To assist in their adventures, players can create a party of up to six characters with the help of both companions – characters found in certain locations, each with their own personal story and quest, and unique personalities and appearances, who will join when they offer assistance, of which the player can recruit up to eight to make a party from – and player-created characters – these can be made at inns, for a fee based on the level the player wishes their creation to be at. Alongside the main story quests of the game, players can also engage in optional side quests which feature fleshed out supporting characters and multiple outcomes most of which are not typical " fetch quests" in RPGs. Most locations feature a fog of war effect – a dark, black one for regions not explored, and a lighter effect for areas that have already been explored and have been moved away from. Įxploration of the game world involves visiting locations as they become unlocked – some only accessible after progressing the main story – whereupon players can freely explore the location to find enemies, items, and objectives for quests they are on. Characters level up upon acquiring experience points from completing quests and certain situations – battling enemies does not reward experience, meaning conducting non-violent approaches can be just as rewarding. The character classes and game mechanics are similar to Dungeons & Dragons, but are a proprietary system created for the game. In addition to these, the character may also make use of five skills – Stealth, Athletics, Lore, Mechanics and Survival – which confer bonuses in various situations, such as unlocking containers and gaining bonuses when resting outside inns. Each class of the eleven available – fighter, rogue, ranger, barbarian, monk, paladin, wizard, druid, priest, chanter, and cipher – benefits from certain prominent stats in the game, and features a set of abilities unique to them, which can be used in battles with hostile enemies and creatures: for example, the cipher can use the soul of an enemy in order to attack them, and druids can shapeshift into a beast and cast spells. New games begins with players creating a character, with the choices they make on the character's race, background, stats, and class – except their appearance – impacting what choices can be made in dialogues with NPCs or interactive objects.
The game is played from a fixed isometric viewpoint consisting of 3D models against two-dimensional pre-rendered backdrops, in a similar vein as its spiritual predecessors – Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment. Pillars of Eternity sees players assume the role of a character defined as a "Watcher" – a person able to see and interact with the souls of people, viewing the memories of those deceased or communing with those who linger – operating on role-playing mechanics that include party-based real-time-with-pause tactical gameplay.
A sequel, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, was released in May 2018.Īn example of dialogue in the game, depicting the interface. A two-part expansion pack, The White March was released in August 2015 and February 2016, respectively. The game also won various awards and accolades, including best RPG of 2015. Pillars of Eternity received critical acclaim upon its release many critics praised the game for its world and immersive writing, along with the strategic combat, and also said that it is a worthy successor to the games it was inspired by.
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The objective of the game is to find out what caused their awakening and how to solve the hollowborn problem. During the beginning of the game, the protagonist experiences an awakening of power due to a disastrous supernatural event, discovering they are a "Watcher": a person who can see past lives and interact with souls. The infants in the Dyrwood are plagued by a recent phenomenon in which they become "hollowborn" upon birth, meaning they are born with no soul. The game takes place in the fantasy world of Eora, mainly inside the nation of Dyrwood. The campaign raised over US$4 million, which was the highest funded video game at the time. Obsidian started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for it in September 2012. The game is a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, along with Planescape: Torment. It was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on March 26, 2015. Pillars of Eternity is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive.