I do want to point out that right now it's only $10 on GOG.. that's a steal. I do also have a GOG affiliate link - af.gog.com-75% Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire on GOG.com?as=1676346721 Support the channel: 🐺 Become a Member - czcams.com/channels/i3RdvCWYMzdF-iUgG_0xLQ.htmljoin 🔴 Join the Patreon - www.patreon.com/WolfheartFPS 🔵 Join the Discord (free) - discord.gg/4GyD7ZR Forgotten Realms Wiki - forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page GOG Link - af.gog.com/partner/Wolfheartfps?as=1676346721 NOTE* Any game purchased even if not on my personal GOG partner page will support the channel (up to 7 days after clicking the link) Socials - Follow my Twitter - twitter.com/wolfheartfps Instagram - instagram.com/wolfheartfps
One of my favorite things in the 2nd game was how your choices in the first game would create new dialogue options in the 2nd. there would be a symbol that would pop up showing this dialogue choice is unique opportunity due to a previous choice in 1st game
I played this game twice, and I still believe it not only has one of the best Video Game Soundtracks ever but also the atmosphere is outstanding. You always feel like you are on this incredible, mythical, and fantastic journey with your friends you genuinely care for.
@@DietersYT yes, true. I guess they would have done more if the Budget was bigger, but sadly CRPGs are a very niche section, and videogames like Wrath of the Righteous or Baldurs Gate 3 are rare. I mean the Budget for BG3 is ~80 million Dollars which puts in right into Tripple A territory, which is a first if I am not mistaken.
I don't even like this type of game but totally liked this one. It's probably the 1st or one of the fee of its kind that I liked. I didn't like much divinity and other similar games.
I enjoyed POE2, but I actually liked POE1 better, but that may just be me. POE1 came at a time when it seemed the classic isometric game had faded into history, so it was very refreshing to play. Regardless both games are very good and certainly worth playing today. Wolf, thanks for playing POE2 and providing a look at the game to others who may not have been aware of the POE world.
Basically: PoE1, better atmosphere, much better writing, story and companions. - PoE2: Better gameplay and classes, but worse atmosphere, writing, story and companions. I like both, but I rank PoE1 higher simply because the most important part of a CRPG and RPGs in general to me, is the story and writing.
@@taigaaisaka6305don't forget better loading times also lol. 1 seemed to have bigger areas that weren't dissected by tons of loading screens that take a long time even on good systems.
Obsidian doesnt miss. I have always had this game on my backlog to play, and now you have finally convinced me to give it a shot. Time to spend the next couple of weeks on another CRPG. Thanks wolf, lol!
Feels like Obsidian put a lot of soul into it. Its a fantastic game and has a way demanding the player to learn the combat system without being to difficult while making it interesting as well
the multiclassing added to PoE 2 and the extra levelup information are huge upgrades from PoE 1, so much less confusing and fun. I played through on turn based mode and while slower, it was pretty solid.
Great game. I still hold that the "fast forward" button or whatever it is to speed things up when you're just exploring is such a huge quality of life addition i'd like to see in more crps
It was so tough staying away from your streams but i really did not want to be spoiled like when you were doing DOS2. The Entire Cast of Critical Role voice acted in Deadfire....so i really wannah play this myself. Pillars 1 as well. As usual your Reviews are so holistic and Clear. Always appreciated Wolf!
Your lives made me reinstall, the only hard thing about PoE 2 is how many times you get curious about what would happen if you were another characters, another moral choices, etc. This thing is HUGE and really complex.
I've recently started this up on the PS5 so my wife and I can both enjoy it and I love it. It's easily one of the more engrossing CRPG's I've played. It's a shame that it didn't do well at release and we probably won't see a Pillars of Eternity 3.
nope unfortunately they are making crap like outer worlds and a bunch of people praised the hell out of it while it was a very average game vs their past titles.
My biggest issue was just how much of a slog the opening few hours were, so much running around back and forth talking to people. My other two complaints was that the combat wasn't as punchy as I'd like it to be -- many of the spells and attacks sounded like wet noodles, and that the main story was absurdly short.
@@VrilWaffen No, port maji is the tutorial, I'm talking about Neketaka, you spend so much damn time there walking back and forth accomplishing little to nothing. Once you finally manage to get past the opening 6 hour slog the game actually feels somewhat fun.
I pre-ordered and played this game when it first came out. This game was crowd funded ($4.4M). I think they did an amazing job with their limited funding. And I liked the ship combat as it follows table top ship combat almost exactly. The vision distance is also based off table tops like D&D. If a player has 30ft of dark vision, they only see 30ft.
Thanks for the review Wolf :) It's too bad you didn't say anything about the Magran Challenges, the Megabosses, the DLCs, the Path of the Damned difficulty, equipment enchantment, Soulbound items and their unlock tiers, or the ability to mod the game though. It feels like you missed so much, maybe because you've not had the opportunity to discover some of it at the time. Fun tip, start a game choosing the "Everything Bad" story (or create one where you betrayed your pledge to all the gods) ;)
I could just not get into PoE 1 but man, Deadfire was a 10/10 for me. The writing was excellent, I sometimes wished I could just close my eyes instead of having to select dialogue options, that's how detailed and descriptive the writing was to me. Oh and pirates, who doesn't like pirates?
Yeah I played 15 hrs of poe 1 and got frustrated bc I didn't get the mechanics. Then I jumped to Deadfire where everything was explained to me much more clearly. So after this I will go back and beat the first game and maybe import my character for another playthrough
I'm a Pillars fan, I have over 600h on both games and if there's one thing that's clear, it's that Eora is the place where people are practically food for the gods, you're "born" and become cattle for the slaughter.
I’m glad your enjoying the game, It’s one of my favs, the main story is really short though, which was a huge let down when it first launched, but the dlc they added made up for it, also if you change the flag on your ship it’ll stop people from attacking you.
I completed almost all of the poe2 achievements on xbox my first play through 😅 it’s probably my favorite game series of all time, there’s also new game + because you can spend points from the achievements in game that unlock stuff, like have the world map clear from the beginning!
