Pillars of Eternity

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2683 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,104 out of 2683
  2. Mixed: 308 out of 2683
  3. Negative: 271 out of 2683
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. zexxx
    Aug 28, 2023
    0
    A deep and thoughtful RPG with strong story elements. this is, to me, an improvement on the big RPGs of old. The narrative is engaging and there's a lot of encounters sprinkled throughout the game that you'll never feel like any skill or ability is "just there".

    the fact it's real-time with pause is a something I've missed since BG. This game packs a lot into it. you manage a party    A deep and thoughtful RPG with strong story elements. this is, to me, an improvement on the big RPGs of old. The narrative is engaging and there's a lot of encounters sprinkled throughout the game that you'll never feel like any skill or ability is "just there".

    the fact it's real-time with pause is a something I've missed since BG.

    This game packs a lot into it. you manage a party (if you choose), you manage a castle! you're exploring the world and under your castle! there's a lot to see and do and many ways to solve encounters.

    there are layers of mechanics in this game but fear not, you don't have to go too deep if that's not your cup of tea as different difficulty levels will allow you to play the way you like.

    I can't stress enough how much I love the art and the style of this game. it's very reminiscent of RPGs of old and yet completely new and improved.

    This one is a *must* for any RPG fan. this is digital D&D at its finest!    … Expand
  2. FKAsavage
    Mar 30, 2023
    4
    I really wanted to like this game, as a fan of Obsidian and the CRPG genre, but after 3 attempts this game feels a bit lifeless. I would say I held some hope for it after the intro sequence, where some interesting things do happen. Unfortunately this is not representative of the adventure that follows it.

    It reads as an inferior Dragon Age Origins, with less engaging characters,    I really wanted to like this game, as a fan of Obsidian and the CRPG genre, but after 3 attempts this game feels a bit lifeless. I would say I held some hope for it after the intro sequence, where some interesting things do happen. Unfortunately this is not representative of the adventure that follows it.

    It reads as an inferior Dragon Age Origins, with less engaging characters, cluttered lore and dry dialogue. It even feels a step back mechanically, which when considering this game is 6 years newer than DAO it's profoundly clear how dated Pillars of Eternity feels.

    I have gripes including, but not limited to:

    Antiquated mechanics and UI/interface
    Excessively long exposition dumps
    Flat, uninspired writing
    Companions that range from dull to obnoxious (Durance), but rarely likable
    Predictable enemy encounters which makes combat feel repetitive
    Complicated mechanics with barebones explanations
    Over rehearsed voice acting that lacks a feeling of authenticity
    Graphically ugly for a game made in 2015

    Despite the above, it is still a serviceable game in the sense that it does evoke the nostalgia + framework of an old school CRPG, and the combat is decent enough - I will admit that I struggle to play original BG1&2 because of how dated they are and this game is just enough of an update to be more playable, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be doing a lot better. Therefore if you enjoy those games and can frame PoE as if it was a early noughties release (along with all the shortcomings that come with that time period), and can see past the plain writing then feel free to disregard this review. I'm writing this however because it has been compared to other contemporary more dynamic, inventive, exciting CRPGs that I have adored, which is why it is disappointing to me that the drop off in quality is so apparent here. Buyer beware!

    Despite all of this, I will be trying PoE2 next, as I have heard that it corrects a lot of the mistakes of the 1st game, has more engaging combat, less monotonous writing and optimisation of its systems. Fingers crossed.    … Expand
  3. Draethorian
    Mar 16, 2023
    0
    all the 10s are overrated so you get a 0 for the act 3 difficulty spike, drove me away from the game...
  4. PenetratorGod
    Jan 16, 2023
    3
    It's a game for the tasteless and nostalgia obsessed. It's a terrible copy of Baldur's Gate.
  5. WanderinMelmoth
    Nov 18, 2022
    2
    The game's major flaw is that it's real-time with pause. That coupled with a braindead AI requires micro-managing each of the 6 party members every 2 seconds because if you don't the mages will just run into melee and get themselves killed.
    Real-time with pause was terrible in Baldur's Gate and it's terrible here and it really REALLY needs to die. I love isometric RPG's but only if they    The game's major flaw is that it's real-time with pause. That coupled with a braindead AI requires micro-managing each of the 6 party members every 2 seconds because if you don't the mages will just run into melee and get themselves killed.
    Real-time with pause was terrible in Baldur's Gate and it's terrible here and it really REALLY needs to die. I love isometric RPG's but only if they are done like Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2 or Baldur's Gate 3.

