What did you think of the story?

[DragonWiz]

The game has been out a while, most should be about finished with the game. So, this leads to my question, what is everyone's thoughts on the story?

 

If a similar topic has been made, do forgive me mods.

 

Also if possible, please remain civil! 

Edited May 27, 2018 by DragonWiz

[Wormerine]

It depends what you mean by story. Factions are interesting and Deadfire is a neat setting. However, game lacks human element which would make we care about Deadfire as a place or a setting. I find it interesting, but More in a way I am currently reading Deadfire’s guidebook with interest, rather than a compelling story. This is why I still see White March as PoE’s best content to date. I cared about people in Stelward as its full of individuals I remember. I don’t care about Deadfire as it is filled with ideologies and “this quest guy” people.

 

Now, probably what you really ask for - “the critical path story”. It’s too vague for me to care. Rather than expending the lore it raises more question and makes me question logic of that world. Maybe while they add some extra info (like what breaking of the wheel means!) i might like it a bit more. What I dislike the most, however, is stripping all urgency of your character. What Eothas does should be your mission (if you choose to accept it). As it stands, you just follow a dude, and watch him do stuff, as powerless gods bicker over how to stop him.

 

I claimed on other threads than playing as new character, not Watcher, would serve the story better. But even as it is, I think story could have been much stronger if it played into the powerlessness of your character - you know what you know, but you can’t do anything. You can’t oppose Berath or you will die. You can’t reveal who Gods came to be because: A) who will believe/listen to you B) you might die. You can’t stop Eothas because, he might be a fake god, but he is a god nonetheless. You might have discovered a secret but you are powerless to act upon your knowledge. That might serve as a basis for understanding and link between you and Eothas - you can’t act, he can.

 

Unfortunately, Deadfire plays into the “powerfantasy” much more than its precedessor. “Oh great Watcher”, “you have achieved that much”, “only you can do it: save the world, help faction”, “we just met and you make me wet, watcher”, “I am not worthy of you oh great Watcher, herald of berath” blah blah blah. That clashed a lot, with how useless you really are.

[SunDD]

I liked it. I feel like it's a logical follow up from the main plot of the first game. Some people express that they don't like Eothas being a Mary Sue, but I think that it fits. There is lore to support that he has championed kith and his motives make sense (even the ones regarding the Saint's War. The conclusion felt logical. However, it also felt like it was not a consequence of the events of the first game but the Saint's War before that. I don't think it's a bad thing, but I can see why that would put some people off.

 

My favorite bits were definitely the interactions with the Gods and Eothas himself.

 

I've seen a lot of people post that the ending is unsatisfying, or that the player seems to have no agency in the outcome, and that's okay too. I enjoyed, and cared about is mission and the implications.

 

I also enjoyed a lot of the tiny micro-stories involving the side quests.

 

The narrative definitely has a different feel from the first game. It doesn't feel as gloomy and I felt more of a sense of urgency chasing Eothas than chasing Thaos. It was also a bit disjointed due to the player being able to free-roam, but I found it clear enough to follow and pick up wherever I left off.

 

Overall, I'd say that I enjoyed the narrative.

[Opheleus]

In terms of the main story, I think PoE 1 did it better; there was more incentive to pursue Thaos than Eothas, and I enjoy playing the "nobody that works to become somebody" character more than the chosen one or famous hero. That's why I absolutely loved the Warden in Dragon Age: Origins, while not being a huge fan of the Inquisitor. I also found it odd that the Watcher is so famous in Deadfire, but no one (aside from the gods) mentions - or even knows, to my knowledge - that you stopped Thaos and uncovered a grand truth lost to time. What exactly is the Watcher famous for, then? Being the lord of Caed Nua, sure - but so what? Lots of lords out there, this one just happens to see spirits. Their biggest known feat would probably be resolving the Hollowborn crisis, but even then - to the wide world - the Watcher is just one of many moving parts that lead to solving the issue; this is especially true if you defended the Animancers and pushed for advancements in the field. It's just weird that the Watcher's biggest feat - a potentially world-changing revelation - is tucked away and never explored aside from a brief mention during the conversation with a humanoid bug.