I really like it. I beat the first one. But I can't finish the second one because I finally got fed up with the long loading screens. I can't think of any game that annoyed me as much with all of the long loading screens popping up over and over.
Absolutely loved this game. I agree with a lot of critiques made here too. In particular it made me crave more of the game's land combat without the less compelling ship travel time and combat in between islands, which ended up with me buying POE1 but while that game's also quite fun it really isn't quite as amazing as POE2 for a lot of reasons. I particularly enjoyed the reasonably unique fantasy world they've created -- one which felt meaningfully different from other fantasy games I've played, in particular the pantheon of gods (I mean you have some boring predictable ones like the nature god, but the gods of tyranny and rebellion and the one you chase are all presented well -- and presented with at least some of the nuance to their domains rather than each god being oversimplified good/evil/etc.) Character development and combat are the stars here, with a lot of build variety owing to the fact that the core attributes (might/etc) are viable for _most_ classes you might choose (you can pump the stat that increases AOE radius on your barbarian and have crazy-big-radius shouts impacting the enemy, or you can go the more typical damage (might) and attack speed (finesse?) route to maximize single target DPS). The talents themselves usually offer at least a couple main playstyles per class too, though as mentioned in the review those choices are on the simpler side of other CRPG offerings. Really hope their FPS turns out well!
4:02 The 5 members'party also could meet the five heroes band of litterature : the leader champion (or main character) , the lancer (or sidekick) , the big guy (or tank) , the brain (healer, crowd controler, tinkerer, thieve) and the heart (those romances that Wolfheart never fails ;=) . high five party
I went straight to the sequel too.I got a family and a 60-80 hr robust RPG would equal out to 200 hrs for me.I remember the days when you were young and could just play for 10 hours on a weekend like it’s nothing
I finished this over a year ago. Enjoyed it more than POE 1. Reasons for this was it was the first game I played involving traveling by boat. Refreshing change from constant land travel. I also liked the crews sea shantys sung while sailing. Personally I would recommend playing POE 1 to become familiar with the world and lore but as you pointed out, no need to. Thanks for your review Wolf. See you in the next vid.😄
@@WolfheartFPS Forgot to mention one thing I didn't like. Was unable to cast buff or protection spells before getting into combat. If I'm wrong about this then someone can point out if there is a change in options/settings.
@@ronstrnisa2230 You are correct. I think Pathfinder overdid the prebuffing, and Pillars didn't allow it haha A nice mix between the two would have been perfect.
Absolute magnum opus. You're missing out big time with Pillars of Eternity 1, different feel. For 2, it has a pirate feel to it, where as 1 is more D&D. The story is excellent as well. Both of these games are a must play! Currently on Disco Elysium, another heavy text based game, and beautifully rendered! Check it out.
I tried the first game at two different times but never got particulary far into it. Not a bad game, but with limited time I've simply chosen to spend that on other games that I enjoy more. Will most likely continue with that so if you ever make a story summary video of the two games, I'll be sure to watch it.
The camp song is engrained in my head for life because it’s just perfect. I played pillars 2 first as well and then had to go back to play the first. Then I loved my new characters story so much I replayed pillars 2 with my new characters actions in 1. The critical role cast did the first game as well before they were famous.
Actually a good point with the prebuffing - never thought about that, but Pathfinder/BG1-2 was always a bit ridiculous in this regard. Actually thinking about it if really underlines why I seem to love the pillars combat system so much :)
Good review. Soundtrack repetitiveness is an issue. Its lovely at first then you hear it again. I would say havint tried turn based, that its very time consuming and given the relative ease of a lot of encounters it gets quite boring.
Having done a single but very completionist run, I can confirm there is not purely ''evil' or 'good' faction , they are all a mixed bag. There are also factions within factions. The game does become easier as it progresses, so don't hesitate to bump up the difficulty if you feel like it.
The fog is one of the biggest turn off for me of this game. It not only make vision very limited, also make the entire screen feel very dark, or at least darker than it actually is. While the environment is actually beautiful and has great variety, the "grey" around the edge of the screen takes away that.
I hate pre-buffing, useless micromanagement. Pillars solves this with auras, which pathfinder could also do for more convenient gamplay, but they did not.
If you know the AI system fairly well, you can actually have it mostly automated even on the hardest difficulty, with only the most major fights requiring a lot of pausing and re-adjustment (though on the hardest difficulty, you can never _fully_ relax and not pay attention, you do have to stay aware of what's going on, as things can cascade fairly quickly if you don't). I actually quite enjoy the game that way. It feels to me more like your companions are independent living creatures who can mostly handle themselves, which leaves you free to micro-manage your own character, and only "shout orders" (as it were) in the toughest fights. That kind of advanced access to AI conditionals really pairs well with RTwP gameplay, I think. It's its own kind of gameplay, where you put a lot of thought into the meta level of tweaking the AI, and then "wind 'em up and watch 'em go" in the actual combat.
This is a great game, even if the story isn't as great as in the first one coz everything else is improved from the first one so the overall experience is better. This one even allows you to choose real-time w/pause or turn-based. Also if you're coming into this game blind there's an option to customize the state of the world after the first game. Highly recommend this game.
would you recommend turn based for a first playthrough? I really enjoy DOS2's combat for example and worried real time might get too chaotic but want to do what's ideal haha
@@chpc6217 I loved the pacing for TB! It actually surprised me! Because I didn’t feel TB was very well done in the Pathfinder series. It was good but not great in POE 1. Here it just felt amazing. I think unless real time is your jam I would recommend it for a first run because the rule set isn’t based on like 5th edition for instance. Doing TB helped me grasp the concepts in their system (like the engagement rules) much quicker!
POE I and II were such an amazing and unique gamining experience and the OST for PEO I is one of the best ever, and the Adra dragon(P.O.E I) fight is one of the most memorable fights in my gaming life.
