Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

For me Baldur´s Gate 2 is the best story driven, party management, isometric RPG that I have ever played (Fallout 1 and 2, and Arcanum being other two worth mentioning).

I loved Divinity Original Sin I and II and Baldur´s Gate 3. Larian did an amazing job. But there was just something missing - every step of the way I felt I could conquer everything with ease as an experienced RPG player. No anxiety, no excitement, no fear of the unknown.

But not in this game. That fear of the unknown, of being underpowered, of: "oh no, there is another set of stairs going down, and my characters are broken, beat, and scarred already...should I turn back?". That is what for me makes an RPG of this type truly great. The feeling of being lost, overpowered, looking for strategic solutions, some crazy tactic to win, and all that on the seventh underground floor of some random dungeon, on some random island, where initially you just went to collect some free water and food. It makes it so much more rewarding and enjoyable once you win, and once you become a bully.

This game combines the best from BG 2 and Arcanum. It reminds me of both. It is not as flashy as Larian games, but boy in my opinion it is much more fun and exciting to play. The lore, the atmosphere, the setting, just perfect.

For the first time in 15-20 years I have that feeling of excitement and anxiety at the same time when playing an RPG of this time (I exclude Dark Souls, Morrowind and Gothic from this talk, because they are not RPGs of the same type).

10/10.

This game feels like a weighty literary classic—challenging, but deeply rewarding for those who see it through to the end.

okay...
This game.. just so fking amazing... maybe my favorite crpg of all time, just behind wrath of the righteous...
I really miss this obsidian man.. they turn the amazing first game into this masterpiece sequel.. Everything here done really really well..
First, the gameplay... gameplay maybe one of my main issue in the first game, and this game just did really amazing job to make me fall in love in rtwp style again.. idk how they do it but the rtwp in here feels like "not slow", while also feels smooth and not feels chaos at all... Out of all crpg that use rtwp, this maybe the best..
There's also option for turnbase but i havent tried lol
And also the rpg mechanic in this game are pretty easy but not like "skyrim-esque" rpgs.. i mean its easy to learn but it still give you some thinking.. Like compare to, for example wrath of the righteous lol, that game its not easy or newbie friendly at all lol..
There's also multiclassing that really amazing to try and also easy to learn (atleast fo me).. while the single class also still amazing!!
Ofc pillars have a lot races and background that impacting, not only the dialogue choices, but also how you play in term of gameplay..
And then also the weapon.. they are amazing and significantly better than the first, especially the firearm.. the arquebus feels more "sniper" than before so making the build really interesting.. also dual pistol, i have fun with those thing... Well maybe for wizard grimore kinda downside.. since unlike the first game when you can learn alll spell in all grimore and copy them into a grimore you like, this new system just lock spell in a grimore, so you need like change it depending your situations.. Its certainly interesting system, but i just dont like it..
The story.. the main story, atleast for me, actually more interesting than the first one.. it feels more "big" and "confuse" and make me ask "why he do that" or "what if we're wrong" and obv with help of FULLY VA!! its make the story really engaging.. but yeah it also feels rushed.. especially in act 3 until the end.. Also the ending really unique... bit spoiler, so the ending just bunch of dialogue between you, your companions and the main villain and maybe for some people its bit boring or something but for me, the conversation really great!!
And also how the faction integrated to the main story reallly really good..
In first pillars, the faction also good.. but its just small sample sizes (in defiance bay) and when we go to twin elms, it feels underwhelming... But here, its just feel like new vegas all over again lol.. Every single faction here have point and can change the deadfire for better or worst and it also affecting you main story, side quest, or even companion which is one of the best thing in here!!
The companion in here just amazing... well i will miss durance, but you still get eder and aloth who both still amazing, and also new added companion like maia (love her :3), xoti, tekehu, and serafen also really amazing and interesting.. There's also pallegina who.. idk some people said like her better in her but idk about that lol i dont like her here.. there also sidekick that new can recruit who also had good insight and va and personalities.. Also there's romance lol.. well not as good as bioware or owlcat games but still good aditions imo..
And then there's something called reputation and relationship... in the first game there's reputations for each faction and city/village and this game also have that, and maybe expanded that.. so something it locked you out from some questline.. make the replay value much higher.. And there's relationship system, with your beloved companion ofc.. between you and them OR between their each other.. make more immersion and feels like they are just real person..
And then about the faction and companions.. some faction can lock you out from certain companions.. or can make your companion left the crew completly which pretty good for me.. since it adding replay value and also immersion.. i remember in my campaign, maia leave me (man..) bcs i choose some factions
And for dlc.. its not that "mandatory" like white marchs in first pillars but they are still amazing tho.. It also make your sidekick who in main campaign just like regular mercenary now feels like full companions or more alive since each dlc adding new story for them.. and yeah one of the dlc also adding new sidekick
Also the dlc adding new lore for deadfire itself or the world, especially the god and goddess... it also give us some challenge, since it adding new monster and mini boss that pretty difficult to handle..
So yeah overall its amazing game and worth to try!!
Anyway am i yapping too much lol xD