    Another huge downside: it does the same BS that the outdated BG 1 (& 2) did: only a couple of words of some conversations are voiced - and there are a LOT of conversations. Might as well read a novel and don't have to deal with the terrible combat system.

    PoE 2 at least added the option for superior turn-based combat, but that is only a band-aid option as the game is still designed around real-time and it shows.    … Expand
  6. GreK4
    Jul 27, 2021
    3
    I so expect this game. I want play in 2015, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. But all the time just put out for my plan. And now I just take my balls in hand and buy this game. Ough.
    And... I disappointed. What is this game? I think this game only for geeks, who love played in Dungeon together with friends in a garage. So difficultly and not interested gameplay mechanics. And ok, if this one point,    I so expect this game. I want play in 2015, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. But all the time just put out for my plan. And now I just take my balls in hand and buy this game. Ough.
    And... I disappointed. What is this game? I think this game only for geeks, who love played in Dungeon together with friends in a garage. So difficultly and not interested gameplay mechanics. And ok, if this one point, that disappoint me, but not - in game bad a plot. The plot is boring and not interested me. Don't worry. I don't want get your angry and disappoint you. I just write my emotions on a paper. Don't worry.
    Game is not cool ever.    … Expand
  7. opor
    Aug 26, 2020
    1
    The character Progressiion and combat feels really bad. You dont have any level progression statwise, you can just get better skills. Also those skills can only be used a fixed number of times before you have to run back to an inn or camp. Feels really unnatural and tedious just impliment mana for gods sake. The addition of endurance to characters as a primary healthpool in combat alsoThe character Progressiion and combat feels really bad. You dont have any level progression statwise, you can just get better skills. Also those skills can only be used a fixed number of times before you have to run back to an inn or camp. Feels really unnatural and tedious just impliment mana for gods sake. The addition of endurance to characters as a primary healthpool in combat also feels stupid an unnecessary.
    When I bought the game I thought it would be more like a Tyranny or a Divinity original Sin but im fairly dissapointed. Instead of doing this they could have given Tyranny an adequate sequel or story extension. By the way in both mentioned games the magic skill system is far better, in Tyranny you can even create your own spells!!!
    In conclusion I reccomend you not to buy this inferior product    … Expand
  8. Wiebe
    Feb 27, 2020
    4
    I started this game 3 times, but I couldn't get in it. Maybe if it actually came out in 2005, but it was not engaging enough for me now.
  9. Family_Guy
    Feb 23, 2020
    0
    Its not Baldurs Gate. Its utter **** Vague story, shallow characters. Thx god Larian make BG3, not this morons
  10. Gette
    Jun 2, 2019
    3
    Another game I backed for $100 and got massively disappointed.

    The game is supposed to be a spiritual successor of BG, Icewind dale, Planescape yet the game felt more like morrowind in ie. The characters have no emotions, but only serve as info dump. You got this A god and B god over that C and bicker for D but none of them matter in the game, you won't see them. The whole game feels    Another game I backed for $100 and got massively disappointed.

    The game is supposed to be a spiritual successor of BG, Icewind dale, Planescape yet the game felt more like morrowind in ie.

    The characters have no emotions, but only serve as info dump. You got this A god and B god over that C and bicker for D but none of them matter in the game, you won't see them. The whole game feels like you're reading a 40k supplement fluff books on computer screen.

