08 Jul Guardian – Gift or Curse? Review of Pillars of Eternity
Today, the reincarnation of classics has become fashionable, and for good reason, because a considerable part of the genres have lost their charm over time in favor of a new trend, this also affected the RPG genre itself. Where publishers boldly call their project RPG, only if there is leveling in it. Therefore, today CRPGs are gaining a second life, because many gamers are already forgetting what this genre was famous for. One of the revivers of the genre was the Obsidian company, which developed its own RPG, based on the patterns of the good old CRPGs. And yes, Pillar of Eternity is the same reincarnation of the classics in the spirit of the Baldurās Gate or Icewind Dale series, with a similar combat system, without an attempt to transplant the project onto new tracks, but simply to remind players why players love the classics so much.
Role system
The developers of Pillars of Eternity decided not to take the D&D role-playing system as a basis, but decided to create their own, and make it in some sense universal, and the developers succeeded. What is the versatility?? If we remember that when leveling up a class in an RPG based on D&D, leveling up was based on binding to one of the attributes in the characteristic. As an example: when creating a mage, intelligence is a priority, and a tank needs strength and physique. In Pillars of Eternity this is different, and now even for a completely beaten barbarian, it wonāt hurt to throw a couple of points into intelligence for the most successful outcome in using abilities, because what could be more paradoxical than a smart barbarian? This naturally lends itself to mechanical logic. I think let’s start with the fact that there are 4 types of defense in the game:
Deviation – protection from all physical and some magical attacks and abilities. (Depends on Vos and Resh)
Durability – protection from some magical attacks and abilities. (Depends on Strength and Tel).
Reaction – protection from some magical attacks and abilities. (Depends on Lov and Vos)
Will – protection from psionic and other magical attacks. (Depends on Int and Resh)
When leveling up a character with a reduced intelligence level, expect that in the heat of battle the character will be temporarily taken under control, and otherwise will increase the chance of the enemy’s spell being stable. Also, you should not pay attention to only one skill, because otherwise you will be targeted for your vulnerabilities caused by a lack of invested points in a certain attribute. When creating a character and the entire team as a whole, it is worth paying attention to every aspect, taking into account the recommendations, and reading the descriptions of each item of characteristics that can be changed only at the character creation stage. When creating the game, the developers wanted each attribute of a characteristic to influence the characterās stats, and, strangely enough, they succeeded; the role-playing system turned out to be large, if not cumbersome, with considerable variation in the combination of classes, of which there are 11 in the game. Starting from a wooden tank and ending with a stung monk.
When creating a character, there will also be a lot of room to roam, be it creating a character’s path (race, gender, biography, class), or choosing a voice with customization of appearance, which of course does not shine with variety, but at least gives choice.
As you level up, you will also have to worry about which skills are worth investing points in. There are only 5 skills in the game: Mechanics, Athletics, Survival, Stealth and Knowledge. Abstracting from the needs of your class, invest points in a certain skill; if you are a fighter, then survival is for you, and if you are a magician or a singer, then in this case we choose knowledge, etc.d. In addition, skills are often used in dialogues, and with a certain level of developed skill, you will be able to perform certain actions, or make compromises through conversation.
In any case, when selecting a team, you will have the opportunity to contact the nearest innkeeper to hire a mercenary from whom you can mold anyone, it all depends on the size of your wallet and desire.
Combat System Basics
As mentioned, Pillars of Eternity Casinocosmobet.co.uk took the mechanics of Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale as a basis, adopting, if not everything, then a lot from there, including the Real Time combat system with an active pause. Overall, Obsidian’s combat system is a success and is quite capable of captivating the player. And you will have to fight a lot, A LOT, and there will not be a lot of profit, because all the experience is given either for quests, or for research with the joint completion of the bestiary, which is also present in the game. The only thing you can get from this is money and loot, which you can either sell or use in a craft, where you will have the opportunity to whip up a few magic scrolls and brew a couple of bottles of potions.
At first, I myself didnāt understand how the damage was dealt, and how some numbers determined whether I hit or missed. Let’s start with the fact that the player will have to take into account the fact that opponents have resistance to a certain type of damage, of which there are only 8 types in the game. Having familiarized yourself with the enemy, you will have the opportunity to look into the bestiary, which is automatically filled in upon contact with the enemy himself. It is necessary to take into account what kind of damage deduction the enemy has, for monsters and animals this can be said to be natural, but for representatives of the human race this usually determines the armor they are wearing, which affects both the damage deduction and the recharge of the attack. Oh, yes, the character naturally has a health bar, but in battle, the stamina scale comes to the fore, which is the amount of health for one battle, the stamina scale is usually 4 times less than the health scale, and when in the heat of battle your characterās scale drops to zero, the character falls unconscious, and will only get up when the battle is over. But neglecting health itself would not be the best idea, because if the scale drops below zero, the character dies permanently. You can restore your strength if you take a break, relax in a cozy tavern, or sleep off in your own fortress, which weāll talk about later.
And so, when we took into account the nuances, prepared for the battle like the last time, then during the battle the damage inflicted is determined by the formula, which follows from many parameters.Damage calculation formula
The initial accuracy is determined by the class, and with each new level + 3 is added to accuracy and to all types of defense, and this can also be facilitated by certain skills that you choose as you level up your character. The type of defense is already formed from the attack inflicted on your character, if it is physical damage, then your fortitude is substituted, but if this is a spell that subjugates your character to the enemy, will is substituted, etc.d. You will also have to watch what is happening and, depending on the situation, control it in the battle window in the lower right corner. In addition to direct attacks, an important role in the game is played by the abilities that the character unlocks as he levels up, which are divided into levels at which they are unlocked. When using any ability with a radius of action, be careful, because the damage is quite capable of passing through both your party members and yourself, the radius, which shows the possibility of causing damage to allies, is highlighted in red, but the area that deals damage to enemies, but not to you, is highlighted in yellow.
