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
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  1. Kelu
    May 20, 2015
    7
    A very good quality product of crowdfunding isn't something you see every day, but this it. Delivered what it promised, perhaps even surpassed the expectations. In the first act of the game, that is, after that the game goes downhill and ends prematurely in an anticlimactic 'poof' of a rushed, pathetic boss fight.
    Would be 10/10 if the game managed to keep up the quality it shows in the    A very good quality product of crowdfunding isn't something you see every day, but this it. Delivered what it promised, perhaps even surpassed the expectations. In the first act of the game, that is, after that the game goes downhill and ends prematurely in an anticlimactic 'poof' of a rushed, pathetic boss fight.
    Would be 10/10 if the game managed to keep up the quality it shows in the beginning throughout the experience.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. DeusXCom
    May 18, 2015
    10
    Pillars of Eternity aka Baldur's Gate 3 aka Infinity Engine games nostalgia strikes back in 2015.... I LOVE IT!

    I'm very glad games like this can still be made today, IE games are among my favourite games of all-time, so I had extremely high hopes for this title and I'm so happy to say my expectations were fully satisfied. Obsidian did not disappoint. It's almost on the level of IE    Pillars of Eternity aka Baldur's Gate 3 aka Infinity Engine games nostalgia strikes back in 2015.... I LOVE IT!

    I'm very glad games like this can still be made today, IE games are among my favourite games of all-time, so I had extremely high hopes for this title and I'm so happy to say my expectations were fully satisfied. Obsidian did not disappoint. It's almost on the level of IE legends and in some areas it goes even further. All the worries about Unity engine and problems I had with Wasteland 2 such as ugly visuals, clunky UI and bugs are a non-issue here, just the opposite, PoE is visually absolutely beautiful and UI is smooth and perfectly functional. There were some glitches at release, but I was smart to wait a few weeks for first patches to come out and I'm glad I did, because as a result I didn't encounter any serious bugs and I could enjoy the game 100%.

    The locations and environments are so gorgeous, you just want to live in this world and explore every inch of it. Right form the character creation, this is a gaming dream, all the different classes to play, talents and spells to choose from, engaging quests to do with tons of difficult choices to make, all the interesting characters and companions you meet on your travels. The sheer amount of content here is just mind-blowing. Tons of amazing loot, lots of unique weapons with their own background stories, extensive bestiary full of various monsters to fight in the tactical combat system that you can pause and micromanage to your leisure, but you're not force to waste your time in turn-base system, so if you're powerful enough, you can just roll and decimate. Welcome addition in the form of little playable book stories with hand drawn visuals and descriptions that you can interact with depending on your stats or available items. For a new world, there is also an impressive lore, histories, stories and all the gods you can read about in books. Stronghold you can claim and take care of and upgrade with majestic mega dungeon under it, which will satisfy every dungeon crawler's wildest dream or even a cute pet system, I could go on, I just love this game so much and I enjoyed every minute of my adventure, and oh boy, there were plenty of minutes to enjoy, my first playthrough took 120+ hours!!!

    Yes, nothing is perfect and there are few shortcomings such as so-so main story that doesn't really grab you and lacks the sense of urgency that you have to keep going. Level cap that I reached in Act2 about halfway through the game is extra annoying, making the second part of the game useless in terms of progress as exp rewards are way too high and the balance is totally off when you can reach the max limit so soon even with 6 member party. Companion AI is basically non-existent and pathfinding is abysmal. Music is pretty bland and forgettable, not reaching the quality of IE legends in the slightest. Voice acting, while good when present, is very sparse and it can be distracting when one line of dialog is voice acted and the next one isn't. And the lack of co-op multiplayer which was always one of the highlights in IE games for me is also disappointing. But none of this really ruins your overall experience and hopefully all these problems will be addressed in potential sequels.

    Pillars of Eternity might not be ranked high up there among the all-time legends, but it's definitely one of the best games I have played in recent years. A shining gem in the current gaming scene and one of the best cRPG's overall. Thanks to Obsidian for creating this and let's hope for more and even better in the future. 10/10    … Expand
  4. DAutry
    May 14, 2015
    8
    Update (rating upgrade from 3 to 8): As of update 1.05 the game is playable and I recommend it if you are an old school fan of Baldur's Gate, NWN, etc.
  5. ZaPaAl
    May 13, 2015
    8
    It's a long game, but be prepared for spending hours looking at the loading screen. Even with a SSD. Every map change brings it up, and most maps aren't big at all. It looks good, the 2D scenery is nicely done. I liked playing it most of the time, but the story ... honestly, it couldn't motivate me beyond the first stages. Same for the followers, or your keep. Some side quests are nice,It's a long game, but be prepared for spending hours looking at the loading screen. Even with a SSD. Every map change brings it up, and most maps aren't big at all. It looks good, the 2D scenery is nicely done. I liked playing it most of the time, but the story ... honestly, it couldn't motivate me beyond the first stages. Same for the followers, or your keep. Some side quests are nice, but for me the game was more about exploring, strategic fighting, getting better equipment and skills. Not overly difficult on the highest normal mode difficulty setting, with one exception, completely of the charts. It has far too much to read. I gave up on the books, they don't matter at all. Same for the backers characters, standing around, some have interesting little stories, but they really aren't part of the game. It was ok, but finally, I'm glad it's over. Getting IE Mod is probably a must.… Expand
  6. Eibon
    May 13, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is good, yet the scenery is only a bit of meh. Such powerful concept could be used to:

    1. Use watcher's souls-manipulation skills to gain unique skills from consuming souls of villains.
    2. Create some kind of additional reality where souls dwell and where watcher can peek through walls and other obstacles and force other people do something you need. Imagine some prison escape using this tech.
    3. Ability to awaken souls of companions/npcs to grant them some unique abilities(even non-combat). Would be nice to awaken a legendary smith's soul to forge you some OMG weapon, no?
    4. Infuse your equipment with souls to avoid casual and boring "+1/+2" 100500 armors and weapons.
    5. Transfer souls of your powerful allies from the old times into some hollowed bodies to get some unique help and dialogs in final battle.
    6. Absorb the souls from soul-harvesting towers for yourself to confront gods and other higher beings.
    etc... etc...

    But all we got is a - "Chase some evil guy who is just a servant for some evil god while doing some casual quests like - kill that guy, bring that scroll, save those guys, etc...". Obsidian, really? That's all?    … Expand
  7. Alexlee
    May 11, 2015
    9
    30 hours of playing with a superbly frustrating moment fighting the final boss and the Adra dragon, test of patience, and uncountable moment of awesomeness. this game is just plain good.
  8. TPETb
    May 11, 2015
    7
    Let's face it, we were expecting so much more from this game. Unless this was so long awaited dearest child of Obsidian, the successor of BG, this game would easily worth 10, not question about it. If it wasn't...

    The game would always give me this feeling "oh, this was such a great idea but they just ruined it halfway": + new IP, new world, new races, so much to explore! - main    Let's face it, we were expecting so much more from this game. Unless this was so long awaited dearest child of Obsidian, the successor of BG, this game would easily worth 10, not question about it. If it wasn't...

    The game would always give me this feeling "oh, this was such a great idea but they just ruined it halfway":

    + new IP, new world, new races, so much to explore!
    - main story line is so abstract from the world — it could just happen in any other world without any changes
    - to feel and live this world, you are to read the books and companion quests give very small glimpse on the world, otherwise world doesn't unfold, no immersion
    - the whole world is like a dull countryside. where are immense cities? where are wizard academies and stuff? where is something magical, charming, fairy, inspiring?
    - the story... well I must admit that unfurls the right way, I was "guessing", imaging and "inventing" how it should end till the last scene. and this last scene was nowhere near my expectations.

    + weapons are quite realistic: there weapon types and there multiple levels of quality
    - there is nothing really special about any weapon type
    - some weapons are just crappy in every situation, others are good in all situations. doesn't matter too much if you fight a goo or a skeleton, your choice stays the same. you are a fan of dual-dagger slinky shady rogue? tada, daggers do no damage in this game no matter what!
    - artefacts are a complete bummer. almost all of them are sold by merchants in towns... unique artefacts are sold by generic merchants, Karl!!! more on it, there is almost no way you acquire an artefact out of a boss/location/quest, you generally buy them. and almost all of them are rubbish. there's maybe 2-3 artefacts in the game that actually a bit better then normal items

    + new deep mechanics, health/endurance mechanism is damn awesome! I mean it!
    - while races carry new names, acute observant will easily find matches with canonical races
    - non-restricted class choice is somewhat ridiculous from lore perspective. tanking elf monk? fragile Aumaua (half-orc) druid? sensitive dwarf cipher? oh come on, this is crippled.
    - intellect allows barbarian to make wider swipes... might improves spell damage... facepalm
    - race choice makes no difference with it's +2 to attributes comparing to 75 attribute points to distribute without progressing "price"
    - there should be more spells!

    + many checks against attribute/skill/race in dialogues
    - totally no impact. doesn't affect the story, doesn't allow to avoid bloodshed (except for 2 or 3 minor occasions), doesn't change anything but the text of next phrase by NPC
    - party member skills do not help. my party with 12 lore skill mage couldn't read a simplistic writing that required 4 lore because my main character had no lore leveled
    - dialogues are reduced to meaningless chatter and some checks vs skill/attr. no branches and varying outcomes. you don't need to think what you are saying, pick random options and you end up with totally same story/behaviour/attitude
    + punishment for not having skill for party members
    - in practice this only relates to athletics and worst thing you may face out of it is like 6% damage reduction till next rest

    + there were such nice stretch goals: stronghold, 2nd big city, crafting...
    - stronghold is nothing but cosmetics. no noticeable bonuses
    - crafting is something you will use once or twice during whole game
    - 2nd big city... there is actually no even single big city to be honest.

    Looks like I can continue all night. And it's so sad that the game "encourages" so much whimper and complains.

    Main positive thing: it looks like there will be PoE 2 and it will actually become a master piece. After all, BG 1 was nothing close to BG 2.    … Expand
  9. Glaciergreen
    May 10, 2015
    9
    I´ve played (and enjoyed) Dragon Age Origins and was looking for a modern replacement that features a deep story, a complex stat/abilities system and some tactical combat gameplay. I came across PoE and after reading some reviews and critics i´ve decided to buy and play it. Long story short: The best role play game i´ve played in years! In terms of playability, story and complexity farI´ve played (and enjoyed) Dragon Age Origins and was looking for a modern replacement that features a deep story, a complex stat/abilities system and some tactical combat gameplay. I came across PoE and after reading some reviews and critics i´ve decided to buy and play it. Long story short: The best role play game i´ve played in years! In terms of playability, story and complexity far better than Dragon Age Inquisition.
    It´s loosely based on the old infinity engine games (Baldurs Gate etc.) but features updated graphics including 3D toons, lovely rendered backgrounds and stunning magical effects.
    The story got me involved right after apprx. 20 minutes of gameplay.
    All talents/skills are not only used in combat, but in actual roleplay events (e.g. trying to climb a wall, either use your athletics if high enough, or use your mechanics skill and a rope, or ... etc.).
    You´ll need some time to fully understand the system behind combat and character development, but it´s within the boundaries of what you´ll expect from a modern RPG.
    Anyways, my conclusion: If you enjoyed the rpg system behind DA:O, if you played Baldurs Gate, Neverwinter Nights etc. and if you look for a dark-ish, grim story that forces you to make many grey zone decisions, Pillars of Eternity is your game. Go, buy it, you´ll thank me later!
    Visuals/Graphics: 9/10 (overall very good, could use a little more zoom in)
    Story/Quests: 10/10 (could easily be made into a hollywood fantasy movie)
    Playability/HUD: 9/10 (semi-intuitive, needs some diggin, tho)
    Current game version is 1.05 and many bugs have been fixed,
    for everything else (e.g. better localization) there´s the mod nexus.
    Really, buy this game! ;-)    … Expand
  10. chenwfng
    May 10, 2015
    10
    This game is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I have been disappointed with the RPGs of late (Dragon Age Inquisition, etc) with it's lacking in content, gameplay and storyline. I proudly say this game is the sh*t! It has everything I wanted in an RPG! Lots of customization, upgrade your stronghold, hire guards, hire new adventurers, talk to everyone, kill everyone, lock up peopleThis game is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I have been disappointed with the RPGs of late (Dragon Age Inquisition, etc) with it's lacking in content, gameplay and storyline. I proudly say this game is the sh*t! It has everything I wanted in an RPG! Lots of customization, upgrade your stronghold, hire guards, hire new adventurers, talk to everyone, kill everyone, lock up people you want to lock up, etc. The moral choices of this game really makes it the best thing I want in a game. It offers replayability, I can play as the good guy and then on my next playthrough i can play as the bad guy and etc. Definitely a must play, must have game if you're a big fan of RPG. I have not played Baldur's Gate prior to this game and might just get it. 100/10… Expand
  11. Poddmeister
    May 9, 2015
    10
    Being an old-school gamer growing up with games like Planescape:Torment, Baldurs gate and Daggerfall this game really takes me back to those days when I was truly exited to sit down and play for a few hours.

    Wonderful story, gorgeous areas, nice plot twists and really fun gameplay and combat. This is the game I have been waiting for for the better part of 20 years. Best game since    Being an old-school gamer growing up with games like Planescape:Torment, Baldurs gate and Daggerfall this game really takes me back to those days when I was truly exited to sit down and play for a few hours.

    Wonderful story, gorgeous areas, nice plot twists and really fun gameplay and combat.

    This is the game I have been waiting for for the better part of 20 years. Best game since Planescape:Torment with much better combat.

    I can't recommend this game enough. If you like a dialog-heavy, story-driven CRPG with exciting combat you owe yourself to try this game.

    10/10 and i would give it a 12 if I could!    … Expand
  12. TGMode
    May 9, 2015
    10
    I have been playing games since the early 80s. Initially in the arcade behind a taxi rank then on the first consoles long before Xbox and Nintendo. I have played PC games as long as there have been PCs and in all that time there haven't been many games that can touch this. Youtube and Google can tell you all about the game, gameplay etc but I can tell you that this is a brilliant game madeI have been playing games since the early 80s. Initially in the arcade behind a taxi rank then on the first consoles long before Xbox and Nintendo. I have played PC games as long as there have been PCs and in all that time there haven't been many games that can touch this. Youtube and Google can tell you all about the game, gameplay etc but I can tell you that this is a brilliant game made by people who have played the best games and taking the best bits and making this gem!
    Giving a game a score of 10 means I can't see how it could be better. For me this is a 10. Brilliant!    … Expand
  13. ireviewthings1
    May 8, 2015
    10
    Finally a game that I can name in the same breath as Shadows of Amn. Obsidian has taken the things we are acustomed to as RPGamers and mixed them with own ideas and nostalgia. Eora is an equally beautiful and troubled place with deep and rich lore. Very refreshing after the eye rolling plagiarism that is the Dragon Age universe.

