Though Obsidian Entertainment seems focused on The Outer Worlds 2 right now after a successful launch, the renowned RPG developer has also spent some time working on the free turn-based mode that aims to substantially transform the 2015 CRPG Pillars of Eternity. Now, we finally know when we’ll be able to play it.
The free update in its beta form has been dated for November 5 on Steam and Xbox PC. That’s tomorrow! No word yet on whether other platforms will be getting this massive patch once the full launch is ready, but the announcement trailer released on November 3 is a generous one regardless:
Studio design director Josh Sawyer is the person walking both veterans and newcomers through the work that’s been done to ensure Pillars of Eternity’s turn-based mode isn’t a rushed extra. As a quick reminder: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire got its own turn-based mode years ago, so it was only a matter of time the original game received the same treatment.
Per the official description, key features include the following:
- Unbound Turns: All turns are now influenced by a character’s overall speed, improving the value of Real-Time with Pause attributes and mechanics.
- Smarter Free Actions: Actions like swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals are now free actions. Each free action is limited to one per turn per type for balance.
- Faster Pacing: Combat lethality has been significantly increased for both enemies and players to keep battles tense and impactful.
- Mode Flexibility: You can choose Turn-Based Mode alongside difficulty when starting a new game — or swap freely between Real-Time with Pause and Turn-Based Mode in the game options. We’re also investigating a direct HUD toggle for even more convenience.
Considering the massive success the turn-based CRPG Baldur’s Gate 3 has been, Pillars of Eternity’s turn-based upgrade could open it up to a whole new audience, which might be key to potentially making a third entry happen. Even if we remove that influence from the equation, it just makes sense to give the world of Eora more attention after, earlier this year, Avowed brought it back as an action-RPG.
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