Wormerine

I feel it’s fair to say that NV faction system is superior to Deadfire - there is a feel of climbing the ladder and getting friendly/hostile with every faction, while in Deadfire it is a case of strings of quest, until game asks what ending slide would you prefer. Deadfire feels a bit to artificial. But that’s beside the point. The issue Deadfire runs into is that crit path/hook (Eothas) and main content of the game (factions) are at best disconnected and at worst at odds with each other. NV Billy hook, leads to faction content, meaning that the two complement each other, rather than distracting from each other. Deadfire’s issue can be seen at the end - what should be a climactic finale - your fight with the faction leader who became an antagonist of your choice, sort of fizzles away. Partially because aggression feels really sudden, as you probably were good buddies about and hour earlier, and partiall because it is squeezed without fanfare between beats of Eothas’ story. Considering events of cosmic importance that are happening, conflict for Deadfire seems rather insignificant. Imagine New Vegas, where battle for Hoover Dam wasn’t this big event that was build up for entire game, but was nearly means to save the world. Softens the impact, doesn’t it? Even so, Deadfire story is fairly shallow. It’s like getting sequel to Planescape, which focuses on conflict between factions’ conflict in Sigil. Very entertaining, but quite lacking the depth audience came expecting. Does that mean that Deadfire story content is complete trash? Hell no, but it has issues which detract from the good stuff it has, lessening their impact.

..but they focused on making a bigger, better game. Deadfire is a bigger, better game. Muti-classing is making character building a better, bigger system, sailing is bigger better stronghold. I agree that narrative is a step back in couple areas - and reading/watching review that tends to be the main complaint. Unfortunately. Storytelling isn’t like game mechanics, and it is difficult to simply improve on it, especially when it was really good in the first place.

There were enough encounters, but they were simply way too easy. Ramp up difficulty so engagements will last longer and require my full attention and we are good.

Yes, for some reasons you can’t access those option when setting up the game.

Deadfire felt bigger than vanilla PoE. Playtime was about the same but I felt Deadfire had more quality time per minute if that makes sense.

Deadfire ain’t bad. It’s pretty good. However, coming from PoE1 I had my expectations and in some aspects I am disappointed. I found quests engaging and Deadfire really fun to explore but the conclusion of the main “plot” of the game left me likewarm. I enjoyed while it lasted, probably more than PoE1 - I found nothing nearly as dull as mid point of PoE1. But When credit rolled PoE1 left me happy and satisfied, and Deadfire left me conflicted. I enjoyed it a lot, and it has tons of good content, but it feels like a lot of set up, with little payoff. That s sort of the problem. The chase after Eothas is good enough, but then doesn’t lead to anything I would call worthwhile. Factions are really good, with tons of great content, but the way the conflict gets resolved feels fairly inconsequential, sudden and forced. Companions feel less “personal” then they did in PoE. And the biggest crime of al - too few new books to read.

It very much seems so. I got positive/negative reactions from companions by initiating conversation with NPCs or entering location. Whenever tags got messed up, or something else is going on - no one knows. Considering that Caleb asked for an attatched save, that means that this might be a more complex issue than simply conversation trees being tagged.

Do people never pay attention to tutorials?

As far as Woden... what is there more to ask? PoE1 Eder dilemma was what happened to Woden - we learn he joined armies of Readceras. This for Eder meant: did I fight on the wrong side? Was Waidwen really Eothas’ incarnation? We know he was. If Waidwen was Eothas, it is not a surprise he could recruit Woden. Woden died in battle. While the quest itself ended up uncomplete it reaches resolution with the final revelation of the game. In Deadfire Eder choice is how to react to Eothas’ 2nd crusade? Join with him like Woden did? Or not?

Oh... I didn’t read any of the short stories. Maybe after I am done with Guidebooks, I might read those,

Those are all over the place. I have recorded the ones I found really odd in this thread: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/99004-collective-summary-of-all-the-glaring-bugs-in-the-relationship-system/ Caleb’s request at the end of the thread:

Can’t wait for his solo Saint’s War prequel.

In the future, maybe. Time travel is complicated, though.

You want to romance them because they are cool people. They don’t want to romance you because they are cool people.

I didn’t see anything uncivil. I imagine many, like myself, were disappointed that OP didn’t actually have anything to defend Deadfire story with. Deadfire is a good game. It’s story is lacking when compared to PoE1. Considering its direct sequel and uses the same protagonist disappointment is understandable. Yes, New Vegas, to some extend did similar thing, however, what worked in New Vegas, just doesn’t work here (see my post above for details). Breath of the Wild maybe is a good game (never played it) but I never heard it praised for its story. There are games with a bad bad story, which are really really good games. Unfortunately, being a sequel to PoE and an Obsidian game bring expectations - for some the story is no. 1 priority. And in that aspect the game is a disappointment. It’s also an improvement in some aspecs (pacing, variety). Gameplay: PoE<Deadfire (some major balancing needed) Story: PoE>Deadfire

Randomise conversation trees!