5 is not a good choice, not for the ruleset they built for Pillars of Eternity. It CAN work, and it kinda works in this one, only because they went out of their way to balance the encounters that way. But compared to the first one, you can see every time the game is holding back, just so you can survive. Which is a pity, as it robes you from some nice tactical synergies available with a 6 party members option. It's why the encounters are just plain more engaging in the first one. Especially when the new ruleset finally klicks. But i guess eh? If eye candy and quality of life improvements is what you seek, then Deadfire is probably the game for you. If you are more into tactics and survival, go for the first one. Much richer experience. Oh yeah, the NPCs are just boring in this one. Especially the new ones. I can still remember all and name most of the companions in the first one, while only name two and remember 3 in the second.
I like Obsidian and enjoyed both pillars games. The problem with them I had is too much text that is irrelevant. For example in other text heavy games like Pathfinder and Divinity everything I read is connected to story, characters, quests, secrets and give you some sort of hint. On the other hand Pillars bombarded me with text that is there just to be there ( first game especially). Still both were fun and can't wait for Avowed to come out.
Oof...I just watched the post mortem for the game and the director said that ship combat was the most expensive and time consuming feature that they implemented in the game (He didn't wanted to do it but was forced to because it was a stretch goal). Hearing you say that they didn't have the time or money to polish it hurt my internal developer so bad hahaha.
I'm playing in it as you uploaded this vid. Game was laying in my library for probably two years. I'm finally able to start the bit that interested me the most: Forbidden Sanctum DLC. My only break from playing this game was a bit of Resident Evil 4 remake and a few hours of Baldurs Gate 3 to check out. I really like the whole animancy and soul buisness in the Pillars. Lore is pretty great and the system where you can get a quick summary of terms as they appear in the very dialogue is really good. Something that BG3 could mimick in my opinion. PS: Quest log in Pillars is a mess. Also Neketaka is flooded with a crapton of side quest, you can pick up too much of them at once.
Thanks for the review. I have just downloaded this from the PS plus catalog and looking forward to getting started. Also I had no clue they had another game coming out, thanks for the heads up.
I don't remember having too many items being a problem - did you pick every non-magical weapon/armor the enemy has ? You're not supposed to, unless you want to play a scavenger instead of an adventurer ^^ What I do remember is the system for upgrading unique equipment so it stays relevant, or even weapons that can gain XP ! I want that in every RPG, instead of randomized stats on items that become trash at every new level which makes looting mostly useless busywork (looking at you DOS2) 100% agree on the ship combat being boring, the text I feel is only too much because it's narrated which make it take 3 times longer if you listen instead of reading
It's just a weird concept to write a review about a 2018 average-at-best crpg now in 2023? Deadfire is not old enough to have any nostalgia, nor is it good enough to be called a classic in any shape of form... My main gripe is with this game's writing. It's SO introspective. Every concept, location, god and character is always a hyperlink to another thing and you have to be super invested into a world ("Eora") that isn't nearly as fleshed out, unique or interesting as it wants you to believe it is.
Among the modern CRPGs the music and atmosphere are unmatched in my opinion, the writing is also really good. Also I believe if you turn off "telemetry" the game won't stutter anymore.
Its really unfortunate how ahead of its time this game was. If releases today people would praise the game for having a massive city hub, huge map traversial, and the freedom to play any party or sub classes you want.
There's a lot of things I liked about this game, and even a couple of things that aren't as interesting are easy enough to skip and use a different strategy. I never played the original either, the only reason I even bought the second was because they added turn based. I can play real time, but I prefer the more chess feel of turn based over the clusterfuck chaos that real time can be in some games. The major problem I always have with this game though is I've never finished it. I think a big part of that is first the main city is just too big in the way it's implemented into the game and wandering back and forth between all those map sections in that one city always fills me with less of a desire to play. Second, I'm not the biggest fan of sailing around to find places to go for some reason in games, Wind Waker taught me this a long time ago. Just something about it that can be interesting, but it's not the way I want to do things I guess. Third, the main quests are so small and spaced out that it barely feels like I'm following a main narrative purpose through the game and more often just doing side quests the game. This isn't the worst thing, but I do like feeling like I'm still pushing towards the main objective but with how they are spaced out it starts to drain my interest without having it there. Some of the design choices don't mesh with me super well, but there's also a number of things there and I do enjoy with the rpg combat and characters, combine with turn based and it's so close to being a genuine fun Crpg I enjoy, but it falls just a step or two short which is why I end up never finishing it sadly.
Multiclassing made combat more interesting tactically than the first game as did the addition of power points. I've spent way too much time in this game. I do think the main story let it down and contributed to the poor sales. However, lots of the side/faction quests were fun so that was fine. There are some awesome weapons and armour that could influence how you choose to build your character.
I loved this game. The only Crpg's I liked more than this was BG3 and WOTR. I loved being able to use the cast of Critical role as the voices in my game, just really added to it. Loved everything to do with the Ships in the game from using it for traveling or combat. My only complaint was the ending, it didn't wow me. Also the wrap up with my characters didn't make sense to me in the ending. Even with that, I strongly recommend the game.
I keep coming and going with this game Mainly I just wish Obsidian had fixed the memory leak issues at least, cause my frames drop to freaking 15 FPS if I play the game for more than an hour
Sorry to break it to you but Obsidian has moved onto more broad and shallow 3d games like Outer worlds and Avowed. Maybe one day we will get another classic from them.
Thanks for your thoughts....Man, I had about 15 hours in before my old computer game up finally. I picked-up a new one but havent gotten to reinstalling this yet. Kind of got stuck on WarTales atm..Hehe... Such is the life of a gamer:)). Peace
Considering you're the same character as in PoE1, it would've been pretty hilarious if you had the option of starting with all the powerful equipment you had from the last game (provided you had a save). At least as a bonus option that unlocks after beating the game. Also, the ship to ship combat is definitely lacking. Both mechanically and from a balance perspective, since actually trying to sink the other ship with your cannons and such is pretty much always worse than just boarding the other ship and fighting.
I think I really enjoy the Nautical stuff, because while I haven’t completed this game, I did find myself enjoying the journey and features more in this game than pillars 1.
