A pirate head and a pirate heartĬharacter interactions are a huge part of Pillars II, but they don't represent how you'll actually play the game. But a pop-up screen informed me that I could make him into a fighter, a rogue, or even a mix of the two (called, appropriately, a "swashbuckler.") Now equipped with two daggers and the ability to disarm traps, a superfluous character from the first game became one of my boon companions in the second. When a party member first joins, you'll get to select his or her class - and this is such a subtly brilliant design decision, I can't believe I've never seen it before.įor example, when Edér, a warrior from the first game, joined my party, I rolled my eyes I was playing a sword-and-shield fighter myself, and didn't need a second one. You can even customize your party members to a much greater extent than before. This makes the whole experience feel organic and unpredictable, rather than simply trying to max out reputation points for in-game rewards. You also never know in advance how your actions will affect your standing among the major political powers, or your party members. As such, your best option is to role-play your character and let the chips fall where they may. The game doesn't tell you which decisions you make will influence which attributes. Pillars II doesn't want to punish players it wants them to experiment and have fun. You can even import a save file from the first game (or re-create one during the prologue), which can affect everything from calling in a favor from the gods, to which characters will (re)join your party. If you're a patient and diplomatic sort, you may be able to talk your way out of otherwise impossible situations. If you're a bruiser who knocks heads first and ask questions later, foes may back down when they see you coming. Characters in the world will respond to you based on your race and class, but as you start to make decisions, they'll also respond based on your reputation. "Variety" is the game's operating principle well past the starting gate. From its gorgeous graphics to its sweeping score, everything in Pillars II is out to delight the player, and just about everything succeeds. The world is huge and interesting, the gameplay is gripping and the story and characters respond in meaningful ways to the myriad choices at your disposal. In spite of a few abstruse game mechanics, Pillars of Eternity II is probably the best isometric PC-style RPG since, well, the first Pillars of Eternity. The veteran RPG maker's gamble has paid off in spades. Obsidian Entertainment, it seems, wanted to make it clear that Pillars of Eternity II is twice as ambitious as its predecessor. Each party member even comes with two potential classes. You'll spend about half the game exploring cities, dungeons and wildernesses, and half in your ship, managing crewmembers and doing battle with enemy vessels. (The "II" in the title should be a dead giveaway.) The game is a rollicking high-seas pirate adventure it's also a weighty fantasy epic. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is all about duality.