLots of content and deep mechanics. Great replay value due to endless numbers of builds and branching storylines. The game falls short in its character design choices and writing, vital to fantasy games. When the 999th big aggressive female appears to show you how women can be strong too, you start to get the feeling that their goal isn't to create the most immersive and magical fantasy experience but rather to change the thinking their misguided and uneducated players. This repeatedly drags you out of the fantasy, which sadly ruins the game.… Expand
  3. Thilijan
    Jun 15, 2018
    7
    If you enjoyed Pillars of Eternity, there's a good chance you will enjoy part two as well. The writing is still relatively pretentious at times, the voice acting ranges from excellent to mediocre (some npcs seem to change accents mid conversation), the ship to ship combat is dull and feels unfinished, especially considering the time you will spend on it. I get a piratey vibe but with fewIf you enjoyed Pillars of Eternity, there's a good chance you will enjoy part two as well. The writing is still relatively pretentious at times, the voice acting ranges from excellent to mediocre (some npcs seem to change accents mid conversation), the ship to ship combat is dull and feels unfinished, especially considering the time you will spend on it. I get a piratey vibe but with few supporting features. The story gets you going for a couple hours if you played the previous game (how dare he destroy my castle?!) but quickly turns dull. The new graphics, dialogue system and combat feel like a great improvement. There are some lost opportunities that keep this game from being very good. I can still recommend it for fans, newcomers should wait for a sale to grab it!… Expand
  4. Dubeau
    Jun 9, 2018
    9
    Never played the first game. Finished Deadfire in 48 hours. Amazing game. The story is quite engaging and intriguing. Very nice and different characters. You also have morale choice to make from time to time. The graphics are pretty good. I got some skipping when too much lighting were involved. The combat requires tweaking the auto-pause in the options. You can disable it too. There was aNever played the first game. Finished Deadfire in 48 hours. Amazing game. The story is quite engaging and intriguing. Very nice and different characters. You also have morale choice to make from time to time. The graphics are pretty good. I got some skipping when too much lighting were involved. The combat requires tweaking the auto-pause in the options. You can disable it too. There was a bug when a character levelled up, where you have your weapon inventory unequipped the last item. A bit annoying. The quest system leave text indications but they are not really helpful. There is no arrow or objective pointers to where to go and what to do. Because of the amount of side quest it would have been great to be able to know where to go. The music was really sweet and some parts fun to listen. I give the game a 85%. Totally worth buying it if you are into that style of RPG.… Expand
  5. dolol88888
    Jun 5, 2018
    10
    good game a liitle bit short and no main boos to kill i think the dlc can make this game epic lets hope so
  6. Generic_
    May 29, 2018
    9
    Pillars of Eternity 2 blossoms from its deep crpg roots and surpasses its predecessor in every way. This is the closest feeling to a tabletop campaign ive experienced in a rpg, i only wish i could of shared it with my friends.
  7. marc5477
    May 28, 2018
    5
    Update 2: I finally got passed the 10 hour mark and unfortunately, the game actually got worse about 25 hours in. Initially I though the boat battles were fun, now I find them a complete waste of time. I also realized there is no economic balance to the game. If you do boat battles, you get rich so fast, that you can buy all the unique stuff in shops by 15 hours in. The writing does notUpdate 2: I finally got passed the 10 hour mark and unfortunately, the game actually got worse about 25 hours in. Initially I though the boat battles were fun, now I find them a complete waste of time. I also realized there is no economic balance to the game. If you do boat battles, you get rich so fast, that you can buy all the unique stuff in shops by 15 hours in. The writing does not improve, though quest quality did improve. Dialog however never improved and remains terribly boring.

    Update 1: I just tried playing it again and again, 10 hours in and I couldnt stay awake. The story is not interesting and the writing is just horribly boring. I am not sure how this is above a 8.0. Its not like the RPG elements have not been done before in every infinity engine game. This game plays it too safe. It needs something to call its own. Text boat battles dont do it.

    First the good. There are a lot of class options for player customization. I actually enjoy creating unique characters and trying different combinations. I settled on a monk/wizard using staffs which makes sense and actually did fairly well in the time I played the game.

    The not so good but still ok.

    Graphics are decent but areas are very small and it feels static. Everything seems to be voice acted which is nice, except the voices were inappropriate for the game. Some voice actors are great which is why I am placing this here but others are atrocious for the setting. See below for an explanation. Combat is iffy.

    The combat ok but the interface design is very poor. For an action style RPG, they went out of their way to place important information out of the action (view) area requiring you to take your eye off the action to see characters conditions. For example, there were a few situations where my characters almost died and I never even noticed they got hit. This is because health indicators are not above the characters but down below outside of view. Also the camera does not turn, a negative for a modern game with a large budget because it means that at times, its hard to see due to bad angles. The menus are terrible popup sub-menus inside of menus inside of other menus... terrible gui design. Still combat itself is not bad inherently but they added absolutely nothing new.

    Last, the bad stuff...

    #1 Completely UN-immersive. This is a two parter. First, this game that takes itself very seriously (like the 1st) but the story is high school level silly. The two simply do not mix. If you are going to take yourself this seriously, you better have a grade A story and dialog to back it up otherwise it will be a complete drag. I barely got to the 2nd island and I dreaded clicking on an NPC because I didnt want to hear more about the Watcher or get another fetch my money quest... There is a little bit of comic relief but it is very far and few between.

    Second, the accents... oh my god they are so out of place that snap you right out of the game entirely. The girl (Xoti) and her mom, with the southern accents were a complete turn off. I made a mistake by recruiting her but I didnt want miss any content so I usually recruit everyone. I just turned down the volume and started reading so I didnt have to do a double take every time she spoke. But that was not the only accent out of place. The Italian accent is also completely out of place and through the 1st 5 hours it seems that half of the population was Italian. How did someone think that this would be immersive in a game that is as serious as this one? It would have been great for a comedy but not here.

    #2 Group AI is completely borked and unreliable. For example, the AI does not even turn on if your characters are moving at the start of an encounter. It takes them about 5-10 seconds before the AI kicks in and in the meantime, they enemies will get 2 rounds off against characters that are just sitting there doing nothing. Since I play on the highest difficulty, this means that at times, 1 character is dead before the AI even starts up so I had to micro everything. Also, the AI turns off for a bit if you directly order your characters to use a special ability. All this means you have to constantly micro everyone in the party or you will have serious problem at higher difficulties even against trash enemies. This makes every battle a huge drag. You need to do a lot of pausing and clicking and pausing and click and pause and click every few seconds. Too much repetition. Macro'ing in this game is not fun, fair, nor balanced. If you micro everything the game becomes nearly trivial. If you dont micro you will lose to laughable enemies... POE1 had similar problems and I got bored of that quickly too. Baldurs Gate was never like this. They need to fix the AI and reduce the number of clicks (better gui).

