While I have some bones with the narrative, there's no denying the combat, dialog, and exploration in Pillars of Eternity II is an absolute masterwork. It's a worthy successor to the first, which is one of my favorite RPGs of all time. If you like CRPGs for their combat, this game is a buffet of character building goodness, with one of the most rich and satisfying multiclass systems I've ever encountered.
A "more of the same" comment may seem shallow and even negative, but when it comes to further building out PoE's fascinating universe and lore while supplementing it with rock-solid dialogue and a bevy of role-playing choices, Deadfire rightfully deserves such a byline. Still, some additions, like ship combat, feel half-baked, but are bypassable in a way as to not hamper overall enjoyment. Like its predecessor, I look forward to rolling a new character ad nausem.
Very competently made as a CRPG mechanically and the narrative is very interesting. Sadly it falls behind in establishing many interesting characters. Other than the ones from the first game, there is very little to hook onto. The character interaction is is very lackluster and difficult to understand what triggers it as well. I beat the game with a profound sense of anti-climax despite the lofty implications.
I didn't like the second game at all, just like I didn't like the first game. The gameplay of Pillars of Eternity's series feels very dated to me. While the first game tried to copy Baldur's Gate, the second game tried to copy Divinity Original Sin. Again, the game doesn't feel original at all and the story is very confusing. The story takes itself too seriously and bores with unnecessary details. The turn-based mode doesn't work well and the real-time combat is a horrible mess. There are some improvements over the first game but not enough. I wish they had continued with Tyranny instead of this series, it had so much more potential. The Pillars of Eternity series is just a collection of ideas from all the old RPGs in a similar genre with mediocre gameplay that never feels original and they're no fun.
Looks and sound
In terms of visuals it looks very beautiful. It feels like a massive and direct upgrade over Pillars I in this sense. Everything seems to have more detail and the lighting in particular stands out. There are just these moments when I have to stop to marvel at a location and take a screenshot. The spell and ability effects also look a lot better.
The 3d models for the characters are also improved a lot over the weird blobs I saw in Pillars I. Most importantly though, I think this game has a lot of visual clarity which was much appreciated coming from Pillars I where it became quite difficult to distinguish between companions and enemies when the who area was surrounded by spell affects
The areas are expansive and well detailed. There's just a lot many places to visit compared to I and they look way better. The environment does not follow the 'pseudo-traditional' but dull fantasy look of I but instead shows a vibrant tropical-island setting with some pirate aesthetics. There are also deserts, snowy cliffs and burn molten areas next to a volcano adding to the variety.
The soundtrack overall feels like an improvement to Pillars I with some caveats. The emotional, environmental and non-combat themes have a lot more variety than Pillars I but I heavily disliked the combat music. The only combat music that I liked here were repeat tracks from Pillars I or the White March
The game is fully voiced which is a huger step up from Pillars I but it can be hit or miss. Most of the important characters are well voiced, especially the companions though some side-characters and NPC voices feel stilted. I like the regional accents and variations for different factions and nations with the voice acting. The sound effects are pretty good but nothing special
Combat
I have only played this game in turn-based mode so far. Some of the issues I will mention here do not exist in RTWP from what little I tried of it.
There are a lot of returning abilities spells with newer ones added giving the game a good amount of variety to work with.
I like how spells are encounter based instead of rest based. This makes the gameplay less limiting imo. I however dislike the way cast time is implemented in turn-based mode where it takes a few turns from other characters before a spell is cast which makes the turn-based mode even longer than it should be. I used the faster cast mod from Nexus to speed things up but it also made certain fights unbalanced. I also dislike how weapon-switching takes a proper action turn which again slows the combat down. I used the free action switch mod from the steam workshop to fix this.
The combat encounters have not been rebalanced or redesigned for turn-based at all. Fights with many allies can turn into forever of waiting for those 10 allies to complete their turns making the game very slow
Overall, turnbased is fun but unbalanced at times
Story and worldbuilding
PIllars II is a direct sequel to I and it does that part very well. There's an option to import a save file from I or simulate your decisions and the way these decisions lead to changes in II really helps make the world seem more natural and make the choices of the player matter more. It even accounts for DLC choices which was a pleasant surprise.
One of my complaints on pillars I was how the world felt like generic fantasy at the start. This isn't an issue here. The game starts with the watcher dying to a god, walking through something close to an afterlife, coming back and entering a locations consisting of tropical islands. The introduction is interesting and more direct to the watcher than some random old dude doing funky stuff in the woods. The central conflict of the gods takes the forefront here and the story is all the more better for it since I felt that the gods were some of the most interesting worldbuilding aspects of the games.
There are 4 factions, each different with a unique questline that entwines with the main questline and has massive consequences on the ending. There are around 6-7 companions with 3 returning from I. Companion questlines, dialogues and relationships are more expanded now.
The choices offered here for the questlines and the companions offer a huge variety and have a pretty big impact on what happens be it the entirety of Eroa or a companions future.
There is more detail in the setting here and I appreciate it a lot. I won't go over it here but Eora is one of my favorite settings.
In terms of visuals it looks very beautiful. It feels like a massive and direct upgrade over Pillars I in this sense. Everything seems to have more detail and the lighting in particular stands out. There are just these moments when I have to stop to marvel at a location and take a screenshot. The spell and ability effects also look a lot better.