    In torment you only got Morte first and later most companions are linked to the nameless one.
    In IW everyone is generated so you learn the world by interacting itself.
    In BG characters are kept simple and you experience the world most by the player, with a few extra info from your comrades.
    In POE the super convoluted lore comes from companion dialogues that don't really matter in the story, gameplay, nor the world.

    Combat is also boring with trash mobs blocking way all the time it eventually wears off any patience left.

    While some argue New Vegas is the same, I'd say it's totally different. In NV you start with being shot and woke up exploring the world.

    In the start of POE you already got thrown away characters that I cannot remember of, and ingame myth and lore and gods and occupations and curses and names I just don't care about.

    Not recommended. Reading newspaper is more fun than this game.    … Expand
  11. jsharbour
    Oct 9, 2018
    0
    The 10-star reviews are from **** who did not complete the game, they spent a few minutes or a couple hours looking at it and it reminded them of the old days and they immediately reviewed the game.

    Because you CANNOT finish this game. The load times become exponentially higher with every minute of gameplay. I call **** on anyone who claims to have finished the final act of this game.    The 10-star reviews are from **** who did not complete the game, they spent a few minutes or a couple hours looking at it and it reminded them of the old days and they immediately reviewed the game.

    Because you CANNOT finish this game. The load times become exponentially higher with every minute of gameplay. I call **** on anyone who claims to have finished the final act of this game. It is fraud. It is ****. It is unplayable.    … Expand
  12. ShawnD
    Jul 22, 2018
    3
    Very boring.

    There's just nothing to pull me into the game. Steam says I have played this game for 8 hours, but I still couldn't tell you what the game is about. It might have been stated in one of the thousands of pages of boring text, or maybe it wasn't. What is my character's motivation? Where was I going and what was I doing before any of this started? Why should I keep playing the    Very boring.

    There's just nothing to pull me into the game. Steam says I have played this game for 8 hours, but I still couldn't tell you what the game is about. It might have been stated in one of the thousands of pages of boring text, or maybe it wasn't. What is my character's motivation? Where was I going and what was I doing before any of this started? Why should I keep playing the game?

    Another weird problem is that maybe 10% of the dialog is voiced. I can understand not every character having voice actors, but the voice acting isn't even consistent with the same character. You'll be talking to someone where there is voice acting for 3 screens of them talking, and then there's no voice acting for the 5 screens after that.    … Expand
  13. steddye
    Apr 10, 2018
    2
    Lost opportunity, that's what comes in my mind playing pillars of eternity. The combat system is terrible. U never know if the action you have set for a character will be performed. When you use a spell you don't know if you're close enough to cast. Companions ai is inexistent.........chaotic unsympathetic and irritating. PLS gimme back dex wisdom strenght intelligence charisma and constitution !!
  14. bobbymcd
    Mar 24, 2018
    3
    I don't get it. I've played tons of RPGs over the years and I don't understand why people like this one.

    - Very fiddly. Neither the flow of an action RPG, nor the strategy of a turn based RPG. It falls in the worst kind of middle. - I played about 10 hours and the weapons and equipment seem almost meaningless. I don't see very many interesting choices in this regard. - It seems    I don't get it. I've played tons of RPGs over the years and I don't understand why people like this one.

    - Very fiddly. Neither the flow of an action RPG, nor the strategy of a turn based RPG. It falls in the worst kind of middle.

    - I played about 10 hours and the weapons and equipment seem almost meaningless. I don't see very many interesting choices in this regard.

    - It seems like they allowed the writers to go write to their heart's content. Wayyyy more lore and story than is interesting or appealing.

    - Really odd and esoteric formulas for basic things like hitting an enemy. I had to spend 30 minutes online looking through combat system explanations just to understand how to play it at a very basic level. I don't mind complex systems in an RPG, but this one seems needlessly weird and overly complicated.

    The difference between this and Divinity Original Sin are like night and day. One is fun, relatively easy to pick up, but has incredible strategic depth and POE seemed like a drudge to even get through 10 hours. I didn't play Baldur's Gate, judging from the other reviews I wonder if that's a prereq for enjoying this game.    … Expand
  15. ZippyZippy
    Aug 5, 2017
    3
    Honestly, this is a inconceivably overrated and generic game. The ancient mechanics receive no modernisation. The game is a sort of methodical map-clearing game, the like of which I thought I'd never have to trudge through again.