    Ultimately, I played about 10 hours and I was so bored that I didnt want to continue. I may go back to play this again later but right now, just seeing the game icon makes me feel sleepy.    … Expand
  8. Kaniro
    May 27, 2018
    10
    Incredible crpg, Imho, the best one in decades. Far superior to PoE 1, sense of freedom, wonderful exploration. Cant recommend it enough
  9. extrememuslim10
    May 26, 2018
    10
    Absolutely beautiful game! It's definitely a must-buy for players who love rich story telling. Don't just complete the main quests, also try finishing the side quests. In total, it took me more than 60 hours to complete this game. It's definitely worth it. Please don't hesitate to buy it. We need to support talented studios like Obsidian entertainment. I know there are people who'll beAbsolutely beautiful game! It's definitely a must-buy for players who love rich story telling. Don't just complete the main quests, also try finishing the side quests. In total, it took me more than 60 hours to complete this game. It's definitely worth it. Please don't hesitate to buy it. We need to support talented studios like Obsidian entertainment. I know there are people who'll be complaining about this game since there aren't any explosions and fps online matches. But it's not aimed for the general public, it's for the mature audiences who love to read through amazing stories and experience an enriched single-player journey throughout a beautifully crafted fantasy world… Expand
  10. Bytewave
    May 26, 2018
    10
    I really love this game, just as I loved the original. I was tempted to rate it a little lower because it lacks one thing; a little bit of polish. There's still a few bugs and a balance pass is required but Obsidian consistently delivers extended support for their titles and I have no doubt this will be no different.

    Anyone who loves isometric RPGs will at least like this and its only    I really love this game, just as I loved the original. I was tempted to rate it a little lower because it lacks one thing; a little bit of polish. There's still a few bugs and a balance pass is required but Obsidian consistently delivers extended support for their titles and I have no doubt this will be no different.

    Anyone who loves isometric RPGs will at least like this and its only gonna get better.    … Expand
  11. RaurosAmmonoide
    May 26, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Obsidian is each day concerning, likely approaching downfall. In Deadfire, though assignee of a handful of neat design choices (sea exploration; not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it; fluid combat, optional level-scaling, etc.), falls short on what once was the trademark of this company: the narrative. It seems the lads at Obsidian —those who remain anyways from recent purgues— took to heart the dumbfounding complaint of ''Too many words'' and ''Too much text''; hence in POEII everything pertaining to its story (quests, companions and lore, sweet lore) is minimized, not synthesized but downgraded and sadly uninspired.
    The gist of Pillars of Eternity is philosophical, perhaps more actual than ever —kith are a metaphor for humanity in all its diversity and collective delirium —facing the struggle of faith crisis, godlessness and subsequently loneliness in our contemporary age; an issue glimpsed by Nietzsche and practically all thinkers that ensued. Its treatment is poliphonic, diverging: different characters share their feelings of the matter: either desperate nostalgia for their inextricable gods, spite for their misdeeds and abandonment or utter rejection of their inmanence. The Wheel concept, however, is picked up from easternly breezes, namely Hinduism and Buddhism; it presupposes a mechanism of soul-binding in recurring stages of life and death (together with an interstitial state, the In-Between) with goddess Berath as their caretaker. On this intrincate canopy of recycled myths and all-too-human disquietudes Eothas (the one astray, making a mess!) rises as a prophet, a philantropist; or at least so he claims... He represents Nietzschean will to power, his sacrifice wistful and an opportunity for kith to disentangle themselves from gods and their machinery, attain liberty... But what is to be done with such liberty? Other deities, pressuming that mortal lives can only be ripe for confusion and suffering, vouch for complete annihilation. In any event risk is at the heart of Eothas' manoeuvre.
    No, PoE's not your typical inane fantasy setting; even to cynics or atheists, it resonates with how we feel, a pivotal ambiguity —now asymbolic hopelessness, now a manic struggle towards ghostly knowledge. Not even the Eoran Pantheon itself is beneath these woes. Hence my pain at watching it butchered, mishandled, vandalized and discombobulated by (no doubt) incompetent writers. Cringe-inducing bits of dialogue, atrocious romancing, characters striped hollow... fetch-quests, uneventful journeys, undeveloped ship combat... Must be played in Hard Mode so as not be a walk-in-the-park.
    Not **** but not too good either.    … Expand
  12. draculdracul
    May 26, 2018
    9
    I just finished playing this game. It was a great ride. Loved it more then POE 1. But there is room for improvement. Especial difficulty level is way to easy for experienced players. Main storyline is a bit simple and short but there is enough content in the game to help you forget that. Loved the multiclass system and after a while i even started to like the ship combat system. I thinkI just finished playing this game. It was a great ride. Loved it more then POE 1. But there is room for improvement. Especial difficulty level is way to easy for experienced players. Main storyline is a bit simple and short but there is enough content in the game to help you forget that. Loved the multiclass system and after a while i even started to like the ship combat system. I think this last also has some room to improve.

    I love the moral conflicts i sometimes experience with quest lines. Loved the side quests. And this is the only game where i read every aspect of quest line. The fact that actors did a great job in the quest dialogue draw me in every questline.

    All with a a worthy sequel to POE but it has room to improve in its current state ( v 1.02) .    … Expand
  13. AndersBjorkman
    May 24, 2018
    10
    I'm a big fan of rpgs. Played Bg1&2, Icewind Dale, Dragon Age, the Witcher series, Planescape torment, Fallout 1&2, and so on. Wasn't a big fan of the first Pillars. Dont know if its because I didnt invest enough time in it. This game, I've played like 30 hours in one week. Was a long time ago since a game really captivated me like this. Some of the characters are lacklusting, and theI'm a big fan of rpgs. Played Bg1&2, Icewind Dale, Dragon Age, the Witcher series, Planescape torment, Fallout 1&2, and so on. Wasn't a big fan of the first Pillars. Dont know if its because I didnt invest enough time in it. This game, I've played like 30 hours in one week. Was a long time ago since a game really captivated me like this. Some of the characters are lacklusting, and the optimization is quite poor. That being said, its a really fun game. The combat mechanics are rewarding, the skill and leveling systems are also rewarding, the story is good, you just have to invest time into it. As a guy said who gave it a low score "its about chasing a big blue dude, just talk everywhere, there is no story". Dont listen to this guy. He's gotta have ADHD (i have a adhd diagnosis, but these game really keeps my interest). The story is in the fine details, all the amazing dialogues, and options. The number of different ways to play this games dialogue and options is quite breathtaking. All in all
    Pros: Good graphics. Good gameplay mechanic. Fun quests (most of them) and story.
    Cons: Bad optimization, some bugs, some lackluster characters (just a few)
    All in all, i give it 10/10 Bhaals.    … Expand
  14. Slotharingia
    May 24, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. *Review contains some points that may be considered spoilers *

    Deadfire is a great game. Tons of things to do, lots of quirky details, heaps of laughs, companions with different personalities, some of which you can romance. The player experience is varied and doesn't just involve hitting stuff. There's a huge city to explore, ships and ship combat that can be approached in a variety of ways, scripted interactions and lots of quests that can be resolved in a number of ways, sometimes peacefully, which is nice and adds flavour to different types of characters you create. Multi and subclassing as well as non combat skills you can upgrade (such as diplomacy, bluff, alchemy, explosives, etc) offer endless variations of gameplay. In general, it's a lot of fun and much better than the first one imo. This island setting makes it less sombre than these types of games often are, as in spite of creepy dungeons etc, the overall scenery and ambiance is colourful and pleasant. There are various factions with pros and cons you can help, or not and a complex approval system with companions both for your character and one another.

