Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

There’s a weird stigma that’s gone on for the last century or so that being a pirate would have been a fun adventure. At the outset, I would wholeheartedly agree. Getting to sale the oceans endlessly, living without any rules, and taking what you please whenever you want all sound great, especially when I was younger. Nowadays, I’d worry about how often said pirates died without even boarding another ship purely through illness, how no one would have your back even among your own crew, and how real seasickness really is (and this is coming from someone who loves being on boats without any problems with being seasick). In spite of all those negatives, I was astonished how easily I stopped caring about those ‘adult’ concerns when I played Pillars of Eternity II: Dreadfire, because I was suddenly reinvigorated with the spirit of pirate legends like Black Beard or even Jack Sparrow. This title brought a lot to the table and is easily one of the most compelling and fun games I’ve played recently and feels like it got everything just right.

You ARE a Pirate

Party-based RPG titles have quickly become one of my favorite genres. Each one I’ve played, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and Pathfinder: Kingmaker have shown their ability to add compelling story telling with an incredibly fun system of gameplay. Dreadfire is right up there with them as the main story, side quests, characters, and voice acting are all top notch in this game. This game lets you captain a ship across the seven seas as you seek out a rogue god in a rich, detailed world that never seems to let up.

The main story is undeniably well written – all the classic elements are there, from betrayal to witty dialogue, but the side quests truly make Dreadfire a masterclass for the genre. You’re even able to choose whether you want to experience turn-based or real time combat and you’ve got near complete control over the equipment of your ship, crewmates, and weapon trees. Additionally, there are tons of interesting classes and subclasses to choose from Rogues and Wizards to Rangers and Priests. Plus, there are many great, detailed companions you can pick up for your crew.

Building a Legacy

As I mentioned before, the grand story and gameplay aspects of Dreadfire are what make this game great, but it’s the attention to detail in smaller systems that make it unique and special. You can romance companions that go deep into detail on their character. Inventory management is easier than ever thanks to the infinite system (which takes some realism out but increases the fun factor). You can attack and board any ship out on the open ocean.

The world is huge and your choices, even attacking a single random ship during your voyages can have devastating impacts later on. Finally, all of the writing truly shines even after you’ve experienced some of the hairiest battles has to offer.

Bottom Line

Each mission feels influential, each quest has meaning, and the rewards for all of them are well worth your effort. The only real complaint to be had is that, despite all these great aspects, there are several bugs you can run into that can throw off your pacing. There are some fixes, though many can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Pros:

• Detailed, fleshed out writing
• Endlessly changing world full of different experiences
• Wonderfully implemented equipment/skill/inventory systems
• Exploration rewarded an encouraged

Cons:

• Frequent bugs/crashes
• Loading can be extensive for each map