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. Korax
    Apr 4, 2015
    7
    As everybody who marks this lower than an 8, I feel I must justify my taste - I grew up on Infinity Engine cRPGs. All of them, from the first Baldur's Gate to Icewind Dale 2. Hell, just last year I re-played a heavily modded Baldur's Gate 1 TuTu and BG2 and I loved every second of it. I'm also a huge fan of Obsidian. So, when I got this game and "New Game", I was a giddy as a kid in aAs everybody who marks this lower than an 8, I feel I must justify my taste - I grew up on Infinity Engine cRPGs. All of them, from the first Baldur's Gate to Icewind Dale 2. Hell, just last year I re-played a heavily modded Baldur's Gate 1 TuTu and BG2 and I loved every second of it. I'm also a huge fan of Obsidian. So, when I got this game and "New Game", I was a giddy as a kid in a candy store. After years of waiting, I'll finally see two of my favorite things in gaming make a tag-team comeback.

    As it turns out, my enthusiasm didn't last long. The very first dialogue in the game is almost a case study in how not to begin your 60-hour epic that requires nerve and commitment from a very specific player-base. You are immediately bombarded with custom-made fantasy geographical, historical and societal terms that make almost every wall of text a humorless front-loaded slog to read through. A big part of why a classic fantasy setting is so ubiquitous is that familiarity which allows us to immerse ourselves into a new setting with ease. Unfortunately, Obsidian has mashed together a relatively straight-up port of D&D, full of dwarves, elves, sword and sorcery, with a high-fantasy Tolkien-esque attempt to reinvent the wheel in every regard - a new continent! New languages! New histories! New races (if you can count Avatar's Na'vi as new)! New terms for everything - Legacy! Skean! Hollowborn! Woedica! Watcher! Engwithans! Galawain! None of it is too hard to digest, mind you, but when taken in its totality, the game's constant attempts to flesh out its daunting backstory and terminology, rather than its characters and plot kills any immediacy in the game. At about the 30-hour mark, I stopped, read the journal, reviewed everything I learned and realized that I had only the faintest idea why I was on the quest, what my character's motivation was or why I had just tracked half-way across the continent. And that feeling kept coming back, catapulting me out of the experience and making every other new wall of text feel like a history class I walked in on by accident. The story itself, which I won't spoil, is serviceable, but one that I won't remember in T-minus one week. The villain, in particular, is not memorable, only made slightly more interesting through his connection with the player. Planescape, Mask of the Betrayer or Baldur's Gate, this ain't.

    What about the gameplay? It's quite good - the combat is fluid and tactical, with huge replay value. Every class has its own dynamic and the fact that at any point in the game you can create your own party in an inn leads to the fact that no two play-throughs will be the same. I personally rolled with two custom made characters and had a blast. I have two gripes with the combat though - there are no experience points per kill (only per bestiary entry), making it hard to motivate yourself to kill your 300th troll that day. The level of micromanagement is high, and the number of encounters is enormous. If Baldur's Gate 2 had this many fights per square meter, you'd barely be able to leave the first dungeon! It doesn't help that very few encounters can be done on auto-pilot, meaning that you'll have to think about every fight, with no experience rewards and mostly junk loot.

    The art direction in the game is stunning. Incredible detail has been paid to every cobble-stone and bush. You can look for hours and hardly ever notice "assets" being used - only details on beautiful, painstakingly drawn objects and backgrounds. The music is...fine. Nothing to write home about. Same goes for the voice-acting, as rare as it crops up.

    In the end, it was the combat, variety and presentation that made me last through till the end, weirdly enough. The two elements that I routinely praise in Obsidian games - character and story, turned quickly into obstacles to my enjoyment, rather than center-pieces. I finished the game's campaign more out of a sense of obligation and an appreciation for a well-crafted game than a feeling of intrigue or immersion. I can recommend it and Obsidian deserves your support, but I cannot shake the feeling that I lost more time with Pillars, than I got back in true enjoyment.    … Expand
  2. Khitchary
    Apr 3, 2015
    5
    This makes me sad. The difficulty curve in this game is broken. The combat gets so boring. My first 10-15 hours in the game led me to giving it a 9/10. Now that I have played a bit more I have to change it to a 5. It is mediocre at best. BG2 and IWD2 are where its at sadly.
  3. boomba66
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    A tactical, crpg that has you exploring every inch of every map. While it does not have the deep rich history of the forgotten realms to give you those moments of running into characters you have read about for years, it makes up for it in the world building it does on its own. It plays very much like the old infinity games with a few noticeable differences.