 

As for the faction stuff, I think it was done well. All of them had interesting characters and plots, and I found myself agreeing with some of their ideologies and goals. However, as someone who plays mostly good characters, I found it difficult to fully side with any of them, and in the end decided to sail off alone. I would've liked the option to change our chosen faction for the better. For example, if we dedicated ourselves to the VTC's cause, it would've been nice to get the chance to sever their ties with the slavers and get them to stop exploiting the Huana tribes. As it stands, the most you get to do is decide on the leader, but the factions as a whole don't waver from their starting paths - and in the end the Watcher is forced to adapt to them and their beliefs instead of vice-versa; which begs the question, why aid them at all if they'll force you to betray your ideals? It's not like they aid the Watcher in any significant way if the latter remains loyal. Getting to Ukaizo solo is easy by end-game, and the factions will be as they are with or without you, so despite being well-done I think, by the end, joining any of them fully loses a lot of appeal and incentive. Pretty decent for a second playthrough, though.

 

Before I forget, there's also the matter of the gods. Purely personal preference, but after interacting with them throughout the game, rolling a priest (for RP purposes) became a lot less appealing. Even in the first game, after finding out the truth about them, there was still some amount of mystery and intrigue surrounding 'em. They weren't there at the start, but they were still shadowy entities with lots of power, as demonstrated in their oaths and wrath if the Watcher broke said oaths. In Deadfire, they're little more than roided-up high schoolers; constantly bickering, stroking their prides and soft egos, and getting worked up over a single mortal. Wael was one of the more interesting gods in PoE1, and I remember scrambling to find any bits of lore I could about 'em, and then when you finally get to meet the God of Mysteries in Deadfire, they turn out to be a giant crybaby, constantly wailing over their precious secrets being spilled by the other gods (mainly Eothas). Nice to know all-seeing/all-powerful beings can't keep their composure. Also never understood why Eothas cared so much about the Watcher and their opinions, to the point of potentially changing parts of his goal to suite their needs and desires.

[Slotharingia]

Wael was one of the more interesting gods in PoE1, and I remember scrambling to find any bits of lore I could about 'em, and then when you finally get to meet the God of Mysteries in Deadfire, they turn out to be a giant crybaby, constantly wailing over their precious secrets being spilled by the other gods (mainly Eothas). Nice to know all-seeing/all-powerful beings can't keep their composure. Also never understood why Eothas cared so much about the Watcher and their opinions, to the point of potentially changing parts of his goal to suite their needs and desires.

Wael was my favourite in POE1, and my current char broke the pledge to Hylea to do what it wanted. Like you say, in Deadfire all it does is throw fits and the only good thing about it is that it looks hilarious. Also, why is there no reference to whatever god's bidding you did in 1? If there is, I missed it. I didn't even know what god my first Deadfire Watcher pledged to as I couldn't remember.

 

Also agree about Eothas. Maybe because he has part of the Watcher's soul? But like a lot in the game, it's all much too vague.

[Tarlonniel]

I think Eothas is too big. Not physically, but in story terms. A giant statue inhabited by a god striding through the land, killing people left and right, on its way to do something that has the other gods in a panic and will shake the foundations of the world - that makes pretty much everything else in the game unimportant. And yet, it's those other, unimportant parts of the game where we spend the most time, have the most influence, get most personally involved.

 

The conversations with Eothas and the gods feel like interruptions. Nothing much really happens and we get very little information, and then we get on with our petty mortal concerns while the great drama continues to play out without us. Then we hit Ukaizo, the big (and confusing) revelations come, and the story really begins. I mean, ends. Whoops.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying the game and looking forward to the DLCs. It just felt like the Watcher was a child playing in a sandbox and occasionally joining in the conversation of the adults standing nearby

[White Phoenix]

Eothas is too perfect. Nothing can stop and destroy him. I think it was a mistake to involve him with big scale story. I would prefer if it was more personal, hell I thought that Watcher probably had one part of Waidwen's soul (like in Hiravias splintered soul quest), so that's why Eothas stole it. But nope. It was only McGuffin leading you to Deadfire. Such wasted potential here.

Edited May 27, 2018 by White Phoenix

[Palas]

Well, hard to say.. overall i like Deadfire. Especially the side- and faction quests are golden and full of moral dilemmas. I thougt the Huana were the "good" faction. But i ve learned, that they broke the pact with a dragon, bound him and siphon his power to strenghen the watershapers. True, if they do nothing, they would suffer the same fate like america natives, as the europeans came. But blow up the powderhouse and blame the VTC? That was hard (the others werent better, except principi maybe, but they are ruthless pirates!).

 

But the mainstory feels strange. So Eothas go and kills hundreds of people on his way, the gods are concerned and send you. Ok, thats fine, but why then u can explore the whole Archipel without a negative outcome? You can take all time of the world, Eothas is still waiting. Ok he says he needs to rest at the Maw, but it feels a bad excuse.