    But for me the worst thing is the writing. In a game where little else seems to spark interest, the writing is just so awfully flowery and poorly edited. As    Honestly, this is a inconceivably overrated and generic game. The ancient mechanics receive no modernisation. The game is a sort of methodical map-clearing game, the like of which I thought I'd never have to trudge through again.

    But for me the worst thing is the writing. In a game where little else seems to spark interest, the writing is just so awfully flowery and poorly edited. As someone else comments, every NPC seems to be a historian, which would be fine if the world had a credible past.

    Just awful.    … Expand
  16. Soupgoblin
    Dec 6, 2016
    2
    Not sure if anyone that has reviewed here actually played Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Icewind Dale and the other CRPGs...

    At best this game is lackluster, sure it has good graphics, and the dialog between the companions is great but IMHO as an old time P&P D&D player, Obsidian has failed by not using any recognizable CRPG game mechanics, and instead dumbing the game down for the    Not sure if anyone that has reviewed here actually played Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Icewind Dale and the other CRPGs...

    At best this game is lackluster, sure it has good graphics, and the dialog between the companions is great but IMHO as an old time P&P D&D player, Obsidian has failed by not using any recognizable CRPG game mechanics, and instead dumbing the game down for the LCD's... Using endurance and heal mechanics, but failing to include a way to actually heal... The lack of really interesting armor stats or gear stats (all armor is pretty much the same. dr and recovery). The abilities and talents choices are horrid, basicly just forcing you to chose the ones that suck the least... They know the genre, yet they decided to make the game player feel as though they have been given a blue ribbon for participation. I'm just glad that a friend loaned me his copy so I didn't have to pay for the game to find out that Obsidian, a company I trusted, would vomit this perversion of a crpg out...

    I say this after re-playing Baldur's Gate 2 last month, this game is a mere shadow of what they did with the D&D mechanics, Obsidian can do better, they have done better, and anyone who gave this game a better score than 5 should feel ashamed that they went fanboi instead of actually telling the truth.    … Expand
  17. ShinsFortress
    Oct 12, 2016
    2
    The game itself was fine, and is the second best of it's ilk to come along since all those old Infinity Engine games. Visually I liked it, sound was fine and the party system was fine. Quests and story? Fine. What's wrong with it?

    Minus a few points for very poor encounter design & planning in certain locations. Minus a few points for overdoing it with the backer placement stuff.    The game itself was fine, and is the second best of it's ilk to come along since all those old Infinity Engine games. Visually I liked it, sound was fine and the party system was fine. Quests and story? Fine. What's wrong with it?

    Minus a few points for very poor encounter design & planning in certain locations.
    Minus a few points for overdoing it with the backer placement stuff.
    Minus a zillion points for there *still* being serious bugs (e.g. entire character inventory disappears).    … Expand
  18. monkeyking95
    Oct 11, 2016
    3
    I think there's a reason games like this aren't made anymore. It honestly didn't engage me, I never felt connected to the world or the characters. The gameplay felt stale and bland and I have no nostalgic bias towards isometric RPGs. I think those who have their nostalgic blinders on will enjoy this but if your taste in gameplay, game design and player engagement has evolved and 'moved on'I think there's a reason games like this aren't made anymore. It honestly didn't engage me, I never felt connected to the world or the characters. The gameplay felt stale and bland and I have no nostalgic bias towards isometric RPGs. I think those who have their nostalgic blinders on will enjoy this but if your taste in gameplay, game design and player engagement has evolved and 'moved on' then you won't find much here that will delight you. Pillars Of Eternity is a wilfully average game.… Expand
  19. KuriousJorj
    Sep 3, 2016
    4
    Yet another overrated game by people apparently desperate for ANYTHING in the RPG genre.