Fireball Ability Radius
Of the minuses, I can only highlight the excessive complexity of the bosses, which even at the normal difficulty level are another problem, which is worth it Hadrian Dragon, from which I am still in some resonance.
Mom’s Feudal
As already mentioned, in addition to everything, we are provided with our own castle, it seems cool and with a lot of scope, there are so many possible implementations, making it more than an ordinary hub, but the reality is that the fortress is only trying to be something more than just a hub location, but unfortunately all attempts to implement this leave much to be desired. The castle itself represents a once abandoned and cursed fortress, behind which lies a whole story, a bloody story. And in memory of everything that once happened there, only skeletons remained, and the manager, whose soul was imprisoned in the throne, and the player, as the lucky one who decided to take the fortress for himself, will have to restore it, and along the way explore the secrets that the fortress hides.
For me, the element of oneās own fortress has become soulful in only one thing, this is squandering, as you might guess, in order to restore it you will have to fork out for several bags of pandas – the local currency, and for me this was happiness, because often when in games in which there is an economy, a mountain of gold accumulates beyond the middle of the game, on which Smaug is already quietly snoring, and the question is where to put it (gold, Smaug remains on place) stands up like a pillar, because when, in addition to consumables and armor, it is possible to transform your own fortress, which, in addition to visual transformation, gives some goodies.
In addition, it is worth praising the efforts of the developers to āsimulateā the fact that this is a fortress, a monastery, which is being attacked by a couple of robbers of average lousiness. And in which sometimes the inhabitants of Dyrwood, be they nobles or villagers, come for advice or help, which creates a certain dilemma where you make decisions within the dialog box. And all this affects the final result, which is reported in the fortress event point.
And now, you have already settled down, taking local self-government into your fist, equipping and fencing the fortress. Where, upon your return after a long and exhausting hike, you will have the opportunity to relax in separate facilities built by you, where relaxation in one of them gives its own pleasant bonuses.
Everyday life of the Guardian
You, a foreigner who wants to find a new home in the unknown lands called Dirtwood. But, along the way, a completely expected outcome occurs: the caravan was attacked, which was then accompanied by a sudden storm. Hiding in a cave, you witness a strange ritual, at the end of which everyone you traveled with dies and you lose consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, you realize something is wrong. After which you will find out that you have awakened, you are a Guardian, a kind of intermediary capable of seeing souls and communicating with them, which becomes a gift for the character, to say the least, because many who possessed this gift eventually went crazy. And the ritual is something that you should understand, simultaneously unraveling the tangle that the scriptwriters have prepared for you.
The core of the writing team consisted of real masters of the gaming industry, mostly from Black Isle Studios with Josh Sawyer himself, who directed the project, Adam Brennecke, Tim Kane and Chris Avellone, who also participated in writing the script. Therefore, the audience prematurely guessed that the plot would be branched and correctly written from the point of view of a role-playing game, where you would have to play a certain role in the plot.
Additional quests are also made in the spirit of the good old RPGs, where the player has the opportunity to complete the quest using several, even not obvious, methods of completion. Where the player will often have to face difficult moral choices, which may well affect the ending of the game, despite the obviousness of its completion.
But we also cannot do without criticism, what is the cost of a line of quests for one of the factions presented in the game, which have a background, but the number of quests completed leaves much to be desired, after only 2 quests, the player becomes one of the board, but in the end it is not enough to become the leader of one of the presented factions, according to the precepts of one game.
And also the writing of the text, yes, it is written skillfully and multifaceted, to some extent, but the text contains a sea of āāwater and references that try to immerse you in the lore of the world, but in the end confuses the player with each line of dialogue more and more. This is why some players criticize the game for being dull, and in a sense, such criticism is understandable. But the game coped with the main task, roleplaying.
A question of aesthetics
Regarding the atmosphere, this aspect is done at a high level, which is accompanied by the tone of the location and its mood. Just look at the design of the locations, which are sometimes breathtaking, the artists knew their job and did a good job with it.
And of course music, for many gamers the element of sound design is a key factor in creating atmosphere, thereby setting the right tone for the project. And the music was a success, itās not to say that itās outstanding, but it fully copes with its task.
The White March Part
The game also comes with 2 parts of one add-on, and let’s start with the bad. Why the hell is one DLC cut into two parts, I understand that the DLC is really big and will take at least 15 hours to complete. But why then is Blood and Wine for The Witcher 3, which is clearly no smaller in scale, sold as a single whole, and in the case of Pillars of Eternity these are 2 parts of one adventure.
But if we move away from this thought, then before us lies a truly magnificent addition, with a bunch of interestingly written side quests, and an equally exciting main storyline, which, in my opinion, worked out even better than the original story. The plot is as follows: A letter arrives in your fortress from a settlement called Stalwart, a long-forgotten fishing village, the elder of which asks for your help, the purpose of which is to free the local forge to restore trade in metal and blacksmithing products, but where this venture will lead lies the main question.
The add-on can truly be called global, because it adds a large map with a large number of locations, which are generously seasoned with all kinds of activities. Along the way, the player will also meet new interesting characters with their own background, and some will even be able to invite a team. The addition will have something to surprise you with and will keep you hooked for 15-25 hours.
Therefore, I advise those who liked the original game to join, because the addition will make you linger in Ior for a few more hours of an exciting journey, I think itās worth it.
Conclusion
Obsidian couldnāt have done it any other way, having rolled out the most powerful weapon on the field, itās talent. The developers managed to recreate the old classics so that they feel fresh today. I definitely recommend Pillars of Eternity even to those who are not familiar with the genre, but are ready to join it.