 

For the mainstory, s plausibility it would be better, if the devs had a better explanation for the whole time for exploration. Like u need the help of a fraction to follow him or get a clue, which way he went. Or to reach Ukaizo u need the seven adra-crystals of power or the like.

 

For the end: I dont understand why destroying the wheel is bad. If we belive the story, then wheel was created by the engwithan/god 2000 years ago. Before that, the life dont die out. Sad the game dont explain how reincarnation works before the wheel and why it should not work again (maybe the origin way was destroyed during the creation of the wheel abd cant be restored, but i can only guess, maybe poe3 will tell us)

[SunDD]

 

However, as someone who plays mostly good characters, I found it difficult to fully side with any of them, and in the end decided to sail off alone. I would've liked the option to change our chosen faction for the better. For example, if we dedicated ourselves to the VTC's cause, it would've been nice to get the chance to sever their ties with the slavers and get them to stop exploiting the Huana tribes.

 

I too had this issue. Every single one of them left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. You get sol this amazing idea of bettering the world from Castol when you initially meet him, only to have weigh it against slavery which is always morally reprehensible no matter what. However, it does lead to complicated choices for all the factions. I also decided to sail off alone in the end, then explored the other options later.

 

The ability to influence the factions to some degree would have been great, but I can see how that would complicate the narrative and quest structure.

[aksrasjel]

Just finished the game after 60 hours, so this is a pretty much on-the-fly opinion of the game. Sorry for rambling.

For me game itself was... fine. Nothing too horrible, but nothing that really stands out in the long run - with the story being an underwritten mess.

It was a decent enough 60 hour prelude/prologue to a much better story ie. breaking the Wheel and it's consequences. It seems to be a running theme with Pillars of Eternity stories to be honest - those seem to miss the mark on what is more interesting event. In PoE 1 we dealt with the rather dull aftermath of an IMO much more interesting Saint's War conflict and the creation of Godhammer. 

Also, the game is woefully unfocused story-wise. The combination of a low-key colonial conflict and epic fantasy hunt for rogue deity seems really forced and mismatched. I am literally an agent of Gods on with the hotline with the entire pantheon and somehow I am stuck playing a lapdog for some local VTC merchant guild. Apparently a Godzilla-sized deity that's killing everone in his path is not a reason enough for those yahoos to put aside their politics and help me out on my divine quest, beacuse time is of the essence and people are dying. And you can't even succeed in one task you had anyway, beacuse Eothas will destroy the Wheel regardless.

It also doesn't help that the game failed to give my Watcher a proper motivation for either dealing with factions (as if my Pale Elf Mystic for White that Wends really  cares about and/or understands the politics of some faraway island to help them out of her own violition), or going after Eothas himself. Berath presented me with a false choice - hunt down Eothas or die - and kept me tighly on a leash throughout the entire game, but my character wasn't really hunting Eothas out of any personal reason - be it a revenge plot (seriously, did people REALLY cared that much about Caed Nua?) or some search for answers, or anything in-between. I guess, that Eothas stealing your soul might serve as a decent enough hook, but for me it felt rather underplayed - you don't suffer any ill effects from that and the game kind of forgets about it anyway. So, halfway through the game, my Watcher was dead-set on grabbing Serafen, Ydwin and Rekke (i.e three NPCs in the game I actually gave a semblence of a crap about, which is sad when you think about it), packing them onto a ship and sailing into a sunset - beacuse what was stopping me anyway? Eothas will succeed in his goals regardless of what I do and I don't see my Watcher being tangled in pointless politics, so why am I here? Maybe the New Vegas Yes Man-style approach - with the Watcher being a literal master of their own fate on a giant powertrip - would make the story more personal and motivating? I have no idea.

Edited May 27, 2018 by aksrasjel

[Starwars]

If just looking at the main story, I prefer Pillars 1 quite a lot. I always thought PoE1 was a bit... rambling at times but on the whole I enjoyed the story a whole lot more than most people seem to. I thought Thaos was a cool villain, thought the gods were interesting, liked Iovara and thought the "your past life" bits were interesting.