    Negatives are that the game is buggy and to some extent appears unfinished. A number of quests bug out or make no sense if you do them in the "wrong" order, although as it is open world, the right order is not obvious. Weps have faulty descriptions, etc. You can also end up with negative rep simply by going to the wrong place at the wrong time, and so on. While that's not really bad, I imagine it could be off-putting to some people, especially as you won't know why it happened unless you played it before or google. Also, I imagine it would be very confusing if you haven't played the first game, and the companions from the first game treat you like they do not know you approvalwise, irrespective of your prior relationship with them and are harder to almost impossible to get positive rep with, making the choice to play an established character from a previous game a tad pointless. Combat is arguably too easy at times if you are used to this type of system, and the main story is somewhat lackluster. Finally, the narrator overdramatises to the point of it becoming extremely irritating.

    So all in all a fantastic game that does suffer somewhat from a feeling of having been thrown on the market to reach the ultimate deadline when it wasn't really polished. I do hope these issues are fixed in later patches as it would be a pity to leave something with such potential lacking due to what I can only assume were oversights caused by lack of time.    … Expand
  15. ahowell95
    May 23, 2018
    9
    Great game all in all, haven't finished the main quest yet, but the side quests I have finished are really fun, especially the pirate quests.

    So ... a couple of things: 1) battle mechanics are out of whack right now, so if you are like me and hate 1st person hack and slash RPGs, and love tactical combat where you can use and control every aspect of what's around you, I would wait a    Great game all in all, haven't finished the main quest yet, but the side quests I have finished are really fun, especially the pirate quests.

    So ... a couple of things:
    1) battle mechanics are out of whack right now, so if you are like me and hate 1st person hack and slash RPGs, and love tactical combat where you can use and control every aspect of what's around you, I would wait a month until they roll out an update, I read it's supposed to be mid-to-early June, that said though there is also some mods you can use to get it closer to what Obsidian is known for, and I expect they will deliver, especially in what I experienced playing the Beta, good combat!! Did anyone else get wiped by the Sand Blights over and over again???

    2) Some of the side quests are too short, but nothing that would stop me from recommending.

    3) Do miss the Endless Path's style dungeon of the first game, but if I remember correctly Baldur's Gate 2 really didn't introduce a huge dungeon until the expansion, so curious what the DLC will deliver.

    4) I actually like the whole ship combat mechanic, adds a good break and options in exploring the world.

    Other than that fun, fun, fun!! And a good RPG.    … Expand
  16. Ololof
    May 23, 2018
    0
    One of the worst CRPG ever made
    Writing is cringe, gameplay is boring and "safe" garbage
    Honestly I can't understand how can someone defend this game, it just doesn't have redeeming qualities. Obsidian blaming backers for the final state of game, just like they blamed publishers everytime before was just too much for me
  17. socokid
    May 22, 2018
    10
    Some of the bad reviews here are amazingly vapid. This is a better version of the first game in nearly all aspects. I'm 50 hours in (the end is nowhere in sight) and am having a blast... which is all that counts.

    I have a high end PC (7700k, 1080, 1440p display) and I get a constant 120 FPS and have yet to experience a game/quest ending bug. I've had two crashes, both had autosaves that    Some of the bad reviews here are amazingly vapid. This is a better version of the first game in nearly all aspects. I'm 50 hours in (the end is nowhere in sight) and am having a blast... which is all that counts.

    I have a high end PC (7700k, 1080, 1440p display) and I get a constant 120 FPS and have yet to experience a game/quest ending bug. I've had two crashes, both had autosaves that were only a minute or two behind where I was.

    It's a great game with many mechanics (even ship upkeep/sailing/cannon fighting... down to what sort of food you give to your crew and how it affects their moral...) in a world with almost too much to do/explore. Almost all of it voice acted (which is amazing).

    Definitely and highly recommended for anyone into classic RPGs.    … Expand
  18. Nostalgo
    May 22, 2018
    0
    Bugsidian is back in full force like never before.

    Radio silence from the developer on the exact release date of patches. Game is unplayable couse of terrible optimization, crashes, fps issues due to memory leaks even on top pc, difficulty is laughable that the party autopilots itself, ship combat is boring and simple,companion side quests are nonexistent, I could go on for another    Bugsidian is back in full force like never before.

    Radio silence from the developer on the exact release date of patches.
    Game is unplayable couse of terrible optimization, crashes, fps issues due to memory leaks even on top pc, difficulty is laughable that the party autopilots itself, ship combat is boring and simple,companion side quests are nonexistent, I could go on for another 1000 words.

    This game is a disaster that will require months to fix.    … Expand
  19. Gamebeating
    May 21, 2018
    7
    A tiny bit above average. Everything the game improves over the first title (combat, visuals, sounddesign) it destroys with bad writing and funky voice acting.

    While the combat gets better and better with every game Obsidian makes, the writing takes a nose-dive over their last titles.
    I hope they can break this trend with their next project, while keeping the combat as good as it is now.
  20. Shadowl0rd
    May 21, 2018
    10
    Impresionante, épico... no tengo palabras para elogiar a un juegazo de un calibre espectacular.
    Los cambios con respecto al Pillar 1 son sencillamente perfectos. Un guión que te enganchará desde el primer momento, combates y mágias de todos los colores con un sistema perfectamente equilibrado que te hará disfrutar de cada minuto. Soy seguidor de este tipo de juegos desde hace muchos,    Impresionante, épico... no tengo palabras para elogiar a un juegazo de un calibre espectacular.
    Los cambios con respecto al Pillar 1 son sencillamente perfectos. Un guión que te enganchará desde el primer momento, combates y mágias de todos los colores con un sistema perfectamente equilibrado que te hará disfrutar de cada minuto. Soy seguidor de este tipo de juegos desde hace muchos, muchos años. Baldurs Gates, Icewind, Bards Tales, neverwinter y como no el Pillars 1. Y el único que le aguanta el pulso a este es el Divinity Original Sin 2. Pero aún asi en mi opinion este lo supera de largo. JUEGO OBLIGADO DE TENER. OBRA MAESTRA.    … Expand
  21. MarkandJez
    May 20, 2018
    5
    I was hit by a game breaking bug in the core storyline when playing pillars of eternity two only a few quests in.
    I think there is a console work around that I found but that will take time for me to figure out.
    Abit of a shame tbh also a lot of loading screens will break the altogether emersion since every transition seems to load a different map.
  22. T-Opel
    May 20, 2018
    10
    Amazing game, almost everything is improved from the first PoE. The combat is much smoother, although I still prefer the combat in Tyranny. Great quests and really good music. There is a lot of reading in the game, so be prepared for that. If you want to do every side quest, the game can last over 50 hours.
  23. Jaganntha
    May 20, 2018
    10
    It is a beautiful game full of fun activities, the story is good, the audio excellent, the combat entertaining also obsidian always fulfills what it promises. In summary goty 2018
  24. djball
    May 20, 2018
    1
    Garbage extreme verbose over the top writing that drags on for eternity. Story that is absolutely non existent, hunt down big blue dude with big feet WTF! Fetch stuff, kill stuff, and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk... Meanwhile load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, loadGarbage extreme verbose over the top writing that drags on for eternity. Story that is absolutely non existent, hunt down big blue dude with big feet WTF! Fetch stuff, kill stuff, and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk... Meanwhile load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen, load screen. You get the picture.… Expand
  25. user9991213131
    May 19, 2018
    2
    Played game for a several hours before giving up. As a fan of the genre, I was disappointed. I did not play the first game. Cons: Poor character creation (low selection of faces, portraits, and more), poor mix of 3D and isometric, lacking polish (generally clunky interface), poor dual class system, filler in gameplay (I suspended judgement on walking around map etc. but am now certain thatPlayed game for a several hours before giving up. As a fan of the genre, I was disappointed. I did not play the first game. Cons: Poor character creation (low selection of faces, portraits, and more), poor mix of 3D and isometric, lacking polish (generally clunky interface), poor dual class system, filler in gameplay (I suspended judgement on walking around map etc. but am now certain that this is simply filler in lieu of content). I honestly cannot think of any pros to compare to either the classics (IWD, BG), or similar modern games like divinity, which I highly recommend. If you are new to the series as I was, purchase with caution.… Expand
  26. Vheod
    May 19, 2018
    10
    I'm 54 hours in and I have to say this is an phenomenal game. If you liked the previous title or the old infinity engine games, I can recommend this. This almost as big of an improvement to the original title than BG2 was to BG1...
  27. metalreflectsli
    May 18, 2018
    0
    The Mac OS X port does not work. The developers are unresponsive on both the Steam forums and the GOG forums.
  28. mykeymoonshine
    May 18, 2018
    8
    Project Eternity sought to revive the style of the infinity engine games using crowd funding because major publishers don't make anything like that anymore. This was a success, POE and a few other games showed that there was still a market for this type of game and now the genre is back in full swing.