The 3d models for the characters are also improved a lot over the weird blobs I saw in Pillars I. Most importantly though, I think this game has a lot of visual clarity which was much appreciated coming from Pillars I where it became quite difficult to distinguish between companions and enemies when the who area was surrounded by spell affects
The areas are expansive and well detailed. There's just a lot many places to visit compared to I and they look way better. The environment does not follow the 'pseudo-traditional' but dull fantasy look of I but instead shows a vibrant tropical-island setting with some pirate aesthetics. There are also deserts, snowy cliffs and burn molten areas next to a volcano adding to the variety.
The soundtrack overall feels like an improvement to Pillars I with some caveats. The emotional, environmental and non-combat themes have a lot more variety than Pillars I but I heavily disliked the combat music. The only combat music that I liked here were repeat tracks from Pillars I or the White March
The game is fully voiced which is a huger step up from Pillars I but it can be hit or miss. Most of the important characters are well voiced, especially the companions though some side-characters and NPC voices feel stilted. I like the regional accents and variations for different factions and nations with the voice acting. The sound effects are pretty good but nothing special
Combat
I have only played this game in turn-based mode so far. Some of the issues I will mention here do not exist in RTWP from what little I tried of it.
There are a lot of returning abilities spells with newer ones added giving the game a good amount of variety to work with.
I like how spells are encounter based instead of rest based. This makes the gameplay less limiting imo. I however dislike the way cast time is implemented in turn-based mode where it takes a few turns from other characters before a spell is cast which makes the turn-based mode even longer than it should be. I used the faster cast mod from Nexus to speed things up but it also made certain fights unbalanced. I also dislike how weapon-switching takes a proper action turn which again slows the combat down. I used the free action switch mod from the steam workshop to fix this.
The combat encounters have not been rebalanced or redesigned for turn-based at all. Fights with many allies can turn into forever of waiting for those 10 allies to complete their turns making the game very slow
Overall, turnbased is fun but unbalanced at times
Story and worldbuilding
PIllars II is a direct sequel to I and it does that part very well. There's an option to import a save file from I or simulate your decisions and the way these decisions lead to changes in II really helps make the world seem more natural and make the choices of the player matter more. It even accounts for DLC choices which was a pleasant surprise.
One of my complaints on pillars I was how the world felt like generic fantasy at the start. This isn't an issue here. The game starts with the watcher dying to a god, walking through something close to an afterlife, coming back and entering a locations consisting of tropical islands. The introduction is interesting and more direct to the watcher than some random old dude doing funky stuff in the woods. The central conflict of the gods takes the forefront here and the story is all the more better for it since I felt that the gods were some of the most interesting worldbuilding aspects of the games.
There are 4 factions, each different with a unique questline that entwines with the main questline and has massive consequences on the ending. There are around 6-7 companions with 3 returning from I. Companion questlines, dialogues and relationships are more expanded now.
The choices offered here for the questlines and the companions offer a huge variety and have a pretty big impact on what happens be it the entirety of Eroa or a companions future.
There is more detail in the setting here and I appreciate it a lot. I won't go over it here but Eora is one of my favorite settings.
i can never get into these. its like im always being punished for doing something wrong but i dont know what it is which kinda feels like the antithesis of what these games are supposed to feel like? ill probably pick it back up in 5 months and love it though because thats just the phase of life that i am in apparently
Fun game in a GREAT setting.
I don't love the pirate setting/theme as much as the more standard fantasy from the first one, but it's still really fun.
Pros:
- Good story + Writing
- Great Characters
- Fun Combat
Cons:
- Don't love the pirate setting - not a total turnoff, just not what i would have liked to continue THIS characters story. Would have been better to have this setting in a new triolgy rather than the sequel (IMO of course).
I don't love the pirate setting/theme as much as the more standard fantasy from the first one, but it's still really fun.
Pros:
- Good story + Writing
- Great Characters
- Fun Combat
Cons:
- Don't love the pirate setting - not a total turnoff, just not what i would have liked to continue THIS characters story. Would have been better to have this setting in a new triolgy rather than the sequel (IMO of course).
Arguably the most beautiful isometric-ish games ever. The lighting is stunning, the maps are filled with details, animations and interesting objects and characters. I wanted to take screenshots of every single location. Even a dark cave looks interesting thanks to the dynamic lighting (Xoti’s lantern is a great showcase for that).
Deadfire is also a big step up in terms of the overworld map. I quite liked the stronghold mechanics of the first game but the fantasy of having your own ship and crew and just explore a whole region is undeniable.
In terms of story, the main quest is clearly an afterthought compared to the factions and side quests the game offers. It’s also different in mood and tone, and whichever you prefer depends on the type of player you are.
So, overall, a great sequel that looks amazing, and trades moodiness and a very complex main quest for freedom and exploration. A mustplay for CRPG fans, for sure.
Deadfire is also a big step up in terms of the overworld map. I quite liked the stronghold mechanics of the first game but the fantasy of having your own ship and crew and just explore a whole region is undeniable.
In terms of story, the main quest is clearly an afterthought compared to the factions and side quests the game offers. It’s also different in mood and tone, and whichever you prefer depends on the type of player you are.
So, overall, a great sequel that looks amazing, and trades moodiness and a very complex main quest for freedom and exploration. A mustplay for CRPG fans, for sure.