Josh Sawyer was nervous. It was 2012, and the "old school" isometric RPG was supposedly dead, buried under a mountain of first-person shooters and cinematic action games. Obsidian Entertainment was on the brink of collapse. Then, Project Eternity hit Kickstarter and blew the doors off the building. People didn't just want a new game; they wanted a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate that didn't treat them like they had the attention span of a goldfish. That game became Pillars of Eternity, and honestly, it’s still a bit of a miracle it exists.
A lot has changed since then. We’ve had the massive success of Baldur’s Gate 3, which brought the genre into the mainstream spotlight. But if you go back to Pillars of Eternity now, you realize it’s doing something fundamentally different. It isn't trying to be a digital version of a tabletop game. It’s trying to be a deep, crunchy, occasionally frustrating, and incredibly dense simulation of a world where souls are a physical, measurable resource.
The Soul-Deep Weirdness of Eora
Most fantasy worlds feel like a reskinned version of Middle-earth. You have your elves, your dwarves, and your big bad evil guy. Pillars of Eternity flips the script by making "animancy"—the study of souls—the center of everything. In the Dyrwood, the setting for the first game, people are dealing with the Hollowborn Crisis. Children are being born without souls. They’re just... empty.
It’s grim.
Think about the implications for a second. If souls are real and they cycle through a process of reincarnation called the Wheel, what happens when that machine breaks? This isn't just flavor text. It’s the driving force of the entire plot. You play as a Watcher, someone who can see into people's past lives just by touching them. It’s a gift, but mostly it’s a curse that’s slowly driving you insane.
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The writing here is dense. I mean really dense. Obsidian didn't hold back. You’ll spend twenty minutes reading a dialogue tree about the theological differences between the followers of Eothas and Magran. Some people hate this. They call it a "wall of text." But for those of us who miss the days when games expected you to pay attention, it’s pure gold. You aren't just saving the world; you’re trying to understand the metaphysical plumbing of the universe.
Why the Combat System Actually Works (Eventually)
Let’s talk about the Real-Time with Pause (RTwP) combat. It's polarizing. Some players find it a chaotic mess of spell effects and red circles. Honestly, the first five hours are a steep learning curve. You’ll probably accidentally fireball your own fighter more than once.
Obsidian built their own system from scratch instead of using Dungeons & Dragons rules. They wanted to fix the "linear warriors, quadratic wizards" problem where fighters get bored while mages become gods. In Pillars of Eternity, every stat matters for every class. Want to build a high-intellect Barbarian? You can. It actually increases the area of effect for their shouts and frenzies. It’s a brilliant bit of design that encourages experimentation, even if it feels counter-intuitive at first.
- Engagement Mechanics: This is the big one. Characters "stick" to each other in combat. If you try to run past a guard, they get a free hit. This makes positioning vital.
- The Health vs. Endurance Split: You have two health bars. Endurance is what you lose in a fight; if it hits zero, you’re knocked out. Health is your "true" life. If that hits zero, you’re dead. Permanently.
- Accuracy vs. Defense: Everything is a roll against one of four defenses: Deflection, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will. It’s a game of math, but once it clicks, it feels like conducting a very violent orchestra.
The complexity is the point. You can't just auto-attack your way through a boss like Raedric. You have to debuff his accuracy, strip his armor, and manage your priest’s limited spell casts. It’s exhausting. It’s rewarding.
The Gilded Vale and the Weight of Choice
Early in the game, you arrive at a town called Gilded Vale. There’s a massive tree in the center of town. It’s covered in hanging corpses. This is your introduction to the political reality of the Dyrwood. Lord Raedric, the local ruler, is desperate. He’s trying to "purify" the land to stop the Hollowborn Crisis, and that involves a lot of execution.
What makes Pillars of Eternity special is that it doesn't give you an easy "Paladin" route. You can side with Raedric. He’s a tyrant, sure, but he’s also a man trying to save his people from a literal curse. Or you can side with his cousin, Kolsc, who might be a better person but lacks the strength to actually rule.
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The game is full of these gray areas. Your companions aren't just archetypes either. Take Durance, the fire-and-brimstone priest of Magran. He’s a misogynistic, hateful, brilliant, and deeply broken man. He’s one of the best-written characters in RPG history, and you will probably spend half the game wanting to kick him out of the party while the other half is spent fascinated by his nihilistic ramblings. He’s a mess. We love him for it.
