Pillars of Eternity: your opinion so far?

[RavingSturm]

Ugh this game is pretty mediocre imho. A lot of quality of life options are not present. No item dumping, prebuffing/summoning out of combat, pulling creeps is almost worthless since the disengage after a fixed distance or mob you in contrived cqc scenarios. No lock breaking, jeeez! Crafting is just an excuse to scrounge and collect crap.

The stronghold feels like a Facebook game and serves as just a gold dump. Mini-Boss encounters suffer from Obsidian cheating syndrome(abnormally high DR, spellcaster well above your current level, tp/aoe caster that avoids your melee guys, small room etc). I dont find them to be fun or well thought of, it becomes a pausefest where you spam priest buff spells,and focus fire the most troublesome target first.

Stealth is worthless since you cant kite or nuke in advance. The endurance resource is annoying. I didnt like it in Arcanum/Dragon age and its here. Characters keel over from stamina damage. Limited camping just forces you to back track.

Story is weak. All I know is you're a watcher, something about soul reincarnation. I just sped through most of the text since the info dumps were tiresome. Obsidian seems hung up on rebelling against religion type stories. So far its not hooking me in. Its just a slog from one errand or fight to another. Monsters are lifted almost directly lifted from D&D w/o the properties that made them unique. Characters are unlikable. Banter or interaction between them is sparse. Attributes from other characters dont seem to apply to special dialog options.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Out of interest, have you gotten any further? I'm level 7 now...could I manage Endless Paths level 7-10 yet? I'm scared o.o Also, any idea:

Spoiler

What level Kana's tablet is on? He said "We're getting close" on 6 but it wasn't there.

I've gotten to level 8 of Od Nua so far, and my party was probably level 6 or 7. As for Kana's quest:

Spoiler

I think the tablet was on level 6 of Od Nua. Might be level 7.

The enemies on level 8 were getting tougher, but I mainly took a break because noone in my party had a sufficiently high mechanics skill to disarm the traps, of which there were many on level 8.

My party is getting close to level 9 now, and I'll probably return to Od Nua when they do, and see how far down I get. I've pretty much been stomping most enemies I faced in sidequests recently, so I'm thinking I should be sufficiently powerful to clear a few levels more, if not got all the way to the bottom.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Out of interest, have you gotten any further? I'm level 7 now...could I manage Endless Paths level 7-10 yet? I'm scared o.o Also, any idea:

Spoiler

What level Kana's tablet is on? He said "We're getting close" on 6 but it wasn't there.

Spoiler: Kana's quest

The tablet is on level 8, the one with the 4 blight summoning rooms, in a room in the bottom right of the map. It has a locked door and requires a specific key also found on level 7. Once you clear the skeleton mage out of the room there should be a "pick up" spot on a table in the room which triggers dialogue with Kana.

 

[Pr0]

I'm kind of underwhelmed. To say I was expecting more from Obsidian is a bit of an understatement.

I figured beneath the slightly dated tech and graphics that they'd have built an incredibly deep story that had almost limitless replay value.

And it really seems like they tried, but I can't love this game. And I grew up on Baldur's Gate/BG2/Icewind Dale and all that stuff.

Maybe my expectations of the genre have changed over the years. I don't know...but I went from feeling this would likely be a master piece of story telling and immersion...to kind of feeling like this game is literally the most over hyped indy title of recent memory.

I know that won't be a popular opinion but its the opinion I am stuck with currently.

 

[hybridial]

I'm kind of underwhelmed. To say I was expecting more from Obsidian is a bit of an understatement.

I figured beneath the slightly dated tech and graphics that they'd have built an incredibly deep story that had almost limitless replay value.

And it really seems like they tried, but I can't love this game. And I grew up on Baldur's Gate/BG2/Icewind Dale and all that stuff.

Maybe my expectations of the genre have changed over the years. I don't know...but I went from feeling this would likely be a master piece of story telling and immersion...to kind of feeling like this game is literally the most over hyped indy title of recent memory.

I know that won't be a popular opinion but its the opinion I am stuck with currently.

In a way I'm worried I'll feel this too. I'm sure Obsidian tried and I don't feel like they should be criticised heavilly in anyway, but from what I've played I'm just not feeling this. Sometimes you just can't replicate the past, and my love for Baldur's Gate stems heavilly from nostalgia. I can still enjoy it today.

 

[murrow]

I've only sunk some 10h into in, but I really liked what I've seen so far.

This is the first game that really felt to me like a spiritual sucessor to Baldur's Gate and its ilk, and the way they modernized some of the outdated stuff is worthy of applause.

I had a bit of difficulty trying to wrap my head around combat for the first few encounters. It surely could be more orderly, but it isn't a game breaking, and it gets fun once you start exploring party synergy.

