Pillars of Eternity II was one of gaming’s best narratives last year. A rich world full of characters and tasks to complete all according to player choice. Following in the footsteps of the first game, which was modeled after classic isometric RPGs with Real-Time with Pause. This party based action oriented play while similar to TTRPGs (TableTop Role Playing Games) was still distinctly unique. The overlapping action of multiple characters and foes performing actions simultaneously was a bit more heat of the moment scenarios. Obisdian wanted to offer players a new way to experience their engrossing story and world with “Turn Based Mode”.
Upon starting a new game you’ll be asked which mode to play in
This article will be a quick look at this new turn-based mode. If you are curious about the rest of the game you can find all that in the review I did right here. I’ve had the privilege to get an early look at this turn-based mode, provided by Obsidian.
Turn Based Mode in Pillars of Eternity II offers players a new way to experience the game. It’s exactly as it sounds. Each character in the combat is placed into an initiative order. As such during each character’s turn they can perform an action and a movement. This will feel familiar to players who play Dungeons and Dragons. The only major change to that formula that each round a new initiative is created and the turn order will change as combat progresses. This does slow down the combat significantly as you only have to worry about one character at a time. This could be very useful and preferable for players who feel overwhelmed by the frenzy that is the traditional gameplay.
Turn Based Mode is quite a shift from before and I found myself needing to adjust the strategies I was familiar with from my previous experience. It was exciting, and I very well may end up putting in another 70 hours in to experience this game in this new way. I felt like the player controlling a party in DnD. This does provide a more tabletop-like experience and is in some ways comparable to the Divinity Original Sin games. Because there is no longer overlapping action the timing of things, especially some spells is dramatically different. It also requires being a bit more careful in certain scenarios. In turn based the side with the more attacks has a distinct advantage. This needs to be considered when approaching a group of enemies. Your characters could get hit their entire health pool before you get to act with them. It’s dangerous, and exciting to have to think about familiar battles in new ways.
For the most part the UI is the same. Additions have been made to include the turn order in the upper right, and an end turn button and movement distance indicator in the center. Other than that it stays familiar. Spells and special attacks are still where they’ve always been. Navigating this new mode of play is easy, allowing you to focus on how to win!
Obsidian has already provided quite a bit of free content adding to the experience, plus the paid DLC. This is another welcome addition to an already stellar game that Obsidian continues to support and provide for fans. Are you excited for this new mode? Is this the mode that creates interest in this game for you? Let us know in the comments!
