They definitely aren't bad, but it's disappointing that that's the entire extent of their interaction with other party members. These are usually just three or four lines, and pretty formulaic: person A says something, person B reacts strongly, person A ends with a quip. There are a handful of banters between party members. The companion interactions themselves also felt pretty limited. They're a step up from the companions in BG1, but a lot simpler than, say, the loyalty missions in the Shadowrun games or personal quests in the Dragon Age games. Others require a bit of exploration or a new fight, but that's about it. The most extreme cases just require going to a place (where you're going anyways) and speaking with a person (who you're talking to anyways). That said, each individual quest is pretty short and simple. But the quests are a good way to learn more of each person's personality, and you'll have some opportunities to guide their path and persuade them to follow certain courses, which will ultimately affect their ending. These are all optional, and there doesn't seem to be a pressing gameplay requirement to finish them - it's not like Baldur's Gate where Minsc would leave if you failed to rescue Dynaheir in time, or Nalia would get upset if you spent too long before reclaiming the de Arnise keep. Every person gets their own companion quest. There are a total of eight (in the base game, I haven't picked up either White March expansion), and each is unique and fairly interesting. While characters on the whole tend to be interesting and well-drawn, the companions in this game didn't quite strike the highs that I'd hoped for. Race still matters, but culture matters more, and nationality tends to have the most immediate impact. You might be an aumana from Raedceras origin living in the Vailan Republics, or a Glanfathan Orlan who has relocated to Aedyr. That may have been true far in the past of Eora, but by the 'present', all of the settings are diverse.

Most fantasy worlds feature racially-pure homelands with monolithic cultures: Lorien is home to the elves, Orzammar is the city of dwarves, Ogiers live in the Stedding, etc. One thing I really appreciate is how cosmopolitan the world is. That said, I did warm to Eora as the game went on, thanks in large part to a few unique things it does. After absorbing dozens of unique fantasy settings over the years, it's hard to get excited about yet another configuration of new gods, nations, races, and factions.

As I mentioned in my first post, I have decreasingly little patience for vast and original new fantasy worlds. I'm a little conflicted on the worldbuilding. Its story and characters are well above the industry average, but in my (highly subjective) opinion, are a step below the heights achieved by BioWare, Harebrained Schemes and some of Obsidian's other games. It has a fantastic tactical combat system, solid level design, and deep gameplay and lore. I think that, on its own terms, Pillars of Eternity is a great game. I recently picked up the ' Humble Narrative Bundle', which included a bunch of story-based games I've wanted to play, such as Her Story and Broken Age and Read Only Memories.īefore I get ahead of myself, though, let's wrap this puppy up! I'm eager to broaden my horizons for a bit. partly because it's a fun game, but also because, for the first time in many many years, I don't have any major RPGs waiting in my gaming backlog. Woo! I finished Pillars of Eternity! I've been looking forward to this for a while.

Pillars of eternity iovara choices