The lore is interesting, in-game literature is compelling enough to be worth a read and dialogue is well written and organic. That's the main problem I had with Divinity: Original Sin: the interactions were overly long, boring and needlessly fluffy. I felt like being in a Pen & Paper session with an arrogant, rookie DM.

I'm also delighted by the firearms. I think renaissance era weaponry is stylish as hell and it's not every game that brings them on. Another positive point are the way skills are divorced from classes and personality styles are divorced from attributes. Thus I can have a tough sword & shield tank who picks locks and sets traps and is smart enough to engage wizards in conversations. Intelligent warriors are my favorite builds in any RPG, and I'm very happy to have gotten an opportunity to make one in PoE.

As for the negative aspects, the one-handed fighting style is a downer. I was really keen on making a duelist to fit my "smart fighter" persona, but the route is underwhelming compared to the other styles. Also, as others have said, party AI is terrible and micromanagement can feel tiresome at times.

All in all, great game, but Wasteland 2 is still my favorite of the RPG renaissance. Even though its visuals leave to be desired, the combat was fun, and the way it handled skills set a new benchmark.

 

[veloper]

It's good.

I'm still wondering if I should just wait for a couple patches before continuing, but overall it's a good game for a RTWP CRPG and the problems with it could be fixed.

The basic principles, like the separation of combat feats from utilities, no pre-buffing and an infinite item stash are sound. Engagement and AoOs make a lot more sense than the usual aggro AIs in recent RPGs.

Class balance cannot be expected from a fresh new RPG system and is something that may still be patched and modded. The game isn't even all that buggy, but I may be lucky sofar.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

It feels a bit short tbh.

Also not sure if

Spoiler

Zombie Lord Raedic was glitched and didn't spawn. Couldn't find the bastard, lost some rep with the vale and damn undead noble appeared in my epilogue

 

[BloatedGuppy]

All in all, great game, but Wasteland 2 is still my favorite of the RPG renaissance.

Wow, really?

Did it have a dramatic turnaround 20 hours in? I played for a while...got as far as the...I want to say "train village", and did a bunch of side quests along the way. I thought it was dreadful. Tons of writing (but bad writing), overly fussy and rote application of RPG skills, and the combat was like JA2 lite lite lite lite lite with every bit of tactical depth and sophistication stripped away.

 

[murrow]

All in all, great game, but Wasteland 2 is still my favorite of the RPG renaissance.

Wow, really?

Did it have a dramatic turnaround 20 hours in? I played for a while...got as far as the...I want to say "train village", and did a bunch of side quests along the way. I thought it was dreadful. Tons of writing (but bad writing), overly fussy and rote application of RPG skills, and the combat was like JA2 lite lite lite lite lite with every bit of tactical depth and sophistication stripped away.

You could say that. The Mad Priests' arc was very interesting, and in its later third it *does* a literal turnaround and sends you to a totally different place. Also some characters you find along the way are colorful, if not particularly unique.

I tend to regard all videogame writing (bar the rarest of exceptions) as bad writing, and I didn't think WL2's was much below the average in that regard. It did strike me as much better than D:OS's fluffly prose, a game I got around the same time. It's also not worse that most of what passes for "good writing" in the current AAA scene.

Honestly, though, a good part of my enjoyment came from the fact I customized my ranger team as the characters from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The fact that the game's skills fit the characters perfectly made the experience a blast. So take everything I say with a pinch of salt

 

[veloper]

All in all, great game, but Wasteland 2 is still my favorite of the RPG renaissance.

Wow, really?

Did it have a dramatic turnaround 20 hours in? I played for a while...got as far as the...I want to say "train village", and did a bunch of side quests along the way. I thought it was dreadful. Tons of writing (but bad writing), overly fussy and rote application of RPG skills, and the combat was like JA2 lite lite lite lite lite with every bit of tactical depth and sophistication stripped away.

You could say that. The Mad Priests' arc was very interesting, and in its later third it *does* a literal turnaround and sends you to a totally different place. Also some characters you find along the way are colorful, if not particularly unique.

I tend to regard all videogame writing (bar the rarest of exceptions) as bad writing, and I didn't think WL2's was much below the average in that regard. It did strike me as much better than D:OS's fluffly prose, a game I got around the same time. It's also not worse that most of what passes for "good writing" in the current AAA scene.

Honestly, though, a good part of my enjoyment came from the fact I customized my ranger team as the characters from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The fact that the game's skills fit the characters perfectly made the experience a blast. So take everything I say with a pinch of salt

Don't forget turn-based combat. You immediately win when you argue TB > RTWP.

 

[murrow]

Don't forget turn-based combat. You immediately win when you argue TB > RTWP.