    As a word of advice though: this game is not for every    Finally a game that I can name in the same breath as Shadows of Amn. Obsidian has taken the things we are acustomed to as RPGamers and mixed them with own ideas and nostalgia. Eora is an equally beautiful and troubled place with deep and rich lore. Very refreshing after the eye rolling plagiarism that is the Dragon Age universe.

    As a word of advice though: this game is not for every one. And thank Obsidian for it!
    Combat can be very challenging and character outfitting has a lot of hidden depth to it.
    But most importantly: there are a lot of things going on in Pillars of Eternity. I would advise you not play, read or watch any other story-heavy things while you are playing PoE.

    A eagerly awaited masterpiece and a great move against the oversimplification of certain genres in gaming in the last 10 years.    … Expand
  14. AceroSolo
    May 5, 2015
    10
    Simply the best RPG since Baldur’s Gate. It has the same feeling of the Infinity Engine games, but it is not only nostalgia, the current multiplatform way to make "RPGs in 1st person" may be useful to Action-RPGs (I still prefer isometric view like Torchlight or Grim Dawn), but for RPGs isometric view is irreplaceable, as real board games. Also Obsidian was able to made whatever theySimply the best RPG since Baldur’s Gate. It has the same feeling of the Infinity Engine games, but it is not only nostalgia, the current multiplatform way to make "RPGs in 1st person" may be useful to Action-RPGs (I still prefer isometric view like Torchlight or Grim Dawn), but for RPGs isometric view is irreplaceable, as real board games. Also Obsidian was able to made whatever they wanted thanks the independence of a publisher: an isometric game with handmade backgrounds, lovely fantasy soundtracks, a deep way to develop our character since stats to the background through dialogue, is simply mindblowing. This game will be a reference for the next generations like Baldur's Gate was since 1988, a real must have.… Expand
  15. 123456
    May 4, 2015
    8
    Bit apprehensive of this game after playing Divinity and hoping for a Baldur's Gate spiritual successor. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how close it is to those Infinity Engine (IE) games.

    Graphic wise the map renders are consistently beautiful. The 3D sprites look great, there are plenty of varieties in races, hair, skin colour, and features. The UI is clear and    Bit apprehensive of this game after playing Divinity and hoping for a Baldur's Gate spiritual successor. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how close it is to those Infinity Engine (IE) games.

    Graphic wise the map renders are consistently beautiful. The 3D sprites look great, there are plenty of varieties in races, hair, skin colour, and features. The UI is clear and customizable, with improvements over IE such as fast and slow modes and zooming.

    The music is as good as the IE games which is impressive. The voice acting is very good, scattered between the most important characters, with about 90% of the lines being spoken.

    The gameplay is a little bit hit and miss. It's worth reading a guide to how the combat works before starting as it can take a little getting used to. Because the game uses a different rule set to IE games (which used Dungeons and Dragons) the stats and items are different. This is the most disappointing part of the game thus far - the items are generally boring and your ranged damage characters are better off wearing no armor/normal clothes because they can attack faster without the armor penalty and rarely get hit. Items with the same stats also do not stack, meaning if two items buff your might, only the larger buff will count.

    I have tried the crafting/enchanting system somewhat, and it is quite easy to use but somewhat confusing. I have picked up a large number of potions and food but have not had the need to use either.

    The storyline is good, sometimes confusing, sometimes rambling. There is a lot of text to read which I'm sure some people will love, but I think it could have been cut down a bit.

    Great game, updating the IE style for the modern era. Good story and gameplay, combat system and items a little hit and miss (pun not intended), graphics and sound are spot on. Only an 8/10 because it is a homage to the past and it is just missing a real "wow" factor to take it above and beyond the classics.    … Expand
  16. beldurax
    May 4, 2015
    6
    Obsidian's homage to Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and all of the other Infinity Engine titles comes across as a bland romp across a bland world. The lore is overdone and soulless in and of itself. The fact that Obsidian chose to litter immersion-breaking NPC's and tombstones throughout the game, knocks at least two points off the rating of this game to begin with. Not the big dealObsidian's homage to Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and all of the other Infinity Engine titles comes across as a bland romp across a bland world. The lore is overdone and soulless in and of itself. The fact that Obsidian chose to litter immersion-breaking NPC's and tombstones throughout the game, knocks at least two points off the rating of this game to begin with. Not the big deal everybody is making it out to be.… Expand
  17. Iskhiaro
    May 1, 2015
    10
    I backed this on kickstarter and had high hopes as I approved of the ideas and design decisions made by Obsidian. They really did deliver on all my expectations. The first true gaming kickstarter success story. Other kickstarted games have been good, some have approached greatness, but this is the first to reach it. Game of the Year 2015!
  18. aceofspace
    Apr 30, 2015
    9
    So let's break this down and then get into the game a bit.

    Story (plot & writing): 10 Graphics: 10 Art: 10 Characters: 10 Mechanics: 10 Bugs: 3 Save integrity (due to bugs): 2 So yeah, it's beautiful, it's profound, it's balanced, it's fun. This is the kind of RPG I've been missing since Baldur's Gate 1/2 and Neverwinter Nights. The only thing that comes close in this genre is    So let's break this down and then get into the game a bit.

    Story (plot & writing): 10
    Graphics: 10
    Art: 10
    Characters: 10
    Mechanics: 10
    Bugs: 3
    Save integrity (due to bugs): 2

    So yeah, it's beautiful, it's profound, it's balanced, it's fun. This is the kind of RPG I've been missing since Baldur's Gate 1/2 and Neverwinter Nights. The only thing that comes close in this genre is Divinity: Original Sin, which is a totally different beast with a totally different feel. I absolutely love Pillars of Eternity, and rank it among my favorites of all time. No doubt.

    Problem: bugs. So many bugs. I don't have any crashes, or disappearing characters, but these things are happening to people everywhere. My bugs are nearly game-breaking, all the same: constant save state overwrite issues. Oh, didn't finish that dungeon before skipping out via the easy-to-access master staircase? Sorry bro, start over! Total reset! Only now you can't use the main door! Wanted to get some bounties in those zones you beat at level 3? Sorry bro, start over! Fog of war, enemies, loot, unique items: all reset. Absolutely decimates immersion. On the other hand, hey free gameplay hours, so I guess that's a good thing.

    Go for it, get this game, as no doubt it'll all be patched and Obsidian will make amends for their (legendary) lack of QA process. It's an unbelievably fun homage to all that came before.    … Expand
  19. Smilingcookie
    Apr 29, 2015
    8
    It's ok, but not great. For me it's a lot less inspiring than Wasteland 2. Certainly not on par with Baldur's Gate 1 & 2. Still an enjoyable crpg. Some of the new classes like the chanter are actually fun to play with and give a fresh taste to the game. Story and setting didn't grasp me so much. It seemed like an uninspired crossover between Planescape torment and dark souls. 7,5/10.
  20. Rilke21
    Apr 28, 2015
    10
    I never really got into Baldur's gate. I came to it late, and the game was too dated for me to really sink my teeth into it. After finishing my first Pillars of Eternity run (clocking in at a whopping 65 hours!) I'm excited to revisit the old classics.

    This game is exceptional. The attention to detail is pretty much unprecedented. The story is compelling, the characters are interesting,    I never really got into Baldur's gate. I came to it late, and the game was too dated for me to really sink my teeth into it. After finishing my first Pillars of Eternity run (clocking in at a whopping 65 hours!) I'm excited to revisit the old classics.

    This game is exceptional. The attention to detail is pretty much unprecedented. The story is compelling, the characters are interesting, the writing is (mostly) excellent and combat is a fun challenge.

    The challenge with this game is this: it isn't flashy. There is plenty of text to read. Combat is hard and the learning curve is high. In other words, you need to accept a much slower pace then in most games. You need to let your imagination take over for what other games accomplish with flashy cinematics and motion capture.

    This is a game to be imagined as much as played, and that is by no means a bad thing. But, if you aren't willing to settle into the slower pace, you will probably think of this game as a waste of money. You've been warned.

    For those who give this game a chance, it is an experience you will remember!

    PS: At first I was overwhelmed by the walls of seemingly pointless text from the Gold Names NPCs...and then I realized this was the backer developed content, and I could ignore it entirely! The pace of the game picked up considerably :)    … Expand
  21. Obsidianman
    Apr 28, 2015
    10
    Awesome story and characters. Fantastic playable tactical combat.
    Baldurs Gate is back in every point and from any point of view.
    This game feels so good at all stages - well done and thumbs up!
  22. Eldryr
    Apr 28, 2015
    10
    Wow, wow and wow, what a great game! There is really nothing more to say. Play it - love it and play it again. :)
    One of the games I can highly recommand - epic!
  23. Maneinarr
    Apr 27, 2015
    10
    Absolute must try game if your into tactical rpg games. This is the darker, better overall version of Divinity Original Sin. I see a lot of misplaced nostalgia actually in both of the games, and putting overdramatic feelings aside, both games are fantastic. The only issue here is people tend to favor Divinity because it took advantage of timing, for it was released before pillars ofAbsolute must try game if your into tactical rpg games. This is the darker, better overall version of Divinity Original Sin. I see a lot of misplaced nostalgia actually in both of the games, and putting overdramatic feelings aside, both games are fantastic. The only issue here is people tend to favor Divinity because it took advantage of timing, for it was released before pillars of eternity (aka baldurs gate 3) and got to the gamers before, but in comparison it's lacking depth.

    Why I'm mentioning Divinity? they're very similar, yet they have substantial differences, but for the purpose of comparison, here it goes:

    Pillars of eternity vs Divinity: OS:

    Graphics: DOS
    PoE: 9/10, DOS 10/10. They're similar and both are isometric looking, and although the art itself is inferior in Divinity, the world seems more interactive than Pillars, hence, this one goes to Divinity.

    Sound: Draw
    You'll feel very inmersed in combat/adventure with both of them which is fricking important for any decent gamer out there!

    Story: PoE
    PoE (8/10), DOS (5/10). This is where Divinity takes a MAYOR hit in the nuts. You get a linear experience through the game, with a couple of boring missions/side quests (with the "do them in perfect order or you will get punished" mechanic), with boring characters and dull storytelling. At least it's not dumb, but it's very "basic", basically :). PoE is totally interesting and storytelling is wonderful, but the only real interactions you'll have will be with your preset partners (more on that later), in the end it also suffers from some characterisation to make it more vivid.

    Rpg elements: PoE
    PoE (10/10), DOS (9/10)
    Very close to each other. The thing is that PoE gets creative in the way you get experience, while DOS gets stingy with exp to make you suffer more every battle, which in the ends slows down gameplay. In terms of character customization both are very deep, but once again PoE takes it further because of how many different characteristics and combinations are posible.

    Combat: DOS
    PoE (7/10) DOS (9/10)
    PoE is good, but magic is way to basic to even count. It all goes down to cutting, blunting and piercing. Magics cost way too much to be enjoyable. DOS not only makes magic users powerful (they actually are overpowered, that's why it get's a 9... balance, people!) but also makes environment critical. From a tactical point, it's refreshing to see your mage not only putting a zombie on fire, but litting 30 mts around it on flames from a poison cloud explosion! talk about special effects! but is not only eye candy, it can seriously turn the battle one side or the other. Definitely a worthy mechanic to keep for the future, game designers!

    Adventure: PoE
    PoE (9/10) , DOS (5/10)
    Interaction, exploring, sneaking, and triggered events are overall better done in PoE. You will feel excited while exploring a new area and also thrilled with excitement, while in DOS you will be desperate to finish it or get in a fight soon to avoid dying of the boring monotony.

    Interfase: PoE
    PoE (7/10), DOS (5/10). More polished basically, also everything is easier to understand. You can check the monsters you have slain in your enciclopedia to develop better strategies next time you face them... you even have your own notepad for personal notes. DOS is very lacky in this department.

    *Items: DOS
    POE (5/10), DOS (7/10), Both are waaay to simple, but POE is just lazy. Fine, exceptional and elite (or somethingl like that) and some elemental properties and another minuscule crap... and that's it?! wtf?!. At least in DOS you have some variety... but just some... not that much to be noteworthy (at least not in comparison to dragon age and full plated dragon armors and that sort of badass gear we ALL want in our team)

    In the end it goes like: awesome fights, and more eye candy effects, plus better loot... go DOS
    very good (not awesome) fights, darker deeper story, adventure thrill, hardcore rpg gaming, ... go POE.

    To me POE wins actually, but it's your call. Hope it helps... phew, that was a lot!    … Expand
  24. FlorianGh
    Apr 27, 2015
    10
    Just finished it after 77 hours. Loving it to death :) Interesting to see that we can still have great written story this days : the story about gods and reincarnation it's pretty mature subject. I hope the little bugs I have seen will be fixed soon and I can't wait to play an expansion and a sequel. I think it's better then BG1 but not 2 and the fact that it's not D&D makes me love itJust finished it after 77 hours. Loving it to death :) Interesting to see that we can still have great written story this days : the story about gods and reincarnation it's pretty mature subject. I hope the little bugs I have seen will be fixed soon and I can't wait to play an expansion and a sequel. I think it's better then BG1 but not 2 and the fact that it's not D&D makes me love it even more. I hope they will implement more options for party AI and random enounters. Arcanum still remains the best RPG for me but I'm happy to see new lore. The graphics in this game is amazing! I don't understand people that says it's mediocre because I understand how much work the put in and it shows : every weapon is made with detail and care, the background , 3D models and lightning looks amazing. Another great thing it's the option to increase the size of the text : I played it at 130% because it has a lot of text and it's really great to not have to stare at the monitor or TV in order to read it with ease. Recently found out that we have no low INT dialogue. I miss that..… Expand
  25. Notger
    Apr 27, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is absolutely awesome ... not so much for its quite often a bit repetitive combat mechanics or its sometimes harsh difficulty spikes (Vithraak stun-lock mob ftw) but for the superb story with lots of interesting story-elements and even philosophically interesting choices. I loved the companion quest for Grieving Mother ... excellently written and kept me thinking about my choices for quite a while. Same for the main quest at a certain, point but I don't want to spoil that.

    TL;DR: Game mechanics sometimes a bit repetitive, but storytelling is awesome!    … Expand
  26. Derpmeowslurp
    Apr 26, 2015
    8
    It's a mediocre game, that could have been great but failed to tickle my pickle in all the right ways.