 

Deadfire's main story feels simpler, but also a bit more clumsy. Where in PoE I thought interacting with the gods was an absolut highlight, in Deadfire I think those sections drag. And partly it is because the whole "gods are children" angle is in full effect. And there's nothing wrong with that, I actually like in the overall sense of the setting, but it makes the bits where you interact with them less interesting and it's just way harder to like them in any way. And that's a bit of a shame since the whole "religion and animancy" are big roleplaying hooks. But I would actually struggle a bit to create a character who would actually feel that, hey, the gods are pretty alright! And this is coming from someone who had no problems coming up with characters who supported the Legion in New Vegas.

So yeah... I'm fine with the "bumbling children" angle but I wish they had been a bit more likeable still.

 

What I do love about Deadfire is that they did pull back the story and made the whole Archipelago the real story. The choices you make, the factions you choose to support, how you "weave" through the game. I really prefer this way of structuring the game as opposed to having a lengthy main story that the player gets led through. Choice in how to approach things is a huge deal for me and that is probably Deadfire's greatest advance when compared to the first game.

 

So, just focusing on the actual main story, Pillars 1 is way better for me. But, looking at the whole package and how the story is woven into the entire game and gameplay, it's Deadfire all the way.

[rheingold]

Pretty poor actually. Enjoying the game, but too many plot holes, band aids, trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole issues. Not the best Obs have done. But having said that there are some good sides to the game, but not really from the writing.

Potential yes, but there needed to be more consistency in well, everything. How the factions behave, how the gods changed from the first game to Deadfire, how some of the companions like Pellagina had a pre frontal lobotomy sometime between games. The handling of Kana and Meneha was really, really bad. Frankly I'd much rather have not had them in the game. The writing just needed to be much tighter than what it was, but as is, its pretty clear that it was a sideshow to the new game mechanics and open world. Which is a bit sad, there are companies out there that specialize in open world games like Bethesda, who can do a great job. Traditionally though, the writing was Obs strength.

[Porcelyn]

I'm disappointed. It wasn't engaging like the first game, I missed the dark urgency of POE 1. It sort of feels like a big tro lo lo lo lo escapade in a boat. I did like blowing up Ben though. That was the best time I've had in a game.

[Casper]

the main story was... not horrible. however, the ending of the game didn't really feel like an ending, more like a place holder so events wouldn't be resolved so they could be settled further down the road. kind of like how the empire strikes back felt to me within the starwars saga.

 

now, the non-main-quest content felt really good to me, especially blowing up ben, that to was one of those pivotal moments in the game for me, even though it wasn't all that important overall.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Casper

[FecklessFool]

I had more fun with the rest of the game that is not involved with the main quest. So like 95% of the game. 

 

The main quest storyline is lame and feels tacked on. 

 

Now that I've picked up Rekke (missed him in my first playthrough), I'm convinced that this game would be better if they dropped the Watcher and had Rekke (well your version of) as the main character. You get to join the missionary ships, you're not a priest or anything unless you roll a priest, and you end up getting shipwrecked and picked up by maybe pirates or slavers, and from there your story starts and you claw your way up to number one capitan of the Deadfire. 

 

Which is funny because after beating POE, I thought Durance had a more interesting story than the Watcher and wished that POE was about your version of Durance being betrayed by your god instead. 

The Watcher is a lamer. 

I don't even get why everyone knows the Watcher. Who broadcasted your exploits? What do the general populace of the Deadfire think you've done? Because there wasn't any way to back up your claims of being the one who ended the Hollowborn Crisis, and if you did manage to back it up, then you'd also be able to convince people about the truth of the gods wouldn't you? 

 

The Watcher of Caed Nua should have been allowed to retire in peace, which is what they did after POE. They didn't think they'd need to correct anything about the "fake" gods as evidenced by them chilling in their keep for 5 years.

 

And they had 0 impact on the main story that we got in Deadfire. It didn't matter if they died permanently at the start of the game. Events would just have sorted themselves out.

 

Better to have your version of Rekke as the main character instead and make the main story something else. Something fun and meaningful. Don't have the factions all go 'oooooo you can do all the stuff for us because you are the Watcher and we trust you.' 

How about they tie your working with the factions to progressing the main quest? Like you get to try out some factions for a bit then you decide on joining one organically, not unlike the main quest that we got where you walk in on Eothas and suddenly everyone wants you to be on their team. 

Do it the other way around, you find some faction you like, you sign up (or go at it yourself and become the Pirate King of the Deadfire), and that moves the main story along. 

