Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire releases April 3, now available for pre-order

How great is it that the isometric RPG genre of yore has made such a resurgence in recent years? After all but disappearing, the genre is having something of a renaissance. One of the key players in the new revitalization of Baldur’s Gate-style games was Obsidian’s 2015 title Pillars of Eternity. As detailed in Jason Schreier’s fascinating book Blood, Sweat and Pixels, Pillars of Eternity was both a passion project and a huge gamble for Obsidian. It was a gamble that paid off handsomely, and the game was wildly successful with both critics and the gaming community. Offering an unprecedented level of player choice, Pillars of Eternity would swing wildly depending on the decisions players made in game. I remember being shocked at the opening moments of the game, when they ruthlessly killed off what I assumed was going to be a major character due to my choices.

Obsidian is currently preparing the highly anticipated sequel, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire for release, and they have now announced that the game will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux on April 3, 2018. Players wanting to pre-order have a lot of options, as there are several packages:

“The standard edition of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will cost $49.99, digital and physical retail, while the Deluxe Edition will be priced at $59.99. The Deluxe Edition will include the game’s official soundtrack composed by Justin Bell, composer of the soundtrack to the first Pillars of Eternity. Additionally, the Deluxe Edition includes: an in-game pet, a Deadfire themed special in-game item, a digital pen and paper RPG starter guide, a high-resolution game map, and Volume II of the digital guide book, published by Dark Horse. 

The Obsidian Edition is priced at $74.99 for the digital version, and includes everything that comes in the Deluxe Edition as well as the first three DLC expansions for Pillars of Eternity II, which each cost $9.99 to purchase separately, although these will not be available for separate purchase until the game’s official launch.

The physical version of the Obsidian Edition will cost $79.99, and will include the same content as its digital cousin, but also additional, physical rewards: a cloth map of the Deadfire region, an Explorer’s notepad and a set of postcards that render the Deadfire Archipelago in beautiful detail.”

There also the usual array of in-game pre-order rewards. Some of this stuff actually sounds pretty useful:

“St. Drogga's Skull – Crafted from a sabre and the skull of a martyr it will slash and burn enemies in combat, while also guiding players through the darkest reaches of the Deadfire.

Beakhead, the Hawk (In-Game Pet): Beakhead, the white hawk, took a liking to your ship soon after you arrived in the Deadfire. Captains in the Deadfire are only as effective as their crew, and with this jaunty first-mate by your side you're bound to find success at sea.

The Black Flag: This flag is said to have been flown by a mysterious and rowdy band of seadogs from a far-off land, who dyed their sails black with a stain made from ground-up dragon glass. Dark and intimidating, but somehow attractive, nonetheless.”

The first game was great, and the sequel looks as though they have expanded things in a lot of interesting directions. Check out the 30-second mark of the above trailer. I must have watched that giant statue-thing body slam that dude at least five times.