Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 14,904 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Game Cover
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is a sequel that plays all of its cards right. It's an enthralling adventure, both for veterans and newcomers, bringing a fantastical world to life that you'll want to explore again and again.
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In "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire," players explore a rich and dynamic world as a seasoned adventurer, leading a diverse crew across the vast Deadfire Archipelago. Embark on a grand tale of revenge, discovery, and leadership, where decisions carry weight and impact the narrative and world. With an improved real-time combat system and deep character customization, this RPG sequel offers an immersive, engaging experience for new and returning fans alike.

  • 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
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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 14,904 reviews
story2,954 positive mentions
optimization200 negative mentions
  • story8,654 mentions

    The story of "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire" is generally seen as engaging but somewhat weaker than its predecessor, with many players noting that the main quest is short and lacks depth compared to the rich side quests and character arcs. While the game features compelling world-building and character interactions, some critics feel that the pacing is off, as the urgency of the main plot often gets overshadowed by numerous side quests. Overall, the narrative is praised for its complexity and moral ambiguity, but it may leave players wanting more from the central storyline.

    • “Compelling world-building and storytelling, well thought-through combat system and skill tree, and an interesting relationship and personality system.”
    • “Brilliant CRPG that tells a thoughtful and philosophical story while maintaining a deep yet accessible system which creates a gripping and mechanically challenging but rewarding experience.”
    • “The story is great, the choices you make actually seem like they have weight, and the faction element is a nice addition.”
    • “Unlike its predecessor, POE II: Deadfire is rather weak in all aspects: combat, world travel, story.”
    • “The main story suffers from a lack of focus and is very short, but the rest of the world easily distracts you and gives you plenty of reasons to sail into the Deadfire looking for adventure.”
    • “The main quest holds about 5-6 missions; it is laughably short.”
  • gameplay2,588 mentions

    The gameplay of "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire" has been widely praised for its significant improvements over its predecessor, with many players appreciating the enhanced combat mechanics, the introduction of turn-based gameplay, and the depth of character customization through multiclassing. However, some criticisms have been directed at the ship mechanics, which many found repetitive and lacking in depth, as well as the complexity of certain gameplay systems that can overwhelm newcomers. Overall, while the game offers a rich and engaging experience, it also presents challenges in understanding its mechanics and pacing.

    • “The gameplay here is superb.”
    • “Brilliant CRPG that tells a thoughtful and philosophical story while maintaining a deep yet accessible system which creates a gripping and mechanically challenging but rewarding experience.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, diverse, engaging.”
    • “Though the game is beautiful, music is great, storytelling fantastic, there are way too many character and game mechanic things to consider, mega management.”
    • “First off, the combat is painfully slow compared to the faster gameplay of the first game and the enemies are damage sponges.”
    • “The ship mechanics don't add anything for me.”
  • graphics1,394 mentions

    The graphics in "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire" have received widespread acclaim for their vibrant art style and significant improvements over the first game, showcasing stunning visuals, detailed environments, and atmospheric lighting. Many players appreciate the unique aesthetic that blends pirate themes with rich, colorful landscapes, although some have noted performance issues and occasional graphical bugs. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful graphics that enhance the immersive experience, despite some technical challenges.

    • “The graphics are incredible.”
    • “The combat has been perfected, the graphical presentation clad in new, shiny and polished sceneries, atmospheric lighting, high definition textures: a much needed fresh paint to improve upon the already gorgeous first game.”
    • “Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is a beautifully crafted gem that ventures into a unique tropical fused medieval dark fantasy world, a premise that stands out in the RPG landscape; rarely have I seen developers fuse the aesthetics of Pirates of the Caribbean and the grimy undertones of Shadow of Mordor so well than in Pillars of Eternity 2.”
    • “The graphics are a bit disappointing, considering it's still not that old and plenty of older games look better.”
    • “The graphic is subpar and still takes time to load; the screen pauses every time you encounter an enemy with the real-time combat mode.”
    • “I may have been okay with this game if it was an open world... I really enjoyed the optimization and the lore aspect, but the combat is cheesy easy and the graphics aren't that good at all... the graphics are like 1999 at best... they are pretty bad.”
  • music674 mentions

    The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its immersive quality, particularly the sea shanties and orchestral themes that enhance the atmosphere. However, some players noted issues with repetitiveness, especially in certain areas, leading to a desire for more variety in the soundtrack. Overall, while the music contributes significantly to the game's ambiance, it can become monotonous over extended play sessions.

