Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire 4.1 patch adds turn-based combat

Starting later this week, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire players will be able to start a new campaign with entirely turn-based combat.

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Obsidian has added a solid bit of content to Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire since its May 2018 release, but a newly announced addition coming in patch 4.1 changes the game significantly. Revealed today, Obsidian is adding turn-based combat as an alternative to the RPG's real-time combat and it goes into beta for all owners of the game on January 24, 2019.

The base Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire game featured combat that mirrors the infinity engine games it was inspired by, requiring players to rapidly choose actions for their individual party members with the option to pause manual or have specific events in combat (critical hits, players knocked down, etc) engage an automatic pause to the battlefield can be assessed.

This turn-based format, which was largely put together by two of the Obsidian Entertainment developers, slows down the pace and allows combat to progress action-by-action for individual characters. This creates an entirely new dynamic and, as such, will have some kinks that need to be worked out. This is why the Obsidian team is debuting the mode as a beta, but it still works for the entire campaign.

pillars of eternity deadfire 2 ii turn based combat update

Not only does this open up options for current Pillars players, but turn-based combat will also open the door to entirely new players. Real-time combat, even with the option to pause, is an intimidating style of play even on lower difficulty settings. There's a lot to manage at once and the idea of pausing so frequently could be a turn-off for curious gamers. Slowing down the pace and management of combat gives players an opportunity to experience one of the best RPGs around and test the waters before attempting real-time, or simply allows them to stick with the newer comfortable format.

All players will have to do to access the turn-based mode is make sure they've downloaded the latest build of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire on January 24, 2019. It's a free update that is attached to the 4.1 patch. Sadly, players can't switch their current real-time campaigns over to turn-based. In its current form, players have to start a new campaign and can't switch back and forth. Stay tuned to Shacknews for additional updates.

Charles Singletary Jr keeps the updates flowing as the News Editor, breaking stories while investigating the biggest topics in gaming and technology. He's pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to reach out to him @The_CSJR. Got a hot tip? Email him at Charles.Singletary@Shacknews.com.

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