    If i could turn back tiiime. If i could fiiind a waay e.

    cant touch this, na nana nananannaanan cant touch this.
  27. obscurus166
    Apr 26, 2015
    9
    The last time I felt this compelled by the narrative of a game was Dragon Age: Origin. However, by looking backwards to Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate, rather than sideways to console optimisation, Obsidian have managed to avoid may of the mistakes fallen into by EA/BioWare and really let the player get involved in the epic, metaphysical story of the game. I was hooked fromThe last time I felt this compelled by the narrative of a game was Dragon Age: Origin. However, by looking backwards to Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate, rather than sideways to console optimisation, Obsidian have managed to avoid may of the mistakes fallen into by EA/BioWare and really let the player get involved in the epic, metaphysical story of the game. I was hooked from beginning to end and I'm sorry that I've finished it.

    That having been said, PoE is not, by any stretch of the imagination, perfect. The AI - particularly of companion characters - can be infuriating at times, as they stagger blindly into walls and fail to avoid running into one another during combat. There are too many mage spells which are simply too risky to use to get much of a look-in. And there are some rather peculiar decisions which have been taken with regards to equipment and inventory: for example, the idea that helmets add nothing to damage reduction seems inexplicable, and the fact that they can't be player-enchanted also seems odd.

    Despite these gripes, I can't help but feel that PoE is one of the most engaging games I've played in a very long time. The environments are interesting; the quests are (usually) well written and engaging and most of the player-characters offer a solid narrative reason, other than their (often frankly useless) stats for taking them along for an adventure.

    The game also plays well, with the pause and click tactical combat being smoothed over by a reasonably efficient, expanding spell-and-talent icon menu. In stark contract to the BioWare games, you can select what your character is actually going to say, and, if you would like to know more, there's a function in the options menu whereby you can see the traits which each dialogue option typifies.

    I hope that Obsidian make another game in this setting, and soon.    … Expand
  28. Lvce
    Apr 25, 2015
    10
    Great..Everything, from the combat mechanics to the dialogues it is so inspired that doesn't only looks like BG3, but will feel like too. It is you playing a 15y old game updated in every aspect that is NOT a Hd remastered version. The lore it is monumental and pleasant during it's read-only unveiling. That's a job well done
  29. mothballs
    Apr 24, 2015
    2
    My experience of the game is so at odds with popular opinion that I am writing a review on this site for the first time ever.

    Somewhere out there on the internet are a set of composite images featuring the blended, averaged faces of thousands of different humans, male and female. Unsurprisingly, the composite faces are extremely plain and forgettable - placid eyes, neutral semi-smile,    My experience of the game is so at odds with popular opinion that I am writing a review on this site for the first time ever.

    Somewhere out there on the internet are a set of composite images featuring the blended, averaged faces of thousands of different humans, male and female. Unsurprisingly, the composite faces are extremely plain and forgettable - placid eyes, neutral semi-smile, medium-brown unblemished skin.

    The writers appropriated and reused many stock fantasy tropes in creating the world for this game, but they didn't do it in piecemeal fashion - a daub of Tolkien here, a splash of Forgotten Realms there. Instead, it feels like they grabbed every fantasy setting they could get their mitts on, crammed them into a Blendomatic, and hit Frappe. The result is sort of like those composite photos. Everything's been so averaged and smoothed over that you can't even recognize the specific source material any more. All you can tell is that you're in a fantasy setting. That's it. You can tell because there are tall people and short people, and a lot of them have names you've never heard before, and some of the people have swords and shields and others of them cast sparks out of their fingers sometimes.

    There are a lot of words in this game. A lot of lore, a lot of history, a lot of dialogue. Reading is great! I love reading, generally. But reading in this game is like reading the ingredients list on a packet of saltines, or like reading a patent for a new kind of chewing gum wrapper, because the source material is just as bland. I've played for over 20 hours (trying to squeeze my money's worth of fun out of this particular stone) and not once did an element of the world strike me as interesting; not once did I want to explore any more of the dialogue or of the in-game texts than I had to. Compare this to a game like PS:T where I was hooked from the moment I woke up on a cold slab in a transdimensional mortuary and a floating, foulmouthed skull started gabbing at me and I stayed hooked until the credits rolled (and I've played that game again, quite recently, and it's still as compelling as the first time I played it).

    It was said in another review that the game feels like it was made by people who hate the genre and hate its fans. I have to concur. They say never to attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence, but I feel the blandness of this game goes far beyond anything anybody could come up with on accident - it genuinely feels orchestrated, premeditated. A bunch of **** in a board room somewhere drummed their fingers together like Mr. Burns, cackled a dry, rasping, collective cackle and set themselves to the business of creating the biggest **** you" of a fantasy setting that the genre has ever seen.

    There are negative things to be said about the combat, the music, some other miscellaneous gameplay and HUD elements... but why bother? The soul of the game is missing: who cares if the body is flawed as well?

    The only positive thing to say about it is that the prerendered backgrounds are very pretty. I think that's about it, and it's actually amusing that most of the positive reviews start out by warning people who want sexy graphics to seek out a different game. In reality, the graphics are the only thing PoE has going for it.    … Expand
  30. softpsyche
    Apr 22, 2015
    10
    Great game, ignore bad reviews - unless you are an impatient millenial brat who cannot bother to read a game wiki or are too lazy/dumb to understand game mechanics without them being spoon fed to you. At first the game is frustrating because the combat system is not standard rpg and their is a learning curve. However, once you start to piece it together the game gets better and better. IfGreat game, ignore bad reviews - unless you are an impatient millenial brat who cannot bother to read a game wiki or are too lazy/dumb to understand game mechanics without them being spoon fed to you. At first the game is frustrating because the combat system is not standard rpg and their is a learning curve. However, once you start to piece it together the game gets better and better. If you invest in this game and give it some love it will give you love back. In this regard - it is EXACTLY what you would want to recapture the old school magic. I did not give it a clean 10 because I do believe it could have received a bit more polish and mainly because the old school 'pause to play' combat system just seems dated nowadays. They could have added some character AIs like baldurs eventually did but I think something even better should have been created. The chanter is a really great character and I think they need to develop more solutions like that so combat can roll fluidly if they are going to leave it 'real time'. Or they could have simply switched it to a turn based system (like divinity orginal sin) but this would definitely have violated the whole 'Baldurs' gate successor mantra.

    UPDATE: I had reviewed this at a 9 but made it a 10 after i saw how much content is in the game. there is a HUGE amount of content and as such it deserves a solid10.    … Expand
  31. GogoFFVI
    Apr 21, 2015
    10
    A great game with a great story and interesting sidequests with different options to choose from, real attention to detail, nice lore, good gameplay. Stick with it a little after the start and you'll get hooked if you're a fan of rpgs. I've put 90+ hours in this game and still playing, games like skyrim should learn from well written games like Pillars of Eternity.
  32. Prosmooth
    Apr 20, 2015
    10
    I won't lie and say that I've played through the whole game yet. I've played around 20 hours. 20 of the most fun filled hours of my life. Takes the infinity engine formula and tweaks it almost to perfection. Combat can still be a frustrating experience as it was with the games two decades ago--you had better know your skills and spells inside out--even the easy difficulty can be aI won't lie and say that I've played through the whole game yet. I've played around 20 hours. 20 of the most fun filled hours of my life. Takes the infinity engine formula and tweaks it almost to perfection. Combat can still be a frustrating experience as it was with the games two decades ago--you had better know your skills and spells inside out--even the easy difficulty can be a challenge if you go charging into a room like Duke Nukem. Use the autopause and plan things out--that's what it's there for. Other than that--it's very immersive, lore heavy, funny, bawdy, violent and most of all addictive and fun filled. Definite game of the year contender in any category.… Expand
  33. ScienceAdvisor
    Apr 20, 2015
    5
    Quick review for those not interested in the deeper details: This is Baldur's Gate II with better graphics, except that you have a level 12 cap, the writing is far worse, and the gameplay tries to achieve a more tactical aspect, but ultimately fails to do so due to poor design. For those that played them, this is Icewind Dale not BG2.

    Full Review This is an utterly derivative re-hash    Quick review for those not interested in the deeper details: This is Baldur's Gate II with better graphics, except that you have a level 12 cap, the writing is far worse, and the gameplay tries to achieve a more tactical aspect, but ultimately fails to do so due to poor design. For those that played them, this is Icewind Dale not BG2.

    Full Review
    This is an utterly derivative re-hash of better games (BG2 for the most part, with a little Torment thrown in), with a meaningless, and meandering story. The mostly static enemies, with only two or three pre-fab groups per map, are quite predictable and easy to defeat when not cheating (towards the latter game).

    A particularly critical failure are the story & gameplay elements that are made out to be so important, yet are not developed over the course of the game. The "inspect soul" that can be performed only many NPCs, turns out to be one of these. There is no reason aside from OCD to do this on anyone that is not associated with your missions. Upgrading you weapons also falls into this category. They are so limited, and better weapons found so regularly, there was little benefit to crafting anything in the game.
    Then there is the stronghold, which you would expect to see developed into more than just a random encounter genenerator as the game progresses, especially due to story driven elements, yet it does not. It is not even as engaging as the original version in BG 2, where you had to dispense high justice. Like most of Pillars of Eternity, is it a pale reminder of better games.

    You will also notice a distinct reduction in quality and map size as the game progresses as they were forced to rush to get the game finished. If you have even a mediocre memory, you will be quite shocked at the level of discrepency between the initial maps (used to sell the game), and the latter ones. While not new for Obsidian (Alpha Protocol, FNV, heck every one of their games dating back to KOTORII), it does not bode well for them. They could not find outside funding for their projects, and nearly went bankrupt for this very reason.

    Claims that this is a "RPG based on their own intellectual property" is laughable, given how much of it comes directly from D&D games. Obsidian would not be able to prosecute a copyright infringement case, as they could not show the elements someone else was using did not come from the earlier D&D games. So 'reviewers' repeating Obsidian's PR line should be summarily ingored in your pre-evaluation of this game. If they cannot be bothered to know the history of these games, they will not be able to review them reliably.

    There also seem to be a lot of fanatic fans/haters, which seem to plague metacritic these days. I suggest filtering out anyone claiming PoE is a 9-10 or 0-3.    … Expand
  34. rohk
    Apr 19, 2015
    5
    Could have been excellent, but at the moment combat lacks tactical depth. The engagement system and no pre-buff limit your options during fights. Basically every fight is : sneak, position characters, tank and nuke. The story is also a bit lacking, I don't feel as grabbed as in a BG or Planescape Torment.
  35. Lostframe
    Apr 18, 2015
    5
    the game is paradise of bugs.w nwe veags is polish game for this garbage. this is just robery , not a game.
    obsidian.    the game is paradise of bugs.w nwe veags is polish game for this garbage. this is just robery , not a game.
    obsidian. buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu    … Expand
  36. Jimomedota
    Apr 17, 2015
    10
    Awesome game never thought id like a crpg so much the game mechanics r awesome the sceneries are a joy to view it maybe a bit ready but thats fine but the only problem is the load but its negligible simply amazing
  37. Vasenor
    Apr 16, 2015
    10
    This is one of the best CRPGs I've played. It has both solid combat and excellent plot and characters. All the companions are memorable and have backstories which flesh them out as people beyond their role in the game.

    One thing I'd note is that you expect a cheerful high fantasy romp this isn't it. The game world is not a nice place and you're more likely to be faced with a corpse at    This is one of the best CRPGs I've played. It has both solid combat and excellent plot and characters. All the companions are memorable and have backstories which flesh them out as people beyond their role in the game.

    One thing I'd note is that you expect a cheerful high fantasy romp this isn't it. The game world is not a nice place and you're more likely to be faced with a corpse at the end of a missing person quest than a heroic rescue. You're often faced with having to pick the least worst alternative.    … Expand
  38. Hoot86
    Apr 16, 2015
    9
    Pillars of Eternity leads the way in the isometric old-skool RPG renaissance. Ignore the minority of negative reviews, they are complete hodge-podge. If you are a die-hard fan of the Baldur's Gate era of RPG's then this game will blow you away. My first playthrough came in at 71 hours and it was truly epic. The writing is superb, the updated gameplay mechanics keep well in line with thePillars of Eternity leads the way in the isometric old-skool RPG renaissance. Ignore the minority of negative reviews, they are complete hodge-podge. If you are a die-hard fan of the Baldur's Gate era of RPG's then this game will blow you away. My first playthrough came in at 71 hours and it was truly epic. The writing is superb, the updated gameplay mechanics keep well in line with the pause/play spirit of the old D&D games and the art style and direction are amazing.

    There isn't a lot NOT to like, specially given that the game has been patched 3 times since release already with updated art assets and bug fixes. On the point of bugs however, I experienced only one small bug (to do with stronghold hirelings) and had zero crashes in a 71 hour play time.

    If you've been waiting for an epic RPG to get stuck into with a plot that doesn't treat you like an idiot (hello, certain Bioware game) then this is the game you have been waiting for.

    9/10 - Essential purchase!    … Expand
  39. Apostrophe
    Apr 15, 2015
    1
    Had to restart my game 3 times, and it still bugged on me again. Refunded GoG edition and bought Steam one, again a game bricking bug. Played on two different computers, laptop and high end desktop. And i started playing only a couple of days ago, with 1.3 patch and hot-fixes. Cant imagine how bad it was at launch day.

    Just for reference, list of game breaking bugs i experienced>    Had to restart my game 3 times, and it still bugged on me again. Refunded GoG edition and bought Steam one, again a game bricking bug. Played on two different computers, laptop and high end desktop. And i started playing only a couple of days ago, with 1.3 patch and hot-fixes. Cant imagine how bad it was at launch day.

    Just for reference, list of game breaking bugs i experienced>
    Desktop (GoG)
    1) 10 hours in the game after turning in a quest it started constantly giving me exp reward, like 20 per second. It was ironman save, reinstalling did not help. All my characters got instant level 12 and log was completely useless.

    1) 10 hours in game started crashing when i change maps, i was effectively trapped in an inn. Reloading older save (couple of hours earlier, different map) and reinstalling game did not help.

    Laptop and Desktop (GoG)
    3) 20 hours in on laptop (and only a couple of hours on desktop) accuracy on all characters just got reduced to base level 1 accuracy. Reinstalling did not help, did not have older save.