Technical Legacy and the "Obsidian Polish"
We have to be honest: at launch, this game had bugs. It’s an Obsidian game; it’s part of the charm. But over the years, through the Definitive Edition and various patches, it has become a rock-solid experience. The hand-painted 2D backgrounds are gorgeous. They have a texture and a sense of "place" that 3D environments often struggle to replicate.
The lighting system is particularly impressive. You’ll walk through a damp cave, and the way your torchlight glints off a pool of stagnant water feels tactile. It’s a moody game. It feels heavy. The music by Justin Bell captures that perfectly—it’s melancholic and epic without being bombastic.
Common Misconceptions About Pillars of Eternity
People often compare this directly to Divinity: Original Sin, but that’s a mistake. Divinity is a sandbox; it’s about blowing up oil barrels and teleporting enemies into lava. Pillars is a narrative simulation. It’s about the friction of the world.
Another myth is that you need to be a D&D expert to play. You don't. In fact, being a D&D expert might actually confuse you because the rules are so different. Forget everything you know about "Armor Class" and "THAC0." Read the tooltips. The game is actually very good at explaining itself if you’re willing to hover your mouse over a keyword and read for three seconds.
One more thing: the "Backer NPCs." If you see a character with a gold nameplate, that’s a character designed by a Kickstarter backer. You can "read" their souls to see a short story. Pro tip: ignore them. These stories weren't written by the main narrative team and they don't impact the plot. They’re basically fan fiction inserted into the game. If you try to read every gold-named NPC you see, you will burn out before you even leave the first act.
Navigating the White March
If you’re playing the game today, you probably have the DLC, The White March. Don't skip it. It’s actually better than the main quest in some ways. It’s a high-level adventure that feels like a tribute to Icewind Dale. It’s cold, it’s brutal, and it introduces some of the best companions in the game, like Zahua, the monk who is perpetually tripping on drugs, and the Devil of Caroc, a bronze construct inhabited by the soul of a convicted murderer.
The DLC also introduces "Soulbound" weapons. These are artifacts that level up with you as you complete specific challenges. It adds a layer of progression that makes the mid-game feel much more rewarding.
Getting the Most Out of Your Playthrough
If you're jumping in for the first time, or returning after a long break, don't try to play perfectly. You will miss things. You will make choices that lead to "bad" endings for certain towns. That’s okay. The beauty of Eora is its permanence. Your choices in the first game carry over into the sequel, Deadfire, affecting the political landscape of an entirely different part of the world.
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Start on "Normal" difficulty. Seriously. "Path of the Damned" is for people who have memorized the spreadsheets. For your first time, focus on the story. Build a character that fits your role-playing fantasy, not just the meta-game.
- Prioritize Mechanics: Learn how "Accuracy" interacts with "Deflection." If you can’t hit the enemy, you can’t win.
- Talk to Everyone (Except Gold Names): The world-building is in the dialogue.
- Use Consumables: Food and potions aren't just for decoration. In a tough fight, a +2 Might bonus from a piece of venison can be the difference between a win and a reload.
- Manage Your Stronghold: Caed Nua isn't just a money sink; it provides powerful resting bonuses and unique items.
Pillars of Eternity is a reminder that there is still a place for "difficult" art in gaming. It asks a lot of the player. It asks you to read, to think, and to care about a world that is often cruel and indifferent to your presence. But if you give it the time, it offers a depth of experience that modern "streamlined" RPGs can't touch.
Actionable Insights for New Watchers
To truly master the Dyrwood, start by focusing on your party composition. You need a solid frontline—Eder is your best friend here. Let him soak up the "Engagement" while your casters work from the back. Don't be afraid to pause the game every two seconds. This isn't an action game; it's a tactical puzzle.
Next, pay attention to the "Bestiary." As you kill more of a specific enemy type, you unlock information about their weaknesses. Check this often. If you’re fighting ghosts and keep missing, the Bestiary will tell you they have insanely high Reflex but low Fortitude. Switch your tactics accordingly. Use a spell that targets Fortitude, and the fight becomes trivial.
Finally, embrace the camping system. You have limited supplies, which forces you to decide if you can push through one more room or if you need to retreat. It creates a tension that most modern games lack. That tension is where the fun is. Go find out what’s wrong with the souls of the Dyrwood. Just don't expect it to be easy.
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