I love both PoE but Pillars 2 is in my top 5. I'm interested in Avowed, but a "broader reaching" and streamlined first person rpg isnt going to hit for me like a proper crpg, and I love the way Obsidian approaches them.
The choose your own adventure style cut scenes were a budget choice. The first game was made on about 10 million and Deadfire on about 20 million. That's nowhere near enough money for a studio located in SoCal to be able to afford true cut scenes. Deadfire doesn't really take advantage of the choose your own adventure style as well as POE1 where you could use abilities, items, talents, spells, or skills depending on the interaction. Instead Deadfire as more of them with less impact of each.
Tempted to give another lash before Baldur's. I do recall getting bored in my second playthrough years ago due to the storybook/narration delivery. Hopefully goldfish memory will make it seem new again... 😄 Very true on the inventory management too. Who needs 800 swords, really? 🤔
Yeah, back on it Wolfy. Ranger, Stalker with lion companion. Medium difficulty. I see you're damn near finished the game, if not already... 😄 Some gold within, I recall many a late night. 8/10 for me. 👍
One of my favorite RPGs of the last few years, i love the character customization and the story, i love that is in the short side and with a lot of side quests and companions. But yeah, optimization, inventory and ship combat and to some extent the final fight are the low points of the game on my book. I do want to see where they take the story in the next game what happens now is no interesting.
Im glad you finally played this and happy that you enjoyed the game. The combat is highlight for me compared to any other crpg out there and the option to use slow mode made me learn rtwp. After learning i now understand why many prefer rtwp over turn based combat and i allso like it more now.
if anyone is on the fence about the original ..... the original pillars of eternity is 100% worth playing regardless of whether you want to play POE2 or not in the original , the story is regarded as better , plus you are learning lots of genuinely interesting lore and meeting the characters that re appear in POE2 the combat on story mode is great if you need turn based because you can finish 95% of encounters without thinking the game isnt fully voiced but the expansion packs make up for it by providing an even better story than the main campaign which is already better than POE2s also you can import your save game into POE2 with a few choices altering how the story and characters play out ! psst .. the games are also on sale RIGHT NOW
PoE series is one of the only fantasy cRPGs I enjoyed. I find the lore so interesting and one way more serious tone than the pathfinder games. Which feel way more generic to me. I played a lot of PoE 1 back in the day but just now got around to play dead fire and it's excellent.
Incredibly good game. Loved everything about it and the first installment. The only thing that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth were the quest flag issues. Replayed 80+ hours to get a specific ending only to realise it was not my fault I didn't get it the first time. There was just a bug in the final final version of the game :|
PoE 1&2 are 2 of the best games I ever played! Its my holy grail of RPGs ...and you better go and play the 1st game too. The story on that one is just amazing!
Maybe I'm weird but Medieval Fantasy > "Pirate" fantasy. When guns start to get involved it breaks my fantasy immersion plus the "pirate theme" (colonial) isn't my jam. It severely impacted my enjoyment of the game.
That is just a matter of taste. I like the fresh Carribean theme in 2 instead of the classic medieval theme in 1. Also Deadfire has much more interesting locations than the first game. Also guns where in 1 as well.
I can understand that. I definitely prefer the more traditional fantasy setting as well, however I thought it was nice to have a fantasy game change it up a little.
I stopped playing PoE 1 because no preview skills. It makes me feel I have to play through to understand. I got PoE2 and so much fun so far now since I know where I'm heading.
I do want to point out that right now it's only $10 on GOG.. that's a steal.
I do also have a GOG affiliate link - af.gog.com-75% Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire on GOG.com?as=1676346721
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The descriptive writing of this game is so enveloping. Definitely one of the better crafted recent crpgs out there.
💯
Totally agree. While I love the Pathfinder games, the overall level of writing and storytelling in Pillars is so much stronger.
Whenever I heard the sound of a paper page turning and I knew there was a descriptive encounter coming, I was like, “hell yeah.”
I really hope to see Pillars of Eternity 3 one day, This game is top
The character skill building was indeed great : super clean window and even a multiclass is pretty simple to understand.
One of my favorite things in the 2nd game was how your choices in the first game would create new dialogue options in the 2nd. there would be a symbol that would pop up showing this dialogue choice is unique opportunity due to a previous choice in 1st game
that's why I start the runs with the 1st game. that makes the emersion and the lore more sick.
I played this game twice, and I still believe it not only has one of the best Video Game Soundtracks ever but also the atmosphere is outstanding.
You always feel like you are on this incredible, mythical, and fantastic journey with your friends you genuinely care for.
Great soundtrack, although way too repetitive. Many nods to Jeremy Soule, some very obvious (not a bad thing!).
@@allenvrabac4827 was gonna say the same thing. Wish there were more tracks to mix it up! That combat theme can get grating for longer fights
@@DietersYT yes, true. I guess they would have done more if the Budget was bigger, but sadly CRPGs are a very niche section, and videogames like Wrath of the Righteous or Baldurs Gate 3 are rare.
I mean the Budget for BG3 is ~80 million Dollars which puts in right into Tripple A territory, which is a first if I am not mistaken.
I don't even like this type of game but totally liked this one.
It's probably the 1st or one of the fee of its kind that I liked.
I didn't like much divinity and other similar games.
POE2 has taken over the "BG2" mantle for me. Its an absolute masterpiece and I keep replaying and replaying it like I did with BG2 for 20 years.
The story in POE is much better but in every other respect POE2 is better.
I got confused for a good second, thinking that Path of Exile 2 is not out yet ;)
What's BG2 mean?
@@motivatorsoftheheart0007 Baldurs Gate 2
@@motivatorsoftheheart0007 Baldur's Gate 2
I enjoyed POE2, but I actually liked POE1 better, but that may just be me. POE1 came at a time when it seemed the classic isometric game had faded into history, so it was very refreshing to play. Regardless both games are very good and certainly worth playing today. Wolf, thanks for playing POE2 and providing a look at the game to others who may not have been aware of the POE world.
Thanks for the comment Steve! I agree it’s nice to see some crpg companies keep things feeling classic.