    Laptop (Steam)
    4) 5 hours in the map change bug happened again, did not even try to reinstall. **** this game.    … Expand
  40. Mygaffer
    Apr 14, 2015
    10
    Pillars of Eternity is a beautiful game that gives players a great bounty of options in how to play it and a smaller than expected learning curve.
    The world is rich without becoming stultifying. The lore is built through the descriptions, dialogue, books and even the design of the world itself. As you progress through the game you will feel like you are exploring a real place and    Pillars of Eternity is a beautiful game that gives players a great bounty of options in how to play it and a smaller than expected learning curve.
    The world is rich without becoming stultifying. The lore is built through the descriptions, dialogue, books and even the design of the world itself. As you progress through the game you will feel like you are exploring a real place and interacting with real people. The themes are deep and consistent throughout the game and can cause genuine moments of reflection in the aware gamer.
    Gameplay works very well, it can feel difficult at first but by paying attention to your stats and abilities you will quickly become efficient at combat and feel a real satisfaction at planning and executing a battle plan against a tough group of enemies. Leveling is rewarding, there is no such thing as grinding, and many of the old school design flaws, like buffing yourself before battle, are gone from this game. You do not have to save scum either, as it is possible to disengage and retreat if a battle is going poorly.
    The art is great, the design amazing, and the soundtrack easy to listen to. This game is something special and something I would not have expected to see the light of day even two years ago. An expansion is already confirmed and all of us should hope for many more stories and adventure to come from the world of Eora where PoE takes place.    … Expand
  41. szszsz
    Apr 14, 2015
    10
    its really a ROLE playing game, where you feel your decisions matter while youve got a lot of place to make yout own choices. Not to mention well written plot, characters and couple of genre overall improvements (like speeding up movement, bigger area of effect when it comes to leaving location, easy and logic rpg system, or side quests that are actually connected to the plot - not someits really a ROLE playing game, where you feel your decisions matter while youve got a lot of place to make yout own choices. Not to mention well written plot, characters and couple of genre overall improvements (like speeding up movement, bigger area of effect when it comes to leaving location, easy and logic rpg system, or side quests that are actually connected to the plot - not some dragon-age-pick-up-crystals-bullshieeet).

    only cons i found are rather small maps (but at least they dont feel empty), some side quests using the areas youve been to (eg. you clear the cave full of ogres, then you get a quest to clear it from cultics who are supposed to be there for years already,, feels dumb), leveling cap that can be rather easily met in the mid/late game and battle music which ends exactly when battle ends (instead of some fading), but all of these are really nothing compared to this future classic isometric crpg.

    A MUST HAVE.    … Expand
  42. TeseracT
    Apr 14, 2015
    0
    Another game wit great potential ruined by greed. This game costs a fortune yet it came to the market unfinished. There are game breaking bugs and developers do not react. Check the endless amount of error report threads and upset player opinions before you would waste hours of time and money on another unfinished game.
    I wonder when we can have the era back when games were working...    Another game wit great potential ruined by greed. This game costs a fortune yet it came to the market unfinished. There are game breaking bugs and developers do not react. Check the endless amount of error report threads and upset player opinions before you would waste hours of time and money on another unfinished game.
    I wonder when we can have the era back when games were working... These days only Blizzard games provide a quality you can trust.    … Expand
  43. Gratson
    Apr 14, 2015
    10
    Finally an RPG that feels like the old classics, with storyling and dialogue that is interesting and well written. The mechanics are close to Baldur's Gate, albeit without all of the fancy-smanshy Dragon Age graphics. If you enjoy classic RPGs like me, and don't require top of the art graphics to enjoy the experience, this is a definite buy.
  44. BlueBangkok
    Apr 14, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. PoE is a difficult title to review.
    It claims to be a spiritual successor to old infinity engine games but that couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that it doesn't compare to Baldur's Gate series on any possible level. As a standalone, isometric RPG, it is okay (some signs of brilliance here and there) but the developers are claiming it is a BG successor, so I will review it as BG successor.

    Story: bland, run-of-the-mill story with interesting moments connected through hours of boredom. Nothing special. Just run to a guy who can help you - oh, he's dead - run to the next guy - oh, he's dead too - run to the next guy - oh, he dies too - find final boss - kill final boss. Save a few exceptions basically no character development at all.

    Graphics: good, albeit generic. Some spell effects are quite pretty.

    Music: oh please don't get me started on this one... Obsidian didn't realize that 50% of BG epicness was music. One boring combat track for the entire game really just doesn't cut it, guys.

    Combat system: clunky and tiresome. Absolutely no automatic AI at all (even BG 1 had AI scripts for those who didn't want to micro manage every single member of the party) - they don't even auto attack by themselves. Waves and waves of the same, generic combat sequences. And the best part - when you complete Bestiary entry for an enemy, you STOP earning XP for that enemy kills. Oh, yes, Obsidian, we completionists really want to get punished for playing our way. Literally go re-play Fallout 1&2 right now to see how non-combat choices should be implemented without gimping combat-oriented approaches.

    RPG system: basically an altered version of DnD 4e. Setting aside the fact that 3e would be far superior, absence of any immunity stats is just hilarious. Dragons killed by fireballs, frightened spectres, oozes slipping to the ground from local version of Grease spell, and so on and on and on. Innovative? Maybe. Immersive and intuitive? Nope. Changes for the sake of changes, not for the sake of system improvement or logic.

    Companions: few glimpses of good writing here and there (Durance and Sagani), otherwise little more than generic drones standing in combat drooling, waiting for you to right click on the enemy.

    All in all, very poor example of classic CRPG games' successor. This game wants to look "old school" so badly but fails to deliver. It is nothing like the old IE games. It wasn't developed by people who loved the old DnD games.    … Expand
  45. dup
    Apr 14, 2015
    9
    This game is great and I loved playing it! I has very good writing, a great story, nice graphics and the good old RPG feeling. It is not without flaws, though. The game world itself is a bit too lifeless, and combat is sometimes a bit too random. I also missed that one strong memorable thing, like Irenicus or Minsc.

    Faulting Pillars of Eternity for not being more like Baldur's Gate 2 is    This game is great and I loved playing it! I has very good writing, a great story, nice graphics and the good old RPG feeling. It is not without flaws, though. The game world itself is a bit too lifeless, and combat is sometimes a bit too random. I also missed that one strong memorable thing, like Irenicus or Minsc.

    Faulting Pillars of Eternity for not being more like Baldur's Gate 2 is like faulting Obama for not being more like Abraham Lincoln. It is a different time now, and Pillars does some things better, and some worse than the good old veteran.

    Keep one thing in mind though, this game is great for some players. If you do not like reading long blocks of text you will not enjoy Pillars.    … Expand
  46. zaqik
    Apr 12, 2015
    10
    Now I truly became too old that I can enjoy Obsidian's games. Pillars of Eternity consist of concentrate nostalgia about easygoing times and entertaiments that CAN be called Games.
  47. icedon
    Apr 12, 2015
    10
    It's like Baldur's Gate II with modern graphics and better story. The Backgrounds are hand-drawn and beautiful, the voice acting, while sparse, is fitting. The NPC's are very memorable and each comes with a unique back-story and personal quest. The music is your classic fantasy score with a lot of different themes for combat, exploration and city background.

    I can recommend this to any    It's like Baldur's Gate II with modern graphics and better story. The Backgrounds are hand-drawn and beautiful, the voice acting, while sparse, is fitting. The NPC's are very memorable and each comes with a unique back-story and personal quest. The music is your classic fantasy score with a lot of different themes for combat, exploration and city background.

    I can recommend this to any serious cRPG player.    … Expand
  48. TheJudgernaught
    Apr 12, 2015
    6
    I have mixed feelings about this game. I'm not going to list the pros since the game seems to be well received, so I'll give my opinion on the other side of things:

    - Voice acting is souless and immersion-breaking. The actors didn't quite 'catch' the feeling of their characters or didn't act them out well. Also, when you interact with characters, you must also read the text for the    I have mixed feelings about this game. I'm not going to list the pros since the game seems to be well received, so I'll give my opinion on the other side of things:

    - Voice acting is souless and immersion-breaking. The actors didn't quite 'catch' the feeling of their characters or didn't act them out well. Also, when you interact with characters, you must also read the text for the narrative details, but the voice acting runs faster than the humane ability to read text. so I played the game with the voices muted.

    - Ambient sound/game music is boring and uninspired. You' re better off listening to your own music while playing this game.

    - There isn't a proper action bar, but a quick-bar of sorts. where you can assign the desired button to the ability. Even though this sounds as a great idea, it ends up causing more headache than it should, since when you hover your cursor above the spell level (spellcasters are the problem) it pops up all the spells of that level, so you have to close it again before choosing a different level of spells. Also, if you press a key by mistake on an ability it will change the activating key for that ability.

    - Combat is boring and repetitive. (Endless Paths experience): Send tank in the front in a choke point/Pull creeps with the tank back to a choke point -> Buff group -> Kill priests/spellcasters with ranged group members/ Use crowd control with other group members/Heal in the meantime -> Kill the rest, starting with the weaker creeps. Rinse and repeat. That's all there is to it. There isn't a fight where you have to do something radically different.

    - Group setup is inflexible. In Endless Paths difficulty, a tank (fighter, maybepaladin), a healer (priest), a dps (rogue/ranger), and a crowd controller (wizard) are almost madatory (I say almost, because I haven't experimented with other setups, but it seemed impossible to do so).

    - Class specializations/braching/path is minimal e.g. you can't be a melee oriented wizard/cleric/druid. Wizards don't have schools. Multiclassing does not exist.

    - There isn't a way to determine the difficulty level of your enemies, except than trying and dying too many times and finally realizing that you are maybe too low level for that area.

    - The resting-supply system is a headache. You have to rest to refresh your spells and some abilities, but you also need to have supplies to do that. In Endless Paths you can carry only two supply packs with you and you WILL have to travel all the way from that multifloored dungeon to a city, so you can buy supplies and resume which will progressively become tedious to do.

    - Scouting is nearly useless. You can't buff before a fight, so there's no point to see watch ahead of you (you can pause). Also, at best you'll be able to see two or three enemies before you are seen. It isn't telling of the other 10 waiting behind them.

    - You have to use scouting to see hidden objects/traps. Traps also give XP when disabled. Oh, you didn't know that? Have fun running back to all those areas you left behind searching for hidden stuff and thinking about all the traps you triggered and the XP you missed.

    - Characters and uninteresting and generic, except maybe Durance.

    - The world has too many tedious details

    - Now about the plot... The story has so, oh SO much potential. It is compelling and interesting and I might say very relatable to a person of our days and age... However, the plot isn't well written, well developed, or enough complicated. The turning point of the whole game was delivered in such a straightforward way that it leaves you perplexed by it's obviousness, instead of shoking and shaking you!

    My thoughts:

    An over-hyped game, as it seems to be the trend nowadays. It certainly gives the feeling of those older RPG's, but it fails to deliver in so many ways that it's good qualities bearly redeem it. It gave me the same impression that Divinity: Original Sin gave me: a game that could be so much more, but was left underdeveloped/unpolished for monetary reasons.

    Should you play it, then? Well, I guess for anone night stand, it's ok. It doesn't have re-play value though.    … Expand
  49. Phintias
    Apr 11, 2015
    7
    I could blithe on about my history with Baldur's Gate 1&2, Icewind Dale, etc... but this isn't about them and really comparing a game today to a classic game, which was a part of my youth isn't really fair anyway; good memories are hard to beat. And that is how I am judging Pillars. Do I get that, "this will leave a good memory" vibe. If i'm honest, I knew this answer pretty fast andI could blithe on about my history with Baldur's Gate 1&2, Icewind Dale, etc... but this isn't about them and really comparing a game today to a classic game, which was a part of my youth isn't really fair anyway; good memories are hard to beat. And that is how I am judging Pillars. Do I get that, "this will leave a good memory" vibe. If i'm honest, I knew this answer pretty fast and it's no. But it does have most of the components for it.

    Pillars is a fun game; I'm enjoying myself and having fun playing. But what holds the score down for me is the writing. The story line is pretty good, and the quest lines are ok, but it feels more often than not, they used writers who went out of their way to create a civilization and it's cultures with very little knowledge how these things work. The history, the various dialects, the ways of life, all seem so forced. All the user created mods can't fix this fundamental flaw. And then there is the user created "back stories" and epitaphs. Most of them needed an editors hand to help clean up their story, and it doesn't seem this happened. The idea is great, in my opinion. But the application should have been vetted more thoroughly. And the books, with history and lore in them, are bad. I want to read them, and do, but it hurts every-time.

    Additionally, I don't think it's worth the 45 on up, US dollars. But money is a fluid thing, and if you have means to spend that kind of money without worry, then your thoughts will be different. So this is more personal opinion. Still...

    Ok, that out of the way, Pillars is still a lot of fun. The game play is quite fun, and I like the combat system a lot. It requires you play your game based on your party. It also gives you enough choices when leveling up to make a character feel somewhat unique. You also get some unique options how to respond depending on your class, build, and choices you've previously made in the game. To me, that's awesome.

    Overall, this is really fun for me. The writing hurts, but it's not horrible. Probably not nearly as-bad-as I make it seem. That said, it does affect immersion in my opinion and lasting appeal. Still, the game play, battles, interactions, ambiance, etc... all more than make up for it. If you like a good D&D style turn-based game, I would be surprised if you didn't enjoy this. There is so much that is fun and enjoyable. If you're a reader, or lover of a good back-story, you may have issues but reading so many other reviews, I think the majority found the writing just fine. So take my criticism with a grain a salt, I suppose.

    Either way, if you do get it, I hope you find it worth the time and money spent. I know I am.

    Happy gaming.    … Expand
  50. Dattatreya
    Apr 10, 2015
    10
    I have seen numerous user reviews before me that reiterated how if you are a fan of BG2 or Planescape: Torment , you will be immediately hooked on to PoE. While I don't disagree with them, I should come out clean and say - the very first tactical RPG I played was Dragon Age: Origins. So, naturally that was the benchmark for me when it came to games like these (and I never played BG and itsI have seen numerous user reviews before me that reiterated how if you are a fan of BG2 or Planescape: Torment , you will be immediately hooked on to PoE. While I don't disagree with them, I should come out clean and say - the very first tactical RPG I played was Dragon Age: Origins. So, naturally that was the benchmark for me when it came to games like these (and I never played BG and its IE ilk). However, PoE for me trumps over DA: Origins in all almost every aspect - be it gameplay or the core lore itself (perhaps DA: Origins was only better in its sense of 'epic' scope).

