Pillars of Eternity

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 19,360 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Pillars of Eternity Game Cover
The best RPG Obsidian has ever made. Just be ready to read.
Starting at $11.98Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store Get on Epic Games Store

Experience the game that revitalized the classic RPG genre in a complete and definitive package that includes every expansion, bonus, and update, presenting Pillars of Eternity at its best.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Linux
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 19,360 reviews
story4,595 positive mentions
grinding384 negative mentions
  • story11,697 mentions

    The story of *Pillars of Eternity* is widely praised for its depth, complexity, and engaging narrative, drawing players into a richly crafted world filled with intricate lore and well-developed characters. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to weave personal character arcs with overarching themes of morality and choice, making each decision feel impactful. However, some players find the pacing slow, particularly in the early stages, and note that the abundance of text and lore can be overwhelming, potentially detracting from the overall experience.

    • “If you want to lose yourself in a great story with unique lore and mature decisions, this is a must.”
    • “Amazing characters, beautiful setting, intricate world-building, and a fantastic story.”
    • “The story is engaging and very enjoyable, with many different dialogue options that fit a variety of personalities.”
    • “The story is paper thin, and little is done to endear you to any character or place.”
    • “The story tries to make you care about the protagonist progressively losing their mind, but at no point does it actually feel like that is the case, robbing the story of its main drive.”
    • “The story is confusing and (worse) uninteresting, the npcs are bland, and even the fancy reputation system didn't change the fact that I didn't care about anything or anyone.”
  • gameplay3,909 mentions

    The gameplay of *Pillars of Eternity* is a blend of classic isometric RPG mechanics reminiscent of the *Baldur's Gate* series, featuring real-time with pause combat that requires strategic planning and micromanagement. While many players appreciate the depth and complexity of the mechanics, others find them cumbersome and difficult to master, leading to a steep learning curve. Overall, the game offers a rich narrative experience with engaging combat, though some mechanics may feel outdated or overly complicated for newcomers.

    • “Tons of gameplay to be had with quests that feel impactful.”
    • “The gameplay is enjoyable and quite interesting.”
    • “The gameplay works and grants many ways to overcome encounters, both on the field and in dialogues.”
    • “The gameplay just sucks; you either turn the difficulty of the game down, or every single encounter is a mess of constantly pausing and micromanaging your characters' positions and action bars.”
    • “The trap searching mechanics are terrible, basically you have to stealth to find traps which makes exploration tedious as you have to go everywhere using stealth (which is slow) or risk running triggering them.”
    • “The gameplay is complicated, but I can't find the fun.”
  • graphics1,917 mentions

    The graphics of "Pillars of Eternity" are generally praised for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style and detailed environments, which evoke nostalgia for classic CRPGs like Baldur's Gate. While some players note that the graphics can feel dated or simplistic compared to modern standards, many appreciate the game's aesthetic consistency and the charm of its isometric visuals. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere and storytelling, despite some technical limitations and performance issues.

    • “Classic gameplay, coupled with a mature gloomy story and excellent visuals.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, with detailed environments and characters that look like they've been ripped straight from the pages of a fantasy novel.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful, the gameplay itself is fairly polished.”
    • “Sometimes graphical glitches actually obscured or outright didn't allow me to get to where I needed to go.”
    • “The graphics and lack of customization in character builds was a big disappointment for me given it came out in 2015.”
    • “The graphics are poor with no real art style, just kind of gritty and meh.”
  • music1,031 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its evocative and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall immersive experience. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack is beautifully composed, with standout tracks that complement various environments and story moments, although some found the combat music repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a significant highlight, contributing to the game's nostalgic feel while also standing out as a quality work in its own right.

    • “The music perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, evoking emotions from awe to tension and enhancing the overall immersive experience.”
    • “One of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a video game, Justin Bell did an excellent job for sure.”
    • “The music is tailored to every environment to perfectly complement it - tracks like 'Oldsong' are forever stuck in my head, and the combat music manages to strike the right tone between genuine tension without becoming grating.”
    • “The soundtrack fits the atmosphere, although I'd say that it's somewhat generic most of the time — you know, your classic epic fantasy stuff you hear in Hollywood films and similar RPGs.”
    • “The attack music was very annoying.”
    • “Nothing really exciting is going on, and the painfully boring music doesn't make it better (a lot of people play this game on mute and just listen to their own music instead, it's that bad).”
  • grinding406 mentions

    The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium associated with grinding in the game, particularly in combat and quest management. Many players find the combat repetitive and unengaging, often requiring tedious micromanagement, while the narrative and dialogue can feel overly verbose and burdensome. Although some appreciate the story and world-building, the overall experience is frequently described as frustratingly slow and lacking in excitement, leading to a consensus that the game can feel excessively grindy and tedious at times.

