Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

"These pillars look like they've been here for an eternity"
-Actual dialogue from the game

It took my 5 years to finish this game; and in those 5 years my former - quite stable and boring - life crumbled into pieces, got completely transformed and started all over again. In this insanely challenging time, I could not have asked for a better companion than "PoE II: Deadfire". The game was there for me after I actually went Wael-level mad, while I struggled with clinging to some kind of normality. When I stabilised, but was completely alone in the world, the game was there, connecting me to my old self and making me feel less lonely. After I finally returned to some kind of normality, it reminded me of the crazy whirlwinds I had gone through and welcomed me back to life. I don't know how, but somehow the game often seemed to reflect a bit of what was going on in my own life; asking the questions that I tried to figure out myself at the time.
I know this ain't a normal review, but I can't put into words what this game meant to me in the end. I heard the developers were soul-crushed that it didn't sell well; and I would love to let them know that this game may have helped in saving one woman's mind and life.
Beyond that, it was a lot of fun and a great game! Although I do admit that following the hyper-complexe story across the span of 5 years was quite the challenge, but thankfully the Fandom Wiki arose during that time... oh, and apparently my lack of English skills led to the madness ending of poor Xoti. Seems like "cleansing souls" was a good thing, woopsie. Sorry, dear Xoti! If I'll ever play again, I'll do better!
Dear Team of "PoE II: Deadfire": Thank you ever so much for this amazing game! Hopefully, it will continue to entertain people for a long, long time. I hope that at least some people out there take the time to dive into your incredible and amazing lore behind the game. And if a PoE III is ever going to be made, count me in as first backer!

MASSIVE gameplay improvements over the first game.
Best class system of any RPG I've played (including BG3, yes).

Most interesting setting and faction choices since New Vegas.

If you liked Pillars of Eternity you oughta like Deadfire, but even if you didn't like Pillars of Eternity there's a chance you will like the sequel.
Deadfire retains some qualities of Pillars of Eternity. The writing is still very strong with immersive world-building and engaging storytelling. Role-playing options are still plentiful, with an even bigger emphasis on dialogue and character choices. (The "main" questline is really only a few quests, with much of your time dedicated to navigating the sociopolitical conflicts of warring factions and ultimately deciding who will control the archipelago after the world's been saved.) Unfortunately, your companions are still a little bland. It's a particular shame because with the inclusion of "sidekicks" you have so many more friends joining you on your journey. I don't know if it's the writing or the performances that cause me to be unimpressed, but, with the exception of Eder and Aloth (and maybe Xoti), the companions just don't engage me much.
But Deadfire does change things up a bit from Pillars of Eternity, and in my opinion they're all positive changes:
Combat is still micromanage-y, but with improved A.I. options. There are also incremental options to adjust the speed of combat to your liking.
Gameplay in general just feels smoother and more lively. (Though there is some unintuitive interface design—e.g., switching out companions while in a settlement is mind-boggling awkward and requires way too many clicks.)
Important story "cutscenes" feature gorgeous hand-drawn—well, digital, but you know what I mean—that really bring the gods and their realms to life with a lot of color.
The biggest thing, however, is the setting, which is much more exciting and brings many welcome changes. No more drab meadows and generic castles—nay, this time we're on the open seas, full of privateers, pirates, oceanic phenomena, and uncharted islands to discover. The new setting means Deadfire is a much more visually stimulating game. The world is full of blue waters, lush jungles, arid deserts, mucky swamps, volcanic isles, vibrant corals, and beautiful architecture inspired by Pacific-islander cultures. This setting is populated by a wider variety of peoples, and you'll be able to immerse yourself in their many cultures and histories. (Although it does feel a bit repetitive that two societies sound vaguely Italian/vaguely French.) Another setting-related change is the replacement of your stronghold with a ship, which is fully manageable, requiring upgrades, crew, and supplies, all of which can be acquired through the many ports. Having a ship also means there's naval combat, which is... merely serviceable. The actual ship-on-ship combat is disappointingly shallow, but that's why you always skip to boarding: it never stops being satisfying to board an enemy ship, slay the crew, and loot their treasures. It's this swashbuckling atmosphere the Deadfire Archipelago promises that initially drew me to the game, and I'm happy to say it mostly didn't disappoint.
So in summary, if you enjoyed Pillars of Eternity and want more, or are simply looking for an engaging story that ponders philosophical and theological questions and asks you to make difficult decisions, then hurry up and play Deadfire. If you weren't won over by Pillars of Eternity, but your issues were mostly with the bland presentation, then I'd recommend giving it a try. If you didn't like Pillars of Eternity at all, well, feel free to pass.