 

Make it so Eothas already broke the Wheel while you were chained to the oars in a slaver ship for a couple of months (enough to learn the language as Rekke has shown), and Eothas breaking the Wheel is what lets you flee. Factions are now trying to see what has happened, maybe try to find a fix, and that's where your climbing the ranks leads you to looking for clues on how to fix things and along the way learn things like the origins of the retconned Wheel. Then maybe you and your faction fix things, or find an alternate solution, or you reveal that you are descended from the main Engwithans of yesteryears, the ones who didn't move across the Storms and set up their own reality distortion field in the area and made gods or whatever (because apparently the gods don't have much influence from where Rekke comes from). The story could go anywhere and it would be more interesting than listening to gods chat to no consequence, and then watch Eothas do his thing to no consequence. 

 

Heck, if people really want POE to have a Watcher, then your character can be a Watcher as well. It's not like being a Watcher is that special. The only reason the Watcher of Caed Nua was special in the first game was because of his ties to Thaos (pretty lame ties though, his soul was suffering all that time because he couldn't get a straight answer from Thaos leading his soul to go hunt Thaos so that they could give them a definite yes/no answer).

Edited May 28, 2018 by FecklessFool

[Yonjuro]

Overall, the game worked for me. I was drawn in and really enjoyed the game play, the characters and the setting.

 

 Several people have commented that the main quest is a little disconnected from the drama surrounding the factions and I agree. When you have an emergency that large, you might expect that the power politics of the region could be set aside, at least temporarily. I suppose I was willing to suspend my disbelief about that issue because I liked the rest of the game.

[Casper]

Overall, the game worked for me. I was drawn in and really enjoyed the game play, the characters and the setting.

 

 Several people have commented that the main quest is a little disconnected from the drama surrounding the factions and I agree. When you have an emergency that large, you might expect that the power politics of the region could be set aside, at least temporarily. I suppose I was willing to suspend my disbelief about that issue because I liked the rest of the game.

i have to agree here.

[Selky]

I loved the main plot in the first game, but it was absolutely terrible in Deadfire. Hands down one of the worst stories I've seen in a video game.

 

Factions were 10/10 though.

[misterjimmy]

I'm very disappointed we got no follow up on Woden. Eder was depressed that there is zero way to find out what Eothas said to him and when he meets him face to face...nothing.

 

I wish they can reworked Ukaizo quest.

[Palas]

I would say, the game would work better without the mainplot. Just a simple treasure hunt or finding the Way to Ukaizo (and maybe discover there in a way of bad luck Eothas desroying the wheel, ifits important to poe3) would be a better main plot to integrate all the faction and sidequets.

 

About the Gods... i think its a matter of personal taste. I like mystic distant gods more than these very human-like gods, as they appear in deadfire. For this i like the presentation of the gods at poe1 much more.

 

But its complaing at high level. I enjoyed deadfire much, it s only sad that most of us see, i could have been better, because the main plot feels so separated.

[Mari]

I'm not finished the game yet, but I can already tell that in the future, I wont be buying any Obsidian games on good faith. There is a way to do open world right, and this is not it.   

 

I have to admit, as two separate stories, the main quest and factions are not bad. I play neutral good characters, and I'm still trying to decide who to side with. The dilemma of siding with a practice you disagree with in the hopes of creating a better future vs. sticking to your guns and throwing the region in chaos is interesting. I also dont mind the gods. My Watcher wants to bring them down, so being helpless against them while knowing they are fake burned in a good way. 

However, the fact they combined an open world, with a pretty URGENT main quest, and then did absolutely nothing to tie them together or to create a smooth timeline is sloppy and killing the game for me. The factions and their quests are the meat of the game, so as a player I want to do them (otherwise, why did I pay $50??), but story wise, I cant come up with a plausible reason my Watcher would bother. I really thought that when you went to talk to the Queen, it would set up the game. You would get a chance to explain what is happening, she would reveal a Big Obstacle stopping you from reaching Eothas, and each of the factions would offer to help (if you earn their loyalty) and invite you to talk further. Hell, I would even have accepted that the Big Obstacle is that I need to buy a bigger boat that can sail over lava or some ****. At least then I could justify doing the quests to earn gold. But no one really took the soul-sucking god thing seriously, and the game gave me zero reason to stop my hunt for Eothas so that I could become a terrorist who blows up buildings???? (And if the game does justify it, plz let me know. I need a reason why my Watcher is charting islands for a mapmaker while people are dying @_@) 
 

Like, I ended up with an immersion breaking scenario, where I explored a bit straight after leaving Port Maje, did Hasongo without realizing it would advance the main quest, and now have to justify sailing away from Eothas to answer the summons of some random faction and to talk to the Queen??? I guess they didn't want to cut off the people who like to power through the main quest line, but the main quest shouldn't be so completely cut off from the rest of the game. 