    Pro's 1. Great NPC's to tag    A tactical, crpg that has you exploring every inch of every map. While it does not have the deep rich history of the forgotten realms to give you those moments of running into characters you have read about for years, it makes up for it in the world building it does on its own. It plays very much like the old infinity games with a few noticeable differences.

    Pro's
    1. Great NPC's to tag along with you.
    2. Great Story and Character progression
    3. Interesting progression system for gear and skills with a bit of a learning curve.
    4. Really cool story.
    5. Take the NPC's or create your own party feature. This could make re-plays much more viable.
    6. Really great new classes, Cipher and chanter are really neat classes with brand new(overpowered) abilities.

    Cons
    1. Few annoying bugs still
    2. No multiplayer
    3. Stat system is a little weird(tank with a 6 strength)
    4. No Multi-Classing    … Expand
  4. MikeLane
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    I don't give a lot of tens - this is a ten. Classic isomorphic RPG with excellent writing, suitably tough combat, detailed storyline and the joyous immersion of Planescape:Torment, Baldur's Gate and the very best of the golden age of RPGs. If you ever enjoyed an Infinity Engine game, you will love this.
  5. divine1976
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    Only Kick-starter I backed because I'm a fan of Obsidians games and was not disappointed!

    Can only echo previous reviews: Fantastic writing with choice, customisation and a great tactical old school feel.

    If you like old school RPG's like Baldur's Gate, Torment etc, you are probably already playing, but if not, GO AND BUY IT!
  6. genukz
    Apr 3, 2015
    3
    I feel like this game makes more disconcerting then fun generally, thus to me it became rly bo-o-ring in first 2 hours of play, however I've been fascinated with nostalgic impulses at first. Foes are stupid, combat is poorly controlled due to micro-management inside party, there is no real leveling but the player is compulsory has to run through the errands even if they aren't thatI feel like this game makes more disconcerting then fun generally, thus to me it became rly bo-o-ring in first 2 hours of play, however I've been fascinated with nostalgic impulses at first. Foes are stupid, combat is poorly controlled due to micro-management inside party, there is no real leveling but the player is compulsory has to run through the errands even if they aren't that generic... It lack a very Spirit that Baldur's Gate still has. How on the earth You could be able to break into the hireling creation? If this is ever possible to predict everything from totally strange person you just met at some forsaken tavern?… Expand
  7. Wulfburk
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    Best RPG of Obsidian.

    The company has always been shadowed by Bioware and Bethesda, KOTOR 2 to KOTOR 1, NWN2 to NWN1 and New Vegas to Fallout 3 (even though New Vegas is much better than F3) Pillars of Eternity changed the tide. Ever since Mass Effect 2, Bioware has made 4 games, and all 4 of them were utter crap. The atmosphere and the universe, as well as the immersion, of Pillars    Best RPG of Obsidian.

    The company has always been shadowed by Bioware and Bethesda, KOTOR 2 to KOTOR 1, NWN2 to NWN1 and New Vegas to Fallout 3 (even though New Vegas is much better than F3)

    Pillars of Eternity changed the tide. Ever since Mass Effect 2, Bioware has made 4 games, and all 4 of them were utter crap. The atmosphere and the universe, as well as the immersion, of Pillars of Eternity are great and puts Dragon Age to shame.

    The campaign is so great and the universe feels like its been there for a long time, it feels very stabilished. Though different types of games, i felt the same thing when i was playing Mass Effect 1 for the first time. The story unveiling throughout your playthrough improves the game by a lot and you feel very connected to the world and to the plot.    … Expand
  8. Gamernerd
    Apr 3, 2015
    0
    I wanted to like this so much, but the story feels bland and regurgitated. It may have been low budget? but the voice acting is terrible unfortunately. It is completely buggy in it's current state and normally I would be able to let it slide but just adds to the whole unpolished/bland/lacking-pride-in-their-work feeling

    and then the drama of changing a harmless memorial that a backer    I wanted to like this so much, but the story feels bland and regurgitated. It may have been low budget? but the voice acting is terrible unfortunately. It is completely buggy in it's current state and normally I would be able to let it slide but just adds to the whole unpolished/bland/lacking-pride-in-their-work feeling

    and then the drama of changing a harmless memorial that a backer paid 500$ for due to an unruly mobbing of people who didn't back the game but saw something they could get offended for and spazzed out.

    I loved you obsidian :( but this isn't baldur's gate or even in the same tier as it.    … Expand
  9. iamthespark
    Apr 3, 2015
    6
    19 Hours in.