    Simply put - Pillars of Eternity is a game that demands your attention in numerous ways, with a breakneck yet tactical combat system that is 'fair' as opposed to its watered-down brethren. This is complemented by one of the best writings I have ever come across in a game world, along with some (not all) nifty quests. In other words, PoE is a game that also deserves your attention.

    As an ending note, when I played DA: Origins, I thought it to be a great game that deserves a 9. To that end, PoE certainly deserves a 9.5 (a score which unfortunately cannot be given on Metacritic).    … Expand
  51. FirestormZero
    Apr 10, 2015
    7
    As a longtime fan of CRPGs, JRPGs, and with hundreds of hours of Fallout 1, 2, Baldur's Gate, etc, I came to this game with very high expectations and perhaps they were a bit too high. While this is definitely a good game, there are aspects which hold it back from being great.

    First, the art assets and graphics. They are very inconsistent in quality and I feel like the early design    As a longtime fan of CRPGs, JRPGs, and with hundreds of hours of Fallout 1, 2, Baldur's Gate, etc, I came to this game with very high expectations and perhaps they were a bit too high. While this is definitely a good game, there are aspects which hold it back from being great.

    First, the art assets and graphics. They are very inconsistent in quality and I feel like the early design choice to go with a Semi-Realism art style really hurt the game. I think it would have been a better use of their resources to stylize it, as style can make low graphics much more appealing. Most of the characters look similar to Taric from League of Legends. While he's fabulous, he's also a bit blocky. Since the first thing we are thrown into is the character creator, it also puts a bit too much emphasis on one of the poorer parts of the game. That said, the team is very imaginative with area designs. If you want some very cool places to explore, they are here, there are many of them.

    The lore and history are a strong point. Many people have low standards when it comes to these things and confuse shallow/broad/vague lore with deep lore. A lot of love was given to story telling and history and it pays off in a big way. A minor gripe is that you can take certain actions in the game and their consequences are ignored. For example, within the first 15 minutes of the game, you get the option to throw your weapon in a text choice. However, even if you make that choice, you will still have your weapon.

    The actual game-play feels fairly unimpressive, clunky, and not intuitive. Most of the time I was playing I thought-- there has to be a way to make this more satisfying. The class designs are also a bit stacked-- some classes are absolute monsters, others feel entirely unimpressive even in the area they are supposed to be good at. The stat system is extremely weird, with a stat like Might that improves spellpower and physical weapon power.

    Strategy feels a bit limited since the ideal setup seems to be 2 strong front line people who tank, then 4 damage dealers. I don't think anything else would really work that well. The blunderbuss is also perhaps a bit too powerful.

    There's loads of bugs but I don't really mind that, since I've played CRPGs that are basically made of bugs. It comes with the territory.

    Overall, the gameplay is the weakest element when it should be the strongest. The art could be better-- it feels like so little progress was made since Arcanum. However, if you want a long and enjoyable game and are willing to learn the systems in place, and you can look past the graphics, it's a great experience.    … Expand
  52. Iduakil
    Apr 10, 2015
    10
    I`ve bought the game 1 day after release and it totally made to stop playing Cities: Skylines (another great game in this year). I`ve been playing it non stop and will continue to do for a long time for sure. I am sure I`m gona try out at least the PoTD mode and all made adventurers group compared to my current Hard Mode NPC picked party.

    Game is great. I totally received a game I was    I`ve bought the game 1 day after release and it totally made to stop playing Cities: Skylines (another great game in this year). I`ve been playing it non stop and will continue to do for a long time for sure. I am sure I`m gona try out at least the PoTD mode and all made adventurers group compared to my current Hard Mode NPC picked party.

    Game is great. I totally received a game I was hoping I would get. Game is trully a modern BG2. Music, UI, dialogs, options, game flow, active pause, all bring this nostalgic feeling of playing yet another fantastic great game from Black Isle Studios .... take that back - Obsidian. Some mechanics are a bit controversial but all in all it just a matter of taste how you aproach them f.e. rest mechanic, combat, AI abuse. Overall you recieve a wonderful game well worth it`s price. To be completely honest I regret now I didn`t back the game when it was on Kickstarter.

    It`s a fine game and compared to most recent moderns RPGs the game has a real world, a real story. Overall game is a 9/10 but compared to recent BioWare games it`s a damn 10/10 and I`ll go with that score in my review.    … Expand
  53. Fruban
    Apr 9, 2015
    10
    I was hooked before finishing the tutorial area. Every aspect of the character you create oozes in every aspect of important dialogue, making this game feel as though it places even more importance on your character creation choices than the classic Infinity Engine games. All of the old mechanics that worked are either preserved, improved upon, or added to, making Pillars of Eternity anI was hooked before finishing the tutorial area. Every aspect of the character you create oozes in every aspect of important dialogue, making this game feel as though it places even more importance on your character creation choices than the classic Infinity Engine games. All of the old mechanics that worked are either preserved, improved upon, or added to, making Pillars of Eternity an excellent amalgamation of classic computer RPGs.… Expand
  54. pinball123
    Apr 9, 2015
    9
    Amazing game. Great throw back to baldurs gate with some modern twists. I've been wanting this game for so long and it delivers. I miss the forgotten realms setting but the game is still my goty right now.
  55. pjmeyer22
    Apr 9, 2015
    0
    I have been looking to replace Dragon Age: Origins. Everything has fallen flat. Pillars of Eternity is just one on a very long list. The problem with Pillars isn't the game play or graphics. It's that it was obsolete the second it hit the market. Read through cut scenes. Read through dialogue. No quest tracking. A quick launch bar that is not quick. Attribute points set in stone. WonderingI have been looking to replace Dragon Age: Origins. Everything has fallen flat. Pillars of Eternity is just one on a very long list. The problem with Pillars isn't the game play or graphics. It's that it was obsolete the second it hit the market. Read through cut scenes. Read through dialogue. No quest tracking. A quick launch bar that is not quick. Attribute points set in stone. Wondering into an area too early can get you killed. Abilities have a limit instead of a cool down. If it were 2001 This game might be totally awesome. It's 2015 about 15 years after Baldur's Gate 2. Which is why the game feels very regressive rather than progressive.… Expand
  56. ArchonSaar
    Apr 9, 2015
    7
    After just finishing this game I am giving it a solid 7/10 - which means it's a good title, there's just some areas where it falls a bit flat.

    Strong points: - Great atmosphere, immersive world. - Overall good quests - Most companions have an interesting background and personality Weak points: - UI is not on par with 2015. While this is a revive of the genre, it doesn't have    After just finishing this game I am giving it a solid 7/10 - which means it's a good title, there's just some areas where it falls a bit flat.

    Strong points:

    - Great atmosphere, immersive world.
    - Overall good quests
    - Most companions have an interesting background and personality

    Weak points:

    - UI is not on par with 2015. While this is a revive of the genre, it doesn't have to bring back the frustration of the 1990-s UI! Also it loves to bug a lot (for example you equip an item that grants you a spell, but you don't see it in your bar until you reload)
    - Stealth options are minimal and bland. Yes, you find the odd hidden object or door, but too rare. Most of the time you use stealth mode only to detect traps, which in itself doesn't make much sense - traps should be detected by a high PER char regardless.
    - Due to the isometric view, the combat can get difficult when you can't see your guys because of a tree/rock/ruin in front of them.
    - While the story is interesting in act 1 and 2, it really falls flat in act 3 - I personally was disappointed and kindof rushed the end just to get over with it.
    - The stronghold ends up being just a Copper Sink, with no other real influence over the world or quests or anything meaningful.
    - Lackluster Skill System - out of the already few options (5!), only 3 make any real difference.
    - Cosmetic dialogue choices - even though there are many skill checks, few of them alter the outcome in any way. What's even more disturbing is that only your main character's stats matter towards these skill checks, which doesn't make much sense in a party based game...    … Expand
  57. Drekko
    Apr 9, 2015
    10
    If you like Baldurs Gate, Planscape: Torment then you'll love this game
    This game is like Baldurs Gate but with slightly improved graphics and controls
    Its awesome. Interesting story and characters. Also its quite a challenge !
  58. dohgeh
    Apr 9, 2015
    8
    A good game that will definitively remind you of the classic, nostalgic, Balders Gate days. Pillars of Eternity is one of the best examples of perfect story telling. It's almost like reading a fantastic book, it immerses you into the book making you want more. A chunk of the game is reading a book. When events happen it sometimes shows no gameplay, but rather has awesome sound effects andA good game that will definitively remind you of the classic, nostalgic, Balders Gate days. Pillars of Eternity is one of the best examples of perfect story telling. It's almost like reading a fantastic book, it immerses you into the book making you want more. A chunk of the game is reading a book. When events happen it sometimes shows no gameplay, but rather has awesome sound effects and great writing. The story is pretty good, I haven't noticed any plot holes or anything around that nature, but it doesn't take the time to avoid the cliches that everybody just has to use. Example: Let's go hunt for no reason to show you how to play the game. Ahh!!! Ambush!!! Quick, kill em'! That was tough, let's go back to our camp. OH MY GOD! It's the all mighty bandit leader tough dude! Sweet talk him to let our camp leader go, or stomp his ace! See what I mean, it's annoying, but definitely not horrible. The combat I must say is pretty boring until later on. No real strategy towards it, besides having to slightly think where you want to put your players. Overall, it is a good game that needs to be played by fans of games like Wasteland 2 or Balders Gate.… Expand
  59. mech
    Apr 9, 2015
    8
    This is a pretty impressive game, but it is far from perfect. There are plenty of reviews covering the good parts, so I'll just focus on what I didn't like. My problems with this game are:

    - Most of the side quests are boring, inconsequential fetch/find quests. This was very disappointing, as I think side quests are what makes or breaks an RPG game. Party characters and factions are    This is a pretty impressive game, but it is far from perfect. There are plenty of reviews covering the good parts, so I'll just focus on what I didn't like. My problems with this game are:

    - Most of the side quests are boring, inconsequential fetch/find quests. This was very disappointing, as I think side quests are what makes or breaks an RPG game. Party characters and factions are bland and I didn't really care which one I was doing quests for so long as I maximized the rewards. Party dialogues/development are not even a shadow of KotoR (or Dragon Age: Origins as a more recent example).

    - The game is very combat heavy, so much that it often feels like a bit more sophisticated version of Diablo (the "mega dungeon" under the keep IS essentially Diablo 1). By the end of the game I was quite tired of combat because every fight involves TONS of repetitive micromanagement (casting the same buffs with the priest character over and over, ensuring that the wizards spams spells with no downtime, making sure to use the "per encounter" abilities as much as possible). I seriously wish half of them were auto-cast, or that the game had some sort of AI editor (like "tactics" in DA:O). Additionally the game limits the times you can rest without going back to town to 2 on hard difficulty, which serves no purpose other than to make you sit through up to 10 loading screens just to make the trip to re-supply and back to the dungeon.

    - Later into the game the creatures suddenly all start having "mind control" spells that you can't defend against until VERY late into the game (I think you can actually finish it without even getting to that level). They will mostly target your ranged/caster characters, and they will switch their weapons to melee for some stupid reason. Your other characters will immediately happily start attacking the controlled character unless you explicitly tell them not to. Now imagine how it feels doing the "don't attack him" / "switch back to proper weapon" EVERY BLOODY TIME that they cast the mind control spell.

    - Pathfinding is pretty broken in combat, characters will get stuck running into walls or another characters. It seems like most of the time they will only try to use the direct route even if it is impassable, ignoring a longer route that exists and that has to be programmed manually through shift-clicking.

    TL,DR: too few interesting side quests, bland characters, too much repetitive fighting with annoying (borderline broken) AI.    … Expand
  60. tander
    Apr 8, 2015
    10
    This is the game RPG fans are waiting for years to come,and it delivered.Rich text grabs your attention every so often,the experience is so sucked in. anyway ,recommended for true RPG lover .
  61. SilentHunterUA
    Apr 8, 2015
    10
    I am 20 years old, and i didn't play Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment.
    Everyone compares Pillars Of Eternity to those games.
    I don't get the nostalgia. But! If BG,ID,PT are a lot like PoE, i will play the **** out of them! Because Pillars Of Eternity is just awesome. You can truly ROLE PLAY everyone. Not only you can be a good guy saving the world, but you can kill and    I am 20 years old, and i didn't play Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment.
    Everyone compares Pillars Of Eternity to those games.
    I don't get the nostalgia. But! If BG,ID,PT are a lot like PoE, i will play the **** out of them!
    Because Pillars Of Eternity is just awesome. You can truly ROLE PLAY everyone. Not only you can be a good guy saving the world, but you can kill and slave everyone, and take prisoners to your own dungeon that you build in your own castle! The variety is huge.
    Some side quest are bigger than main quest in other today's RPGs. Even so trivial quest like bringing a lost book to a priest will throw at you originality. Not gonna spoil it for you :)
    Pillars of Eternity - 10/10 [Honest]    … Expand
  62. Sidian
    Apr 8, 2015
    6
    Pros:

    + Good writing. Nothing amazing and it hasn't impressed me as much as Planescape: Torment regularly did, but it's certainly a cut above the vast majority of games. The equivalent of PST's memory unlocks are generally well written, but the story and setting itself holds them back, making them a chore to read instead of being an exciting discovery like memories were. +Decent    Pros:

    + Good writing. Nothing amazing and it hasn't impressed me as much as Planescape: Torment regularly did, but it's certainly a cut above the vast majority of games. The equivalent of PST's memory unlocks are generally well written, but the story and setting itself holds them back, making them a chore to read instead of being an exciting discovery like memories were.

    +Decent reactivity. There are many skill checks in dialogue throughout the game which I like a lot. The problem, however, is that they almost never make any difference, the person will give a quick purely cosmetic response and then return to what they were saying anyway. As an Aumau you might expect to have good conversations with Aumau you come across, but no; if the Aumau even notices you are also an Aumau which is unlikely, they'll just say 'Oh you are also of my race, hi. Anyway, as I was saying, I want you to do this dull quest for me that involves collecting things a few meters in front of me for some reason."

    + Pretty. The backgrounds are often beautiful and scenic.

    Cons:

    - Poor combat. Dull, finicky combat that is far too chaotic and leaves little room for much strategy beyond trying to block enemies in a doorway so you can take them out one or two at a time. The fact it's real time makes it significantly worse. Also, like all games like this, there is far too much combat. There's no respite; just killed a giant spider and 10 of its spiderlings? Cool, here's a million more enemies right around the corner. And the next. And the next. It's tiresome, and considering how difficult the game is, many of these fights will require constant reloading. It's exhausting. Even worse is the inconsistency. "Hmm, these last 3 fights have been very easy, maybe I should turn up the difficulty? Hey what's over here a few feet away? Ah, an impossible fight with 10+ enemies (the hallmark of well balanced fun combat design is always to just dump a screen full of enemies in an area) where my main character with a bunch of good gear and high constitution and resolve dies literally as soon as the fight begins. Hmm, well, good positioning might help - oh, it's a cramped room and the enemies can teleport and they always choose the most inconvenient target to destroy first. Maybe their level is too high for me, let me see... oh that's right, you can't see the level of the enemies in the game. Bravo, Obsidian.