If only poe1 had voice acting
Basically: PoE1, better atmosphere, much better writing, story and companions. - PoE2: Better gameplay and classes, but worse atmosphere, writing, story and companions. I like both, but I rank PoE1 higher simply because the most important part of a CRPG and RPGs in general to me, is the story and writing.
@@taigaaisaka6305don't forget better loading times also lol. 1 seemed to have bigger areas that weren't dissected by tons of loading screens that take a long time even on good systems.
I’ve heard that 1 has a better story and 2 has better gameplay. Since I haven’t played either, I can’t say if that is the case.
Obsidian doesnt miss. I have always had this game on my backlog to play, and now you have finally convinced me to give it a shot. Time to spend the next couple of weeks on another CRPG. Thanks wolf, lol!
Until they made the Outer worlds they were flawless but that game was such a let down for me... mostly cause I saw their new future of shallow games.
My favorite crpg!
Feels like Obsidian put a lot of soul into it. Its a fantastic game and has a way demanding the player to learn the combat system without being to difficult while making it interesting as well
One of the better modern CRPG out there. A definite must play for enthusiasts of the genre.
the multiclassing added to PoE 2 and the extra levelup information are huge upgrades from PoE 1, so much less confusing and fun. I played through on turn based mode and while slower, it was pretty solid.
I especially love how all multiclasses are all named
Great game. I still hold that the "fast forward" button or whatever it is to speed things up when you're just exploring is such a huge quality of life addition i'd like to see in more crps
^ this. I was displeased NOT finding such a button in Pathfinder.
It was so tough staying away from your streams but i really did not want to be spoiled like when you were doing DOS2. The Entire Cast of Critical Role voice acted in Deadfire....so i really wannah play this myself. Pillars 1 as well. As usual your Reviews are so holistic and Clear. Always appreciated Wolf!
Your lives made me reinstall, the only hard thing about PoE 2 is how many times you get curious about what would happen if you were another characters, another moral choices, etc. This thing is HUGE and really complex.
I've recently started this up on the PS5 so my wife and I can both enjoy it and I love it. It's easily one of the more engrossing CRPG's I've played. It's a shame that it didn't do well at release and we probably won't see a Pillars of Eternity 3.
nope unfortunately they are making crap like outer worlds and a bunch of people praised the hell out of it while it was a very average game vs their past titles.
@@malazan6004I thought everyone agrees that outer worlds was bad ?
My biggest issue was just how much of a slog the opening few hours were, so much running around back and forth talking to people. My other two complaints was that the combat wasn't as punchy as I'd like it to be -- many of the spells and attacks sounded like wet noodles, and that the main story was absurdly short.
@@VrilWaffen No, port maji is the tutorial, I'm talking about Neketaka, you spend so much damn time there walking back and forth accomplishing little to nothing. Once you finally manage to get past the opening 6 hour slog the game actually feels somewhat fun.
I pre-ordered and played this game when it first came out. This game was crowd funded ($4.4M). I think they did an amazing job with their limited funding. And I liked the ship combat as it follows table top ship combat almost exactly. The vision distance is also based off table tops like D&D. If a player has 30ft of dark vision, they only see 30ft.
My favourite CRPG ever, slowly seconded by D:OS2. Looking forward to see if BG3 can top this up.
How was bg3? CRPG newcomer here, recently finished dos2 and currently on bg3, love em! Wondering if Pillars is worth a try on console.
Thanks for the review Wolf :)
It's too bad you didn't say anything about the Magran Challenges, the Megabosses, the DLCs, the Path of the Damned difficulty, equipment enchantment, Soulbound items and their unlock tiers, or the ability to mod the game though.
It feels like you missed so much, maybe because you've not had the opportunity to discover some of it at the time.
Fun tip, start a game choosing the "Everything Bad" story (or create one where you betrayed your pledge to all the gods) ;)
I could just not get into PoE 1 but man, Deadfire was a 10/10 for me. The writing was excellent, I sometimes wished I could just close my eyes instead of having to select dialogue options, that's how detailed and descriptive the writing was to me. Oh and pirates, who doesn't like pirates?
Funny enough it was the same for me but after beating Deadfire I went back to PoE1 and enjoyed it and finished it.
Yeah I played 15 hrs of poe 1 and got frustrated bc I didn't get the mechanics. Then I jumped to Deadfire where everything was explained to me much more clearly. So after this I will go back and beat the first game and maybe import my character for another playthrough
Pillars 1 and 2 are great and with very mature stories!
I'm a Pillars fan, I have over 600h on both games and if there's one thing that's clear, it's that Eora is the place where people are practically food for the gods, you're "born" and become cattle for the slaughter.
Reptilian
I’m glad your enjoying the game, It’s one of my favs, the main story is really short though, which was a huge let down when it first launched, but the dlc they added made up for it, also if you change the flag on your ship it’ll stop people from attacking you.
Yea it does feel like the main quest specifically is progressing very fast. Good thing is the faction quests are great.
The lack of advertising for this game is criminal.
I completed almost all of the poe2 achievements on xbox my first play through 😅 it’s probably my favorite game series of all time, there’s also new game + because you can spend points from the achievements in game that unlock stuff, like have the world map clear from the beginning!
I really like it. I beat the first one. But I can't finish the second one because I finally got fed up with the long loading screens. I can't think of any game that annoyed me as much with all of the long loading screens popping up over and over.
Absolutely loved this game. I agree with a lot of critiques made here too. In particular it made me crave more of the game's land combat without the less compelling ship travel time and combat in between islands, which ended up with me buying POE1 but while that game's also quite fun it really isn't quite as amazing as POE2 for a lot of reasons.
I particularly enjoyed the reasonably unique fantasy world they've created -- one which felt meaningfully different from other fantasy games I've played, in particular the pantheon of gods (I mean you have some boring predictable ones like the nature god, but the gods of tyranny and rebellion and the one you chase are all presented well -- and presented with at least some of the nuance to their domains rather than each god being oversimplified good/evil/etc.)
