.... Please download a new installer.

My game is the original GOG release, patched to 1.03 using the original GOG patcher. Now after downloading the 1.03 to 1.04 patch, I get the above error. The game is not modded in any way.

This is not logical. If the "original release -> 1.03 -> 1.04" update track does not work and a game re-install is needed, the 1.03 patch should be removed from the site and a notice should be posted.

I'm now going to remove the game, re-install using the current 6.3 GB 1.03 installer, and then upgrade to 1.04.

It does. That's what I am playing right now. I only have the original full installer and patches, installed in this order without any problem:

setup_pillars_of_eternity_2.0.0.1.exe (original 6GB installer)
patch_pillars_of_eternity_2.0.1.2.exe (first patch - 81 MB)
patch_pillars_of_eternity_2.1.0.3.exe (second patch - 81 MB)
patch_pillars_of_eternity_2.1.1.4.exe (this patch - 11 MB)

Hello, it worked fine for me after i read a post on the Obsidian Forum:
http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/77743-104-patch-is-live/page-2
On page 2 it is discussed: use the gog-downloader and reload and install patch 2.1.0.3 first - 82MB, than load and install patch 2.1.1.4 - additional 10MB. And well, it´s done :-)

And only 3-4 topics below was very similar one, http://www.gog.com/forum/pillars_of_eternity/104_this_patch_does_not_support_your_version_of_the_game (Anyway, is the same solution from Rainfarn

I had the same problem. I had 1.0.3 version running. I did the following:

Re-download 1.0.3 patch
Apply 1.0.3 patch - again
Apply 1.0.4
???
Profit.

Yes, indeed. The problem is that I, and people who didn't "repatch using the "new" 1.03 patch on GOG, don't have the 1.03 hotfix, thus the 1.04 installer won't work.

The original 1.03 patch actually was 1.03.524.
The *current* 1.03 patch is 1.03.530. It includes the hotfix, but it seems to have been updated silently. At least, I never noticed.
The *current* 1.03 full game installer is 1.03.530, and the 1.04 patch will take it to 1.04.540.

So, if you have version 1.03.524 (shown in the lower left of the title screen), then redownload and re-install the current 1.03 patch.

Which is GOG's patch_pillars_of_eternity_2.0.1.2.exe Which is GOG's patch_pillars_of_eternity_2.1.0.3.exe

You must always keep in mind, with all games, that GOG installer versions are NOT the official dev versions.

This I must say is something I dislike, the GOG patch system have always been confusing. I've experienced this with other games too, and again now with PoE. If they had listed both 1.03 patches with full version information it would've saved a lot of confusion. And many of us wouldn't have missed the fact that there actually was a newer 1.03 version available.

Oh well, 1.04 applied and all is good :)

They kinda did. Maybe they didn't put big neon markers on it, but the game shows its current version on the main screen in a corner and the patch is properly labeled as well, so it could be obvious.

No they didn't. And the in-game display of the version doesn't help, because GOG doesn't show that information related to the list of available patches. When I look at the download page today, it shows
- Windows Installer, English 1.0.3
- Patch 1.0.3
- Patch 1.0.3 to 1.0.4

Now, I installed a patch called "Patch 1.0.3" (which more specifically is 1.0.3.524) in early April. Since then I have been waiting for 1.0.4 and have been checking the download page regularly. After I applied patch 1.0.3.524, a new "Patch 1.0.3" (actual version 1.0.3.530) was released. The thing is, I never realized this because on the download page the new "Patch 1.0.3" replaced the old "Patch 1.0.3". That is why me and others happily downloaded "Patch 1.0.3 to 1.0.4", and woe and behold! get the error that says "You cannot apply this patch!"

What can GOG do about this? Show all released patches and make it very clear which version they apply, like this:

- Windows Installer, English 1.0.3.530
- Patch 1.0.3.524
- Patch 1.0.3.530
- Patch 1.0.3.530 to 1.0.4.540

This would surely make the world a happier place :)

Or, when Obsidian releases a hotfix, you can patch it in, like the rest of us did. Or if you can't be troubled, wait for the updated installer and re-download/re-install.

I can't be troubled, I usually don't mind waiting for a patch to be released on GOG. And yes, I understand (now, at least) that there are other ways of patching the game. I also understand that I can download and re-install the whole game (but seriously, who wants to download 6+GB each time Obsidian releases a <100MB patch?)

None of this though, change the fact that the patch list on GOG is possibly misleading, and therefore flawed. All I'm asking is that they don't change the content of a patch without making the previous patch available, and clearly stating what the difference is between those patches.

Guess I should bring this rant to GOG instead of the PoE community :)

The patches *are* misleading.

Most people won't check back daily to see if a patch has been silently updated and now has a different version number. People who installed the original 1.03 (as I have), and don't know about the hotfix, will not see that the current 1.03 version is actually newer than the one they have installed. They'll try to install the 1.04 version, and it'll fail.

GOG should denote the correct version numbers to avoid confusion:

Full game installer: 1.03.530.
Patch 1.03 (hotfixed version): 1.02 OR 1.03.524 to 1.03.530
Patch 1.04: 1.03.530 to 1.04.540

This way it's clear what people should be installing. If it had been done this way, it would have been clear that the current 1.03 patch would need to be installed by anyone who is not yet up to version 1.03.530.

Oh wow, you are right. When I downloaded patch 1.03, it still said it's full version number there (1.03.530)! They removed it later... That makes absolutely no sense!