Beta Kicks Off This Wednesday
Obsidian Entertainment just opened the doors to a fresh public beta for the original Pillars of Eternity. Starting November 5, anyone can jump in on Steam or Xbox PC. The big draw centers on turn-based combat, a style fans first sampled in the 2018 sequel Deadfire. You toggle between the classic real-time with pause setup and this new approach without restarting your save. Game Director Josh Sawyer leads the charge, building on a decade since the game's 2015 launch.
Excitement builds fast. The studio rolled out Grounded 2, The Outer Worlds 2, and Avowed this year alone. Supporting a title that sold over 700,000 copies by early 2016 shows real dedication to roots. Community forums on Reddit and Steam buzzed for years with requests, and now the team delivers.
Smarter Systems Under the Hood
Turn order links straight to character speed stats in the Unbound Turns setup. Fast builds keep their edge, unlike rigid initiative rolls. Free actions stay limited, one per type each turn covers weapon swaps or potion gulps, so fights avoid stalling. Combat ramps up lethality too. Every move counts more, cutting down on drawn-out slogs.
Spells and abilities shine clearer here. Area effects, status triggers, and position plays land with precision players control fully. The switch happens anytime, even mid-encounter, fitting fatigue or preference shifts during long runs.
Deadfire Stumbles Meet Baldur's Gate 3 Wins
Deadfire tried turn-based first and hit snags. Pathfinding without grids bunched characters oddly, wasting movement points. Spell balances shifted hard, turning quick real-time nukes into overcosted turns. Players complained about marathon fights in dense areas, grinding patience thin.
Baldur's Gate 3 flipped the script in 2023. Handcrafted encounters leaned into turns for deep tactics, earning a Hugo Award the next year. Larian's success proved complex interactions thrive when execution barriers drop. Obsidian borrows that clarity, tying speed investments across modes and trimming free action clutter. Lesson learned: preserve build variety while easing entry for strategy-focused players.
Players Split on Pace and Access
Real-time fans value the fluid rush and reflex tweaks they mastered. Switching modes risks feeling like a compromise, slowing the pulse they love. Some worry ability hierarchies flip, devaluing speed perks honed over years.
Others celebrate the shift. Coordination challenges fade, letting pure planning win battles. Older players or those with physical limits gain ground, focusing on story beats between calculated strikes. International groups favoring grid tactics show extra enthusiasm in discussions.
Ripple Effects for the Series
This beta extends a ten-year-old game's life without sequel budgets. Microsoft backing opens Xbox integration paths, potentially boosting Game Pass draws. Positive feedback could spark talks of a third entry, though resources lean toward new projects now.
Broader CRPG growth hits 9 to 12 percent annually through the early 2030s, fueled by strategic depth demands. Obsidian sets a template other studios might follow, updating classics to match modern expectations. Controller support and full platform rolls remain next steps after PC testing wraps.