That too. Not to mention being able to orchestrate fire barrages by triggering multiple ambushes breaches barriers of awesomeness.

I've heard Tides of Numenera will have turn-based combat as well. If so, all the more reason to be excited.

 

[Lightknight]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

 

[Comic Sans]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

There's a fighter in the first town, by the tree. His name is Eder and he's pretty good for tanking. There's also a chanter at Caed Nua that can off tank if you want him to. You can also create your own characters at an Inn, which you can use to fill out whatever you need in your party.

 

[Lightknight]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

There's a fighter in the first town, by the tree. His name is Eder and he's pretty good for tanking. There's also a chanter at Caed Nua that can off tank if you want him to. You can also create your own characters at an Inn, which you can use to fill out whatever you need in your party.

What happens when I come across a 7th character?

 

[Comic Sans]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

There's a fighter in the first town, by the tree. His name is Eder and he's pretty good for tanking. There's also a chanter at Caed Nua that can off tank if you want him to. You can also create your own characters at an Inn, which you can use to fill out whatever you need in your party.

What happens when I come across a 7th character?

You pick who you want in your current party. Anyone extra gets put in reserve. You can swap them out by talking to the innkeeper in town or whenever you are at Caed Nua.

 

[Lightknight]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

There's a fighter in the first town, by the tree. His name is Eder and he's pretty good for tanking. There's also a chanter at Caed Nua that can off tank if you want him to. You can also create your own characters at an Inn, which you can use to fill out whatever you need in your party.

What happens when I come across a 7th character?

You pick who you want in your current party. Anyone extra gets put in reserve. You can swap them out by talking to the innkeeper in town or whenever you are at Caed Nua.

Oh, that is very slick of the developers. Thanks for the information!

 

[Comic Sans]

Really enjoying the game.

I'm early in still but I've got a Paladin as my main with a Sorcerer (not sure what kind) and Priest backing me up. Looking for some tanks to help my Paladin out.

I honestly didn't think I could go back to this style of game, but the story is flawless and I'm loving the rich world and exhaustive lore they've provided.

I've actually got no complaints. I'm happy I backed it.

There's a fighter in the first town, by the tree. His name is Eder and he's pretty good for tanking. There's also a chanter at Caed Nua that can off tank if you want him to. You can also create your own characters at an Inn, which you can use to fill out whatever you need in your party.

What happens when I come across a 7th character?

You pick who you want in your current party. Anyone extra gets put in reserve. You can swap them out by talking to the innkeeper in town or whenever you are at Caed Nua.

Oh, that is very slick of the developers. Thanks for the information!

No problem. I like it as well, since it gives space to try out different class combinations. Once you're further in money feels pretty trivial, so recruiting new characters becomes cheap. Having a few extra characters is also helpful if you wanna do missions from Caed Nua. Sometimes you're get an alert saying that a quest has come up that you send a reserve character on. Sometimes you get decent items out of it and they bring in EXP for completing them. So yeah, make character to your heart's content.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Only played about 2 hours but I'm liking it so far. As someone who does not have a lot of experience with Infinity Engine games and I am finding getting my head round the mechanics a lot easier than I did in the likes of Baldurs Gate. While it took about half an hour to settle on a character (Elf rouge, because I'm so imaginative ) I felt a lot more confident in what I was doing. On another note, per encounter abilities are a lifeline for my sanity. The first time I realized you to rest to re-fill your abilities in Baldurs Gate I nearly raged quit right there and then.

On the whole, game looks good, plays good and I'm looking forward to getting my teeth sunk properly into it.

 

[Norrdicus]

I really like it so far. Having played Baldur's Gate 1 vanilla slowly over the past 2 and a half months, the improvements on the IE formula in terms of both content pacing and gameplay are immediately apparent. This is probably the smoothest RTwP gameplay experience I've had, with Aarklash Legacy probably being the second. PoE could use Aarklash's action queueing interface.

Patch notes for the upcoming patch this week. [https://forums.obsidian.net/blog/7/entry-179-patch-notes-103/] If you've heard any horror stories about gamebreaking bugs in PoE, worry not because they should all be fixed and your saves cleaned with 1.03.

We're going to see some major nerfs to some OP abilities like Slicken spell (won't prone again and again anymore), Chill Fog spell (will now damage and blind you too if in AoE), and the Ila Knocked chant (bye bye stupidly fast reloads).

Good news is that wizard spells are getting general range buffs

On another note, per encounter abilities are a lifeline for my sanity. The first time I realized you to rest to re-fill your abilities in Baldurs Gate I nearly raged quit right there and then.

You still need to do this with most of Priest, Druid and Wizard spells, but they have some per-encounter abilities as well, and the whole Endurance&Health thing makes it easier to conserve your spell casts