Deadfire is hands down one of my favorite CRPGs ever
The worldbuilding and lore- Absolutely unmatched. Both Pillars games are to me the best Obsidian has ever done.
Every region, every god, every faction—it all feels so alive and deep. The political plot and wild metaphysical stuff are genuinely cool, everything together make you feel like you're actually in a real historical place, despide being a high fantasy game.
Sailing your ship around Deadfire, finding weird ruins, combats, lost islands, ancient mysteries... it scratches that explorer itch so good.
It also have what it's probably the best implementation of real-time with pause combat in any CRPG. Feels so fluid and tactical once you get into it. Very cool builds & classes too.
If you like CRPGs at all, this one’s a must. I keep coming back to it. Love it.

Well worth your time
Great game! Deep, diverse and imaginary characters, world, factions, races, places, faces and story. A lot of gameplay, i have 147 hours and counting (including 1 DlC). There's a lot of trash loot though and I did spend more time futzing with vendors than I'd have liked, but overall, the game play is great and well worth your time if you like isometric RPG's with either real time or turn based combat.

One of the best isometric story-driven party-based RPGs to come out in the last 20 years. I've played every single one of them. Load times are pretty fast on modern PCs. Lots of build options and party tactics and gameplay features including 1-save only, turn based or real time, pause feature. Lots of character options and dual classes, scaling or non-scaling combat. Difficulty modes. Expert mode.

If you like D&D games lake Baldeur's Gate, Divine Divinity, Fallout 2, and some of the other greats you should also like this. One downside is no split screen or multiplayer. Lots of stealth and stealing options. Lots of dialogue options with real consequences. Non-linear game-play with lots of side-quests and a core story with multiple endings. Boat combat. Tons of spell and ability combinations, passive abilities, items that grant abilities, cheese-mode builds.

TL;DR:
If you like games like Divinity: Original Sin, Baldur's Gate, Tyranny, etc. then you will probably like this game. You don't have to have played Pillars of Eternity 1 to understand what's going on in this one, but it would help.
Long version:
PoE2 is a story-heavy game that requires you to read a lot of text to keep up with what's happening, but not as much as PoE1. A lot (relatively) of the game includes voice acting, which helps it feel less like a visual novel, and the voice acting is superb in my opinion. I'm not very good at planning out talking points, so here are some random points that I think are important when considering whether or not you want to play this game:
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED?
You can totally play this as a standalone game without having played PoE1; there are some things in this game that might throw you off without the knowledge from the first game and definitely some things you will appreciate more having played the first game, but it's fairly easy to understand what's going on without that knowledge. They also do this cool thing where pretty much all of the keywords that reference something in-universe are highlighted, allowing you to hover over them with your cursor and read a short blurb defining that word and providing necessary context. I thought that was a great alternative to having to constantly check a humongous codex or whatever, which really breaks my immersion.
RTWP OR TURN-BASED?
They chose to offer both. You have to pick which one you want at the beginning of the game and it cannot be swapped back and forth once you decide, but it's cool to have the option. Having played the game using both options, I personally prefer real time with pause as I've done all the fights before and am more interested in the story than the combat. Using turn-based combat makes the combat take a LOT longer, which has its pros and cons. On one hand, you get to appreciate the unique animations for spells and attacks, you get to plan out your combat encounters way more efficiently, and you're able to notice and counter certain afflictions and statuses WAY more effectively when it's not all happening at once, among other things. On the other, again, combat can drag on for what feels like ages, especially when the computer is taking its turns. Not that the enemies are particularly slow to react or anything (generally), but if you get in a fight with a lot of enemies it can feel like you're just watching combat happen for a bit. I also found that combat encounters were somewhat easier to win on turn-based mode, but maybe that's not the case for everyone.