    The sequel improves on that game massively. It looks so much better than the last    Project Eternity sought to revive the style of the infinity engine games using crowd funding because major publishers don't make anything like that anymore. This was a success, POE and a few other games showed that there was still a market for this type of game and now the genre is back in full swing.

    The sequel improves on that game massively. It looks so much better than the last game, the art style is fantastic. The last game had beautiful 2d environments but the 3d character models looked a little dated and out of place but that is not the case here, the character models are for the most part really good and the new lighting and vfx really brings the game to life.

    the majority of dialogue is voice acted and the VO is for the most part great. All the important npc's have hand painted portraits now, Obsidian used a simpler watercolour technique which allowed them to create portraits for every quest relevant character. This really helps make each character seem more unique a problem i had with the last game was that very few of the side characters were all that memorable and this really helps with that.

    The world is more open and it's a lot easier to explore the many islands in the Deadfire Archipelago. There are also a lot of side quests most of which are well written and interesting. You have a ship and there are many ways to upgrade, customise and even buy new ships in the game. There are many potential crew members for your ship. You can either hire them from taverns or more interestingly there are npc's dotted throughout the world who can potentially be hired as crew members. This is a nice touch for example I was able to recruit an ogre as my ships cook who was tired of her job cooking in this dive of a tavern.

    The combat is more fun and the new subclass and multiclass system is for the most part fantastic it adds so much more customisation to the game, some classes have more versatility than others but then you can always multiclass. I do think in the current state though the combat is a little too easy, that is supposed to be being patched some time soon.

    The game really reacts to the way you customise your character, there are all kinds of skill checks and background checks. For example you can play as a "godlike" which is essentially a person who has been touched by a god and blesses with certain godlike characteristics, this is supposedly rare and people react strongly to it. In POE though there were other godlike everywhere and reactivity to godlike characters was uncommon. This is not the case in this game it comes up a lot which is really nice to see.

    I am not giving this game a perfect score because there are a couple of problems, for one thing the intro forces you to either import a save from the last game or choose a preset world state (you can also make a custom world state in the options menu without importing). This would seem to imply that your choices from the last game matter in this one but many of them simply do not. Sure they come up a lot in conversation but most of them have very little in the way of consequences. Even some choices that should have major consequences don't at all. The import system is also quite buggy but that has already been patched for the most part.

    The main plot is not as long as I would like and there isn't really a way to change it much either, this was the same with the last game and it was my biggest gripe but at least that one had a longer main quest that didn't feel bogged down either. This one could probably do with being about twice as long as it is. Don't get me wrong though the game isn't lacking in story content, it's just that there is a lot more focus on side quests and specifically faction quests.

    Another problem I have is the companions, they just feel less important than the ones in the last game. Even the returning ones I feel like they are just along for the ride. There are also "sidekicks", I would be fine if that was like Baldur's gate where some companions just had less content but sidekicks have so little after the initial meeting that they seem pointless and not worth taking. They should have some party banter and a few comments and reactions to certain quests here and there to make them feel worth taking. It's a shame too as some of these characters have potential. The companion relationship system is also quite buggy so lets hope it gets patched soon.

    I would definitely recommend this game, despite a few flaws it improves on the last and I am already enjoying my second play through.

    Disclaimer: I backed this game    … Expand
  29. HpfllyIRmbrThis
    May 17, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really liked the first one and I'm kind of Obisidian fanboy, but there is just something weird with this game. I kind of like it and the potential is huge in paper, but when you actually play, it seems so...well not shallow but shallow (I have 18 hours clocked atm).

    What I mean is that yes, the overall lore and companions are as deep as they can get, but the main story is just bland. There are so many side quests given to you, filling your log very quickly, BUT these side quests are mainly serving the purpose of leveling up so you can progress the main story. The quest log actually shows a level cap that is "required" for the quest, meaning that there is definitely going to be fighting and you kinda must meet the level requirement to survive.

    Pros:
    + exploring the world can feel rewarding
    + solid cRPG
    + ship customization
    + choices have weight

    Cons:
    - plays it too safe
    - the story is too "epic" with gods and end of the world
    - auto regenerate HP...why?
    - auto regenerate spells...why?
    - these accents...lol. For example I met a skeleton guardian with a basic Scottish accent. Voice pitch was normal and there were 0 effects on his voice. It felt as out of place as Xotis southern accent
    - combat is just meh and there is (again) a lot of it
    - too easy even with higher difficulty
    - too much combat
    - combat gets repetitive as there is no weight on it (just rest and eat those fruits)
    - bugs
    - FPS drops
    - pirate battles get repetitive

    I don't know, I really want to like this game.    … Expand
  30. nanddo
    May 17, 2018
    0
    It's a nice game, but is full of bugs, when you select a quest and open the journal, the quest is not even preselected WTF, there are missions you cannot finish because of bugs, crew members that don't heal due to bugs. Is not enjoyable like this, wait till they patch it properly. Pillars of ethernity I did not have this kind of bugs.
  31. evesea
    May 17, 2018
    10
    In my opinion, PoE2 is a huge step up from PoE1 (which was also a great game). It improved on many areas, and from what I've noticed hasn't worsened in any aspect that was in PoE 1.