    • “The quests weren't grindy; they weren't tedious; they were actually just like little mini campaigns of their own, and I found them very rewarding.”
    • “The game isn't grindy; you should be able to defeat anything as long as your tactics don't suck.”
    • “There's usually no grinding involved, and the MMO-style fetch quests are kept to a minimum.”
    • “Your reward for pushing through the (often tedious) combat segments usually ends up being just more tedious exposition dumps.”
    • “The fights are boring and unimaginative and this also brings down the quests, even when they're interesting, because you know you'll have to grind through a bunch of tedious fights to get them done.”
    • “Every encounter is a tedious slog through overpowered enemies, and I found myself constantly having to abuse the game's mechanics in order to progress, which of course utterly ruined the immersion for me.”
  • replayability364 mentions

    The game is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to diverse character customization options, multiple classes, and varied story outcomes that encourage multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the depth of choices and the engaging narrative, which can change significantly based on decisions made, enhancing the overall experience. While some reviews mention limited replay value due to linear elements, the consensus remains that the game offers substantial content and replay opportunities, making it a worthwhile investment for RPG fans.

    • “It's a very complete package and an extremely competent and well-crafted game, with a good amount of both main and optional content that's highly replayable due to customization options and a variety of outcomes.”
    • “Endlessly replayable because of all the different options you can choose both in character creation and throughout.”
    • “This game has an incredible amount of content, an intelligent story, and solid replayability for different classes and approaches, and I think it's one of the finest RPGs of the decade.”
    • “Despite having a lot of classes, this title has no replayability.”
    • “The most prominent failure is the lack of replayability; all is totally static.”
    • “I see very limited replayability unlike its predecessors that have much more customization even with more linear plot lines than this one.”
  • atmosphere348 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and richly detailed world, often compared to classic RPGs like Baldur's Gate. Players appreciate the haunting soundtrack and sound design that enhance the dark, gritty tone, creating a captivating experience that draws them into the narrative. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is strong, it can occasionally feel inconsistent or overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and pacing issues.

    • “The music perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, evoking emotions from awe to tension and enhancing the overall immersive experience.”
    • “The atmosphere, world-building, and characters are top tier.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing, the game setting captivating, and the music provides an excellent backdrop to your adventures.”
    • “Pillars of Eternity feels too archaic: the gameplay is convoluted, the graphics are outdated, the story is slow, and the atmosphere is lifeless.”
    • “The world and setting is well-built, but not very original and wholly lacks atmosphere.”
    • “I cannot put my finger on it, but the game lacks atmosphere.”
  • humor226 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by clever dialogue and well-developed characters, particularly the companions who engage in hilarious banter, adding charm to the narrative. While some players appreciate the mature and nuanced humor, others feel the game lacks sufficient comedic moments, with a tone that can be overly serious at times. Overall, the humor is present but varies in effectiveness, with standout moments that resonate well with players seeking both depth and levity.

    • “The writing is superb, with clever dialogue and a sense of humor that adds to the game's charm.”
    • “It's a beautiful game with witty and funny dialogue and companions that have diverse, complex personalities.”
    • “The companions (with special mention on Edér and Hiravias) are all unique and hilarious as well.”
    • “It's not funny to play; your characters seem to be defined not by what they can do but by what they cannot do. This seems to be the recurring philosophy behind the writing of this game and universe.”
  • character development186 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and complexity, offering players a variety of choices that significantly impact gameplay and narrative. While many reviews highlight the immersive and engaging nature of character progression, some critiques point to a learning curve and occasional confusion regarding mechanics. Overall, the character development is seen as a strong aspect, contributing to a rich storytelling experience, though some players feel it could be more meaningful or nuanced.