Character development and combat are the stars here, with a lot of build variety owing to the fact that the core attributes (might/etc) are viable for _most_ classes you might choose (you can pump the stat that increases AOE radius on your barbarian and have crazy-big-radius shouts impacting the enemy, or you can go the more typical damage (might) and attack speed (finesse?) route to maximize single target DPS). The talents themselves usually offer at least a couple main playstyles per class too, though as mentioned in the review those choices are on the simpler side of other CRPG offerings.
Really hope their FPS turns out well!
4:02 The 5 members'party also could meet the five heroes band of litterature : the leader champion (or main character) , the lancer (or sidekick) , the big guy (or tank) , the brain (healer, crowd controler, tinkerer, thieve) and the heart (those romances that Wolfheart never fails ;=) .
high five party
I like it
... and then there's Durance.
I've seen this one get alot of crap in game forums and reddit. Don't get it, it's basically Josh Sawyers baby
I went straight to the sequel too.I got a family and a 60-80 hr robust RPG would equal out to 200 hrs for me.I remember the days when you were young and could just play for 10 hours on a weekend like it’s nothing
I finished this over a year ago. Enjoyed it more than POE 1. Reasons for this was it was the first game I played involving traveling by boat. Refreshing change from constant land travel. I also liked the crews sea shantys sung while sailing. Personally I would recommend playing POE 1 to become familiar with the world and lore but as you pointed out, no need to. Thanks for your review Wolf. See you in the next vid.😄
Well said Ron
@@WolfheartFPS Forgot to mention one thing I didn't like. Was unable to cast buff or protection spells before getting into combat. If I'm wrong about this then someone can point out if there is a change in options/settings.
@@ronstrnisa2230 You are correct. I think Pathfinder overdid the prebuffing, and Pillars didn't allow it haha A nice mix between the two would have been perfect.
Absolute magnum opus. You're missing out big time with Pillars of Eternity 1, different feel. For 2, it has a pirate feel to it, where as 1 is more D&D. The story is excellent as well. Both of these games are a must play! Currently on Disco Elysium, another heavy text based game, and beautifully rendered! Check it out.
So much better than BG3 ! At almost any points.
I tried the first game at two different times but never got particulary far into it. Not a bad game, but with limited time I've simply chosen to spend that on other games that I enjoy more. Will most likely continue with that so if you ever make a story summary video of the two games, I'll be sure to watch it.
No one talks about the ending of this game being underwhelming. You follow the big statue until he ends the game
The camp song is engrained in my head for life because it’s just perfect. I played pillars 2 first as well and then had to go back to play the first. Then I loved my new characters story so much I replayed pillars 2 with my new characters actions in 1. The critical role cast did the first game as well before they were famous.
pillars of eternity 1 was by far the better game for me personally, you are defo missing out by not playing it.
Actually a good point with the prebuffing - never thought about that, but Pathfinder/BG1-2 was always a bit ridiculous in this regard. Actually thinking about it if really underlines why I seem to love the pillars combat system so much :)
Good review. Soundtrack repetitiveness is an issue. Its lovely at first then you hear it again.
I would say havint tried turn based, that its very time consuming and given the relative ease of a lot of encounters it gets quite boring.
This is a Baldur's Gate/Infinity Engine games successor game - of course you should be able to loot armor and weapons from every killed enemy! :D
Having done a single but very completionist run, I can confirm there is not purely ''evil' or 'good' faction , they are all a mixed bag. There are also factions within factions. The game does become easier as it progresses, so don't hesitate to bump up the difficulty if you feel like it.
POE2 is the best game ever created. Play POE1. Pillars 1 is a great experience and will make your POE2 gameplay better.
The fog is one of the biggest turn off for me of this game. It not only make vision very limited, also make the entire screen feel very dark, or at least darker than it actually is. While the environment is actually beautiful and has great variety, the "grey" around the edge of the screen takes away that.
Hello,idk if anyone is still watching here but I'd like to ask, what are the best custom history choices? Hylaea keeps getting angry at me
I hate pre-buffing, useless micromanagement. Pillars solves this with auras, which pathfinder could also do for more convenient gamplay, but they did not.
If you know the AI system fairly well, you can actually have it mostly automated even on the hardest difficulty, with only the most major fights requiring a lot of pausing and re-adjustment (though on the hardest difficulty, you can never _fully_ relax and not pay attention, you do have to stay aware of what's going on, as things can cascade fairly quickly if you don't). I actually quite enjoy the game that way. It feels to me more like your companions are independent living creatures who can mostly handle themselves, which leaves you free to micro-manage your own character, and only "shout orders" (as it were) in the toughest fights.
That kind of advanced access to AI conditionals really pairs well with RTwP gameplay, I think. It's its own kind of gameplay, where you put a lot of thought into the meta level of tweaking the AI, and then "wind 'em up and watch 'em go" in the actual combat.
Cool to see a Pillars vid pop up in 2024. Loved both games. Wish they would do a 3rd with all the new tech we have now.
This is a great game, even if the story isn't as great as in the first one coz everything else is improved from the first one so the overall experience is better. This one even allows you to choose real-time w/pause or turn-based. Also if you're coming into this game blind there's an option to customize the state of the world after the first game.
Highly recommend this game.
You should try a play through with turn based. It feels SO pen and paper that way but is still paced MUCH better than Pathfinder. Love it in TB.
would you recommend turn based for a first playthrough? I really enjoy DOS2's combat for example and worried real time might get too chaotic but want to do what's ideal haha
@@chpc6217 I loved the pacing for TB! It actually surprised me! Because I didn’t feel TB was very well done in the Pathfinder series. It was good but not great in POE 1. Here it just felt amazing. I think unless real time is your jam I would recommend it for a first run because the rule set isn’t based on like 5th edition for instance. Doing TB helped me grasp the concepts in their system (like the engagement rules) much quicker!
@@theelementslook Awesome definitely doing that then, sounds more like my preferred style of game. Appreciate the reply and insight brotha!
I always prefered the story of the first and the gameplay of the second, but both are great games
I love the multiclass System of this game, got 1k hours in this game because of that.