    Damn near everything is voice acted, the writing is vastly improved & the combat is much better. The music is better, the sound is better, the voice acting is better. The graphics look amazing for an    In my opinion, PoE2 is a huge step up from PoE1 (which was also a great game). It improved on many areas, and from what I've noticed hasn't worsened in any aspect that was in PoE 1.

    Damn near everything is voice acted, the writing is vastly improved & the combat is much better. The music is better, the sound is better, the voice acting is better. The graphics look amazing for an isometric (not that it matters), the character models are improved, and the animations are MUCH more fluid. The story is great, the dialogue is so much better (way less pretentious and far more human - More 'pulp fiction' less 'lesbian film festival' ), and the story is engaging. The characters have much more personality, the companion system is vastly improved, and dialogue choice feels even more weighty.

    I could keep going on positives but here are the negatives I can think of: I heard there are bugs (haven't encountered any), the difficulty could be turned up a few notches - it works for a first time, but replays are going to need it to be the first games PoD difficulty, and loading screens (saw a review give it a 2 strictly on loading screens - its inconvenient sure, but really not THAT bad jesus.)

    Anyways, I'd recommend this game to anyone who likes RPGs - especially anyone who likes isometric RPGs. People who don't like RPGs will likely just say its boring because they're talking and not shooting but w/e. Recommended! Go buy now!    … Expand
  32. bayernforlife
    May 17, 2018
    10
    On of the best CRPG´s i have ever played. A truly outstanding game with lots of choice and consequence. Good work Obsidian.
  33. Caveretien
    May 16, 2018
    0
    Pros: Pirate! Beautifully old graphic, a lot of classes and a lot of abilities.
    Cos:
    -Terrible music, cheap quality regarding both composing and producing tracks. - long and drag out unimportant and uninteresting dialog. Even with alot more voice over compare to POE 1. Voice over team has little to no emotion or that many lines to say. Saying "I got it" 50 times in a row is terrible.    Pros: Pirate! Beautifully old graphic, a lot of classes and a lot of abilities.
    Cos:
    -Terrible music, cheap quality regarding both composing and producing tracks.
    - long and drag out unimportant and uninteresting dialog. Even with alot more voice over compare to POE 1. Voice over team has little to no emotion or that many lines to say. Saying "I got it" 50 times in a row is terrible.
    - Main story is very very short and boring. There is not really a lead of why one thing lead to another. Their purpose of the whole POEII: Deadfire is not convincing.
    - Too many side quests, they are random and uninteresting. Aside from distracting the player from the main quest, in one town, there are about 20 NPCs each gives 5 quest. It forces you running back and forth too much, not only that the amount of loading screen, you tell me. Game feels like a series of side quest rather than telling a story. I'd call this one Pillar of Many Random Pirate Side quest.
    - Pausing/AI configuration. Again, developers provide too many unnecessary tools for a simple task, 95% of the scripted AI condition aren't needed. Getting interrupted on a spell will make character skip that spell entirely..Compare this to Dragon Age: Origin or Final Fantasy XII ( game on a ps2), they are simpler and doing a much better job.
    -Even though there are alot of classes, abilities and weapon of choices, the way active and passive abilities are made making building a character is oblivious, you cannot fail to build a character in this game. It's very wide but shallow. I'd rather have something narrow but deep, that's character building.
    - Pathing, character can't reach a destination run around and getting hit by engagement attack continuously.
    - Developers are so lazy to balance the game so that they make an option of scaling, game is too easy even on path of the damned difficulty once you reach high level
    -level of a character define its power, everything else is irrelevant: your class, weapon of choice, abilities, potions, scroll etc..

    Final word, I can't believe this PoE I and PoE II both budget about $6 M, compares to DOS I and
    DOSII with the same budget. or even its predecessor NWN or Baldur's Gate. After 40 hours to finish this game on Path of The Damned. I'm very dissapointed    … Expand
  34. Kronos362
    May 16, 2018
    10
    A magnificent game. Astounding graphics and fantastic storyline. An absolute must for true rpg fans out there. I was quite literally blown away. The effort that has gone into this game is evident, a joy to behold. It is very refreshing that this has been made in an age where so much content out there is quite mindless and mundane, this is a throw back to a time where you could sit back,A magnificent game. Astounding graphics and fantastic storyline. An absolute must for true rpg fans out there. I was quite literally blown away. The effort that has gone into this game is evident, a joy to behold. It is very refreshing that this has been made in an age where so much content out there is quite mindless and mundane, this is a throw back to a time where you could sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.… Expand
  35. Verthiss
    May 15, 2018
    10
    I'm not a big fan of piratey things but Pillars II is a masterpiece. It builds on foundations of the first game and improves on pretty much everything (other than maybe the companions at first, but they slowly grew on me). Good job Obsidian, keep up with good work. Now just give us good modding tools and we will be forever happy.
  36. Aarionn
    May 14, 2018
    10
    POE 2 is what BG2 was to BG!

    I am 30 hours in and the amount of content is amazing! Graphics are great! I never thought I would see another isometric RPG let alone of this graphic quality and beauty.

    I cannot thank enough Obsidian taking a risk and making one of the best cRPG ever! Please give us more!
  37. marcus113
    May 14, 2018
    0
    Do people have no standards? Baldurs Gate I & II, are so much better in every way and they're almost 20 years old... they put better graphics in the game and assume that this is all you have to do? Why not do something different and unique? If this were a movie that remade an older movie it would get destroyed in reviews. Why are gamers giving it a pass for being a safe remake of an olderDo people have no standards? Baldurs Gate I & II, are so much better in every way and they're almost 20 years old... they put better graphics in the game and assume that this is all you have to do? Why not do something different and unique? If this were a movie that remade an older movie it would get destroyed in reviews. Why are gamers giving it a pass for being a safe remake of an older game.

    Also this is an RPG. Graphics are not what makes RPG's great. Its character development, story, writing, lore... This is a lot less complex than the original D&D games in terms of classes, combinations and abilities so no points for that. I mean... if you are going to copy, at the very least maintain the level of quality of the old games and dont cut content. The bad thing about this game is that its so boring. The story is just drab and tiring.    … Expand
  38. brindle88
    May 14, 2018
    10
    Great game but currently broken unplayable because it is far to easy and nearly impossible to get killed.