    The good: Character Creator: The level of detail when it comes to choosing race, class, background and social status is outstanding. I enjoyed the creation of my unique character (and others) very much. Animations: There is a lot of detail when watching the characters fight, I really enjoy that. Story: Even after 19 hours in, the story has not yet fully unfolded,    19 Hours in.

    The good:

    Character Creator: The level of detail when it comes to choosing race, class, background and social status is outstanding. I enjoyed the creation of my unique character (and others) very much.

    Animations: There is a lot of detail when watching the characters fight, I really enjoy that.

    Story: Even after 19 hours in, the story has not yet fully unfolded, so I can't comment on it, other than its slow and steady.

    Inventory: The party chest is very helpful and the loot variety is good. Crafting is fun too -- I'm a sucker for finding all the ingredients and seeing what they can make.

    Voice Acting: I am very glad it exists at least; reading walls of text was something I was afraid of doing in this game, and thankfully the gist of the dialogue is voiced.

    Difficulty: The game really wants the player to be careful with each battle; resting is very important, so you'll find yourself camping and buying camping supplies quite often. On Normal, I found this game difficult, only because I'm used to blasting through levels and dungeons with other games.

    Levelling: So much fun! The abilities add strategic value!

    The bad:

    Lack of engaging companions: Hard to say because I only picked up my second companion and I am at the start of the game. The NPC companions don't have much to say yet.

    Lack of Romance: This is a big one for me; travelling around the big world with no romantic interaction is boring. For me the concept of romance has become a core desire in epic RPGs. Playing for 100 hours without it has become tedious.

    Battle after Battle: Expect tons of battles, all the time. Apparently no one just lets you go by and all the animals are out to get you. This also becomes tedious after awhile.    … Expand
  10. 74Dolamite
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing, if you loved old school Baldurs you can't go wrong... A rich story full of funny and witty companions and great combat you will not be disappointed. The combat is very fun & challenging and forces you to use your brain...This brings back memories of Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights but updated for today's consumption.

    Well Done Obsidian    This game is absolutely amazing, if you loved old school Baldurs you can't go wrong... A rich story full of funny and witty companions and great combat you will not be disappointed. The combat is very fun & challenging and forces you to use your brain...This brings back memories of Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights but updated for today's consumption.

    Well Done Obsidian Entertainment masterfully done.    … Expand
  11. Xharlie
    Apr 3, 2015
    4
    My friends and I were gathered around a table, dice at hand. Our dungeon master gave the following advice: "Unless you are excellent at accents, talk normally." In Pillars of Eternity, every voice actor and every script writer could benefit from that advice. All of them sound like Americans trying too hard to force a "cool", nonchalant or wise accent and they all fail miserably. Even theMy friends and I were gathered around a table, dice at hand. Our dungeon master gave the following advice: "Unless you are excellent at accents, talk normally." In Pillars of Eternity, every voice actor and every script writer could benefit from that advice. All of them sound like Americans trying too hard to force a "cool", nonchalant or wise accent and they all fail miserably. Even the written text reads like it was carefully sculpted to give this very impression. The resulting level of immersion is nil and the story falls flat.

    The level of immersion remains bland, throughout, and there are frequent moments that break immersion entirely. Some conversation branches are voiced for one paragraph, not voiced for the next paragraph and then voiced again. All of the voiced sections are read immediately, regardless of the unspoken descriptions that appear in the same paragraph, forcing you to read the paragraph twice or out of order. The narrator is the weakest voice actor of the cast and you are often dropped onto a screen featuring nothing but a sketch and some text that this narrator proceeds to read.

    The game-play offered is also very unsatisfying. The old Infinity Engine games worked because of a simple principle: your party was truly powerful if you were truly cunning. Even if the odds were stacked against you, you could still win by careful planing and preparation, positioning and a bit of luck.

    In Pillars of Eternity, this is not the case. Min-maxing, use of dump-stats and certain party recipes will give you a stupidly over-powered party but, if you don't exploit these, you're actually very very weak and there isn't much you can do about it. You can't prepare for a battle because you can't buff your party outside of combat so reconnaissance is useless. The dungeon design does not really lend itself to ambushes and the like and positioning during the battle seems to have little effect. Even magic is rather unhelpful because nearly every spell is area-of-effect and nearly all of those inflict friendly fire. (In Bladur's Gate, a the perfect spell at the opportune moment could give you a victory in the face of certain failure and the satisfaction that brought was immense!)