[FlintlockJazz]

I'm not finished the game yet, but I can already tell that in the future, I wont be buying any Obsidian games on good faith. There is a way to do open world right, and this is not it.   

 

I have to admit, as two separate stories, the main quest and factions are not bad. I play neutral good characters, and I'm still trying to decide who to side with. The dilemma of siding with a practice you disagree with in the hopes of creating a better future vs. sticking to your guns and throwing the region in chaos is interesting. I also dont mind the gods. My Watcher wants to bring them down, so being helpless against them while knowing they are fake burned in a good way. 

 

However, the fact they combined an open world, with a pretty URGENT main quest, and then did absolutely nothing to tie them together or to create a smooth timeline is sloppy and killing the game for me. The factions and their quests are the meat of the game, so as a player I want to do them (otherwise, why did I pay $50??), but story wise, I cant come up with a plausible reason my Watcher would bother. I really thought that when you went to talk to the Queen, it would set up the game. You would get a chance to explain what is happening, she would reveal a Big Obstacle stopping you from reaching Eothas, and each of the factions would offer to help (if you earn their loyalty) and invite you to talk further. Hell, I would even have accepted that the Big Obstacle is that I need to buy a bigger boat that can sail over lava or some ****. At least then I could justify doing the quests to earn gold. But no one really took the soul-sucking god thing seriously, and the game gave me zero reason to stop my hunt for Eothas so that I could become a terrorist who blows up buildings???? (And if the game does justify it, plz let me know. I need a reason why my Watcher is charting islands for a mapmaker while people are dying @_@) 

 

Like, I ended up with an immersion breaking scenario, where I explored a bit straight after leaving Port Maje, did Hasongo without realizing it would advance the main quest, and now have to justify sailing away from Eothas to answer the summons of some random faction and to talk to the Queen??? I guess they didn't want to cut off the people who like to power through the main quest line, but the main quest shouldn't be so completely cut off from the rest of the game. 

To be fair, the urgent main questline issue is true of pretty much most open world games I can think of. Skyrim had the whole dragons thing, why would you wonder off to fiddle with Thieves' Guilds and the like while they are rampaging everywhere? Baldur's Gate 2 had the urgent issue that you needed to get Irenicus and then get your soul back... except you spent most of it hunting down skinflayers and helping each and every one of your companions solve their every little issue first. Most open world games have a main questline that seems to be mega urgent and completely breaks with the open world theme, I'd like it to be dealt with too but singling out one game for doing it over all the others doing it too is a bit unfair in my mind.

[JFutral]

I'm still trying to figure out when I sailed through 3 or 4 of the main storyline quests. I don't even remember them coming up. Then, poof, they were completed.

 

Although, I feel like turning some quests into time sensitive quests would be a good way to make a different PotD than just more, bigger, or badder baddies.

 

Joe

[aqeelus]

I think Deadfire lost what made Pillars of Eternity a unique game. The philosophy theme, love it or hate it, was a big part of why Pillars 1 was kinda unique. The dialogue is very superficial in Deadfire, there is nothing like the Grieving Mother or the amazing mushroom trip with good old Zahua. Deadfire is basically like every other generic fantasy RPG right now. They tried to make the factions very similar to how the factions were in Tyranny, but the problem here they are very loosely tied up to the main plot while in Tyranny they are in a way the main plot.  

 

In terms of the story, Deadfire could have been a 3rd expansion to POE 1. The Eothas story wasn't unexpected and I would say we knew everything about Eothas and his motives from Eder's and Durance's quests in the original game, not including the wheel retcon of course. 

 

The new companions aren't anything special compared to Zahua, DoC and Durance, but to be fair Maneha and Kana were annoying as hell. However, it's Pallegina who took the biggest blow in this game. She just has mommy issues and whines about the gods non stop. 

[evilcat]

I liked.

The main quest is clear, there is some motivation off wanting soul back, answears, or just will to not be destroyed.

There is variety of side quest of different quality some are interesting. Like Ackemyr Heist, Blowing Man down, Paradise of Mind, Slavers Bay, Generally quest with some bigger location and type of dungeon.

Factions are all a bit evil. But at least Huana care for people in Gunlet, and VTC proceed basic researches.

 

Wish: More quest with multistages and some complexity and choices, even if it is violence or talk.