    In urgent need of patch to make the POTD difficulty more harder
  39. Sayno
    May 14, 2018
    4
    If you want a bunch of flowery language, buggy inconsistent combat, bland characters, a quota-filling system of sexuality with hetero being the minority, a much shorter game then PoE and not as good as any RPG in recent or semi-recent memory but are desperate for an isometric game, then I suppose it is OK. The world is quite nice. I'm really concerned about the direction Obsidian is takingIf you want a bunch of flowery language, buggy inconsistent combat, bland characters, a quota-filling system of sexuality with hetero being the minority, a much shorter game then PoE and not as good as any RPG in recent or semi-recent memory but are desperate for an isometric game, then I suppose it is OK. The world is quite nice. I'm really concerned about the direction Obsidian is taking though with their game quality and leftist agendas.… Expand
  40. Sgara
    May 14, 2018
    10
    Improvements everywhere, the wonderful feel of going Sid Meyer's Pirates with an -actual- rpg toon you raise from prequel to stop an Irresistible Force or die trying. Godlike!
  41. Thunderer
    May 14, 2018
    9
    The Good:
    -the graphics are fantastic, easily the best-looking isometric game ever save only for Divinity Original Sin 2 perhaps
    -combat has been improved -multiclassing is lots fun and add tons of replay value -exploring is fun -the game feels far more expansive than the previous one -the side quests are much more involved -the music has been imrpoved -the game feels more reactive    The Good:
    -the graphics are fantastic, easily the best-looking isometric game ever save only for Divinity Original Sin 2 perhaps
    -combat has been improved
    -multiclassing is lots fun and add tons of replay value
    -exploring is fun
    -the game feels far more expansive than the previous one
    -the side quests are much more involved
    -the music has been imrpoved
    -the game feels more reactive to the player
    -the Deadfire Archipelago is a lot more interesting and exotic than the first game's setting
    -the faction relationships are well done

    The Bad:
    -the characters are once again kind of bland; they're not bad, some are even likeable but there are no stand out companions like Minsc and the cast of Baldur's Gate II or even Durance from the previous game
    -load times are slow at times
    -the main plot is a bit unfocused
    -ship-to-ship combat is not fun

    The Ugly:
    -the bugs, not that I didn't expect that from an Obsidian game at launch

    Overall a massive improvement over the original PoE, but still some room for improvement.    … Expand
  42. redknight1981
    May 13, 2018
    8
    First impressions! I will write a full review upon finishing the game!

    Now there is a walk option which does so much for those of us who care about immersion and it is a HUGE improvement for roleplaying purposes. The game looks and sounds gorgeous! The addition of voice overs did not affect the amount of text, which is good. There are many options in dialogues, however the dialogues    First impressions! I will write a full review upon finishing the game!

    Now there is a walk option which does so much for those of us who care about immersion and it is a HUGE improvement for roleplaying purposes.

    The game looks and sounds gorgeous! The addition of voice overs did not affect the amount of text, which is good. There are many options in dialogues, however the dialogues dont seem to work the same way. Namely, sometimes when you are given multiple options and you choose one of them, the dialogue just continues and takes away your ability to say other things that you might have wanted to say.

    Writing seems just as competent as in the original game, however the most interesting companions (Durance and Grieving mother) do not return, while the ones you get to play with are kinda Biowarish - which is not a compliment. Companions do seem far more reactive which is a huge improvement over the original, so it's not all doom and gloom - but I just dont understand why do we always have to make 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

    World exploration seems to be far more engaging and almost sand-boxy. Everything seems bigger and better from my short test of the game.

    Importing my save from PoE1 worked as far as I can tell, but it seems that you can change your choices from previous game by choosing other options. I am not sure if this is working as intended, since it is far too easy to override your initial choice with a new one.

    The new combat mechanics are good, but I really prefer the old ones. There is something awkward with the way characters move and position themselves in combat that just doesn't feel right and the automatic health regen after battle makes the whole combat feel a bit dumbed down. The characters feel floaty and I never seem to be able to position them exactly where I want to - unlike in PoE1. In regards to lowering playable chracters from 6 to 5 - HORRIBLE decision! I understand this was done for balancing purposes, but why not give those of us who really do not care about your "balance" a little option at the start of the game to allow us to have a party of 6?

    For some reason, Obsidian decided to change all the voices for your custom characters that existed in the original game. I am flabbergasted by this decision as it is completely unnecesary and it feels strange playing my old character with a completely different voice. Why not keep the old voices and just add the new?

    And lastly, you start from Level 1 again, which is again breaking the consistency of the world. The game does explain it in the very beggining with Eothas taking a portion of your soul, but what about Edér? Why is he Level 1 again? Adding 1 line of how the life of comfort has made them rusty or something similar would fix this little annoyance.

    The game certainly needs a patch or two. Upon starting the game for the first time, my screen was tripple size, so I couldn't even see the options in the main screen. Luckily I could see the edges of the option boxes, so I thumbled my way through various settings until I found resolution options - where for some strange reason my default resolution was set at 4K. I fixed the problem by choosing the right resolution for my screen. Perhaps this was caused due to me modifying my graphics card settings for other games so that I can play them in higher resolution than what my monitor allows (don't ask me why I did this, but I have good reasons). Anyway, whatever is causing this bug, it's not a very good first impression.

    Some items also have wrong descriptions. For example a chainmail might say in its description that it is good against slashing, but then in the bonuses you get a defense against crush damage.

    CONCLUSION: Despite slight annoyances here and there, this is a must-support game for any true roleplayer. My first impression is that we might have a game here that will finally manage to surpass Baldur's Gate legacy. The potential for a true classic has never been greater and I truly hope Obsidian listens to this type of constructive criticism. This is a good game! Really good! But it's still not all the way where it should be due to above mentioned problems.    … Expand
  43. Drizzdal
    May 12, 2018
    10
    I play mostly RPGs, and Pillars of Eternity II Deadfire is so far one of the best cRPG's ever for me! Fanstastic atmosphere, realistic graphics, beautiful lighting effects, sound effects and soundtrack, great combat improvement, story is very good for now.....and thanks for walking option :)

    Great job Obsidian, keep it up...
  44. Bringo69
    May 11, 2018
    10
    I am a big fan of CRPG such as Baldur's Gate and this game delivers on all fronts. I am glad that there are still making games like this because we all know that these are nowhere as profitable as multiplayer games with in-game monetization.
  45. Zoso
    May 11, 2018
    10
    You might think that as a backer, I might be more willing to forgive any shortcomings this game might have, but it's quite the opposite: The more I'm invested in a game and anticipate it, the more I tend to be bitterly disappointed (Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age 2 are examples).
    Not so this time! I was a bit torn between 9 and 10 as I didn't initially like some of the changes to the    You might think that as a backer, I might be more willing to forgive any shortcomings this game might have, but it's quite the opposite: The more I'm invested in a game and anticipate it, the more I tend to be bitterly disappointed (Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age 2 are examples).
    Not so this time! I was a bit torn between 9 and 10 as I didn't initially like some of the changes to the combat system, but 10 hours of game play later I can say combat is a lot of fun, although it lacks some of the depths of its predecessor. But the story, NPC, and especially dialogue make more than up for that - I don't miss it at all.
    A serious cointender for best RPG of all time, let's see how it plays out.    … Expand
  46. dantevil
    May 11, 2018
    10
    Finished pillars of eternity 1 as a priest of berath, pledging my soul to the god of cycles, life and death. Promising to release the thousands of captured souls back to the wheel of reincarnation at the end of the game.

    Started pillars of eternity 2, only to find out I was murdered after the events of the first game by a god who was believed to have been slain during the saints war.    Finished pillars of eternity 1 as a priest of berath, pledging my soul to the god of cycles, life and death. Promising to release the thousands of captured souls back to the wheel of reincarnation at the end of the game.

    Started pillars of eternity 2, only to find out I was murdered after the events of the first game by a god who was believed to have been slain during the saints war.

    My soul then comes face to face with the god I have devoted my life to, the god of life, death, and reincarnation.