    Nearly every encounter follows the same formula: line up your party, send in the tank to "draw" the mobs (being exceptionally careful not to draw more than one encounter-group because there's no way you can handle two at once if you aren't a munchkin), retreat, engage, fire a few uninspiring spells, watch and see.

    Stealth is not only useless, it is also incredibly annoying: you have to put your entire party into stealth-mode to detect traps and you have to do that in every room with containers in it.

    Lastly, be aware that the game has shipped with several disastrous bugs that will ruin your experience if you don't wait for them to be fixed. Even if you do play it, don't play it now!    … Expand
  12. UnorusJanco
    Apr 3, 2015
    6
    This is not a bad CRPG, and is certainly better than Dragon Age. It has very good graphics, good sound and music, good controls and feels very polished... But it lacks originality, immersion, interactivity, or even fun. There is little player agency and few tactical options, and its boring plot and characters don't help either.
    It just fails at what I like about role-playing games, even    This is not a bad CRPG, and is certainly better than Dragon Age. It has very good graphics, good sound and music, good controls and feels very polished... But it lacks originality, immersion, interactivity, or even fun. There is little player agency and few tactical options, and its boring plot and characters don't help either.
    It just fails at what I like about role-playing games, even if as a game it's rather good..    … Expand
  13. decumos
    Apr 3, 2015
    10
    Obsidians, gods of RPGs, return with their new masterpiece! Yes! This is how its done!
    Even small side-quests are well-developed and, more importantly, there are ALWAYS a choice and a controversy. For example, a spirit tell me... scratch that, SHOWS me a vision how he got killed by his friend, stabbed in his back. I decide what a nasty friend was that and that he needs some manners taught    Obsidians, gods of RPGs, return with their new masterpiece! Yes! This is how its done!
    Even small side-quests are well-developed and, more importantly, there are ALWAYS a choice and a controversy. For example, a spirit tell me... scratch that, SHOWS me a vision how he got killed by his friend, stabbed in his back. I decide what a nasty friend was that and that he needs some manners taught into him. So I go to the town and find his friend. However, it turns out that this friend did this because that guy was a cruel dick and was constantly beating his wife.
    Another example: I come to a mill and find that local miller is being harrassed by thugs. Like a good hero, I promise the miller to stop those thugs. I go to the local tavern where thugs are currently reside. But it turns out that those thugs are farmers, and that miller is a douche and a bourgeois scum who buys their wheat at lowest possible price and sells bread at the highest. However, the miller retorts that he sets honest prices, and even gives the bread away for free to those who really needs it.
    And so on and so forth. This is how it SUPPOSED to be in RPGs. I'm so sick of quests like "go bring 50 elfroots" in Dragon Ages, Skyrims and similar games.    … Expand
  14. Akraven
    Apr 3, 2015
    5
    the story is good , characters are good but the overwhelming information is killing me ! English is not mt native language i must say . the fighting system so boring , the wizard and druid and monks have tone of skills that i never used ! it is not a bad game but not so great !
  15. Amfibios
    Apr 2, 2015
    10
    guys this is the real deal! i haven't played a more perfect rpg in years! playing it feels like i'm a kid again where i'd start playing a game and then i'd be so excited and into it that i'd be looking forward to keep playing with every chance i get!
    you may have to neglect your responsibilities if u start playing this, u've been warned!
    i never thought someone would step up nowadays    guys this is the real deal! i haven't played a more perfect rpg in years! playing it feels like i'm a kid again where i'd start playing a game and then i'd be so excited and into it that i'd be looking forward to keep playing with every chance i get!
    you may have to neglect your responsibilities if u start playing this, u've been warned!

    i never thought someone would step up nowadays and make a real old school rpg masterpiece like this, i thought i was doomed to be playing only dragon age-y rpgs from now on.    … Expand
  16. Suzay
    Apr 2, 2015
    8
    A really fun old school RPG. Deserves all the praise it gets. Engagning while super fun gameplaywise. The tactical combat system in particular deserves some very special praise. All in all, awesome.
  17. sodamonster
    Apr 2, 2015
    10
    There are dozens of individual positives about this game that I could go on for hours about, but I'll just boil it down to the top three.

    1) The writing. I can't imagine how long it took them to write such superb dialogue for all that thousands of characters. Never once did I come across a line that I thought was cheesy or out of place. 2) The customization. Your character can be    There are dozens of individual positives about this game that I could go on for hours about, but I'll just boil it down to the top three.