If you're playing on Veteran or below, play what you like and don't stress your build too much.
Insight and Diplomacy are the most checked for skills on the Watcher.
Trap detection is based on Perception, and Maia is the only companion with decent Perception.
During ship battles, there is a positioning indicator on the bottom of the screen. Port is left, starboard is right, but just look at the arrows and the positioning indicator.
All of the named ships on the world map are involved in bounty quests and there are zero negative consequences for attacking them, so if you think you can take them in a fight, there’s no game-mechanic reason not to gank them on sight.
Multiclass characters can only reach tier 7 skills (out of 9)
Upgrading your ship is expensive but a good idea. A dhow is just the right level of speed and durability to get your through most things, so don't bother dropping all your cash on a galleon or whatever unless you just cannot live without 16 cannons.
If you don't like the ship combat and want to just do boarding, it's a good idea to keep party members who aren't on active duty in fairly up-to-date gear. They will show up on deck during the battle and help you out as AI.
Most skill checks either let you pick a party member to do them or let you use their skill levels as a bonus, so you're free to spread out skills however you want.
First time through, probably a bad idea to go all in with a full party of multiclass people. Single classes aren't as versatile, but they get stronger faster and play more closely to PoE1 so they're easier to manage. Also, some party members get unique single classes. Tekehu, for example, get a special bonus as a focused Druid where his water/ice based attack spells don't deal friendly damage, letting you drop a Hail Storm on your Barbarian's head in the middle of a melee without worrying.
There's a lot of cool stuff off the beaten path and no actual time limit to the main plot, which is not that long, so once you've got all the party members feel free to go exploring.
Buy all the Mother of Pearl you can find. You need it for enchanting but it can be hard to come by. Only a few enemies drop it. There's a vendor in Serpent's Crown that sells it so check in with her every now and then.
SHIP COMBAT ULTIMATE EXPLOIT:
Buy the fastest ship in Neketaka and choose the full speed ahead option until you will be able to board the enemy ship.
Now you can save time of the horrible mini-game ship battle.

This pirate lady called me 'lovesome' once and I gave her the keys to a weapon of mass destrution.
Mistakes were made.
7/10

YES. 9/10. Worth the money.
Pathfinder: WOTR left the bar very high for me (I'm spoiled), but Pillars Of Eternity: Deadfire is everything you want on an RPG.
POSITIVE:
+ The story. Not only that, this is the first RPG I've played where you can be a pirate and plunder the seas at will. To kill or not to kill? To steal or not to steal? Yes, there are consequences, but no "wrong" consequence that will break your game. You can be as free as you want to be.
+ You can be a pirate. Again, this one is important for me, as you can see from my profile. I can be a pirate. Yay!
+ The companions are nice. Eder, Aloth and Pellegina are back, which is nice. Especially Eder and Aloth, who I always take along. However, you can't make everybody happy and some may leave your party (more on this later.)
+ Long enough not to feel scammed by buying it full price (unlike Tyranny.) 50 hours per playthrough for me is worth my money.
+ Good DLCs! Long with very good stories, good companion interactions, tying well to main story.
+ Romances! In my case it's Aloth, and Rekke (there is a fantastic mod for this.) I have had my eye on Aloth for a while... nice to have! Thanks Obsidian!
+ No annoying cutscenes or long load screens, thank f***! You can skip the whole intro too.
+ MASSIVE worldmap to be explored by sailing!!! I would have appreciated more random encounters and ship fights though (first game ever in which I would have appreciated random encounters, haha)
+ Buy new ships! Upgrade your ships! Get new ship crew! Level them up! Have some nice (short) interactions!
+ Crafting and upgrading items.
+ I'm a drunk pirate, what am I doing? IDK! I killed a lot of people, oops, well I guess I'll help these other factions instead... oh, no, I blew up some building, well, guys, back in to the boat, onwards to the next island!
+ Graphics, visuals, sounds, technical stuff, load times, etc, all good.
NEGATIVE:
- I would have liked more random encounters.
- The best companion in the game, Rekke, is a "side-kick" (new thing in RPGs? :-/ ) which is a shame, because he's got a super interesting background and is very funny. Pro Tip: REKKE ROMANCE. Go get the mod!
- Some companions will leave your party when you side with this or that faction. Some of them I don't even bother recruiting in the first place. Maia, no idea who this B is, I blow the whole thing up... Tekehu? Don't bother much with him either... and the one that sucks the most, Pellegina... sigh.
TLDR: Safe to buy at full price! Long and fun!