    Boring world, boring plot, boring combat, boring game. Long-winded walls of text. Pathetic combat (enemies that move away from your attacks, but if you do the same, you get a "Disengage" penalty. AND NO, just because it's a pause RPG does NOT mean it's supposed to be that way. Does NOT mean it    Yet another overrated game by people apparently desperate for ANYTHING in the RPG genre.

    Boring world, boring plot, boring combat, boring game. Long-winded walls of text. Pathetic combat (enemies that move away from your attacks, but if you do the same, you get a "Disengage" penalty.

    AND NO, just because it's a pause RPG does NOT mean it's supposed to be that way. Does NOT mean it gets a pass on being boring.    … Expand
  20. Storyteller
    Aug 14, 2016
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me begin this by saying I really wanted to like this game. I desperately wanted to. I tried in as many different ways as I could to convince myself that I just wasn't seeing Pillars from the right angle, that if I tried one more time I could get into it, but in the end I had to admit the truth to myself. Pillars of Eternity is garbage. This game falls flat on its face when it comes to important elements that make a great role-playing game.

    The first is the terrible cast of characters. In a game that revolves around a party of companions, they design an extremely limited (what, six, maybe seven total?) and bland cast of joinable NPCs that would never, ever travel together if you were looking at this from a story perspective. That might be forgivable if they were interesting with their own romances and side quests and intricate backstories, but they're not. The game designers seem to attempt an apology for this by shoehorning in some mechanic to design your own party of characters from the tavern, but for me that's just as half-ass as apologizing for the terrible magic weapons they designed by letting you enchant your own gear.

    The second is clearly the combat. From the basic system to the character classes to the way enemies behaved and battles generally went, it's a big gigantic mess that is not intuitive or fun to play. The basic concept of Pillars combat mechanics are confusing and annoying. Items you find are woefully inferior to the bland generic items you can enchant, and the way stats interact with your class is unbalanced and at times extremely confusing (physical strength dictates the damage wizards do with their spells -- WHAT?). Many enemies are given stunlock abilities or endlessly heal each other (such as the Paladins in Raedrics Keep), and all are automatically designed to rush your weakest characters. There's no real way to stop this, short of sending your fragile characters away from the fight at maximum range, but as soon as they move in to do anything to help, they will get rushed and die. The worst part is that after you finish that tough-as-nails epic fight, you realize you're not a damn step closer to the next level for it because of a pretentious XP system that only rewards quest completion and not body count of defeated foes.

    Third is the lack of immersion or replayability. The game makes a big deal about character race, background, culture and all that, but ultimately those choices have no impact on the actual events of the story. The 'reputation' system they tried to implement is confusing and poorly designed, so that by the time you finish the game, you will have a car crash of many different reputation types. This is made even worse when certain classes (Priest and Paladin) have class abilities whose strength depend on this broken reputation system. Quest lines allow the illusion of choice at some points, but the result is the same regardless of what you do.

    Fourth, and finally, is the story. It's not interesting. The main character can talk to dead people, and some Big Bad Evil Guy in a mask is stealing souls for some unknown, shallow and ultimately pointless purpose. The hook for even placing you where the events of the game take place is immediately revoked a couple hours in after Raedric decides to yank his offer, leaving you as some wandering nobody with no purpose other than to chase down why you have funny voices in your head. Being a Watcher is supposed to be this super-rare unique Kewl D00d power, but the most reaction I ever got out of anyone amounted to: 'You're a Watcher? Huh. That's funny.' As plot devices go it's really weak and I found myself struggling to give a single damn about magic rocks coming out of the ground, hooded people performing nefarious rituals, or my character's involvement in the whole mess at all.

    The fact that this game has gorgeous aesthetic and production value makes all of this worse. With such crucial design flaws, this is literally the RPG equivalent of a hot girl that won't put out. She'll tease you, but in the end you'll walk away with nothing but blue balls, resorting to your only option of finding some relief by drunk dialing your ex.