    • “The music that plays during ship combat is so good that I've literally been going around bopping slaver ships just to listen to it.”
    • “The soundtrack and the arts that tell the story are perfectly put together in a brilliant way.”
    • “The music is phenomenal, with sea shanties filling the space between raucous fight music, wistful strings in areas of devastation, and awe-inspiring orchestras in cities.”
    • “I didn't like the skill tree, repetitive music every time I level up; multiclassing is cool, I guess, but it's all just kinda bad.”
    • “And speaking of repetitive music, this game plays the same exact songs again and again on almost every island you go to, and it's mostly this one slow song that's reused from the first game.”
    • “The music is so repetitive that it could motivate someone to commit suicide; you hear the tune once and you've already heard the whole song.”
  • optimization560 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, frame rate drops, and long loading times, even on high-end systems. While some users have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game's performance is subpar and detracts significantly from the experience. Many recommend waiting for further optimizations or using mods to improve performance, as the current state is often described as unplayable or frustrating.

    • “They did a great job with superb performances all around.”
    • “The game itself runs fine; good performance, lots of opportunities for modding, colorful scenes, autosaves, turn-based combat - everything I like in an isometric RPG/adventure game.”
    • “A few bugs and optimization issues aside (still worth powering through them, in my opinion), this game is pretty freakin' fun and incredible.”
    • “Unfortunately the game has massive performance issues that make it borderline unplayable to me.”
    • “This is arguably the most poorly optimized game I've ever played.”
    • “The performance is atrocious - long load times, frequent crashes (every 2 hours or so), mysterious framerate drops.”
  • replayability310 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its extensive character customization options, multiple factions, and diverse quest resolutions, allowing players to experience varied outcomes across playthroughs. While the story paths are somewhat limited, the introduction of multiclassing and unique character builds significantly enhances replay value. Overall, players find themselves drawn back for multiple playthroughs to explore different strategies and narrative choices.

    • “The game offers so many options in terms of building your character and the rest of the party that makes this an endlessly replayable game.”
    • “This might be Obsidian's best game since Fallout: New Vegas. The amount of replayability you can get from choosing your class, content, and lore is just staggering.”
    • “The replay value is very high, considering there are several mutually exclusive faction quest-lines and a great diversity of possible builds and choices to try out.”
    • “However, the longer play-time, the focus on story and dialog, and most importantly the 'for members only' sign at the entrance that tells you only Pillars of Eternity 1 veterans are allowed in, makes me think I'll stick to the more replayable single-entry Tyranny instead.”
    • “I have real concerns about the longevity of this game and its replayability that Poe1 had.”
    • “I understand it's supposed to be more of a pirate game, but it really dampens the replayability.”
  • grinding286 mentions

    The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium associated with grinding in the game, particularly in ship battles, exploration, and combat mechanics. Many players found the ship management and naval warfare to be repetitive and unenjoyable, often opting to skip these elements entirely. While some appreciated the depth of the combat system, the overall experience was frequently described as grindy and lacking in meaningful engagement, leading to a disconnect from the story and a sense of obligation rather than enjoyment in gameplay.

    • “It's not tedious or concerning like Persona or Pathfinder, although it is there and does impact environments and certain interactions depending on when you do what and how.”
    • “- Kinetic combat, definitely not tedious. I actually found myself foregoing the turn-based mode in favor of the real-time; I almost always use turn-based in games.”
    • “No farming, no grinding.”
    • “Your crew becomes more effective at boarding ships than fighting with cannons, and so I found myself farming gold by spamming the 'board ship' option and speeding up combat.”
    • “Everything to do with the ship is so tedious and boring it weighs down the game heavily.”
    • “Much of the game felt like grinding side quests in an MMO.”
  • stability262 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of freezes, crashes, and various bugs affecting gameplay, particularly during loading screens and combat. While some players find enjoyment in the content, the pervasive technical issues significantly detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a recommendation to save frequently. Despite some improvements over its predecessor, the game's performance remains a major concern, with many players expressing disappointment in its lack of polish and ongoing glitches.

    • “Technically speaking, the game runs great.”
    • “Runs great on my iMac with macOS Monterey.”
    • “On the positive side, the game looks good and runs relatively bug free (at least for me).”
    • “Loading into areas, accessing menus, saving the game, even opening combat all lead to freezes and crashes.”
    • “It's incredibly buggy, with several islands in the game causing crashes.”
    • “There are random screen freezes or random total crashes all over, real let down I was truly enjoying this game to simply have to stop and wait on devs to fix it.”
  • atmosphere203 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire" is widely praised for its vibrant and immersive qualities, contrasting sharply with the darker tone of the first game. Players appreciate the stunning visuals, engaging soundtracks, and the unique maritime setting that enhances exploration and storytelling. While some miss the grim atmosphere of the original, many find the new, lighter tone refreshing and enjoyable, contributing to a captivating overall experience.