    1) The writing. I can't imagine how long it took them to write such superb dialogue for all that thousands of characters. Never once did I come across a line that I thought was cheesy or out of place.

    2) The customization. Your character can be anyone. With the dynamic character creation system, and how your character progresses with every increase in level, it's amazing how much replay-ability this game has. Add in the disposition and reputations systems, there are complex algorithms at work, changing how every NPC in the game responds to you based on every decision you make. Simply elegant.

    3) The difficulty. Even on normal, on my first time through the game, there are certain fights that take every ounce of strategy and planning that I could muster. Some took several tries. None of these fights are based on luck, which is something I enjoy. It's all about skill. If you can plan and control an encounter, you will come out on top.

    In summary, this game is amazing. Play it now.    … Expand
  18. schmunzel
    Apr 2, 2015
    10
    I am an old timer in cRPGs. I played them all (nearly) and there are few games I loved as much as BG 1 + 2 and PST. I was (!) a huge Bioware fan and I bought every Game of them blindly (well up until DA 3 anyway).
    One of the most important things about Computer Games nowadays is, that they (usually) are not very complex, albeit the presentation is getting better.
    Truthfully POE in my    I am an old timer in cRPGs. I played them all (nearly) and there are few games I loved as much as BG 1 + 2 and PST. I was (!) a huge Bioware fan and I bought every Game of them blindly (well up until DA 3 anyway).
    One of the most important things about Computer Games nowadays is, that they (usually) are not very complex, albeit the presentation is getting better.
    Truthfully POE in my view is a masterpiece. It is very different to BG in a lot of ways (different setting, different ruleset, some aspects of character classes markedly simpler than the D&D rule set), but so far it compares very favourably.
    It is very similar to the BG series in a lot of other ways.
    So far, the strongest pro for me definetively is the story telling. While you can have split opinions about the different rule set ( and a few of the concessions they made to modern gaming habits) I have to say that POEs story, the writing and the world building are absolute top. The world is absolutely believable, lovingly wrought with love for detail, and the companions (anybody remember Kreia?) are among the best I have seen. While they don't surpass PST they very very nearly reached it.
    Brilliant!    … Expand
  19. masc
    Apr 2, 2015
    0
    This game has more bugs one can encounter within the first hour of gameplay than a Chernobyl rat has finger on its hands. And yes, that's why I give this piece of a quality nightmare zero points, because the game is unplayable as of now.

    It is unplayable for me because when I take the time to play something I want to have fun and want to relax and not worry every second about if my    This game has more bugs one can encounter within the first hour of gameplay than a Chernobyl rat has finger on its hands. And yes, that's why I give this piece of a quality nightmare zero points, because the game is unplayable as of now.

    It is unplayable for me because when I take the time to play something I want to have fun and want to relax and not worry every second about if my characters might have stumbled across a debuff bug that kills their racial or class abilities or a buff bug that doubles my weapons properties every time I encounter it. And these are only two examples of dozens of nasty things that can happen to your character. I do not understand how this game could have passed Obsidians quality assurance other than them having none.    … Expand
  20. Dyalad
    Apr 2, 2015
    9
    The game captures the essence of Inifinity Engines games very well.

    The pre-rendered maps with the 3D characters are combined really well, and the graphics look great. The music is, without a doubt, inspired by Baldur's Gate. The story is good, but if one hasn't read the game's lore before playing, it can be difficult sometimes to understand what's going on. A lot of weird words and    The game captures the essence of Inifinity Engines games very well.

    The pre-rendered maps with the 3D characters are combined really well, and the graphics look great. The music is, without a doubt, inspired by Baldur's Gate.

    The story is good, but if one hasn't read the game's lore before playing, it can be difficult sometimes to understand what's going on. A lot of weird words and terms are used in the game to make it sound exotic. IE: a biawac is some kind of soul storm. They do have a dictionary that covers some of the words used in conversations, but not all of them are in there. I think that Dragon Age and Forgotten Realm based games (Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate) are a bit more friendly when it comes to introducing new players to their setting.

    The combat system is interesting. It uses two health systems - HP and Endurance. Both Endurance and HP depletes during a fight, but Endurance regenerates at the end of a fight. HP does not. Depending on your character's class, your HP is can be between 2 and 5 times your total endurance. Essentially, this system allows you to be able to run several encounters without needing to rest after each one. While it's not perfect, it is a big improvement from Baldur's Gate in which you could technically rest after each encounter.