    - Boring, generic fantasy setting and story. Oh nice, dwarves and elves! Oh well, the story will be good I'm sure. Let's see; yada yada, chosen one with special powers. Yada yada, find the mysterious evil villain that you come across at the start. Yawn. It unravels absurdly slowly as well; I've played for 30-40 hours at this point and the story STILL hasn't gone anywhere.

    - Terrible skill system. You have an unbelievably small amount of them (5) and you simply give all characters points in athletics and then have one specialise in mechanics for lock-picking and give spell casters points in Lore. There's the occasional check in dialogue based on them, but that's really all there is to it.    … Expand
  63. xouspring
    Apr 8, 2015
    10
    Long time a game didn't capture my attention that much since a long time. Finding myself playing at 2am again, and thinking about the game during the day!
    The combat is fun and rewarding, the game speaks to nostalgia but the graphics are very nice and really capture the atmosphere. Very good writing and rich story.
    Obsidian didn't disappoint!
  64. Klarum
    Apr 8, 2015
    6
    Need to curb the enthusiasm of the kids here. Yes it is a good game but not deserving of such high scores as it basicly is a modern graphic update of all the ideas used by previous titles, plus some shortcomings.

    Storywise BG2 still is more complex, enganging and interesting. This one is full of overused cliches and tropes and has waaaaay to much text. Voice acting is bland. The D20    Need to curb the enthusiasm of the kids here. Yes it is a good game but not deserving of such high scores as it basicly is a modern graphic update of all the ideas used by previous titles, plus some shortcomings.

    Storywise BG2 still is more complex, enganging and interesting. This one is full of overused cliches and tropes and has waaaaay to much text. Voice acting is bland.

    The D20 rule set adaption they did is weak. Basicly they just changed some names and removed some things to pretend it is a unique system but it is not. It is D&D just poorer and with less class specialization. Your warrior can have more lore than your mage and the cleric can be the trap master.

    Party management is bad. You have to micromanage every action except for auto-attack. BG2 had character AI that cast spells/abilities.
    All the "unique" ideas are copies, like the stronghold being a copy of NWN2.

    Again it is a good game and welcomed because the Infinty engine rocks but lets keep the score at a realistic level please.    … Expand
  65. elterifico
    Apr 7, 2015
    9
    The first RPG I ever played was Kotor. For me, isometric RPG is something new. I was a backer for the game and I am having fun so far. But even if I understant people who are really into this kind of thing, I really think that the combat system is way to much complicated and since I found out that I suck at micro managing all my party members, well I have a hard time playing the game.The first RPG I ever played was Kotor. For me, isometric RPG is something new. I was a backer for the game and I am having fun so far. But even if I understant people who are really into this kind of thing, I really think that the combat system is way to much complicated and since I found out that I suck at micro managing all my party members, well I have a hard time playing the game. I would give this game a 8 or a 9, but I can't, not because I suck, but because I think it should have been fully voiced... the story is rich and inviting, but having to read it all just spoil a part of the fun for me... But even with that bummer, I just can't stop playing the game... It is a masterpiece of epic proportion... For those like me who suck even on easy, you just have to activate the console and use some cheats. With those I made it so I could rest as I want whitout using campfire supply and with that cheat on, I could survive my own mediocrity...… Expand
  66. Paladinus
    Apr 7, 2015
    9
    Though I haven't finished the game, I can assure it provides what it promises: a good old.school RPG, worthy of being considered Baldur's Gate successor. Stats and skills do not only affect combat, but also open new options during interactions. Each time we speak, the game takes it into account, and over time, what we say has some impact on our gameplay and future interactions (not alwaysThough I haven't finished the game, I can assure it provides what it promises: a good old.school RPG, worthy of being considered Baldur's Gate successor. Stats and skills do not only affect combat, but also open new options during interactions. Each time we speak, the game takes it into account, and over time, what we say has some impact on our gameplay and future interactions (not always in a decisive way, but it has more impact than in most RPG's). Difficulty is pretty decent on hard so far, so I'm satisfied with it. Excellent crafting and upgrading system, which is both easy and does not require harvesting tons of materials.
    The thing that pleases me the most is the incredibly wide range of options you have to solve each quest.
    It lacks cutscenes (or cinematics, better) for certain interactions, more (and a bit better) voice acting and a less overwhelming lore during the first stages of the game. However, I know the budget was not very high, so I consider it more than enough. A great job indeed.    … Expand
  67. garhent
    Apr 7, 2015
    3
    If you like the suck, this is the game for you. The developers set up an old school system, completely ignoring 15 years of game progress. DO NOT MAKE A SPELL CASTER, again I repeat DO NOT MAKE A SPELL CASTER, they limited the times you can camp to reset spells and if you make a caster you will be running back to the Inn wasting 5 minutes after every battle. The game is just BAD.If you like the suck, this is the game for you. The developers set up an old school system, completely ignoring 15 years of game progress. DO NOT MAKE A SPELL CASTER, again I repeat DO NOT MAKE A SPELL CASTER, they limited the times you can camp to reset spells and if you make a caster you will be running back to the Inn wasting 5 minutes after every battle. The game is just BAD.

    Issues with the game:

    #1. Aggro. The tanks don't have a way to hold aggro so the mobs go wherever they want and one shot down your casters.

    #2. Resting. The developers decided to require you to bring camping materials (max of 2) to camp in a dungeon. If you use your skills, you have to camp to reset them. You basically are forced into playing a game with auto attacks. Loads O Fun there, might as well watch paint fly.

    #3. Forced to use Auto-Attack. Due to the limits on resting to reset skills you are stuck using auto attack. You basically end up needing to make a tank party to progress.

    All in all the art is beautiful but the game developers made some of the worst decisions I've seen in a very long time. Kudos to them, burn in hell.    … Expand
  68. Jsan
    Apr 7, 2015
    10
    Uno de los mejores juegos que puedo recordar de lejos. Jamas crei que me aportaria casi 80 horas de inteso juego y aun asi me dejo atras detalles. Me ha encantado todo, desde la prespectiva hasta la historia pasando por la calidad narrativa. Compratelo!!
  69. Deadheadbill
    Apr 7, 2015
    10
    Storytelling, game play and yes even graphics shine in this game. The writing and gameplay have been covered pretty well, but I want to talk about the graphics. This is not an ugly game as many would tell you. The backdrops are exquisite and hand painted. The effects from your spells are awesome. No, it's not gonna blow up your 500$ video card but it is far from ugly.
  70. invizo
    Apr 7, 2015
    10
    Already 100 hours in, simply a masterpiece. The only RPG in a long time whose limiting factor is the player's intelligence and ability to micro-manage. POTD difficulty is a god-send and makes the re-playability amazing.
  71. BlackIsle
    Apr 7, 2015
    10
    My expectations were very high and Pillars of Eternity exceeded them. This is the best game I have played in the last 15 years. This score of a "10" was not given to offset the "zero" trolls, this is the actual score I would give this game. The future of PC gaming is bright indeed.
  72. Gamer_Joe
    Apr 7, 2015
    5
    PoE is a game for old IE fans. While they do deliver on the story telling, quests and zones, the developers could not stay away from trying to reinvent pretty much every aspect of combat. The resting system is an arbitrary challenge design with no actual affect other than being annoying. Engagement mechanic caters to a static fighting system. The loot and stat / character progression inPoE is a game for old IE fans. While they do deliver on the story telling, quests and zones, the developers could not stay away from trying to reinvent pretty much every aspect of combat. The resting system is an arbitrary challenge design with no actual affect other than being annoying. Engagement mechanic caters to a static fighting system. The loot and stat / character progression in PoE is very bland. Instead of getting gamechanging abilities and stats changing characters, we see 1-3% more damage etc. per stat and same for loot. It's not very interesting. It's sad really, because the story writers, zone creaters, quest creaters did a very fine job. There is also no real reason to choose a companion over a custom made one, as their stats are all messy. I don't expect perfect stats, but at least somewhat ok stats. Unlike Baldur's Gate 1 + 2, which I've replayed many times, I will never replay this game.… Expand
  73. Irxy
    Apr 6, 2015
    2
    Graphics are nice, just as expected.
    Music is dull and unmemorable.
    Writing is average, quests are nothing special, few characters with any depth to them. Decent amount of different diolog checks is nice, though they mostly just a flavour and don't effect anything. Combat is fun but seriously lacks polish and balance. Stronghold is useless and boring, as is crafting. Overall an ok    Graphics are nice, just as expected.
    Music is dull and unmemorable.
    Writing is average, quests are nothing special, few characters with any depth to them. Decent amount of different diolog checks is nice, though they mostly just a flavour and don't effect anything.
    Combat is fun but seriously lacks polish and balance.
    Stronghold is useless and boring, as is crafting.

    Overall an ok IWD-style dungeon crawler, but not quite on the BG level.

    p.s. too sjw.    … Expand
  74. Paulystan
    Apr 6, 2015
    3
    I think I understand why this game has scored so highly but I am still sad that it has as it was reviews on metacritic that firmed me up to buy it. It has all the elements of a good RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate but lacks a sense of... good.

    The characters are only interesting for a short while if at all. The combat is not really very good in my opinion, the music somewhat drab and    I think I understand why this game has scored so highly but I am still sad that it has as it was reviews on metacritic that firmed me up to buy it. It has all the elements of a good RPG in the style of Baldur's Gate but lacks a sense of... good.

    The characters are only interesting for a short while if at all. The combat is not really very good in my opinion, the music somewhat drab and the general feel of the game isn't deep, involving or balanced.

    It is also yet another game that has been assaulted by PC and liberal socio-political dogma which for me takes some energy out of playing it.

    It's games like this, that have so much to offer but for many reasons don't quite make it, that takes me one step closer to giving up on computer games once and for all.    … Expand
  75. greywolf00
    Apr 6, 2015
    9
    TL;DR: Really captures the BG vibe. Highly recommended for fans of the IE games. Writing is solid throughout, even if some companions are a bit flat. The new mechanics are a mixed bag of hits and misses. Wish there was a higher level cap. Glad I backed it, and can’t wait for the expansion and future continuations of the series.

    If you miss the good old days of BG, do yourself a favor    TL;DR: Really captures the BG vibe. Highly recommended for fans of the IE games. Writing is solid throughout, even if some companions are a bit flat. The new mechanics are a mixed bag of hits and misses. Wish there was a higher level cap. Glad I backed it, and can’t wait for the expansion and future continuations of the series.

    If you miss the good old days of BG, do yourself a favor and just buy this now. For those of you who have managed to miss one of the best CRPGs ever made keep reading for the rundown.

    PoE uses a RTwP system with plenty of options for auto-pausing, as well as a slow mode to briefly slow the action down and get your tactics set. While your uncontrolled party members lack an AI like BG (used spells on their own based on AI chosen) they do auto attack without input.

    A lot of the more complex rules are gone and things are much simpler for new comers (no need to know what THAC0 is). Many abilities have a limited number of uses per combat and other have a limited number per rest always providing choices in combat. At higher difficulties the number of enemies grows, you get higher enemies types (Black Ooze > Lesser Black Ooze), and the number of camping supplies you can carry is extremely limited (Hard and up). Depending on how much problems you have with combat this could be an issue. Crafting has also been added, though it’s far from a great implementation in my opinion.

    The diversity of races and classes doesn't disappoint. Each race has a choice between two subraces which gives them a racial bonus. Many of the races, and classes, will be familiar in general make up to normal fantasy tropes, but there's also some unique things like God touched (the lack of a helm is a drawback) and Ciphers. Character creation overall is pretty good and adding in custom portraits is quite easy.

    Some of the newly designed systems do fall a bit flat though. The new stat system really lowers the importance of min/maxing. On the one hand this means casual players won’t be stopped by bad builds, but people who enjoy character building may feel let down by the diminished emphasis on stats. XP is no longer given on a by kill basis, instead being rewarded for bestiary additions. For example, a little bit of experience the first few times you fight a monster till you know everything about it, then none at all. Depending on play style this can lead to a fair amount of unrewarding combat.

    A minor complaint includes most NPCs not feeling as interesting as BG. The low level cap (12) is disappointing, though understandable. You will most likely hit the cap long before the game is over if you pursue most side quests. After that point the lack of character progression feels a bit unrewarding sadly. Considering they designed a ruleset from scratch and had a limited budget it’s understandable, but still a bit of a let down. I expect this ground up design is also the reason for the limited number of abilities and spells compared to AD&D.

    Unfortunately at the time of this review there are bugs. Obsidian is still patching, but their official communication regarding it has been pretty poor. However, they are an established midrange studio so we know it's coming, eventually.    … Expand
  76. Mamoulian
    Apr 6, 2015
    10
    This is it! The long wait is over and yet again thanks to the Kickstarter can we see what huge lie have we been fed by current games publishers. We were taught to give up all hope and think that the glory days of fantastic intelligent gaming are gone. We were taught that only mindless hack and slashers and MMOs are the way of the RPGs now. But we were being lied to over and over again.This is it! The long wait is over and yet again thanks to the Kickstarter can we see what huge lie have we been fed by current games publishers. We were taught to give up all hope and think that the glory days of fantastic intelligent gaming are gone. We were taught that only mindless hack and slashers and MMOs are the way of the RPGs now. But we were being lied to over and over again. 70.000 backers on Kickstarter showed the world of gaming yet again that we can battle commerce by sponsoring games we all really want to play and that we are many. Pillars of Eternity is the fruit of our unified effort, a treat all oldschool RPG lovers deserved. Its huge, bountiful in stories untold, beautiful to behold and perfect to play for many long hours. A perfect gem an RPG. Thank you Obsidian, thank you Kickstarter. This is a dream come true!… Expand
  77. Doc_Hopwood
    Apr 6, 2015
    8
    Did you like Baldurs Gate? Go ahead and get Pillars of Eternity. That simple. It's fun, it's easy to get into, it's sufficiently deep to avoid that console RPG feel... it's PC gaming.