    After a brief discussion about how I kept my promise at the end of the first game, my favoured god revealed to me he wants me to come back to life and serve him once again, and slay the being that killed me.

    I refused. It is only right that my soul is allowed to be reborn and return to the cycle, as I have worshipped this diety my whole life.

    My god agreed. I was reborn as a wolf and the credits of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire started to roll.

    Pretty short game but 10/10    … Expand
  47. dontcarebear
    May 11, 2018
    9
    TL;DR - If you like Classical RPGs or D&D games, buy it.

    The only reason this game gets a 9 out of 10 from me is the fact that I'm bored with classic RPGs (I just don't like the gameplay), but the last 3 titles from Obsidian (PoE1, Tyranny and PoE2) got me playing. Great plot, great story, top down isometric camera with good detail in graphics, brilliant interface (They paid    TL;DR - If you like Classical RPGs or D&D games, buy it.

    The only reason this game gets a 9 out of 10 from me is the fact that I'm bored with classic RPGs (I just don't like the gameplay), but the last 3 titles from Obsidian (PoE1, Tyranny and PoE2) got me playing.

    Great plot, great story, top down isometric camera with good detail in graphics, brilliant interface (They paid attention to EVERYTHING!), time mechanics... you can feel the love that was cast into this golden piece.

    Obsidian deserves praise for this.    … Expand
  48. Sevorast
    May 10, 2018
    10
    The best CRPG since Baldurs Gate 2, a true masterpiece that outdoes the first game in every possible way!

    The morons leaving low scores have not played the game and are just abusing the open nature of this site.
  49. unfhunt
    May 10, 2018
    10
    Well done!
    My favorite genre. I'm really glad that such type of non-commercial projects are still exist. It makes me to believe that game industry are still has a soul. Just because of someone who can work with such love and passion.Thanks!
  50. hunnybear
    May 10, 2018
    9
    Truly Obsidian loves what they are doing and it shows. I bet the game will be even better with future patches. My only problem is that the game too easy even on hard mode and the combat is too fast, it is in my opinion easily fixable. Thank you Obsidian papa bless.
  51. Drael6464
    May 9, 2018
    10
    I have to give this a ten, simply because of how meticulously next gen it is. The graphics (incorporates 3d, animation, light and shadow), the sound-tracking (which is very effective), the full voice acting, the sense of atmosphere and exploration, the new mechanics and focus of player choice. The story itself is full of intrigue and the npc's memorable. It's compelling, immersive andI have to give this a ten, simply because of how meticulously next gen it is. The graphics (incorporates 3d, animation, light and shadow), the sound-tracking (which is very effective), the full voice acting, the sense of atmosphere and exploration, the new mechanics and focus of player choice. The story itself is full of intrigue and the npc's memorable. It's compelling, immersive and satisfying. The setting also introduces a lot of colour. The first one was great, but this sets a new standard for the isometric rpg Renaissance.

    Also noteworthy is it's extensive guides to help players unfamiliar with pen and paper or rpg mechanics, making this style of game more accessible.    … Expand
  52. Wols
    May 9, 2018
    8
    i have never played the first Pillars of Eternity, however i love the Baldur Gate series, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale etc.

    For me, this RPG game is fantastic. The depth of character customisation, character influence, reputation, party configuration etc etc is immense. A lot of time can be spend looking at gaining those additional one percenters. Obsidian have taken a very solid    i have never played the first Pillars of Eternity, however i love the Baldur Gate series, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale etc.

    For me, this RPG game is fantastic. The depth of character customisation, character influence, reputation, party configuration etc etc is immense. A lot of time can be spend looking at gaining those additional one percenters. Obsidian have taken a very solid platform, given it a face lift and then injected a wonderful creation of fluid dynamics.

    Having only played for 4 hours, i know i have but scratched the surface of a massive world of intrigue.

    The only con i can give it is having not played the first PoE, there are significant references stretching back. However Obsidian does a great job at attempting to fill the void in those knowledge gaps.

    Pros:
    - Great character modification/class role creation (both single & multiclass)
    - In depth RPG elements non-character (boats, crafting, weapons, armour etc.)
    - Fantastic graphics
    - Party influence, both global & intra-party with affections/hate
    - Conversation responses: generic, locked (requirements not met) and unlocked (requirement met) leading to a vast array of outcomes

    Cons:
    - Very steep learning curve if you've never played this style of game before
    - Requirement (although minor) to have an understanding of PoE 1. Again obsidian does it's best to mitigate this issue.

    Overall i am thoroughly enjoying this game. Would highly recommend!    … Expand
  53. krugman25
    May 9, 2018
    10
    By far the most beautiful isometric RPG ever made, as well as the most feature packed and complex.
  54. svarog
    May 9, 2018
    2
    Loading screens, loading screens everywhere... Optimization? No, better to add more loading screens.
  55. GiantMoth
    May 9, 2018
    10
    This is a once-in-a-generation RPG. It's not just the best role playing game of the past few years -- which isn't really saying much -- it may be the best game since Baldur's Gate II... and, in many respects, it is clearly superior to BGII, as well!

    The graphics are a thing of beauty, the game engine has been thoroughly optimized so that load times are much faster than they were in the    This is a once-in-a-generation RPG. It's not just the best role playing game of the past few years -- which isn't really saying much -- it may be the best game since Baldur's Gate II... and, in many respects, it is clearly superior to BGII, as well!

    The graphics are a thing of beauty, the game engine has been thoroughly optimized so that load times are much faster than they were in the first PoE, the combat (on hard difficulty) is appealingly complex and strategic, the storytelling is very well done, the game is very well-balanced across multiple dimensions, and the overall "open seas exploration" theme is handled admirably. Most importantly of all, it's an extremely engaging and entertaining game to play, with a lot of depth to it.

    This game has surpassed the first PoE just as BGII surpassed the original Baldur's Gate. It is going to go down as a classic. Game of the decade, easy.    … Expand
  56. sgy0003
    May 9, 2018
    10
    "People don't enjoy single-player games anymore" said EA.

    Well, suck on God of war and POEII's success, EA. You see, this might be a news to you, but you don't need to have predatory monetization practice with multiplayer games. All you need is an amazing narrative-driven single-player game. Good game means people love it and that equals more sales. It's a win-win situation EA.
  57. Ogi79
    May 9, 2018
    9
    Imrpoved on every level compared to PoE 1. Fantastic game so far (did not finish it yet)
  58. OverWind
    May 9, 2018
    10
    Improves on everything. The first one was a bit sluggish, but the tempo in the sequel is perfect. It's like they took all the best parts of PoE1 and Tyranny and put together.
    This is the closest game to Dragon Age: Origins (which is #1 on my list) I've tried, and that's amazing.

    If you like RPG's this is a must buy!
  59. Hadriel
    May 9, 2018
    10
    Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is the Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn equivalent in terms of improvement on the original in the series. It is an instant classic and deserves nothing less than a perfect 10/10.
  60. umbershap
    May 9, 2018
    10
    Great game. Obsidian did it again and deliver us a great RPG experience.
    This game deserves better scores.
  61. maxmoefoe
    May 8, 2018
    0
    Boring characters, boring story, boring narrative design. Easy combat. This feels like a horrible DLC for the original pillars of eternity.
  62. Syrona
    May 8, 2018
    8
    As someone who isn't a super fan of CRPGs, considered Torment: Tides of Numenera to be complete garbage and got a refund, and was super bored after 3 hrs of Pillars of Eternity 1, I have to say I'm very much impressed by PoE 2. I mean it's clearly a super upgrade compared it to PoE 1 in pretty much everything.