    The game does a good job at displaying consequences to your choices. You can meet NPCs you've saved/spared elsewhere in the game, certain dialogues will be available to you depending on the reputations you've built for yourself.    … Expand
  21. lifeofbrian
    Apr 2, 2015
    9
    This game is amazing.

    Pros - Rich music - Great atmosphere - Lots of dialogue options - Factions (so that you can never do every quest in one playthrough) - Multiple endings for many quests. - Highly replayable - Many different classes to choose from, and a lot of variety for how you can build any given class. - Good writing - Good voice acting (largely) - Interesting    This game is amazing.

    Pros

    - Rich music
    - Great atmosphere
    - Lots of dialogue options
    - Factions (so that you can never do every quest in one playthrough)
    - Multiple endings for many quests.
    - Highly replayable
    - Many different classes to choose from, and a lot of variety for how you can build any given class.
    - Good writing
    - Good voice acting (largely)
    - Interesting companions.

    Cons

    - You have to take your stronghold before you can get 1/2 of the companions.
    - There are only 8 companions (Baldur's Gate 2 had 17 companions)
    - The game forces you to take the stronghold (this is an immersion breaker for people who don't want to be tied down)
    - You can't cast buff spells before battle, but you can cast offensive combat spells and healing spells. This is dumb and breaks immersion. Given that resting (and therefore your ability to cast spells) is supposed to be limited by your access to camping supplies I fail to see why people shouldn't be able to pre-buff, especially given that the game already lets you cast spells outside of combat.
    - Still is buggy. I've had annoying sound issues on occasion.
    - Different priests lack variation regarding spells. A priest of Skaen casts the exact same spells as a priest of any of the other gods. At least Baldur's Gate 2 had a small amount of variety when it came to cleric kits and combat.

    Its definitely not a perfect game, and there are some areas (like companion access) where it should have learned lessons from Baldur's Gate. I'd probably give it an 8.6/10, which rounded makes it a 9/10. Given the total lack of games like it in the last decade its still a welcome addition all the same.    … Expand
  22. qnoppers
    Apr 2, 2015
    10
    I was a backer for this game on Kickstarter, and have very much been looking forward to it. I have played roughly 30 hours of this game since its release, and I do not regret so much as a single second, even though my thesis should technically have been handed in a couple of days ago (those guys at university are not the boss of me).

    I come from the old school infinity engine RPGs, and    I was a backer for this game on Kickstarter, and have very much been looking forward to it. I have played roughly 30 hours of this game since its release, and I do not regret so much as a single second, even though my thesis should technically have been handed in a couple of days ago (those guys at university are not the boss of me).

    I come from the old school infinity engine RPGs, and I regard Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment as the pinnacle(s) of computer roleplaying games, the first with an edge in terms of combat and the latter unrivalled in lore and storytelling. This game combines them. Sure the combat is a bit clunky (like it was back then), but I far prefer the clunky emphasis on strategy and positioning to the button mashing of some newer RPGs (like DA2 and 3, which are terrible games partly because of it, and the Witcher 2, which is a great game in spite of it). The new types of classes also work very well, and definitely add to the gameplay.

    POE does not have the well known epic lore of Forgotten Realms, and I was afraid this would be an issue for me, but so far the world seems well constructed, credible and feels consistent.

    The NPCs are a selling point for this game. They do not feel generic NPCs, but like actual companions, they have their own reasons for following you, and the characters have stories that you can delve into if you care for it.

    If there is one thing I do consider sub-par, it would be the voice acting. It is not terrible, it is just not as good as that of David Warner or Jim Cummings. I saw a guy giving this game a score of 3 solely based on bad voice acting and him preferring European accents over American. That is completely undeserved; the voice acting is mediocre at worst and definitely not reason enough for bashing this game. It is a shame though, as the writing is really good.

    All fans of the old infinity engine games need should play this game. I give it my warm recommendation and I am looking forward to replaying it again and again. Also my expectations for Tides of Numenera have increased greatly because of it.    … Expand
  23. Hety
    Apr 2, 2015
    9
    Well... it was worth waiting for this masterpiece. I funded PoE on kickstarter and its one of those titles that delivered. But lets get to the point:

    The good: 1. Story is good, so far it kept me on the edge and i even missed a few sidequests coz i wanted to progress faster, which rarely happens. 2. Characters are mostly good. Interactions and banters are there and they make sense. I    Well... it was worth waiting for this masterpiece. I funded PoE on kickstarter and its one of those titles that delivered. But lets get to the point:

    The good:
    1. Story is good, so far it kept me on the edge and i even missed a few sidequests coz i wanted to progress faster, which rarely happens.
    2. Characters are mostly good. Interactions and banters are there and they make sense. I strongly suggest to play this game on normal or hard first, so you can beat it with NPC's in party.
    3. The World. Should have been number 1 i guess, but still. Its deep, its huge and i'm reading the books that are lying around. Havent done that since BG i guess.
    4. Backgrounds are gorgeous. The IE style thingies look like paintings and still have the 3D look to them. Its not for everyone, but i just love it.
    5. Choices. Its no long the question of doing the quests in the diplomatic way and then killing everyone for the experience bonus. Nah, you can safely go the pacifistic route and wont miss much in terms of gear and nothing in terms of experience. My inner munchkin cried over this one, but its all for the good as i see now.
    6. Roleplaying is quite deep, we have consequences to our actions. At the same time there is freedom of choice. Actually you can just kill everyone if you want to and progress through the game normally. How about that?
    7. Tactical combat is there and its good. Not superb, but good.'llt touch it in the ugly part :)
    8. Almost all classes play differently, which is a huge leap if we compare PoE to BG1/2.

    The bad:
    1. Still minmaxers paradise, sadly. Obsidian tried to disconnect base stats from physical attributes, but due to system quirks and the way how combat works maxing 2 or 3 of them works best. Hope mods will fix that.
    2. Bugs. They will be fixed by Obsidian and modders, but they are there.

    The ugly:
    1. Drastic changes to combat systems that people either love or hate. Engagement for example (which can be disabled altogether by mods, YAY)/
    2. Class balance is so-so. Some of them just don't work like we hope they will. More of a perception problem than bad game design.
    3. Music is OK at best. Its fine, it has the mood, but nothing major.    … Expand
  24. CashGrabs
    Apr 2, 2015
    0
    Are you old school maniac like I am ? Do you know the feeling of playing one of these superb rpgs for the first time ? Every fight fresh and unique. New quests, lands, interesting stuff.

    All of it ruined by bugs. Yet again. Kick starter or not they just sell broken products. The game in it's current state IS NOT PLAYABLE. I am half way through the game on the hardest possible mode and    Are you old school maniac like I am ? Do you know the feeling of playing one of these superb rpgs for the first time ? Every fight fresh and unique. New quests, lands, interesting stuff.

    All of it ruined by bugs. Yet again. Kick starter or not they just sell broken products. The game in it's current state IS NOT PLAYABLE. I am half way through the game on the hardest possible mode and the game is still too easy. Guess what ? There is a bug that gives your party extra stats so my tank is invincible. I feel cheated. I paid 40 Euro for this experience and guess what ? It's broken.

    There is that cool castle also with a quest in it. Too bad you will have to skip it because once you get in you can't get out :) When did you save last ? oh 4h ago. Well sorry We at obsidian entertainment got your cash already SO WE DON'T GIVE A FLYING ***

    Another one: if you double click on an item to equip it your character will PERMANENTLY lose all bonus stats.

    THIS IS BORDER LINE RIDICULOUS.