    Graphics are adequate. Pretty large skill trees. Combat stays fresh. I had a couple sound and graphic glitches but I'm not going to be the guy that gives the game a hit for what is likely my tech specs    Did you like Baldurs Gate? Go ahead and get Pillars of Eternity. That simple. It's fun, it's easy to get into, it's sufficiently deep to avoid that console RPG feel... it's PC gaming.

    Graphics are adequate. Pretty large skill trees. Combat stays fresh.
    I had a couple sound and graphic glitches but I'm not going to be the guy that gives the game a hit for what is likely my tech specs fault.

    If I was going to knock it on anything it'd be the typical RPG lore that feels like a social statement similar to a George Romero movie or D&D game sometimes but that's a personal gripe that likely will have little to no impact on most people's experience with the game.

    RPG fans shouldn't hesitate.    … Expand
  78. Cherryleaf
    Apr 6, 2015
    10
    Pillars of Eternity is like meeting up with a long lost friend, and it all feels so familiar, that you pick up where you left, yet the story is long and engaging, which makes it easy to listen to. The isometric graphic couldn't feel more right - a nostalgic trip from the past - as it is the skin that suits the story being delivered.

    This CRPG is for all of you who wish to dive into a    Pillars of Eternity is like meeting up with a long lost friend, and it all feels so familiar, that you pick up where you left, yet the story is long and engaging, which makes it easy to listen to. The isometric graphic couldn't feel more right - a nostalgic trip from the past - as it is the skin that suits the story being delivered.

    This CRPG is for all of you who wish to dive into a world that reminds you of BG, NWN and Ice Wind Dale, but with slightly new differences. The setting is great, and the story is engaging. This game managed to walk from Kickstarter, and even exceeded my already high expectations. I'm glad that I jumped on this train from start.    … Expand
  79. owen445x
    Apr 6, 2015
    7
    I'm digging it so far, I just have 7 hours under my belt, but I am liking the graphics ad the story so far.

    Combat is fluid and fun, a little clunky with path finding or guys not attacking when something is smashing their faces in. Level design so far is really good and I am a big fan of the infinity engine from baldurs gate and icewind dale series. Having a hard time with certain    I'm digging it so far, I just have 7 hours under my belt, but I am liking the graphics ad the story so far.

    Combat is fluid and fun, a little clunky with path finding or guys not attacking when something is smashing their faces in.

    Level design so far is really good and I am a big fan of the infinity engine from baldurs gate and icewind dale series.

    Having a hard time with certain classes though, like having a cleric with me in the middle of my group. I send in my warriors first to get initial agro, then they just switch to my cleric and literally rape him... over.. and over again.. I just got to the point of replacing him with another warrior.    … Expand
  80. ellimar188
    Apr 5, 2015
    9
    Congratulations, Obsidian: Pillars of Eternity is an extremely fun game! Like most of the users reviewing Pillars, I played and loved the Infinity Engine games, Baldur's Gate 2 being my personal favorite. I think that Pillars successfully captures the "feel" of those old games; the interface, combat, environments (I love the pre-rendered environments!) and dialogue all seem like updatedCongratulations, Obsidian: Pillars of Eternity is an extremely fun game! Like most of the users reviewing Pillars, I played and loved the Infinity Engine games, Baldur's Gate 2 being my personal favorite. I think that Pillars successfully captures the "feel" of those old games; the interface, combat, environments (I love the pre-rendered environments!) and dialogue all seem like updated versions of their IE counterparts. The story and lore are also very interesting, though I think that the Forgotten Realms campaign setting is far more robust due to its age. Obsidian has done a fantastic job in updating the IE-style isometric RPG with Pillars.

    I also think that Obsidian has made some changes that make for a better experience. I find that Pillars, while by no means an easy game, is not nearly as unforgiving as the IE games. I have yet to run into a troll and wipe because I have no fire or fire-based spells! I also love that the classes do not feel as restricted as they did within the Dungeons and Dragons rule set used by the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series (unfortunately, I have not played Planescape). Want to be a mage with heavy armor and a sword? Go right ahead! Just know that the armor will slow you down. Further, I really enjoy the text-based encounters that you come across throughout your travels in the game. There is something fun about leaving a scene partially to the player's imagination instead of utilizing cut scenes; it is like the difference between reading a book and watching a movie. I suppose that if you do not enjoy reading this will not appeal to you. However, you SHOULD NOT play this game if you don't like reading. The game often feels like a great novel, a quality that I really enjoy.

    However, Pillars of Eternity does have its flaws. The biggest one, in my opinion, is that while the combat is extremely fun, Pillars actually lacks something that the IE games possessed: customizable AI. In Baldur's Gate, for example, I could utilize scripts that allow my party members to behave in a certain way during combat, though I could still take complete control if I wanted to. Pillars, on the other hand, does not have this feature and requires you to meticulously micromanage your party during combat. This does not bother me a lot (I like micromanaging), but at times I wish that I didn't have to tell my mage to cast magic missiles every time I want him to. Or that my healer would just cast a healing spell when my tank reaches a certain amount of endurance. Hopefully customizable AI scripts will be added in a future patch.

    In addition to the absence of party scripts, I can't help but feel that Pillars of Eternity relies a lot on nostalgia. This isn't necessarily a flaw; I am having a great time with the game and it seems like others are too. However, I am not sure if Pillars will appeal as strongly to players who have not played an IE game. Again, this may not be a problem and I believe that the folks at Obsidian have accomplished what they intended. Pillars is an excellent adventure, though maybe not an adventure for everyone. But then again, what game is?    … Expand
  81. flexy123
    Apr 5, 2015
    4
    The comparison with Baldur's Gate is an insult. What made BG so great was being able to play with friends/roommates in the party over the network! PoE doesn't even have multiplayer - a shame since isometric RPGs IMHO are just the perfect thing for multiplayer! This is MEGA lame! Second...people rate the game highly because "it is a good read". If I want to read something I get my Kindle.The comparison with Baldur's Gate is an insult. What made BG so great was being able to play with friends/roommates in the party over the network! PoE doesn't even have multiplayer - a shame since isometric RPGs IMHO are just the perfect thing for multiplayer! This is MEGA lame! Second...people rate the game highly because "it is a good read". If I want to read something I get my Kindle. Sounds to me this is just another crappy indy game with crappy graphics and a complete lack of multi-player/co-op. Thanks. NO.… Expand
  82. lumibela
    Apr 5, 2015
    9
    Blast from the past!

    If you like controlling parties, pausing and employing tactical strategies to overcome difficult encounters then this game is for you. There is a variety of classes that you can choose, most classes are quite interesting, a great cast of AI companions and also you can fully customise your own mercenaries to accompany you on your quest. The perfect game to    Blast from the past!

    If you like controlling parties, pausing and employing tactical strategies to overcome difficult encounters then this game is for you.
    There is a variety of classes that you can choose, most classes are quite interesting, a great cast of AI companions and also you can fully customise your own mercenaries to accompany you on your quest.

    The perfect game to scratch that old CRPG itch you may occasionally have. PoE has a mixture of great voice acting and great written dialogue that combines together and actually complements each other perfectly. It has descriptive writing, almost feels like reading a book, whilst you make all the choices in that book.

    The game has improved in some aspects of the old greats - mainly in the graphical department. It has all been done before and doesn't reinvent the genre, but PoE simply offers the gaming community a modernised Baldur's gate.

    I enjoyed Divinity Sin, but I found PoE immediately more interesting and more akin to neverwinter nights 2 and the baldurs gate series. This game is a well deserved 9.5 out of 10, it's not perfect, the main storyline is cliché so far... but the interactions, the combat system and the writing is superb and carries the game through.

    Don't miss this one, unless Rpg's aren't your thing :)    … Expand
  83. sirrat
    Apr 5, 2015
    10
    Great if somewhat flawed game. If you don't want to micro-manage combat obviously this game isn't for you. The pace felt very slow to me at first but I gave it a chance and it paid off--learning the systems matters and making decisions about your gear and build (and party makeup itself) matters. Some nasty bugs (unfortunately sort of par for the Obsidian course) but so far they've fixedGreat if somewhat flawed game. If you don't want to micro-manage combat obviously this game isn't for you. The pace felt very slow to me at first but I gave it a chance and it paid off--learning the systems matters and making decisions about your gear and build (and party makeup itself) matters. Some nasty bugs (unfortunately sort of par for the Obsidian course) but so far they've fixed the major game-breakers I ran into. I don't care about voice acting really but imo it does the job well enough. I am giving it a 10 instead of the 8 or 9 it really deserves because of the "gamergate" reviews ranting about "SJW". Nothing sets off my retard detector more vigorously than someone using the phrase "SJW".… Expand
  84. faceless-1
    Apr 5, 2015
    10
    Obsidian made again superior RPG. They promised Baldurs gate like experience and that is exactly what this game is. This game is not 100% bug free, but i encountered nothing major. Must own to old school RPG fans.
  85. MothExploit
    Apr 5, 2015
    10
    I backed this game on KS, got my hopes up for awhile, during its first few months of development, then played the backer beta and resigned myself to the likelihood of the final product being buggy and excruciatingly difficult. I figured I'd still like it, and it'd be a fun throwback to the glory days of CRPGs, but I never thought it would turn out as amazing as it has.

    I'm so glad they    I backed this game on KS, got my hopes up for awhile, during its first few months of development, then played the backer beta and resigned myself to the likelihood of the final product being buggy and excruciatingly difficult. I figured I'd still like it, and it'd be a fun throwback to the glory days of CRPGs, but I never thought it would turn out as amazing as it has.

    I'm so glad they surprised me.

    The extra time they put into polish really, really shows. This game feels like a classic in its own right, not just a nostalgic love-letter to something long-gone.

    I love the fiction -- not just the overall lore, but the way it's presented in the writing. Your free to ask the dumb questions and have everything spoon fed to you, but you can also play the game as though you are a character who's familiar with the setting, and it's still perfectly easy to pick things up. There's very little of the awkward and obvious data-dumping which plagues much of the writing in these sorts of games. You can tell the writers loved the world they created, but they've also exercised impressive restraint in delivering that world to you, which makes the story feel more elegant than the norm.

    The mechanics draw from the classics for all the positive elements, but I honestly think they've improved significantly on the old Infinity Engine gameplay by distancing themselves from D&D and focusing on rules which lend themselves to the computer. I found the backer beta overwhelming, but in the game proper as you're acquiring skills more gradually, the learning curve is very comfortable. The game's encyclopedia also provides good explanations of the mechanics, if you choose to seek them out.

    My one minor gripe is that I wish they'd provided more portraits for the character creation. The only male Nature Godlike option does not jive with my character at all -- but, I'm sure the community will churn out a good selection of alternatives in the near future.    … Expand
  86. KAtallah
    Apr 5, 2015
    7
    IE Game #6. Remove the passage of time from the equation and this game will feel as if it was made by Black Isle, and released just after Icewind Dale 2. It's *that* faithful of a successor. It has many of the things that we loved about the BG games, the IWD's, and even Planescape Torment. You can totally control a party of up to 6. The class, race, spell, ability, buildIE Game #6. Remove the passage of time from the equation and this game will feel as if it was made by Black Isle, and released just after Icewind Dale 2. It's *that* faithful of a successor. It has many of the things that we loved about the BG games, the IWD's, and even Planescape Torment. You can totally control a party of up to 6. The class, race, spell, ability, build choices/combinations are almost as vast as they were in Baldurs Gate. The dungeons drip with atmosphere. Many of the quests are quite good. Level advancement is old-school slow, rewarding and allows you to choose how you advance your build in a way I haven't seen in any RPG in a really *really* long time. The UI is slick and intuitive - gloriously designed for PC. The bestiary is suitably large and varied. The attention to detail *everywhere* is unmatched..

    It's just a flat out solid game.

    ...With a few glaring flaws (at least in light of the very games the Kickstarter pitch name-dropped and claimed to take cues from).

    --Loot itemization is bland. and soulless. And unmemorable. Remember when your party found The Wolf Talismen in Icewind Dale? or Carsomyr in BG2? Or Bassilus's Hammer in Bg1? Yeah. That doesn't happen in this game. The labor of love simply isn't there with the magic loot.

    -Combat is dull. I get what they were trying to do by eliminating the ability to pre-buff, and incorporating an engagement mechanic, as designing spell and ability durations to last 2 or 3 seconds. But it just doesn't fit. The IE games weren't action RPGs. But this game tries to be.

    -I don't have much to say about the story, because I didn't understand it. I'm sure it was excellent (this is an Obsidian game we're discussing), but the way the game dumps its lore on you, and the overly cryptic delivery of its narrative resulted in me not understanding what's going on, and consequently not caring about it.

    -The pacing. Ok this is the reason I'm giving PoE a 7 instead of a 9 or 10. The pacing in this game was terribly amateurish. You're either tirelessly engaging in combat every time you take a step, or else exploring whole districts of a city without engaging in any combat whatsoever. There's no in between. The plot delivery is, again, also wonkily passed (is that a word?) There's no slow dip to the lore and plot (like there was in the BG games and in Planescape torment). Instead, It's dumped on you at an incomprehensible rate....and then it's not. There's no in between.

    Overall though, this is a *good* game. And a long one. (took me 100 hours to complete). Probably the best game Obsidian's ever made. I'll take another!    … Expand
  87. coconner
    Apr 5, 2015
    6
    Decent, but inferior to its predecessors.

    This game is being horribly overrated because the genre is so rare these days that people want to support it. Thats fine, but understand that this game is a very average western RPG, and inferior to its predecessors such as Planescape Torment or Baldurs Gate. If you like this kind of game, i have no doubt that you will enjoy Pillars, as i am,    Decent, but inferior to its predecessors.

    This game is being horribly overrated because the genre is so rare these days that people want to support it. Thats fine, but understand that this game is a very average western RPG, and inferior to its predecessors such as Planescape Torment or Baldurs Gate.

    If you like this kind of game, i have no doubt that you will enjoy Pillars, as i am, but im not going to delude myself.

    The art direction, music, story and character development are all very weak sauce compared to the likes of PST. Nothing is memorable. I am about 25 hours in yet lack a firm grasp on what the story is even meant to be.

    The combat annoys me, you can't loot until about 4 seconds after the last enemy has died, often the character models and unit collision is so bad, you cannot possibly identify your party members in battle. There is far too much irrelevant writing, such as dozens of NPCs in every map who you can "read the soul" of, to learn their story, but you can't talk to them, there is no interaction, their story is irrelevant, and because there are so many, you just end up not bothering for any of them which, rather than engrossing you in the game, achieves the exact opposite.

