This is the climactic conclusion expansion for the RPG Pillars of Eternity, requiring the base game. Released in 2016, you return to the frozen north to uncover secrets about Eora's gods, facing new enemies and bosses. Key features include raising the level cap to 16, adding a new Barbarian companion (Maneha), and updating the Athletics/Survival skills. Quality-of-life updates include an optional Story Mode for easier combat and new Knockout Injury mechanics for added difficulty. The stronghold also receives new challenges and rewards.
This content serves as the climactic conclusion to the grand expansion pack for the critically acclaimed role-playing game, *Pillars of Eternity*. Released in February 2016 for PC, Linux, and Mac platforms, this installment continues the adventure in the frozen north of Eora. Players will delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding the gods of the world, facing new challenges and uncovering secrets that tie into the main narrative. As an expansion, it requires the base game to experience this continuation of the story.
Expansion Scope and Story Continuation
This installment provides a substantial addition to the original experience, offering a definitive ending to the narrative arc introduced in the first part of the White March saga. Adventurers will encounter challenging new enemies and bosses as they progress through brand new environments, learning additional secrets about the gods of Eora.
What new content is included in this expansion?
The expansion significantly enhances character progression and party composition. Key additions include:
- Level Cap Increase: The maximum character level has been raised from 14 to 16, introducing two new character levels packed with dozens of unique and powerful abilities for all classes.
- New Companion: The party gains Maneha the Barbarian, a new companion who brings her own distinct personality and dedicated quests, ensuring that all eleven base classes now have a unique representative in the adventuring group.
- Skill Updates: The Athletics and Survival skills have been revised to offer more compelling choices, allowing for greater customization and specialization when building characters tailored to specific playstyles.
Gameplay Enhancements and Accessibility
Beyond the new narrative and character options, the developers implemented several quality-of-life and mechanical improvements:
- Story Mode: For players who prioritize the rich narrative over complex combat encounters, an optional Story Mode allows for quicker resolution of fights.
- Stronghold Updates: The player's stronghold receives new content, including unique rewards, rich story elements, and fresh challenges to test the player's management skills.
- Optional Difficulty Mechanic: A new optional feature introduces Knockout Injuries, which inflict long-term consequences on characters who are defeated in combat, adding a layer of persistent risk to higher difficulties.
What quality-of-life changes were implemented?
The interface has also seen refinement to improve the moment-to-moment gameplay experience. The character action bar is more streamlined, and players receive better feedback during combat sequences. Furthermore, the character statistics breakdown is more comprehensive, aiding in detailed party management.
Integration with the Base Game
This content is designed to seamlessly integrate with the main *Pillars of Eternity* experience, picking up where the previous installment left off. It is not a standalone title; access requires ownership of the parent game.