Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Reviews

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Andy Kelly
Top Critic
88 / 100
May 8, 2018

A massive, bountiful RPG with richly descriptive writing, a well-realised setting, and deep tactical combat.

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IGN
DM Schmeyer
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
May 9, 2018

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire improves upon the Pillars of Eternity formula in nearly every way, creating an RPG loaded with both strong combat and important, character-defining choices that frequently have an impact on your numerous and deep side-story adventures.

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Recommended
May 15, 2018

Layers of rum-and-sunshine soaked RPG adventuring to lose yourself in. Does it really matter it doesn't quite tie together in the end?

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 15, 2018

Another unapologetically old school role-player that gives its audience exactly what it wants and adds some fun pirate-themed exploration for everyone.

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8.8 / 10.0
May 8, 2018

A richly imagined seafaring setting lends novelty to what is ultimately an evolved iteration of very traditional isometric RPG fun

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8 / 10
May 8, 2018

Ship management and naval battles fit neatly into the dark fantasy setting of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire.

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Unscored
May 29, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II could've been brilliant were it more focused. It has a lot of good ingredients—scraps of interesting narrative, clever characterizations, a complex faction system, and pirate-themed spins on the RPG tropes of yore. The game's got so much unfulfilled promise that, even though I think it's a plenty enjoyable game on the whole, I can't help but feel disappointed by it.

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USgamer
Doc Burford
Top Critic
May 8, 2018

It's always refreshing to see an RPG try something new. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire deftly blends classic RPG fundamentals with more intriguing pirate-themed gameplay. If you enjoy RPGs, you'll almost certainly want to give Deadfire a shot.

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May 26, 2018

It's a much bigger, more polished game than the first in almost every way and a worthy successor.

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9 / 10
May 8, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a game about choices and epic story lines, grounding itself with the unique characters you find and the fact that your ultimate aim is to get the rest of your soul back. Having such a personal quest at the centre of such a fantastical plot really keeps you invested in both the people and the world, whether you're carrying on your adventure from the first game or starting afresh. Either way there's a genuinely likeable cast, both personal and global stories and the pleasure of mastering all its systems. A genuine joy of a game and one which is simultaneously approachable and impossibly deep, Deadfire is a fantastic sequel and one which you will be thinking even when you are away from its world.

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9.5 / 10.0
May 13, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II is Obsidian's new masterpiece. It is outstanding and it also features improvements that could mean a lot for the pure RPG for next years. An amazing universe with an exquisite gameplay make this game one of the best of this year so far.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10
May 8, 2018

The original Pillars of Eternity is a tough act to follow, but Obsidian has knocked it out of the park once again.

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9.2 / 10.0
May 8, 2018

Deadfire is the first time Obsidian gets to work in a sequel of it's own and that's makes the game special. The open world approach to it's narrative is really interesting. They managed to build a new game looking foward the future of the studio but not forgetting the past of the genre.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

VG247
Top Critic
Unscored
May 8, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, within the first couple of hours, contains the phrase "Cannon-fucking your boat to sodden splinters." Pirates might not make everything better – you wouldn't invite them to a booze-free wedding – but they've done wonders in Obsidian's RPG sequel.

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8.9 / 10.0
May 30, 2018

An excellent conclusion to an already excellent game. Ship navigation and above all ship combat are lackluster, but the general experience is fun and engrossing. Overall one of the best RPGs out there.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Unscored
Jun 4, 2018

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is a broad, deep, and excellent RPG in the tradition of Baldur's Gate. And it has pirates. Buy it.

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9 / 10.0
May 30, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II is incredible. From the layered-but-accessible combat, to the deep conversation systems and sailing around a world packed with quests and events; there are few RPGs out there that can stand up to this giant.

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92 / 100
May 8, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire puts the gods, warts and all, at the forefront of the story, and at this point, it shines when it focuses on your interactions with these powerful-but-flawed beings.

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Unscored
May 8, 2018

As it is, despite having spent dozens of hours playing this, I've always felt at arm's length.

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May 16, 2018

Everything in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is out to delight the player, and just about everything succeeds.

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