    The overwhelming sense i get from this game is that the creators are like old men, trying to recreate the former glories of their prime, but they've been out of the circuit so long they are clumsy and cack-handed, needing far more practice to get back to speed. I hope they get that practice, and we see more ISO RPG's, perhaps eventually reproducing something as awesome as PST was, but this is far away from that.    … Expand
  88. ohioastro
    Apr 5, 2015
    10
    PoE is an example of how you both modernize a game genre and keep the core essence of what people found compelling in the older games. It channels the spirit of games like Baldur's Gate with a new system. You have a protagonist in a six-player party; you can either choose companions with story lines or generate them. There are no class restrictions on armor or weapons. CharacterPoE is an example of how you both modernize a game genre and keep the core essence of what people found compelling in the older games. It channels the spirit of games like Baldur's Gate with a new system. You have a protagonist in a six-player party; you can either choose companions with story lines or generate them. There are no class restrictions on armor or weapons. Character development is solid, with a range of valid approaches. Encounters are interesting tactical puzzles. You'll get slapped around if you’re sloppy.

    There are many clever design upgrades. Damage is taken from a temporary resource (endurance) drawn from a larger pool (health); this allows players to risk more while minimizing save/reload abuse. They ditched the tedium of inventory Tetris with an unlimited stash. This is the sort of change that you only appreciate when you see it. Money is ample, but you won't be able to buy out all of the fancy goods in the stores. The stash system makes crafting useful, not a chore, and it isn’t overpowered.

    The storytelling is stellar. Modern games have all sorts of expensive cinematic flourishes. PoE tells stories with text effectively; 2D graphics are clear and pretty. People who don’t read it will miss a marvelously detailed world with deep themes. Dialog isn’t telegraphed to you, and you can solve many quests without violence. There is no experience for kills, just for discovery and quests; this emphasizes role-playing. You develop reputations and will discover very different opportunities for different approaches.

    For me, the take-away lessons are that you want to focus on the core appeal of older games (tight tactical encounters, character development, and solid storytelling) while shedding mechanical limitations that encouraged tedium and hyper-conservative game play.    … Expand
  89. curzon_dax
    Apr 5, 2015
    7
    The game started on Kickstarter which explains why it's overrated. I find the interface cumbersome. And generally the whole interface lacking.........
  90. Tubey
    Apr 5, 2015
    8
    It hurts to not give this a perfect score, because so many parts of the game deserve it, but there are a few faults that prevent it from reaching such heights.

    I'll get the good out of the way first - it is a masterpiece of storytelling and perfectly drags in the player to the narrative and atmosphere and doesn't let go. It's pretty linear stuff - like being on rails but having a lot of    It hurts to not give this a perfect score, because so many parts of the game deserve it, but there are a few faults that prevent it from reaching such heights.

    I'll get the good out of the way first - it is a masterpiece of storytelling and perfectly drags in the player to the narrative and atmosphere and doesn't let go. It's pretty linear stuff - like being on rails but having a lot of interesting scenery that you can reach out and touch - but the linearity doesn't get in the way of the core gameplay; there's an incredible amount of fun to be had here if you take it for what it is. Whilst not next-gen super resolution graphics, it never needed that - the art style is direct from the Infinite engine RPGs and is crisp, clear and spot on. The world works, and this game is in many respects a masterpiece that not only is a homage to Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment, in many ways it surpasses them.

    Now the not so good - it has a fair amount of bugs. Fairly game breaking ones too where you can lose hours of gameplay if not careful. That's the least concerning minus point to the game though as they will be patched and fixed. The main problems are twofold - combat, and the constant feeling that this game stretched its budget to the maximum, exposing very frayed edges.

    Combat is a mess, really. It's a frantic key smasher in the hope you get the end result. This can be forgiven as it was also a fault of Baldur's Gate, but you'd have hoped they could have improved upon it. But the rough edges... this is what constantly draws me out of enjoying this game as the masterpiece it otherwise is. Narration is good, but low budget. Voice acting is below par, again reflecting the limited budget. There are certain sections of the game that take giant leaps from one part of the game to the next with only a slideshow narrative to explain it, almost like they run out of time and budget to include it in the game.

    The reason I'm focussing so hard on these issues is because I REALLY wanted to score this a 10, but I have to justify why I can't. That said, this is a must buy for most people who enjoy RPGs, but you just get the feeling that if a AAA company plowed money behind the guys behind this and really let them off the leash, we could get one of the greatest games ever made. As it is, this is "only" one of the best games of the year and the best isometric RPG made in the last decade.

    Buy it, basically.    … Expand
  91. Cathinon
    Apr 4, 2015
    3
    I really wanted to like this game. The IE games are the reason I'm a gamer, I've replayed the BG series more times than I can count and I still consider BG2 the best example of the genre. So I'm 100% the target demographic. Unlike a lot of that demographic, I didn't contribute to the kickstarter, as I'm wary of the concept, so I think I'm a little less biased than a lot of reviewers. II really wanted to like this game. The IE games are the reason I'm a gamer, I've replayed the BG series more times than I can count and I still consider BG2 the best example of the genre. So I'm 100% the target demographic. Unlike a lot of that demographic, I didn't contribute to the kickstarter, as I'm wary of the concept, so I think I'm a little less biased than a lot of reviewers. I bought the game based on the 9.2/10 it had at the time, and it falls dismally short of that number.

    It does have some things going for it. The character creation is fun/flexible, an interesting and diverse mix of races/classes/backgrounds and stat/spell/skill choices that will have IE players both right at home while feeling fresher than the straight D&D conversion of IE. The background environments are excellently drawn, and they've obviously put a lot of work into building the new setting from scratch - although it sadly still comes off as fairly generic medieval fantasy.

    Unlike the IE games, it's adopted the darker aesthetic which has taken over the genre since Game of Thrones became big, and so there's a lot of gratuitous swearing, contrived gore (the centrepiece of the first town is a tree hung with 18 rotten corpses) and the like that devs seem to feel is necessary lately.

    The IE games had dark plots and themes, but generally bright and inviting settings. Even PS:T, the darkest of the lot, was dark when it had reason to be, to drive the story, not just gratuitously to create a certain aesthetic which I personally don't feel matches with the "6 adventurers off on an quest" style. Whether you like this or not is personal taste, but as I bought the game to relive my BG experiences, I found it turned me off somewhat.

    Down to the specific issues. The first is relatively minor. The combat is somewhat clunky, enough to detract from the experience. Characters make stupid pathing decisions, sit there for a second or two before executing the commands you just gave them, spells/skills don't go off instantly after you finish casting them, and the transition in and out of combat (which controls which skills you can use) is awkward.

    The second is serious - it's riddled with bugs. A lot of people have had save games ruined completely by this - I wasn't so unlucky, but I encountered enough that they disrupted the game significantly. When a recommendation to play a game is accompanied by a list of dozens of bugs you should memorize to prevent destroying your save, you know something is wrong.

    The third is somewhat mixed. They've made some major gameplay alterations from the IE games beyond the move away from the D&D stat system (which is mostly positive). Some of them are well thought out and add to the game significantly - the ability to stealth as a group, or the ability to speed up or slow down the gameplay, so you can slow down to execute tactics in combat, then speed up to run back across another zone to town.

    Which brings me to some of the bad alterations. The first really detracted from the game for me. They've limited the number of times you can rest, depending on difficulty, 2/Hard, 4/Normal, 8/Easy. After this you have to find more of the (rare) "camping supplies" or go back to an inn to rest and restock them (for a high price). This leaves you stuck with three bad choices - utilizing your per-rest spells to their full potential and constantly running back to town and spending a lot of gold, using the minimum number of per-rest spells you can get away with each fight and leaving the classes which focus around these to spend most of their time autoattacking, or making a party around maxing per-encounter skills despite what you want to play.

    They've also (seemingly at random) made certain spells impossible to use outside combat, which is unrealistic, boring, and, combined with the clunkiness of the combat, frustrating.

    It's also very difficult to make a decent party from the NPC's, and those available (8, compared to 17 in BG2) don't have close to the inter-party dialogue and side quest content of BG2. You can create your own party members at inns for gold, but like the party members in IWD, they have no personality. You don't get your first permanent party member until an hour or so into the game, the second comes shortly after, but only if you pay attention or read a guide - if you run off to do the side quests, you'll miss him and be stuck with 2 characters until you continue the main quest.

    Lastly, the character models are plain and indistinguishable shapes in grey armor, the only way to distinguish one character from another is to mouse over them. The time spent on the different facial options was wasted, because character's faces are too small to see, and usually behind a helmet.

    In summary - it's a bad game which was released too soon, could become a decent game in 6 months with some patches and mods, but will never be the amazing game people are portraying it as. I can't in good conscience recommend it.    … Expand
  92. NerPan
    Apr 4, 2015
    9
    This game is a dream after years of modern childish uninspired console oriented **** games. The feeling, that old feeling, is back again. Every Baldur's Gate fan shouldn't miss this gem
  93. notchedbandit
    Apr 4, 2015
    4
    I was hoping that PoE would have a story that would keep me interested, however the sad truth is that the story is very bland and generic. There is nothing that stands out. The way the story is told is bad as well, considering all they do is just throw a bookful of text in front of you to read. No visual suspense at all. Just read a book instead if you like a good story.

    I stopped    I was hoping that PoE would have a story that would keep me interested, however the sad truth is that the story is very bland and generic. There is nothing that stands out. The way the story is told is bad as well, considering all they do is just throw a bookful of text in front of you to read. No visual suspense at all. Just read a book instead if you like a good story.

    I stopped playing the game 10 hours in mainly because of the story, and secondary because how little environmental interaction there is. All the game does well for me is the combat, which is exactly what I was not interested in.    … Expand
  94. Abigredwagon
    Apr 4, 2015
    10
    A stunning triumph. The right mixture of visual beauty, mechanical brilliance, and elaborate prose that elevate the story telling above the mere sum of its parts. An example of how to spin a good yarn in a video game without trying to clumsily shoehorn aspects of film or bog down the action with the meandering pace of a good novel. It understands the strengths of agency andA stunning triumph. The right mixture of visual beauty, mechanical brilliance, and elaborate prose that elevate the story telling above the mere sum of its parts. An example of how to spin a good yarn in a video game without trying to clumsily shoehorn aspects of film or bog down the action with the meandering pace of a good novel. It understands the strengths of agency and interactivity in story telling and is one of the few, the very very few games that stand oh their own as art. It is the best a story has every been told in a game.… Expand
  95. keemt
    Apr 4, 2015
    10
    9/10 but rating it 10 b/c people gave 0s.

    To all the people complaining how buggy it is---I played Skyrim 4 YEARS after release, and had to restart my game 3 times because I needed an UNOFFICIAL non-Bethesda patch or the entire main storyline wouldn't start (dragon soul bug). This game is way less buggy than Skyrim. 6 rarest traits from great RPGs    9/10 but rating it 10 b/c people gave 0s.

    To all the people complaining how buggy it is---I played Skyrim 4 YEARS after release, and had to restart my game 3 times because I needed an UNOFFICIAL non-Bethesda patch or the entire main storyline wouldn't start (dragon soul bug). This game is way less buggy than Skyrim.

    6 rarest traits from great RPGs
    ------------------------------------------
    1. Great Story --8/10
    2. Great character development ---7/10
    3. Choice & Consequence ---5/10
    4. Open world ---9/10
    5. Non-linear quests ----10/10
    6. Anonymous, multiple character generation

    The game has great combat, items, and interesting quests and stories. This is basically a better version of the great Spiderweb Software games, meaning it's a big and tightly made masterpiece with negligible flaws. I found the later parts of the story to be much too wordy, however.    … Expand
  96. Noesis
    Apr 4, 2015
    10
    This game quite simply sets new high standards in the world of computer RPGs.
    If you were into old school cRPGs, you must absolutely play it (old gamer from the times of Ultima VII, Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment here). But even if you never played one of those games, you should definitely play Pillars of Eternity as well. Because it does much more than just offering an old formula,    This game quite simply sets new high standards in the world of computer RPGs.
    If you were into old school cRPGs, you must absolutely play it (old gamer from the times of Ultima VII, Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment here). But even if you never played one of those games, you should definitely play Pillars of Eternity as well. Because it does much more than just offering an old formula, it innovates and rethinks an old formula to offer a new modern RPG experience.

    Games like this tell you what an incredible experience you can have by investing into amazing writing quality over voiced lines, incredible stories over mainstream movie-like tropes, hand-painted landscapes over flashy 3D and FX, world building and immersion over cheesy entertainment. It's the difference between being amused by something and being fascinated and involved by something. There's nothing wrong in being amused, but you got to try the difference once in a while...

    As a side note: those who reviewed and gave 0s to this masterpiece have just left a record of their absolute incompetence at evaluating games. Everyone has obviously a right to an opinion, but dumb and incompetent opinions speak much more of those who express them than about the subject of their evaluations...    … Expand
  97. Jose1985
    Apr 4, 2015
    9
    this is the best RPG in years and years. Deep and complex..., you are going to enjoy it as hell if you liked baldur gate. Pure o!d school.Guaranteed hundred of hours of freedom and deep adult content
  98. Skyrar
    Apr 4, 2015
    0
    Pro's:
    - decent story

    Contra:
    - outdated graphics
    - very little voice acting
    - mediocre combat
    - no companions ai
    - bland companions
    - Obsidian changing a part of the game because some people felt offended

    Can't recommend the game. Won't buy any other game from a developer without any integrity like Obsidian.
  99. dimitrii_ss2
    Apr 4, 2015
    6
    they decided to cop-out, when crazy person went on tweeter and decided to spew non-sense . Thanks Obsidian as a backer on Kickstarter that made this game happen, now i need to go and pirate the game to get the full original/ non-edited experience. What i meant to say is **** you, you shouldn't change the game with the majority of 77,000 backers agreeing.
  100. Kanamor
    Apr 4, 2015
    0
    The game showed a lot of potential in it's earlier kickstarter stages. What they released is a steaming pile of junk, riddled with bugs & other imbalances. A new patch was released and QA has gone out of the window. You need to click an object which is required for the main story, but are not able to. Lockpicking is broken. Classes are broken. You can play it if you are a hardcore RPGThe game showed a lot of potential in it's earlier kickstarter stages. What they released is a steaming pile of junk, riddled with bugs & other imbalances. A new patch was released and QA has gone out of the window. You need to click an object which is required for the main story, but are not able to. Lockpicking is broken. Classes are broken. You can play it if you are a hardcore RPG fan, but for everyone else there are better alternatives which have come out of kickstarter (Divinity: Original Sin, Wasteland 2) or show promise ( Torment: Tides of Numenera).… Expand
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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

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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.
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  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]
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