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After around two and a half years of development time, Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity - funded to the tune of some four million or so Kickstarter bucks - is finally out today. Handily described as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, the end result of their work is an old-school, real-ale drinking RPG adventure, just like the ones we used to enjoy back in the good old days.We've been playing through the game for a little while now, making notes on our progress for the purposes of this walkthrough.
World Map Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Map A general map of the entire Deadfire Archipelago. Major and minor locations, bounty targets, mapping the archipelago quests' locations and more. The Deadfire Archipelago marks the eastern edge of the 'Known World.' Are you talking about the campsite where the runaway apprentice got killed by the angry wizard? If so, that treasure can be found in the slightly-south-of-the-middle area of the Durgan's Battery outdoors map.
Should you come unstuck at any point, you can drop in here for a few pointers on how to make progress.We'll be updating this walkthrough continually over the next week or so, so check back regularly for updates. Once we're done with the main story, we'll also look at what else might be useful for the guide. Pillars of Eternity walkthroughWhen the opening scene ends you'll be free to look around the camp, and you're encouraged to visit the camp merchant. You should have just enough funds to buy a weapon for your character, as well as a lockpick which will come in handy right away. Head over to Heoden the trader to the west for this. Experience points are given for exploration and interacting with the world, rather than for combat, so unlocking chests and doors is more important than seeking out battles, even if the contents of the chest aren't useful to you. How to complete A Moment's RespiteHead out of the camp to the south-east and then loop to the left, north-west past Sparfel.
You'll fight a Young Wolf here. Utilise both your own and Calisca's attacks against it, and don't forget to collect the Wolfhide from the wolf as this can be sold. Collect the Springberry to update the Collect Springberry side-quest. Where to find SparfelCalisca will speak with you now, and the conversation will update A Moment's Respite. Your next task is to head out and find Sparfel. Go south over a stone bridge and collect the water skins, but be ready for an ambush from two hunters. Concentrate all of your efforts on one enemy at a time, and make sure to collect the loot from their bodies when it's all over.
Before heading back to camp, make sure to look around and collect any ingredients from the surrounding area. How to kill the Glanfathan huntersGo back over the bridge, but before going back to camp make a detour to the south-east to loot a corpse containing a lockpick and some armour. As you approach camp, you'll engage three Glanfathan hunters. Again tackle one at a time with both your character and Calisca, or you risk being overwhelmed. When you reach camp, your quest will automatically update.Talk with the Glanfathan Leader. There are Might, Resolve, Perception, Intellect, Athletic and Lore checks throughout the conversation. The only ones that will affect the outcome is challenging the leader's belief in Galawain, which improves the result of the coming battle, or putting down your weapons, which results in a negative outcome.You'll enter a battle with the leader and two hunters.
Concentrate on the leader and kill him before facing off against the hunters. Once the battle ends you'll enter a cut-scene. You will have the option to throw your weapon at an attacker if you didn't choose to put down your weapon in the earlier conversation. After this scene finishes, the quest A Moment's Respite will finish.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Pillars of Eternity that came out in 2015. The game picks up right where the other left off it seems. Your fortress of Caed Nua has been destroyed by the god Eothas, and hundreds are dead. It's up to you to discover what his plans are and avenge those who have fallen.
Pillars of Eternity II has been available on PC for a while now, but it's finally on Xbox One as an ultimate edition. While the game features an amazing story, strong gameplay, deep role-playing mechanics, and plenty of choices, the console port isn't as great as it could be.
Explode some enemies
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition
Bottom line: Pillars of Eternity II is a good game, but the Xbox One port needs more polish.
Pros:
- Excellent story and voice acting
- Excellent role-playing mechanics
- Truly massive map
- More accessible to newcomers
Cons:
- Blurry visuals
- Slight performance issues
- No Xbox One X support
- Intermittent control issues
Pillars of Eternity II is much more accessible than its predecessor. The first game featured a lot of timed events and you were always worried about making your way back to Caed Nua to fend off an invasion. This time around, you're free to explore the countless islands on your ship and on foot. The map is absolutely massive, and it'll take you dozens of hours to complete the game.
Since Pillars of Eternity II is class-based when it comes to character customization, there's a lot of replayability because you can choose different dialogue options depending on the skills you've invested in. This may lead to radically different outcomes to certain conflicts, maybe even ones that don't involve bloodshed. You'll also be able to discover more secrets.
Pillars of Eternity II on Xbox One allows you to directly control your character and party because they move with your left thumbstick. The controls are excellent in my opinion, and the only issue I came across was occasionally selecting the incorrect tab from the radial menu. However, turning down the sensitivity seems to be a great solution to this problem. I didn't miss a keyboard at all.
Pillars of Eternity II performance and visuals
Pillars of Eternity II doesn't feature any Xbox One X enhancements. The resolution appears to be 1080p and the textures are quite blurry at times. The performance is also patchy depending on the area you're in and seems to be locked to 30 frames per second (FPS). It's odd that Obsidian Entertainment – an Xbox Game Studios team – and their partners at Grip Digital, didn't put in more effort to improve it for Microsoft's latest console. Let's hope that just like A Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep, the game receives an Xbox One X patch after launch.
Pillars of Eternity II is a complex game mechanically, but its visuals are definitely not that. It's unclear why this game couldn't hit a consistent 60 FPS on Xbox One X. In my opinion, the issue appears to be a lack of optimization rather than a technical limitation of the console. There are also lengthy loading screens whenever you enter a new area that detract from immersion. I installed Pillars of Eternity II on an external solid-state drive and the loading screens were still unbearable. You run into one even when you're exploring the same building! I can't imagine how slow it is on the base Xbox One's built-in hard drive or an external hard drive.
It's a shame that Pillars of Eternity II isn't a great port. The game itself is amazing, quite possibly one of the best I've ever played, but if you have a powerful gaming PC, just get it on that. For one, the loading times are dramatically shorter, and you can increase the resolution further. In general, it's just a much superior experience.
Pillars of Eternity II final thoughts
Overall, Pillars of Eternity II is a good game on Xbox One, but it could've looked and run better. If you haven't played the title on PC, then be sure to pick it up on console because it's worth it for the story alone in my opinion. Plus, it comes with all the expansions. Who knew taking down a god could be so much fun?
I just wish Pillars of Eternity II was optimized for the Xbox One. The foundations are strong, but it needs a little more polish in the performance and visual department. With that said, it's such an excellent game that I can't help but recommend it despite its flaws. I also can't wait to see where the story takes us next in the inevitable Pillars of Eternity III.
Explore the seas
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Edition
So many choices
The award-winning game from the masters at Obsidian Entertainment finally arrives on Xbox One. The package features all major updates and expansions.
Explore the world
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Ultimate Collector's Edition
Grab it before they're gone
The award-winning game from the masters at Obsidian Entertainment finally arrives on Xbox One. The package features all major updates and expansions. This collector's edition contains much more.
Play the original
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
![Eternity Eternity](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125644615/875648817.png)
It'll last you a couple of months
Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends.
The game was reviewed on Xbox One X with a code provided by the publisher.
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