    • “Understanding the nuances of character development and the game's deep mechanics may take time, but the effort is well worth it for the rich and rewarding experience that awaits.”
    • “The character development is superb and causes you to get very invested into both the main story and side quests.”
    • “Pillars of Eternity manages to bring brilliant dialogue, compelling story, and engaging character development... all while managing to bring the traditional CRPG difficulty down to a level where the newer generations of players should be able to enjoy and appreciate it!”
    • “The character development and scenario construction fail to captivate, as does the central conflict.”
    • “Overall, I found the game acceptable, but not great, especially in the character development department (even though this has never been a strong point for these kinds of games, I found old JRPGs much better).”
    • “I didn't expect Mass Effect character development, but I certainly hoped for more than walking clichés, that largely dissolved into taciturn automatons after their initial, uninvolving dialogue.”
  • optimization168 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame rate drops, and long loading times, even on high-end systems. While some users report smooth gameplay on lower-end PCs, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly in certain areas and with specific graphical settings. Despite these challenges, some players have found enjoyment in customizing their characters and navigating the game's mechanics, suggesting that optimization may improve with future updates.

    • “Through my almost 50 hours of game time, I haven't encountered a single bug, so in that perspective, it's really well optimized for PC.”
    • “Beautiful graphics and great optimization!”
    • “Much better pictures and the game optimized very well and runs smoothly on low-performance computers.”
    • “One criticism that's pretty objective, unfortunately, is that the game is poorly optimized and will likely struggle with stuttering and framerate drops even on powerful systems, especially towards the endgame for some reason.”
    • “The game engine is poorly optimized; therefore, it rarely goes above 100fps, even on high-end computers, but that is irrelevant since it's not a visually stunning game.”
    • “Performance: probably the only negative point, in my rig (4790k at 4.6ghz, gtx 980 and 16gb of ram) the game ran pretty poorly, in some areas the framerate drops to the 40's which is unacceptable for a game that is not and shouldn't be very demanding.”
  • stability156 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and graphical glitches that can hinder gameplay. While some users experienced a relatively smooth experience with few issues, the consensus indicates that the game is still quite buggy, with ongoing problems affecting AI behavior, pathfinding, and audio consistency. Overall, while the game has potential and offers a great experience, its stability issues remain a significant concern for many players.

    • “In my experience, no bugs, no glitches, and overall really good performance.”
    • “I've played for many hours, no bugs, no glitches, no crashes.”
    • “As far as the stability goes, the game seems almost bug free so far, only a few visual glitches I noticed, and one hang during a conversation where I had no choice to select and was stuck there, had to alt-f4.”
    • “Game constantly freezes & crashes.”
    • “It's just really buggy to the point of near-unplayability.”
    • “Be forewarned though, the game is very buggy and crashes randomly to the desktop.”
  • emotional132 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it deeply impactful and capable of evoking strong feelings, such as tears during poignant moments and a sense of nostalgia. However, others criticize the lack of strong emotional hooks and character connections, leading to a disconnect that diminishes the overall emotional experience. While the writing and character development can be touching and relatable, some players feel that the story's execution fails to maintain emotional engagement throughout the gameplay.

    • “Her story made me shed a tear or two.”
    • “Not gonna lie, I kind of cried at the end when slides started playing because even though I hated this scuffed game at times, I loved seeing at least some of the things I did be good and the character getting a happy ending after all this time was very wholesome.”
    • “It's dark and sad, has many emotional and dramatic moments, twists and revelations, interesting characters, tons of really good dialogue, and a great conclusion.”
    • “All the worldbuilding in the universe won't fix a boring story.”
    • “Boring story, no solid background on the main character's story.”
    • “The game is an average isometric CRPG with a boring story and characters, and overcomplicated lore.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its quality compared to typical cash grab titles, while others criticize it for perceived attempts to exploit players through price hikes and microtransactions. Despite the game's overall positive reception, concerns about its monetization strategy have led to accusations of it becoming a cash grab.

    • “Excellent game (8/10 overall in my opinion, will update to recommended later if prices are changed), but this blatant attempt at a cash grab by raising the price before the sale is disgusting.”
    • “Game has quickly turned into a cash grab.”
    • “Cash grab anyone?”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

Buy Pillars of Eternity

Play time

55hMedian play time
90hAverage play time
15-152hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 190 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games