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Well I just wrapped up the main quest, and overall I would say it is a good game. I really enjoyed it most of the time. Would probably give it 8/10.

 

Just a few observations, mainly about the story and general game, staying away from the combat, as I can just accept it for what it is.

 

1. I didn't realise the game was going to end. I still had about 20 side quests/tasks left to do!...There was still the whole situation in Defiance Bay I had to sort out after the Duc being assassinated, the rivalry between the Knights and the Dozens which was quite interesting, surely something was going to happen with the Keep I had built up?...No, the game just ended with a slideshow :( I have to say I found it quite disappointing. Tbh, I was fully expecting to come out of the last dungeon and continue with my side quest as the story steers towards it's end.

2. The main plot was kind of interesting when it seemed like it was building to something, but it didn't arrive. It feels like there is another act missing tbh. The political situation and the whole Animancy debate was far more interesting to me, but it wasn't really explored enough. I was expecting maybe the Valian Republic to enter the story at some point, or some kind of struggle over the successor to the Duc to take place, but there were just a few slides at the end. Basically I would have liked more political intrigue.

3. Act 2 was brilliant, with Defiance Bay acting as a really good hub imo. I found Twin Elms suffered in comparison and was quite disappointed with it tbh.

4. I really liked the stealth, which imo, is pretty much as good as you can get it in this engine. There were one or two dungeons that were a real pleasure to sneak through with my specially crafted party of assassins!

5. Love the idea of the Keep, but it is very poor. In truth, the game would probably actually be better off without it imo. Just adding a task called 'minor adventure' with no details and having someone leave the party for some time is pretty lame. The upgrades are pretty much worthless and it just seems like there  was very little effort put in to it unfortunately.

6. I thought all of the companions were interesting, and I enjoyed pretty much all of their quests. Pretty much spot on.

7. I really liked the Endless Paths, but unfortunately only got to level 8, as again, I didn't know the game was going to end. There are some nice puzzles and interesting fights in there.

8. I thought all of the side quests were good to excellent. Very well written and had some interesting choices and outcomes, just as I would expect from Obsidian.

9. I really, really love the little interactive bits(not sure what to call them tbh). I think they work really, really well and would love more of them. Simple and unobtrusive. Really well done. If I had one criticism of them though, it is that I found them to be a bit safe...A bit more could have been done with them.

 

So in summary, I was very impressed with the game overall, and I shall definitely play through the game again at some point, and this time I will make sure to do everything!...I would love an expansion that features a new city to explore and use as a hub. Maybe one of these interesting places we have heard about.

 

Thanks for reading.

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adventures need more love, I remember adventures were handled in a similar manner in Brigandine: the Legend of Forsena, but better.

I see the dreams so marvelously sad

 

The creeks of land so solid and encrusted

 

Where wave and tide against the shore is busted

 

While chanting by the moonlit twilight's bed

 

trees (of Twin Elms) could use more of Magran's touch © Durance

 

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Keep in mind that this is their IP and they don't need a publisher's permission to do a sequel.

 

I suspect that some of the "unfinished" feel is there intentionally, as it would be covered in a part 2 (or 3).

"Art and song are creations but so are weapons and lies"

"Our worst enemies are inventions of the mind. Pleasure. Fear. When we see them for what they are, we become unstoppable."

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I agree that the stronghold seemed a bit sparse and unnecessary (not helped given the achievement for all construction failed to unlock :). I was kind of hoping for something akin to Neverwinter Nights 2, where the use of the stronghold was really well done. Possibly spoiled by that in fact :) Perhaps a DLC or a full expansion might expand on the strongholds role?

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Well I just wrapped up the main quest, and overall I would say it is a good game. I really enjoyed it most of the time. Would probably give it 8/10.

 

Just a few observations, mainly about the story and general game, staying away from the combat, as I can just accept it for what it is.

 

1. I didn't realise the game was going to end. I still had about 20 side quests/tasks left to do!...There was still the whole situation in Defiance Bay I had to sort out after the Duc being assassinated, the rivalry between the Knights and the Dozens which was quite interesting, surely something was going to happen with the Keep I had built up?...No, the game just ended with a slideshow :( I have to say I found it quite disappointing. Tbh, I was fully expecting to come out of the last dungeon and continue with my side quest as the story steers towards it's end.

 

I had a similar problem, though not as bad. For some reason I kept thinking that the Endless Maze was something akin to 'optional content' I could do whenever I wanted, and even though I hit level 12 right before facing down Thaos I just never bothered to go back and do it. So this meant Kana Rua had a fairly dismal ending where he goes home broken-hearted and solemn.

 

For that reason (and probably because I didn't have enough time to buy *every* single keep upgrade) I got a bad ending slide for the stronghold, where it 'fell back into disrepair' despite me sinking thousands of gold into it. Was a little annoyed at that, and with the stronghold mechanic in general, which is surprisingly inferior to the one back in NWN2.

 

Likewise, my companions were a mixed bag: while I tried to get everyone the happy endings I thought they deserved, I wasn't entirely successful in large part because there were some characters I just never used.

 

For example, Aloth got benched fairly early in my game since I was already a Wizard, and while I did finish his personal quest and talked with him about being with the Leaden Key, I apparently didn't talk to him enough to dissuade him from taking up Thaos' robes after the end and continuing the Leaden Key's work. Is having him in the party the only way to stop him from doing so? The Thaos battle was hard enough (almost impossibly hard, given that he seemed to be immune to paralysis) without another squishy Wizard in the party.

 

Likewise, despite really liking her character I just never bothered to keep Grieving Mother around, so I never go to see the end of her personal quest. And Pallegina's story ended in tragedy and exile because I urged her to do the right thing. :(

 

At least I got happy endings for Eder, Sagani, Hiravias, and Greiving Mother (despite not finishing her quest). Durance had an arguably happy ending in that he didn't kill himself and swore vengeance against Magran and Woedica, so I guess that's something.

 

Also, I didn't realize you could actually deactivate the Engwithan tower in Heritage Hill and got another depressing ending slide... and I foolishly reneged on my pact with Rymrgand (I was expecting him to punish me, not the innocents of the Dyrwood). Hits me right in the feels, Obsidian! You definitely subverted my expectations there. Sometimes trying to do the right thing doesn't always end well.

 

But really, the storytelling, world-building and lore in Pillars has just been top-rate so far, exactly as I expected from the company that gave us New Vegas and Mask of the Betrayer. Act III and IV did feel a little rushed, I must say, but I have every hope we'll be seeing more in future expansions.

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With what I am now reading about expansions, I'm alright with the way they left it providing we get a bit more closure on some of the aspects of the story.

 

Leaving a story open for coming expansions is ok by my book...so long as it doesn't enter the realms of sequel-baiting, which this hasn't at all.

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