OPEN WORLD?
Once you finish the first few required quests to get the story going, you're released into the open world and while you obviously CAN travel wherever you want, you will be... encouraged (maybe forced) to continue on a somewhat linear path which could feel like railroading to some people. The difficulty level is not balanced to be at your level, so if you wander too far from intended locations of the quest you're currently on, you can quite easily run into some enemies that you are not actually capable of beating, which is why it can feel linear. Once you reach a certain level, however, (about halfway through the game at least) you'll be strong enough to take on most enemies and will find very few obstacles that can truly prevent you from progressing. Regardless, I highly endorse saving the game OFTEN so you can just jump back to a save before the obstacle and take a different path, otherwise you could end up being very angry if your last save was hours ago and you're now stuck.
COMPANIONS/ROMANCE?
I think Obsidian generally does a great job making interesting companion characters, and this game is no exception. If you have played Obsidian games in the past and you didn't like the characters, you'll disagree. Obviously you have some characters from the first game, but the majority of the cast is new characters. As with most games like this, you'll likely find your favorite combination of characters to fill out your party and stick with them the whole game, never learning much about the other characters, which I think is fine. If you like to spend a lot of time talking to your companions and learning stuff about them like I do, they all have pretty interesting and dramatic backstories that they will continue to reveal to you the higher your approval rating is with them. It's possible that you may not actually find all of the available companions that can be recruited in the game (where my Rekke fans at?!) which can also add some value to replaying the game if desired. The "romance" in this game is pretty lackluster, consisting exclusively of a few dialogue options, maybe one off-hand comment about your preference for a specific character by your companions ("you and blank seem to spend a lot of time together!" etc.), more approving/romantic(?) barks when you select or control your romanced companion, and a slide or two about your future together (or not) in the end-game slideshow. There is almost zero recognition of your romantic partner by anyone in the game besides them, and you miss out on very little by entirely ignoring the romance aspect of the game. It definitely feels like an afterthought that was added last minute, especially considering the first game didn't have it at all.
CLASSES?
There are a variety of classes, generally the ones you'd probably expect from most D&D-inspired RPGs or other Obsidian games, as well as multi-classing to have even more control over customizing your character's abilities. You can also multi-class your companions, though you choose it when they join your team and it cannot be changed later. When you recruit a companion, you are presented with 3 options: Class 1, Class 2, and Multi-class 1 + 2. (e.g. Fighter, Rogue, Swashbuckler (fighter + rogue)) Leveling up is generally pretty easy to understand and streamlined, I'm someone who gets very easily confused and overwhelmed by complex skill trees and whatnot and I didn't have any issues. Some players might see that as a lack of customization, but i believe there's enough to constitute several specific builds or specializations per class.
DO CHOICES MATTER?
Throughout the game you will be asked to choose between one of two factions several times until you have amassed your end-game posse. Ultimately the story beats are mostly unchanged no matter what you choose, but who shows up to help at the end of the game will be the factions with whom your approval rating is the highest. It's not nearly as black-and-white as that makes it sound, but that's the gist of it. It's based on a relatively complex reputation system that affects how NPCs treat you; you will have a general reputation that is considered the opinion of the world at large and then you have a reputation with each of your companions. It's all based on the choices you make and your actions, and it will decide how you approach the end-game and can result in whole factions disowning you and your companions abandoning you. So yes, your choices matter.
SO SHOULD I PLAY IT?
I personally thoroughly enjoy this game, it's probably one of my favorites. If you liked games that are similar to it, you'll probably like it (obvious point is obvious). It doesn't stray far from the expected trajectory of an RPG made in 2018 and will likely not surprise you if you've played similar games. But, you get to explore a big map with lots of fun, hidden secrets in your very own boat that you can customize and give a hilarious name, who wouldn't want that?