    DON'T RUIN THE EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF. THERE IS ONLY 1 FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH AN RPG LIKE THIS AND IT'S GONE FOR ME. BEFORE THE TIME THEY FIX ALL THE ISSUES IT WILL BE AVAILABLE HALF PRICE SO DON'T PAY FULL NOW TO WORK FOR THEIR FREE TESTING.    … Expand
  25. Zarunil
    Apr 2, 2015
    10
    The best thing to happen to the cRPG genre since Baldur's Gate 2. Beautifully hand-drawn backgrounds, interesting characters with great voice acting, a nice new twist on the classic D&D ruleset, an interesting storyline and much more.
  26. Samaray
    Apr 1, 2015
    10
    Such a fantastic game! Yes maybe the graphics could have been better and annoyances here and there do not make it a flawless game. However, considering the fact that they made this game without a publisher and trying something that has not been done for many years and meeting the expectations of the backers that wanted this game is pretty impressive. I can't wait to see how good it turnsSuch a fantastic game! Yes maybe the graphics could have been better and annoyances here and there do not make it a flawless game. However, considering the fact that they made this game without a publisher and trying something that has not been done for many years and meeting the expectations of the backers that wanted this game is pretty impressive. I can't wait to see how good it turns out if they decide to make POE into a franchise. It is safe to say then that Pillars of Eternity 2 will be just as good as Baldur's gate 2 if they put the same effort.… Expand
  27. Speedball
    Apr 1, 2015
    10
    Overall a game the delivers on all the Kickstarter promises and stands out as an exceptional cRPG, especially in comparison to genre that lauds things like DA:I as RPG of the year. The variety of backgrounds, classes, and cultures provides ample space for writing your own story (unhampered by preset PCs or full voice acting). I recommend this game without reservation for anyone wanting aOverall a game the delivers on all the Kickstarter promises and stands out as an exceptional cRPG, especially in comparison to genre that lauds things like DA:I as RPG of the year. The variety of backgrounds, classes, and cultures provides ample space for writing your own story (unhampered by preset PCs or full voice acting). I recommend this game without reservation for anyone wanting a deep narrative and mechanically nuanced role playing game.… Expand
  28. RaZeLSKi
    Apr 1, 2015
    10
    I have played Baldurs Gate many times, even Enhanced Editions, I just love that games. What I did not realise was that I will be playing Baldurs Gate on steroids soon enough. Obsidian took what was great in it, enhanced everything else and Pillars of Eternity was born. Beautiful locations, great story and mechanics. When bard first join my team I thought it would be a mage with differentI have played Baldurs Gate many times, even Enhanced Editions, I just love that games. What I did not realise was that I will be playing Baldurs Gate on steroids soon enough. Obsidian took what was great in it, enhanced everything else and Pillars of Eternity was born. Beautiful locations, great story and mechanics. When bard first join my team I thought it would be a mage with different spells. But no, each class has unique mechanics and it makes the game even greater. Each level and there are 12 makes a difference, and experience is made such way, that on hard you have more epic battles without exping to fast.

    It is a must for each RPG fan, but remember it is a real RPG. It is hard, but gives much satisfaction, you need to read a lot and will not suit everyone. So think about it before you will buy it. For me it is worth every cent I gave for it. And I wait for more.    … Expand
  29. ErobererZim
    Apr 1, 2015
    4
    Unfortunataly just an average game, a Baldurs Gate "light".

    I played Baldurs Gate back then, I loved the Forgotten Realm-Setting and the aD&D-Ruleset. PoE won't give you that. Obsidian created a new fanatsy-universe with its own rules and gamemechanics. PoE is Baldurs Gate's son, who did everything to fallow his fathers footsteps to make him proud, but simply hadn't the talent to begin    Unfortunataly just an average game, a Baldurs Gate "light".

    I played Baldurs Gate back then, I loved the Forgotten Realm-Setting and the aD&D-Ruleset. PoE won't give you that. Obsidian created a new fanatsy-universe with its own rules and gamemechanics. PoE is Baldurs Gate's son, who did everything to fallow his fathers footsteps to make him proud, but simply hadn't the talent to begin with to become what he was.

    Pros:
    -Overall good art design
    -Kinda good music
    -The story seems to be okey so far
    -Very aesthetic UI
    -You can only rest a couple of times in the wilds

    Con:
    -Tons of gamebraking bugs
    -German localization is a MESS. You have grammatical mistakes and misspellings in almost every single dialogue. Feels like they partly used a auto translater for this game, I'm serious right now. Or someone translated it who's motherlanguage isn't german
    -Therefore you are kinda forced to play in english
    -New Fantasy Universe with a lot of creepy races you don't give a **** about (no orcs, gnomes halfelves and so on, but some fishman and ... ratpeople? Or what are these little freeks supposed to look like? Also you can play as a alien in the game, called godlikes)
    -Only 8 (boring) follower to can recruit. All I encountered so far seem to be dull and boring, I don't really care about them. You can ask them tons of questions about their past, but other then that they don't seem to have much dialogues.
    -NO ROMANCES. You lazy asses. Sorry
    -Dialogues are strange, you can search in someones soul for information about is life he had before, which is A LOT of text, that doesn't have to to anything with the plot in the slightest. It's so interesting like reading a book in Baldurs Gate.

    -You have also a bazillion gestures and discriptions about what's your counterpart look like in the dialogues, or what he's doing at the moment, like:

    John walkes down the street, he scratches his kin. Then he notices you: "Oh hello there", he says.

    And **** like that, which is really annoying and uninteresting to read.

    Well, thats good enough for so far I suppose. It's a kinda good game, especially for 26€ you can't do anything wrong. But don't expect a second Baldurs Gate experiance. This game won't give you that.    … Expand
  30. kofelovr
    Apr 1, 2015
    1
    It's an okay game, but not a spiritual successor to the IE games. Really disappointed, but life moves on. Getting ready to start another replay of Baldur's Gate to satisfy the itch.
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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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