I suggest to play poe1 for the story.
POE I and II were such an amazing and unique gamining experience and the OST for PEO I is one of the best ever, and the Adra dragon(P.O.E I) fight is one of the most memorable fights in my gaming life.
every game about pirates needs a guybrush threepwood easter egg! not an opinion its a fact!
Hope we will able to see PoE 3 if they ever decide to make it
5 is not a good choice, not for the ruleset they built for Pillars of Eternity. It CAN work, and it kinda works in this one, only because they went out of their way to balance the encounters that way. But compared to the first one, you can see every time the game is holding back, just so you can survive. Which is a pity, as it robes you from some nice tactical synergies available with a 6 party members option. It's why the encounters are just plain more engaging in the first one. Especially when the new ruleset finally klicks. But i guess eh? If eye candy and quality of life improvements is what you seek, then Deadfire is probably the game for you. If you are more into tactics and survival, go for the first one. Much richer experience.
Oh yeah, the NPCs are just boring in this one. Especially the new ones. I can still remember all and name most of the companions in the first one, while only name two and remember 3 in the second.
Also the narrator is fucking marvelous
I like Obsidian and enjoyed both pillars games. The problem with them I had is too much text that is irrelevant. For example in other text heavy games like Pathfinder and Divinity everything I read is connected to story, characters, quests, secrets and give you some sort of hint. On the other hand Pillars bombarded me with text that is there just to be there ( first game especially). Still both were fun and can't wait for Avowed to come out.
Oof...I just watched the post mortem for the game and the director said that ship combat was the most expensive and time consuming feature that they implemented in the game (He didn't wanted to do it but was forced to because it was a stretch goal). Hearing you say that they didn't have the time or money to polish it hurt my internal developer so bad hahaha.
I'm playing in it as you uploaded this vid. Game was laying in my library for probably two years. I'm finally able to start the bit that interested me the most: Forbidden Sanctum DLC. My only break from playing this game was a bit of Resident Evil 4 remake and a few hours of Baldurs Gate 3 to check out. I really like the whole animancy and soul buisness in the Pillars. Lore is pretty great and the system where you can get a quick summary of terms as they appear in the very dialogue is really good. Something that BG3 could mimick in my opinion.
PS: Quest log in Pillars is a mess. Also Neketaka is flooded with a crapton of side quest, you can pick up too much of them at once.
a POE 1 remaster with some of the POE2 updates added to it would be so amazing
That would be awesome. Like the combat bar instead of the radial and stuff like that
Thanks for the review. I have just downloaded this from the PS plus catalog and looking forward to getting started. Also I had no clue they had another game coming out, thanks for the heads up.
I want Pillars 3 not avowed
I don't remember having too many items being a problem - did you pick every non-magical weapon/armor the enemy has ? You're not supposed to, unless you want to play a scavenger instead of an adventurer ^^
What I do remember is the system for upgrading unique equipment so it stays relevant, or even weapons that can gain XP ! I want that in every RPG, instead of randomized stats on items that become trash at every new level which makes looting mostly useless busywork (looking at you DOS2)
100% agree on the ship combat being boring, the text I feel is only too much because it's narrated which make it take 3 times longer if you listen instead of reading
I loved POE 2 inventory management versus DOS2 personally. The unlimited stash just took so much stress out of it for me.
It's just a weird concept to write a review about a 2018 average-at-best crpg now in 2023?
Deadfire is not old enough to have any nostalgia, nor is it good enough to be called a classic in any shape of form...
My main gripe is with this game's writing. It's SO introspective. Every concept, location, god and character is always a hyperlink to another thing and you have to be super invested into a world ("Eora") that isn't nearly as fleshed out, unique or interesting as it wants you to believe it is.
It’s even more weird for you to click on said video and then also proceed to comment. You’re pretty weird dude.
The feeling when youre playing cipher rogue and dashing and slapping hard, those sweet critical hits, man i have to replayin this game
Among the modern CRPGs the music and atmosphere are unmatched in my opinion, the writing is also really good.
Also I believe if you turn off "telemetry" the game won't stutter anymore.
Its really unfortunate how ahead of its time this game was. If releases today people would praise the game for having a massive city hub, huge map traversial, and the freedom to play any party or sub classes you want.
I'm just finishing up the first game now so am really looking forward to jumping into this one next
There's a lot of things I liked about this game, and even a couple of things that aren't as interesting are easy enough to skip and use a different strategy. I never played the original either, the only reason I even bought the second was because they added turn based. I can play real time, but I prefer the more chess feel of turn based over the clusterfuck chaos that real time can be in some games.
The major problem I always have with this game though is I've never finished it. I think a big part of that is first the main city is just too big in the way it's implemented into the game and wandering back and forth between all those map sections in that one city always fills me with less of a desire to play. Second, I'm not the biggest fan of sailing around to find places to go for some reason in games, Wind Waker taught me this a long time ago. Just something about it that can be interesting, but it's not the way I want to do things I guess.
Third, the main quests are so small and spaced out that it barely feels like I'm following a main narrative purpose through the game and more often just doing side quests the game. This isn't the worst thing, but I do like feeling like I'm still pushing towards the main objective but with how they are spaced out it starts to drain my interest without having it there.
Some of the design choices don't mesh with me super well, but there's also a number of things there and I do enjoy with the rpg combat and characters, combine with turn based and it's so close to being a genuine fun Crpg I enjoy, but it falls just a step or two short which is why I end up never finishing it sadly.
Hey... Better late then never lol
If I can share my experience with just a few people that have not played it yet, I think it's totally worth doing the review! Great game.
@@WolfheartFPS I gotta give Pillars 1 another go one of these days. Just never been a fan of the real time combat but this time I'ma take it real slow
Multiclassing made combat more interesting tactically than the first game as did the addition of power points. I've spent way too much time in this game. I do think the main story let it down and contributed to the poor sales. However, lots of the side/faction quests were fun so that was fine. There are some awesome weapons and armour that could influence how you choose to build your character.