    That's it. Pillars of Eternity is a hot girl that doesn't put out. End of review.    … Expand
  21. losik
    Feb 13, 2016
    4
    There is one big issue with this game - the combat is a chore. I don't want to explore another location if I will have to defeat another group of lackluster enemies in this turnbased clickfest. I also think that developer tried to fill as much references/throwbacks to Baldurs Gate as possible to blind people with blind people with nostalgia and it looks like it worked.
    One more thing -    There is one big issue with this game - the combat is a chore. I don't want to explore another location if I will have to defeat another group of lackluster enemies in this turnbased clickfest. I also think that developer tried to fill as much references/throwbacks to Baldurs Gate as possible to blind people with blind people with nostalgia and it looks like it worked.
    One more thing - can we finally start CRPGs in cities? It is not fun to explore different possible approaches to game when I have to go through the same introductory area over and over. It is even worse here than in Wastelands 2, as most locations are out of reach until you complete quests.    … Expand
  22. Athenryn
    Feb 11, 2016
    4
    Appalling dull, generic story and some of the worst RPG combat/level design ever devised! Just replay Baldurs Gate instead, since the only charm this game has is the BG nostalgia trip.

    I am totally done with Obsidian, no-one is better at draining the fun from an RPG, while leaving a miserable story, miserable characters and bizarre difficulty (the early levels are literally almost all    Appalling dull, generic story and some of the worst RPG combat/level design ever devised! Just replay Baldurs Gate instead, since the only charm this game has is the BG nostalgia trip.

    I am totally done with Obsidian, no-one is better at draining the fun from an RPG, while leaving a miserable story, miserable characters and bizarre difficulty (the early levels are literally almost all fights you need to come back and finish in 5 levels, it's So. Weird. To build a game like that).

    Also, YES, kickstarter is a menace with the jacked up player reviews, this is just not a fun product.    … Expand
  23. Dafuzz
    Dec 24, 2015
    1
    Certaintly not a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and not a good game either. It isn't even the classic style RPG that it wants to be, it is just a dumbed down RPG for a modern audience with an isometric view.
  24. Voyou
    Nov 24, 2015
    4
    It seems that many bad reviews focus on bugs. Not mine. I play(ed) a bug free game. Well, with the exception of the memory management, which is so bad that the game can't work on a 32 bits system, making those programmers the laughing stock of the industry. Anyway...

    I give a less than average note because the inanity of the gameplay easily ruins any good aspect of PoE. Whatever our    It seems that many bad reviews focus on bugs. Not mine. I play(ed) a bug free game. Well, with the exception of the memory management, which is so bad that the game can't work on a 32 bits system, making those programmers the laughing stock of the industry. Anyway...

    I give a less than average note because the inanity of the gameplay easily ruins any good aspect of PoE. Whatever our favourite game is between BG2, Planescape Torment or other, most of us here enjoy the Infinity Engine. To me, the combat was their weakest point, but it was never an hindrance, and at times it was even very enjoyable. Every single fight in PoE is a pain and a bore; and there is a huge amount of bloodshed.

    Here are some of the worst and most ridiculous flaws of the game:
    - Stats and skills (the full 5 of them) are awful. The system was clearly designed by an all-too-geeky amateur.
    - Playing equals crunching numbers, complete with percentages and fractions. Not to mention that this numbers are ugly to read. This hobby feels like working.
    - Itemisation is everywhere. The looting system is as boring as in many games. What's more unusual, the spells are equally annoying to read and boring to use (e.g., AoE hobbled for 1.7 sec vs Will + dazed 2.016 sec vs For... or whatever.)
    - Fighting is nothing more than grinding, due to an accumulation of inane mechanics. You won't find here the large variety of play styles and tactics you had in an IE game.
    - To detect, you must sneak. You will then explore all maps at a turtle's pace. A terribly cheap and mean way to make a game last longer.
    - Thieves are sad. I'm the guy who plays BG2 with at least 4 thieves at once. I can safely say it's my favourite class in video games. Of course, I expected PoE to improve them (and everything else.) But you can't pickpocket, you can't backstab (well, technically you can, but you'll be dead in the next 2 seconds,) sneaking is clumsy, traps are a joke, and you can do nothing new compared to an IE game.