Not really. Certainly not in that way. Moving dungeons around does nothing for discovery or replay ability. Those are still same locations, just need to scramble a bit more to find what I know I will find. Changing potion properties are just... silly. They still do the same thing, just need to read descriptions again for each one of them.

Terry Pratchett has a fitting quote about this: Wizards don't believe in gods in the same way that most people don't find it necessary to believe in, say, tables. They know they're there, they know they're there for a purpose, they'd probably agree that they have a place in a well-organised universe, but they wouldn't see the point of believing, of going around saying "O great table, without whom we are as naught" Yeah, I am not saying it’s bad. It’s possible that heighten religiousness in Dyrwood came from Hollowborn - a plague that no one understood or could deal with. They coped with it by turning to gods, to somewhat obsessive levels. Deadfire is doing fine, so while faiths and gods exist, few give them much thought in everyday life. I was surprised how few shrines there were - in PoE1 every major building or city had its shrine and historical reason for promoting that good. That said, a Neketaka has entire temple district, so it’s seems they simply “outsourced” faith there.

Ending of PoE1 must have impacted your companions a lot. Because there is less conversation to be head with companions, they tend to be painted with less delicate strokes. If some of the reactions (PAL vs. Xoti) come at more appropriate time, they might feel much better. I thought Pal was fine - she always had a grudge against superstitions and her heritage, and finding out that gods are a Kith creation must have only strengthen her dislike toward them. Eder changed his background with 1.0.2 patch so he has been all over the place for me. Upset at Eothas Eder fit with what I imagine he would be after PoE1 events. Xoti was fine actually. I don’t see her in anyway worse than Durance. She is obsessively devoted to Gaun, but that makes sense. Gods, clearly exist and she has proof of his existence via destruction and vision. If anything I find it odd, how not religious a lot of Deadfire seems to be.

Once you get correct ship upgrades, journal updates saying that you can pass through Ondras mortar. You have to ally with RDC in order to get access to submarine. You can get ghost ship without siding with pirates (simply don’t return the quest, after getting the ship).

Haha, OP. And I was hoping for a sensible defence. Of course, factions are the main content of the game. Have been argued that with everyone who complaints that main story is 4 missions long. Faction content is good but the finale is unsatisfying. Faction stuff is not on New Vegas level. I have written al length about my thoughts of factions and why the climax doesn’t feel right: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/100592-critique-of-the-faction-system-and-its-negative-impact-on-the-ending-spoilers/?do=findComment&comment=2033339 Yeah, Eothas is a McGuffin we chase, and an excuse to do other stuff. And that’s the problem. New Vegas’ “fight the guy who shot me” wasn’t a great hook (so I want to find the guy who shot me?) but: 1) unlike Eothas it was tied to the core of the game (factions). Even if “sidecontent” would be just that for you for a while, after progressing the game the factions would become your sidecontent, with Benny disappearing after you dealt with him. In New Vegas you don’t rush through battle for Hoover Dam, in order to confront Benny, whom you by that point don’t really care about. Benny leads into factions, Eothas and factions fight for your attention - factions easily win, however, Eothas should be a much bigger concern to everyone there. 2) we are newcomers to Deadfire and Watcher from the first game. There is no reason for us to be interested in Deadfire, but there is reason to be interested in Eothas and Gods. I role played around it - my orlan was mainly focused on regaining wealth, with gods being an annoyance. He followed Eothas purely because he had to. 3) game doesn’t continue themes of the original - the dilemma set up by revelation at the end of the first game, is not addressed, certainly not by the player. Urgency that your character should have, is taken over by Eothas who takes appropriate actions. I found Watcher to be tacked on, with little payoff coming from his return - familiar companions feel distant, better suited to interact with new blood, rather than an old friend which whom they discovered cosmic secret. 4) the “framing device” challenges basic laws of the set up universe, without expanding on them, which introduces a lot of doubt on how eora works, and if it makes any sense.

That’s huge. Super awesome.

Whenever he talks, he felt like good old Eder. He just... lacks context in Deadfire. Could have been a random hired crew member. Very little catching up, even less continuation/evolution of his arc. I suppose there is some reflection of who, he become in a way he interact with the boy, but I found it all unconvincing. I feel like Obsidian overdid it with the editing this time.

Oh yeah. I completely forgot about “guiding souls to adra” thing. You know, Deadfire is really convoluted and confusing. So what, souls can’t find their way because Eothas is dead? So they couldn’t find their way for how many years now? That would support the idea that reincarnation was Enguithian creation, and gods actualy do serve the purpose. Why... you had clever set up in the first game. Now things get really weird and with no payoff in sight.