Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition

It took me nearly two hours to create my character in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition. A sliver of that time was devoted towards determining whether or not I should fine-tune my character’s history from the first Pillars of Eternity. I could choose a handful of broad estimations, all of which I barely understood. I was able decide what fate I chose for those who were born without souls and what gods I sided with. Overwhelmed, I decided to craft a more detailed character by choosing from individual options that went into the fates of companions I never met and distant lands I had never visited. Apparently Pillars of Eternity II could be heavily influenced by the events in the first game. Who knew, right?

Eventually I decided to abandon my fool’s errand and simply thought about a life where I had played the first game and imported that character into this sequel. For a person like me who loves deeply engaging, plot-driven choices that ripple throughout the narrative, I felt a twinge of panic but bit the bullet and chose the blanket “good guy” option because I find it agonizing to be mean in a game when given the option (sorry Renegade Captain Shepard, I’ll never know thee).

Don’t let my anxiety get the better of you, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is not a beast with gnashing teeth that attacks anyone unfamiliar with it. Outside of online reading materials, Deadfire is a game that is flooded with lore, character development, and story. At first, it seems terrifying. After all, how would you feel about being dropped into a new world, grasping for meaning? As an intricate sequel to an equally intricate title, developer Obsidian Entertainment places enough training wheels in Deadfire to ease you into this exciting universe that may become your home over the next 100-plus hours.

Deadfire sees players reprise their role as the Watcher of Caed Nua, who became involved in the plague called the Hollowborn Crisis, where children across the land of Eora were born without souls. The Watcher would become involved in a conflict among the gods, with the god Eothas taking the spotlight. Eothas has awakened again, now with a towering body that destroys the Watcher’s castle at Caed Nua, heading north through the Deadfire Archipelago.

Obsidian Entertainment’s passion for the cRPG and tabletop adventures bleeds through every pore of Deadfire. This is a game where players shape and mold the world with their choices, helping or hindering any character or situation they deem worthy. That is apparent through every new plot twist or beach players encounter.

Again, this is a game where I spent an ungodly amount of time not customizing my Watcher’s appearance but piecing together what kind of lead they would be. The minutiae of race, combat proficiency, and class are just a sampling of what will influence base stats that transform combat and dialog choices. I scanned through skill trees, able to see what kind of abilities I would learn over the course of Deadfire and couldn’t believe how incredibly badass many of them sounded. Eventually I landed on the Chanter, who could summon skeletons and monsters to come to the aid of my party.

To go the extra mile, players are able to equip subclasses and double up on another class, but with the sacrifice of not being able to specialize in the highest level skills of one class. This same logic also applies to any party members you decide to invest in. What I really appreciated was Obsidian’s tooltips that suggested whether certain actions were advisable for new players.

Combat allows players to engage enemies in two different ways: turn-based or real-time with the ability to pause. Personally, I prefer the latter and considering it was originally the only option available when Deadfire launched on PC, it makes sense. Juggling five party members and yourself would get undeniably hectic, especially with more intense battles on harder difficulties. Obsidian has introduced the ability to tune party AI so players can assign when a party member performs a certain action. The system is expansive and rewards players willing to invest the time into bringing out their party’s strengths. The real-time with pause also makes harder difficulties more strategic, since players can take note of a combat situation and adjust. Further customization allows players to choose what actions will initiate a pause, such as coming across a trap or getting a character to a low health threshold. One unfortunate thing is that the combat style can’t be changed after the game starts, so be certain of what you’re going to choose.

Not every situation requires a sword or a spell, however. Your Watcher can use stealth to their advantage or possibly negotiate their way out of a fight depending on what kind of skills you’ve invested in. Across the various islands of the Deadfire Archipelago, players will encounter dungeons riddled with traps and scores of fascinating monsters. The game’s aesthetic is instantly alluring, with the grounded thrill-seeking adventure of a pirate’s life butting heads with a world dragons, necromancy, killer ooze, and gods as tall as skyscrapers.

As players board their ships, they will navigate the open waters in search of side quests and secrets. I was surprised at how extensive the world of Eora and the Archipelago were. Being able to travel to numerous locations that all felt different but thematically sound often made it hard to not become distracted from the main quest. Despite its beauty and the opportunities to further dive into the lore of Pillars of Eternity, some players may become exhausted by the sheer amount of things to do or left wanting more from quests. With such a big game, it might not be surprising that some elements of the narrative fall a bit short. The four factions players deal with that help shape the ending aren’t wildly inventive but allow the Watcher to have further influence in the world. While the companion quests were mostly satisfying, I loved how dynamic my party felt. You always felt like a decision could impact whether one character would hate you and leave your party, or strengthen your bond. Ship to ship combat unfolds in a turn-based manner that focuses heavily on text. Players manage ship health and positioning while timing when to fire cannons or ram the other ship. If both ships survive, the battle switches back to traditional combat where the crew of both ships engage in isometric fighting.

Managing the crew of your ship was a meta-game that I loved taking part in. Not only does your ship provide several avenues for upgrading, you need to work to keep the crew happy. NPCs around the world may be looking for a ship in need of a crew member and players can seek out those who are proficient in skills like cooking, surgery, and navigating. Trading supplies and making your ship profitable will improve the morale of everyone on board, preventing any possibility of a mutiny. While I enjoyed this part of Deadfire‘s sea-faring theme, I wasn’t as thrilled about its naval combat. During certain points in the story, players may come across moments where decisions are made and played out in a choose your own adventure style bit of text. These quick and fun moments further increase your decision making but also provide smaller alternative paths.

Cheers have to go out for the extensive voice acting provided in Deadfire. To buffer the strong writing, Obsidian also partnered up with Critical Role, who are well-known for their work on bringing D&D to life and many noteworthy characters in gaming. Nearly every line is voiced, making Deadfire feel like a true tabletop adventure come to life. Oh, and the 90 minutes of fully-orchestrated music and 30 minutes of sea shanties make it impossible not to feel like some mystical Jack Sparrow.

Console players who come into Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire with the Ultimate Edition are treated to three massive DLCs that became available on PC. Beast of Winter focuses on a village atop an iceberg, introducing new areas and a new party member. The Seeker, Slayer, Survivor DLC sends players across the Archipelago to seek out artifacts that can be used in a new combat arena. Here, players will face a number of challenges that show off old foes and new creatures to expand upon the game’s combat and test players’ skills. The Forgotten Sanctum is the final piece of DLC that introduces a new storyline involving a dragon rider sending the Watcher and their crew to the Black Isles to stop a potential catastrophe from a dangerous Archmage.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire may feel like a daunting game, especially for newcomers. The branching storylines and miles-deep character and world customization are soul food for players yearning for experiences similar to 90’s cRPGs like Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale. Obsidian Entertainment is a master of this craft, knowing that the best way to draw in players are vivid worlds unlike any other and unforgettable stories. Console players shouldn’t be intimidated by a game with its roots in anything but a controller. Menus, combat, and controls are surprisingly easy to navigate and the game runs incredibly well. Having all the updated content only further adds to the value of an already valuable package. If you’re willing to wade in these salty waters, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition is worth its weight in gold.