Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Deadfire is a sequel to Pillars of Eternity. That’s important. It is not a second attempt to recreate an Infinity Era RPG. Rather, it looks at what PoE did and strives to improve on it. Baldur’s Gate purists might dislike some of the changes, but the end result is, for the most part, a better game. Deadfire addresses pretty much every complaint I had about PoE: pacing is better, quests are intricately designed, items are unique and interesting, quality over quantity approach. The core of the game have seen plenty of improvements. There is multiclassing, which acts more like rebranding of PoE system – while single class characters aren’t as flexible, the new system is more intuitive and does allow for new synergies. Some leftovers from table-top system were removed – skills are mostly per-combat and health system has been simplified (personally not in favour of the latter one). Companions have much less to say in individuals conversations, and instead tend to join conversations when talking to NPCs, providing a better pacing and make them feel more present throughout the game. However, it is not all roses. While Deadfire addressed all shortcomings of PoE, it also lacks some of what made PoE worth experiencing. An open-world structure and a reactive implementation of companions resulted in narrative of Deadfire lacking focus and momentum. It is not per say, that writing in Deadfire is bad – there is a lot of good in it. But giving a lot of control to the player, meant narrative contrains. A lot of thought and care was put into the world of Deadfire, but it doesn’t communicate it’s ideas very well. A loose structure of the title could be tied up nicely with a strong finale, but unfortunately the game ends on something close to a SequelTease. PoE’s strong vision managed to overcome game’s many shortcomings. Deadfire makes for a much more enjoyable ride, but it’s lacks meaning necessary to make the gray and complicated world of Eora relatable. All DLCs recommended.

It does improve in several aspects: gameplay, graphics, QoL... but it´s not as good as the first one. The main story, sidequest, plot... which are for me the main reason for playing this type of games felt boring and small in comparison to PoE 1. Most quests felt like little skirmishes and the ship minigame was never fun for me. The "Forgotten Sanctum" and "Beast of Winter" Dlcs were a really nice addition and the best part of the game. Side note: Can't understand the decision to make your companions present in the first game return with low level, it completely breaks the immersion in the world for someone who has played PoE 1, this could've easily be "fixed" by getting them to join your party much later in the game and with higher level.

I enjoyed the game, but there are enough flawes in it that can lower the enjoyment quite a lot. They streamlined the game's mechanics and I quite liked that. Many buffs and debuffs got categorized into afflictions (debuffs) and inspirations (buffs) for each attribute. I liked that change as it helps keeping things ordered. There are still unique effects outside these categories, so it doesn't constrict the effects too much. They also overhauled the armor system. Armor no longer reduces damage by a flat amount but by a percentage, depending on the penetration value of the attack compared to the armor, which makes armor and penetration more useful than in the first game. Most companions are interesting. Each time you recruit a companion you get to choose one of three class-options. This helps fill gaps in the group. Everyone has a unique personality and react to each other. These interactions can be interesting but can also cause problems. Not all companions work well together. To adress that, there are "sidekicks" who do not participate in the relationship system. They also do not interact with you much, after they have been recruited, which is a disappointment. The four factions and their struggle is crafted very nicely. No faction is completely good or bad, not even the pirates. All have their interests in the area and it is up to the player to decide which faction to support. Each faction has its own questline and those are usually interesting to follow. The main questline about the rampaging god on the other hand is not. It consist of "go to A and talk to god" followed by "now go to B and talk to god" etc. And now my biggest peeve with the game: the ship. Exploring the seas gets old pretty fast. Especially because of the supply/upkeep system. That upkeep does not contribute to the depth of the game, it is simply annoying. Naval battles are also boring. Most effective is boarding which throws the naval battle over board.

My only grievence with this game is that the companion quests were terribly underwhelming. But the story itself is more focused, the quests are memorable and it doesn't feel like something I've seen countless times thanks to the setting. There's a lot to love about PoE2 - the combat system, the humor, the conflicts, the relationships between NPCs feel more tangible. I had a lot of trouble roleplaying my character in the first game, in this one it really felt like I was a part of the world. + pet birb!!!!

I consider Pillars 1 the gold standard for modern crpgs. It has a unique world, a world that asks you interesting questions and it gives you the freedom to answer them however you choose. Pillars 2 is in some places ahead of the first game and in some places behind. Improvements Customization: new character and class customization options make creating characters a lot more fun and involved than the first game, and most other CRPGs aside from it. Graphics: Looks absolutely gorgeous with new technology and attention to detail while still keeping the art design from the first game, although it does suffer from some strange performance issues occasionally. Combat: Combat is more dynamic and fun than ever before, with a wider variety of options open to you, a new explosive item type, new weapons and proficiency abilities for them, it's almost incomparable to the first game. Overall: Characters will react in conversation based on your dialogue choices. There's now a cooking skill that allows you to craft food for unique stat bonuses when you camp. The game is fully voice acted. The world feels more alive than ever. Unfortunately, it does fail in some areas. There were places in Pillars 1 where it became jarringly obvious it was a kickstarter game, but it was mainly things you could ignore, graves with memes on them, backer npcs, etc. Pillars 2 is more like a kickstarter game where they were struggling to meet stretch goals. There are less companions than the first game, but now there are "sidekicks", companions with little dialogue, no companion quests, and greatly reduced interactivity. One of the "full" companions, Tekehu, is missing a companion quest. The story, too, is less impressive, with bickering gods hassling you to do their bidding and warring factions doing much the same, with the ultimate ending being something you're not empowered to stop. I enjoyed it, but less than the original. Overall, a fantastic CRPG, but with some unfortunate flaws.