I loved this game. The only Crpg's I liked more than this was BG3 and WOTR. I loved being able to use the cast of Critical role as the voices in my game, just really added to it. Loved everything to do with the Ships in the game from using it for traveling or combat. My only complaint was the ending, it didn't wow me. Also the wrap up with my characters didn't make sense to me in the ending. Even with that, I strongly recommend the game.
I keep coming and going with this game
Mainly I just wish Obsidian had fixed the memory leak issues at least, cause my frames drop to freaking 15 FPS if I play the game for more than an hour
The biggest problem for me was, that there are no fully good factions.
I've played both PoE 1 and 2. I loved both and look forward to the next episode of PoE. Thanks for a great video Wolf!
Sorry to break it to you but Obsidian has moved onto more broad and shallow 3d games like Outer worlds and Avowed. Maybe one day we will get another classic from them.
Thanks for your thoughts....Man, I had about 15 hours in before my old computer game up finally. I picked-up a new one but havent gotten to reinstalling this yet. Kind of got stuck on WarTales atm..Hehe... Such is the life of a gamer:)). Peace
Hey john. Hell yeah Wartales is a good time.
Considering you're the same character as in PoE1, it would've been pretty hilarious if you had the option of starting with all the powerful equipment you had from the last game (provided you had a save). At least as a bonus option that unlocks after beating the game.
Also, the ship to ship combat is definitely lacking. Both mechanically and from a balance perspective, since actually trying to sink the other ship with your cannons and such is pretty much always worse than just boarding the other ship and fighting.
I think I really enjoy the Nautical stuff, because while I haven’t completed this game, I did find myself enjoying the journey and features more in this game than pillars 1.
playing it now together with Baldur's Gate 3, really underrated gem of a rpg game, the world they created is amazing :)
I love both PoE but Pillars 2 is in my top 5. I'm interested in Avowed, but a "broader reaching" and streamlined first person rpg isnt going to hit for me like a proper crpg, and I love the way Obsidian approaches them.
The choose your own adventure style cut scenes were a budget choice. The first game was made on about 10 million and Deadfire on about 20 million. That's nowhere near enough money for a studio located in SoCal to be able to afford true cut scenes. Deadfire doesn't really take advantage of the choose your own adventure style as well as POE1 where you could use abilities, items, talents, spells, or skills depending on the interaction. Instead Deadfire as more of them with less impact of each.
Also, the limited FOV is a performance consideration rather than a gameplay choice.
Makes sense.
Tempted to give another lash before Baldur's. I do recall getting bored in my second playthrough years ago due to the storybook/narration delivery. Hopefully goldfish memory will make it seem new again... 😄 Very true on the inventory management too. Who needs 800 swords, really? 🤔
Yeah, back on it Wolfy. Ranger, Stalker with lion companion. Medium difficulty. I see you're damn near finished the game, if not already... 😄 Some gold within, I recall many a late night. 8/10 for me. 👍
One of my favorite RPGs of the last few years, i love the character customization and the story, i love that is in the short side and with a lot of side quests and companions.
But yeah, optimization, inventory and ship combat and to some extent the final fight are the low points of the game on my book.
I do want to see where they take the story in the next game what happens now is no interesting.
Im glad you finally played this and happy that you enjoyed the game. The combat is highlight for me compared to any other crpg out there and the option to use slow mode made me learn rtwp. After learning i now understand why many prefer rtwp over turn based combat and i allso like it more now.
I feel like offering a slow time combat mode should be a standard for all RTwP games now.
if anyone is on the fence about the original ..... the original pillars of eternity is 100% worth playing regardless of whether you want to play POE2 or not
in the original , the story is regarded as better , plus you are learning lots of genuinely interesting lore and meeting the characters that re appear in POE2
the combat on story mode is great if you need turn based because you can finish 95% of encounters without thinking
the game isnt fully voiced but the expansion packs make up for it by providing an even better story than the main campaign which is already better than POE2s
also you can import your save game into POE2 with a few choices altering how the story and characters play out !
psst .. the games are also on sale RIGHT NOW
PoE series is one of the only fantasy cRPGs I enjoyed. I find the lore so interesting and one way more serious tone than the pathfinder games. Which feel way more generic to me. I played a lot of PoE 1 back in the day but just now got around to play dead fire and it's excellent.
Incredibly good game. Loved everything about it and the first installment. The only thing that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth were the quest flag issues.
Replayed 80+ hours to get a specific ending only to realise it was not my fault I didn't get it the first time. There was just a bug in the final final version of the game :|
only issue i had with the game was how early you hit the level cap. the DLCs do not raise them either IIRC
There are mods for that :-)
This was a fun game to watch. It's teue the music was repetitive, but the story, presentation, and voice acting were great.
PoE 1&2 are 2 of the best games I ever played! Its my holy grail of RPGs
...and you better go and play the 1st game too. The story on that one is just amazing!
I wish Pathfinder was this easy to understand.
2 is good, really good, but pillars 1 is a masterpiece. Seriously you should give it a play through.
I have 493 hrs in this game on steam. This is absolutely my favorite game ever!
Wow ive put a lot of time into this game but am only just now discovering the little combat speed gadge, that would have been so nice to know about
I need to try Pillars 2 again...I LOVED the first game, but I didn't like the changes and ship exploration in the 2nd.
Its one of my TOP 3 of all time modern CRPGS
Maybe I'm weird but Medieval Fantasy > "Pirate" fantasy. When guns start to get involved it breaks my fantasy immersion plus the "pirate theme" (colonial) isn't my jam. It severely impacted my enjoyment of the game.
That is just a matter of taste. I like the fresh Carribean theme in 2 instead of the classic medieval theme in 1. Also Deadfire has much more interesting locations than the first game. Also guns where in 1 as well.
I can understand that. I definitely prefer the more traditional fantasy setting as well, however I thought it was nice to have a fantasy game change it up a little.
I stopped playing PoE 1 because no preview skills. It makes me feel I have to play through to understand. I got PoE2 and so much fun so far now since I know where I'm heading.