    • “It's this swashbuckling atmosphere the Deadfire Archipelago promises that initially drew me to the game, and I'm happy to say it mostly didn't disappoint.”
    • “The atmosphere and the world is unique, really breathtaking for an RPG.”
    • “The story and lore are very nice, the atmosphere is great and the voice acting and music really helps immersion (especially when traveling the world map in your ship and your crew begin to sing).”
    • “Writing somehow got worse since the original Pillars, and it shows especially with returning characters like Eder. The humor is more childish, and the whole atmosphere is now less grim.”
    • “For some reason, while I was able to completely lose myself in the lore and atmosphere of the first game, I couldn't do that for the second.”
    • “Poe2 is an excellent game for fans of CRPGs and can easily give you over 60 hours of high-quality gameplay; it's just a shame it strays so far from the gritty atmosphere of the first.”
  • humor166 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing and engaging character interactions, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. Many reviews highlight the amusing banter among companions and the quirky, light-hearted tone that permeates quests and dialogues, making the experience enjoyable and entertaining. While some players noted occasional repetitiveness in humor, the overall consensus is that the game successfully blends humor with meaningful storytelling, enhancing the immersive experience.

    • “Who doesn't want a plucky southern-accented pseudo-native American with a penchant for soul reaping, violence, and quirky humor following them around on their adventures?”
    • “The writing flows a lot better, is consistently funny without being out of place or wacky, and is probably the best narrative I've played in a game in recent memory.”
    • “The mix of humor, plethora of dialogue options, and diverse cast of companions also add a lot to the very big world that you get to explore.”
  • character development136 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and variety, offering players numerous options for customization and meaningful choices that impact both individual characters and the overarching narrative. While some players find the initial story confusing and certain character arcs lacking, many appreciate the improved mechanics and the ability to create unique party synergies. Overall, the game is recognized for its rich storytelling and engaging character interactions, making it a strong choice for RPG enthusiasts.

    • “The story, character development, and lore are really well fleshed out in this game and you do feel like every action you take has major consequences.”
    • “This game has the beauty of character development done right.”
    • “The level of detail given to the character development is second to none.”
    • “I also have issues with specifically Pallegina since she's returning, but it seems like any character development away from the Vailian Republics in the first game is explicitly ignored for her to return, so that's cool.”
    • “There's also practically no character development, because you know all the preferences from the start, so in conversation options it turns into grinding the options to your companion's liking... and talking about that... it's very restrictive on what you are doing, because it forces you down a path because of trying to appease them.”
    • “The combat mechanics in the game are very shallow compared to other modern CRPGs even though the character development trees would suggest otherwise.”
  • emotional108 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the well-developed characters and their nuanced backstories that enhance emotional engagement, while others criticize the main storyline and quests for lacking depth and failing to create emotional connections. Many players noted moments of genuine emotional impact, particularly through character interactions and specific arcs, but also expressed disappointment in the overall narrative and the inability to feel invested in the game's world and choices. Ultimately, while there are touching moments and strong character writing, the game's emotional resonance is inconsistent, leaving some players feeling detached.

    • “The characters are well-developed and memorable, with nuanced motivations and backstories that add emotional resonance to the story.”
    • “Their souls were my responsibility, and that made me feel like this is real and it's happening.”
    • “Overall, this game's story weaves a novel and emotionally taxing narrative that I would gladly experience for the first time again and again.”
    • “Bad writing, boring story.”
    • “Characters feel a lot more one dimensional, the story is shallow and short lived, there's not a single real dungeon in the game, and exploration is just sailing from island to island where you'll get nothing but boring story book sections and a one floor/one room cave or something to clear out, loot for boring drops, and move on.”
    • “I mean it's an okay boring story with liberties taken from actual occult doctrine...only watered down and bleh.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some praising the absence of microtransactions and the value added by occasional free content updates, while others criticize the game's marketing as misleading and label the developers as cash grabbers. Overall, players appreciate the game's replayability and the quality of its DLC, contrasting it with other titles perceived as rushed or exploitative.

    • “The game is even better than POE1, gets all DLC, has no microtransactions, and is replayable as hell!”
    • “Microtransactions are few and far between (I think I got the last one for free?), so I don't know why people are complaining. They add a lot to the game, such as new islands and storylines.”
    • “Developer and publisher are going on the list of companies who make cash grab games.”
    • “Microtransactions are few and far between (I think I got the last one for free?) so don't know why people are complaining and they add a lot to the game such as new islands and storylines.”
    • “I just didn't recognize that from the ads.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

84% average critic score

Buy Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Play time

46hMedian play time
65hAverage play time
42hMain story
96hCompletionist
20-90hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 156 analyzed playthroughs

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