    This is not the place to mention and detail all the design flaws of the game, but the list goes on and on. The good sides, on the other hand, are quick to note: The game is gorgeous, and some of the companions are terrific. The only reason I'll keep playing, if sporadically, is to interact with a priest named Durance. The best NPC ever, so props to whoever wrote this geezer with such a level of maturity and intensity.    … Expand
  25. elenaPamelar
    Oct 31, 2015
    0
    Clearly lots of paid reviews on this one. Great graphics? At least they are easy to spot but this is still dishonest. I put nothing past Obsidian, they have a long history of iffy stuff.

    Anyway, the game is pretty bad. I tried to play it on release but couldnt get into it. Decided to give it another chance (while waiting for FO4) and loaded it up. Steam did its update, and off I went to    Clearly lots of paid reviews on this one. Great graphics? At least they are easy to spot but this is still dishonest. I put nothing past Obsidian, they have a long history of iffy stuff.

    Anyway, the game is pretty bad. I tried to play it on release but couldnt get into it. Decided to give it another chance (while waiting for FO4) and loaded it up. Steam did its update, and off I went to forums to see what had changed. Seems they did a lot of "re-balancing".... why do you re-balance a 1 player game? Seriously... the problem I had with it the 1st time was that it was just so boring to play. Too much clicking and the story was basically like a filler episode of an anime. If anything, the game needed to be unbalanced to give it some fun but nope... you know what they did? They made it even more boring by making sure whatever was "overpowered" before, was no useless and that all classes are now just boring and linear.

    Ok so I loaded it up, and started making my character. I had played on several difficulties prior and decided to go ahead and play at PotD (highest difficulty) because I remembered how completely imbalanced the game was and it needed some help. Made a Rogue, discovered the game was stupid. Everything died in a few hits once I had my tanks and I got as far as the bounties when I stopped and re-rolled something else because the game was just retarded with the rogue (too much dps).

    I tried a wizard. Then I remembered just why I didnt like the 1st time... with something slower than a rogue, the game is sooooooooo boring. Things died very slowly the 1st 6 or so levels because he didnt have tons of spells yet. Sure trash stuff was easy, but anything with medium difficult took forever to kill and resisted the wizard waaaay too often even though I had min/maxed him for casting and only chose spells to counter weaker resists. It was stupid. not fun at all. Basically my wizard spent 99% of fights flinging his ranged spam attack... this is not fun. I had surrounded him with support so none of them were major damage dealers except the ranger who was doing ok but all he does is just auto attack because that is all he can do.... boring, boring, boring, boring. Got as far as the 2nd bounty and stopped.

    Re-rolled one last time hoping to find some class that was fun to play so I tried a Cipher. She gets unlimited spell casts but limited number of spells like a warlock in dnd. She was better, but again, very limited. Eventually she became a two trick pony spamming that binding spell, and auto attacking....

    So here is the problem. They went out of their way to make classes as balanced as possible but never once stood there and asked, but are they fun to play? MMO's are usually not very fun because of this type of thing. They only exist for the social aspects of gaming, otherwise, they suck the big one. Why make a single player game like an MMO? Very bad design. Please stop paying people to post reviews. There is no way this game should rank higher than a 6.    … Expand
  26. Bongo_clive
    Oct 13, 2015
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having just completed Wasteland 2 and Divinity: Original Sin, I was very excited about trying another high quality RPG, but I cannot bring myself to finish this drudgery.

    The other 2 games had wit, humour and fun, with crisp, snappy dialogue, truly interesting characters and a quest you could relate to, Pillars had none of these things.

    It is clearly well made, it look pretty good, but it is just so boring.

    And don't even get me started on the number of bloody loading screens.

    I loved Baldur's Gate, but that was 15 years ago. Design has moved on. Wasteland 2 showed how it should be done. This is just a terribly boring game.    … Expand
  27. nilleratus
    Oct 1, 2015
    4
    I'm very much a fan of this type of games, I've played them all.

