A few things to help you when starting out in Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is the latest in a line of attempts to replicate the old-school RPG genre - and it delivers! You can see our review here. However, it's a game that takes some time to adjust too. I have to admit, even I was a bit put off at points and felt the game to be bland. Then, it managed to surprise me with some incredible not-so-obvious gems that really launch it over the top.
1. Proud to be a Kickstarter game
Impressive stats for a Kickstarter project.
Obsidian was definitely overjoyed with the many backers it had. Not only do they constantly remind us they had over 77,000 backers on Kickstarter, they also pay tribute to them in many ways. You will find their names engraved in various crypts with some fun flavor text, you will find NPCs with gold names who have a story (I'm assuming they represent the stronger backers) and they even get a VIP room with a special merchant later in the game.
Those of you who didn't back the project, or don't have access to the VIP room, you'll be glad to know that there's nothing incredibly overpowered in said merchant's inventory. Yes, there are some fun "artifacty" weapons and armor, but nothing you won't find a superior replacement for in time.
2. Forget everything you know about character creation
This kind of stat distribution actually makes sense in the game.
One of the first mistakes I made in Pillars of Eternity was going by traditional character creation habits. If a character is melee with light weapons, you usually give him dexterity right? If you have a mage, he needs intelligence right? Might is only for barbarians and other burly melee fighters...right?
Wrong! Obsidian promised to open up character creation and make it more versatile. Boy, did they deliver. The biggest example is the way might works in Pillars of Eternity. It controls damage - ALL damage. That's right guys. Having a mage with a decent might stat isn't a bad thing at all. Their fireballs can rival meteors if you boost the might stat. Who would've guessed right?
That's not all though. There are so many things done differently that it's a good idea to read through the descriptions and take them to heart. If it says intellect grants higher AoE and duration effects to skills, it means exactly that. So, a Barbarian with a bit of intellect might actually be useful. Don't go ranting about it straight away though. Once you get used to the system, you'll find it's a great solution.
3. The plot is deep, trust me
What if it's all just people telling stories around a campfire? Mind-blown!
As the game begins we get a glimpse of who appears to be the main bad guy and he's doing something obviously evil. Then we learn that we have a rare gift and bla bla bla...the usual. Don't be put off by this seemingly basic premise from the book of generic fantasy plots. This rabbit hole still has a ways to go.
Pillars of Eternity starts out bland, but soon enough, once you've left the first town it starts to introduce all these "holy cow!" moments into the story. There's even a "things just went from mildly problematic to total apocalypse" moment. Now, I never delve too deeply into the lore of any game, because it will soon be replaced by lore from another new game and so on. While I tend to bleep over it, Pillars of Eternity had me reaching for its encyclopedia soon enough. The story intertwines that well with the history.
4. Don't worry too much about choices
Whatever you choose, you'll get to fight this guy. That's all that matters.
When it comes to RPG games players often get scared of making choice. Usually they go online and look up all the consequences and how it will affect their precious game, possible ending, story progress and so on.
In Pillars of Eternity, just forget it. As if the previous so-called "choice matters" titles (looking at your Bioware) weren't enough to convince you there is never much consequence, this game takes a step even further back. Your choice will not influence the story in any particular way. The only thing it influences are how certain factions see you.
There, I saved you a ton of stress and pointless internet browsing. No need to thank me. Just pick whichever option you believe fits your character, or you, or whatever you find appealing. You won't break your game and you won't change the fate of the world. The Knights of the Crucible might hate you a bit, but you can live with that.
5. Ciphers are considered the most kick-ass class
It has been discussed many times in many forums. While everyone agrees that rogues are the highest single-target damage dealers, the majority argue that Ciphers all the all around best class. Why wouldn't they be? Just look at the numbers.
Ciphers have their basic attack enhanced with a magical boost for more damage. Dealing damage fuels their focus, which is used for casting spells. At later levels, their focus fills up fast, giving them a near infinite spell casting pool. The spells themselves are some of the best in the game. Decent crowd control (including the best single target control spells in the game) and decent raw damage (which bypasses armor). Need I go on?
6. There are secrets!
You'll grow to love that purple color.
Oh what fun I had when I discovered this! It was completely by accident when I was looking for traps that I saw a purple selection appear on the screen. A secret! Ever since then I made a point of scouting each room and inconspicuous area to grab any secrets I find. Let me tell you, there're a lot. Some really great, others average, but it's still fun.
If you want, you can play the game at double speed and just spend the whole time scouting. Though I prefer to use my intuition and judge which area could have a secret and which not.
7. Mechanics is a must-have
Mechanics will make your life easier. Get it.
Now that I've mentioned secrets, I think it's best to let you know that the mechanics skill (not perception!) allows you to see them. In some strange illogical manner, everything that has to with finding something in scout mode is tied to the mechanics skill. Finding a trap or a secret is solely dependent on this skill and you WILL want it at a high level for that.
8. Build the botanical gardens and curio shop
It pays to restore buildings. Some more than others.
You should already know that you get a stronghold. If not, then now you know. Yes, you get a stronghold, it's big, there's a whole system behind it which you can choose to acknowledge or completely ignore. Even if you don't want the hassle of building up a nice place for yourself (why in the world wouldn't you?) there are two buildings that will help you immensely no matter what.
The botanical gardens and the curio shop. Why? They give you crafting/enchanting materials, often and a lot. Build those early on and you won't be running short on supplies any time soon. You do know that the plants in the world are limited right?
9. Shadows will drive you insane
See that? See how he teleported behind us?
Formations be damned when these guys attack you. Shadows are, without a doubt, my most hated enemy and for only one reason - teleportation! When I first got into a fight with a few shadows and went with my standard formation of mages in the back, fighters in front I was really surprised when I saw one of my backline characters was knocked out. How did that happen?
Turns out that one of the shadows, I thought I had taken out, just teleported right to the back row of my group and proceeded to pummel the living daylights out of poor, fragile Aloth. That was a pretty painful experience, and not just for him. Heed my warning and be very careful when facing this elusive foe.
10. Don't confuse the Cipher and the Watcher
At first it seems obvious, but as the story progresses and you get certain dialogue options, meet new characters etc, the line gets a little blurry. Let me clear it up for you. Ciphers work with minds, Watchers work with souls. It's that simple. Yes, both can infiltrate your lives or your thoughts, but they do it differently.
A Cipher would probably have some trouble communicating with the deceased, whereas this is common territory for a Watcher. On the other hand, a Watcher might have trouble infiltrating the thoughts of the living. Of course, a combination Cipher/Watcher has no trouble at all with breaking all notions of privacy. This is just what I gather based on the story and certain moments in the game, it's possible that even the developers got a little lost with these two.
Consider this a fun collection of information and tips for the newcomer. It's a small list of only ten things, but Pillars of Eternity has so much more depth to offer. This is where you, the readers come in! Is there anything else of interest in Pillars of Eternity? Maybe you have some amazing tips for the advanced player. Help us enrich this article with your comments.