    Something that bugged me in PoE 1 was the fact that your followers were    As someone who isn't a super fan of CRPGs, considered Torment: Tides of Numenera to be complete garbage and got a refund, and was super bored after 3 hrs of Pillars of Eternity 1, I have to say I'm very much impressed by PoE 2. I mean it's clearly a super upgrade compared it to PoE 1 in pretty much everything.

    Something that bugged me in PoE 1 was the fact that your followers were utterly brain dead and you had to manually command them to breathe every damn encounter. This is no longer the case in 2, as the game now has an extensive AI behaviour setup, so your followers can now be taught how to breathe on their own.

    Also the fact almost everything is voiceacted, is a super plus, as I hate reading novels and novels of text every time I converse with an NPC.    … Expand
  63. rustyfeeder
    May 8, 2018
    8
    Pretty good game but not a masterpiece or a classic. It has good graphics, good presentation and that overall feel of streamlining and being new player friendly. Looks like Obsidian really wants to get into that circle of AAA developers with big money and wide audience involved.

    The story is linear just like in the first part. It's on the rails with side quests allowing to make some    Pretty good game but not a masterpiece or a classic. It has good graphics, good presentation and that overall feel of streamlining and being new player friendly. Looks like Obsidian really wants to get into that circle of AAA developers with big money and wide audience involved.

    The story is linear just like in the first part. It's on the rails with side quests allowing to make some choices which won't affect the main story. It feels really familiar, repetitive even. For example after you get your ship you have an option to go and do a quest involving a big castle. This was in BG2, POE1 and it is in POE2.

    Same classes, same character abilities, several same companions. These things add to what apparently is a very samey experience compared to the first part. It's good but I'd want more new things. There's not enough novelty here.

    Graphics look good but holy hell the performance is crap just like in the first game. I'm not a technical expert but 2D maps with a few 3D models and effects and fps is tanking? Why? It's not Starcraft 2 with dozens of fully 3D models on screen. Starcraft 2 runs perfectl fine and this game is a performance slog.

    It also has technical issues at launch including crashes and mouse issues. Like left clicking with your mouse does not work for some reason.

    Overall feeling is it's a pretty polished RPG striving to get attention of a wider audience. Focus on visuals and presentation with linear story and insufficient world interactivity, freedom of choice and innovation.    … Expand
  64. darksorc
    May 8, 2018
    10
    The storytelling this time around is exquisite! There is a tremendous amount of care spent on the world building and helping the player to feel like they really are visiting this wonderfully crafted fantasy world.

    Combat is as thrilling as ever in CRPGs, with the added flair of just gorgeous artistic interactions and graphics. This is a pure 10 game, and deserves every bit of love    The storytelling this time around is exquisite! There is a tremendous amount of care spent on the world building and helping the player to feel like they really are visiting this wonderfully crafted fantasy world.

    Combat is as thrilling as ever in CRPGs, with the added flair of just gorgeous artistic interactions and graphics.

    This is a pure 10 game, and deserves every bit of love and every minute you have to spare!    … Expand
  65. klajton
    May 8, 2018
    10
    I'm a big fan of cRPG - I loved ID, IDII, both Baldur's Gate games and now we have the game which can stand comparision to BG2... Obsidian - good work!!! If you 're looking for deep rich beautiful world - buy and play. If you are new - also buy and play… You'll be amazed… Only comparable game for me is Witcher 3...
  66. kozzy420
    May 8, 2018
    10
    Simply amazing and every aspect is improved from the last game. Well done Obsidian, well done.
  67. Kain_Stark
    May 8, 2018
    10
    A Great Game in a fantastic Universe. GREAT RPG OLD STILE. An amazing sequel and a great RPG to explore! The best thing is the story-telling and the characters.
  68. BillyCorgan81
    May 8, 2018
    10
    300 hours on Pillars 1... 40 hours on Deadfire Beta... any doubt that i'll love this game !
  69. Chameleon187
    May 8, 2018
    10
    Excellent game, building on the solid foundation of the first game to deliver a much deeper and rewarding experience.
  70. segasweden
    May 8, 2018
    10
    An amazing sequel and a great RPG to explore!
    The best thing is the story-telling and the characters.
  71. night4
    May 8, 2018
    7
    Pros:

    - Amazing graphics - Incredible sound - High flexibility in creating a character due to subclasses/muticlassing - Probably good replayability - Unmatched AI options Cons (Roughly in order of importance): - The drop to 5 party members is unnecessary and a step in the wrong direction. Improving the AI addresses the micromanagement concerns people had. - With so    Pros:

    - Amazing graphics

    - Incredible sound

    - High flexibility in creating a character due to subclasses/muticlassing

    - Probably good replayability

    - Unmatched AI options

    Cons (Roughly in order of importance):

    - The drop to 5 party members is unnecessary and a step in the wrong direction. Improving the AI addresses the micromanagement concerns people had.

    - With so many subclasses and multiclassing options, the game will *never* be balanced, or even close. Balance isn't the most important thing in a single-player RPG, but it is something that needs to be done, and they've created far, far more work for themselves than they can handle.

    - Dropping back to level 1 with your characters is... somewhat expected, but I'm finding that because most spells/abilities are identical to the first game, it's like I'm just playing the first game all over again. I thought we were getting a sequel here.

    - Related to the previous point, far too many spells are identical to Pillars 1, with longer cast times and adjusted damage. It's disappointing. The new spells they did come up with are, again, mostly blatant copies of D&D spells.

    - It feels like they spent far too much time and far too many resources on martial characters rather than casters. Somewhat related to the previous point on unoriginal spells.

    - Most spells take too long to cast and/or recover from. It makes combat feel like a slog.

    - Too much information during character creation is far too vague.

    - Loading screens are still too long.

    - It's a bit too "pirate-y".    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2018
22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
10
#10 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 71
  3. Negative: 0 out of 71
  1. RPGamer
    May 7, 2019
    70
    Those with an appreciation for the tabletop games and classic PC games this pays homage to will likely have an enjoyable experience. The learning curve is a bit steep, the seas may get choppy, and the deck can get rather slippery, but with some patience and perseverance, even the greenest sailor can go from lowly deckhand to decorated captain.
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  2. Game Debate
    Oct 22, 2018
    95
    With DLC called 'The Deck of Many Things' and rules system that very closely mirrors the fundamentals of D&D right down to individual spells, it's sort of a crying shame that the powers that control licensing on both sides were unable to consummate this obvious marriage. Pillars of Eternity, for me, is the best D&D series there never was.
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  3. Gamers Heroes
    Sep 4, 2018
    80
    Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is not for everyone. The web of intertwining features and mechanics are as deep as they are complicated, but for those looking for more from their RPGs – more character, more wonder, more life – Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a fantastic homage to the true roots of the RPG genre.
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