    This games starts of extremely well, me and a close mate didn't talk about anything for the first few days. Act 1 is awesome. In act 2, you start getting a little bit bored because the fights are so easy, that could be countered by raising the difficulty though. In act 3 you steamroll everything and you reach max level    I'm very much a fan of this type of games, I've played them all.

    This games starts of extremely well, me and a close mate didn't talk about anything for the first few days. Act 1 is awesome. In act 2, you start getting a little bit bored because the fights are so easy, that could be countered by raising the difficulty though.

    In act 3 you steamroll everything and you reach max level late act 2 or early act 3 depending on how you play. That means the only exploration left is story and loot. This isn't diablo, so loot is only mildly interesting. So rule that out.

    The story then, it's ok, it's not bad and it's not great. I wasn't entirely captured by it but I wanted to get through it, and I did, barely because the gameplay is so **** boring the last act.

    I followed this game from the start and I'm super disappointed unfortunately :(    … Expand
  28. Yosa
    Aug 11, 2015
    0
    One thing they did right, damage resistance on armour, now dont think im apologetic but lets point out some things,the health system is retardedt, you should lose life! when hit, not on a derived stat.; the whole character system is bad, there is no intuitive logic there, the percentage based thing is garbage, scaling is your enemy, in levels in everything, the stat system is garbage, theOne thing they did right, damage resistance on armour, now dont think im apologetic but lets point out some things,the health system is retardedt, you should lose life! when hit, not on a derived stat.; the whole character system is bad, there is no intuitive logic there, the percentage based thing is garbage, scaling is your enemy, in levels in everything, the stat system is garbage, the world is an empy mess of usless npc that you cant interact with, yada, why bother… Expand
  29. Buzzerker
    May 30, 2015
    3
    Pillars of Boredom , that is what they should have called this merry go round , old retro game. Because that is what this overpriced copy of Baldur's Gate 2 updated game is. It's a pitiful game. Really I felt so stupid paying all that money for it. Since I got the Witcher 3 the Wild Hunt , I deleted Pillars of Eternity and I probably won't ever play it again for Eternity.
  30. drewhoover
    May 19, 2015
    0
    Not ready for release. Everything about this game is great except for the astonishing number of bugs. I get an average of 2-4 CTDs (Crash to Desktop) per hour. Also there are a lot of minor bugs in the UI and regular gameplay, but the result of seeing all of these little things (and a few rather large things) go wrong really hamstrings what would otherwise be a spectacular gamingNot ready for release. Everything about this game is great except for the astonishing number of bugs. I get an average of 2-4 CTDs (Crash to Desktop) per hour. Also there are a lot of minor bugs in the UI and regular gameplay, but the result of seeing all of these little things (and a few rather large things) go wrong really hamstrings what would otherwise be a spectacular gaming experience. Art direction, writing, sound design, combat mechanics, overall mood and story coherence are unprecedentedly good. Better than Dragon Age, TES, etc. I came to this game from Arcanum, and playing PoE (when it isn't crashing/freezing/bugging out) is like a perfect realization of everything that Arcanum wanted to be. Obsidian, call me when you've put reasonable effort into making it stable.… Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 2015
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 71
  3. Negative: 0 out of 71
  1. RPGamer
    Jul 7, 2015
    70
    Pillars is a title that should make old-schoolers happy while still offering a solid core game, story, and a rich setting for new-schoolers.
    Read full review
  2. LevelUp
    May 25, 2015
    93
    Pillars of Eternity stands on its own merits without resorting to nostalgia too much. Truly a CRPG masterpiece, the game offers old school, real-time strategic combat, and a vivid world to explore. Not only do you get an overall well-made experience, but also a challenge you haven't seen since the 90's.
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    May 24, 2015
    82
    A sprawling game in a familiar setting, and a clever tune-up for the cRPG. Just what the backers hoped for. [June 2015, p.74]
See all critic reviews »