Backer Update #1

[Infinitron]

[IndiraLightfoot]

I love you, Infinitron! Always one step ahead, even faster than the crowdfunding platform this time!

[Ganrich]

I hope that update Josh mentions is slated for today. I was looking forward to some substantive news today. Thanks Infinitron. You're a saint.

[Sedrefilos]

Infinitron always on front line for freshly hot-baked news

 

Saywer, come on man... You knew you'll reach funding goal in day 1

[Aranduin]

Infinitron always on front line for freshly hot-baked news

 

Saywer, come on man... You knew you'll reach funding goal in day 1

 

1 day or less

[Infinitron]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire?update=241#updates

 

We're Funded!

POSTED: 01/27/2017

 

We. Are. Funded! Thanks to the support of all of our backers, investors, and our wonderful community, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire has achieved and then exceeded its funding goal in less than 24 hours, exceeding all of our expectations. Our fans are the best in the world, and it's thanks to you that we're able to make games we love. Thank you so much, sincerely. In this update, we're going to answer some of your most asked questions, give you some key details about the game, and share our progress so far.

 

First, here's a personal video message from Pillars II Design Director Josh Sawyer, thanking you on behalf of all of us here:

 

But we're not done yet! Since we funded so quickly, there's still a long way to go,and we've got some awesome stretch goals available to help make Pillars II even better. First among these is sub-classes, which we'll reach at $1.4 M in funding.

 

 

We asked Josh to give us some more details on the upcoming subclass stretch goal (and some other exciting stuff):

 

Hail and well met, elves.  It's your buddy, Josh, with some info on subclasses and importing your character from PoE1.

 

Subclasses are similar to kits in 2nd Edition AD&D (featured in Baldur's Gate 2).  Our focus has been to give a different flavor to a class through specialization.  We want each subclass to do something cool and distinctive that also has a built-in trade-off compared to the base class and other subclasses.  For example, if you remember Zahua from The White March, you may recall that he was a drug-addled/enlightened monk of the Nalpazca.  If subclasses are funded,you may select the Nalpazca as one of two Philosophies (monk subclasses).  The Nalpazca gain greater benefits from using drugs, but their Wound threshold is increased while under the influence.

 

One of the most popular ranger subclasses on the team is the Ghost Heart Lodge.  All Ghost Hearts travel the wilds of Eora alone, their animal companions having died at some time in the past.  However, the bond between the ranger and their companion is so strong that the soul of the animal remains tethered to the ranger through the Between.  While a Ghost Heart does not have their companion available at all times, they may be summoned as a ghostly Spirit during combat for a short duration.  This companion is not considered a Beast, so spells like a druid's Charm Beasts and Hold Beasts will have no effect on it, but a paladin's Abjuration can badly damage or even banish it immediately.

 

Now, on to importing your PoE1 character! At the start of Deadfire, you will have the option to import a special end of game save from Pillars of Eternity. This will import your Watcher and the choices that you made in the Dyrwood, including quest states, conversation choices, and how you personally dealt with your companions, friends, foes, and orlan babies. The save game is cross platform compatible, so you will be able to import from Mac to Linux, Gog to Steam, etc. This is the first time that the Obsidian team has the freedom to explore this type of cross game reactivity and progression, and we are very excited to add long term choice and consequence to Deadfire.

 

To address three common questions:

What if my dear friend Aloth "fell" into a Skaenite blood pool?

If you directly or indirectly got a companion killed or never recruited them in your save game, they will not be present in the Deadfire.   However...

What if I never played Pillars of Eternity or I want to start a new game with different story states?

During the introduction to the Deadfire, you will be able to establish choices from Pillars of Eternity as though you had played through the game.  Importing the save directly is not a requirement for establishing story states.

Am I still 11th/14th/16th level?

As you saw in our intro video, Eothas is very hungry and your soul is delicious.  Your Watcher begins again as a level 1character.

 

--

 

Thanks Josh!

 

Now, sub-classes aren't the only thing we've got coming. More gameplay depth, world-building detail, and customization for players all over the world lies ahead in Pillars II's stretch goals, waiting to be revealed...

 

Of course, for those who've been unable to keep up with the press flurry (and who can blame you?) the campaign been featured in a whole bunch of publications:

PCGamesN

MMORPG

PCGamer

 

And now, some FAQ's. You've had some questions for us, we want to provide you with answers. We’ve collected the most common questions from our forums, Fig's comments, and other communities, and summarized some answers for you here.

 

FAQ

 

Q: When we will have access to PayPal?

 

A: We are currently looking into how we can offer PayPal to our Backers and will have more information on that at a later time.

 

Q: Any chance we can get the first Pillars of Eternity Collector’s Edition through this campaign?

 

A: Unfortunately, no. However, you can purchase the entire Pillars of Eternity collection for $79, which gives you a digital copy of Pillars I, both White March DLCs, and a digital copy of Pillars II.

 

Q: Will there be multiplayer?

 

A: At this time, we have no plans for multiplayer.

 

Q: Will the Guidebook Volume II go up as an add-on or on Amazon like the first one?

 

A: We are currently looking into how best to service fan demand for the Guidebook Volume II. We know you want it, so we're going to find a way to give it to you.

 

Q: I want the boxed edition, but have no intention of touching the disc inside it (nor do I own a device that can read a disc of any type). How can I play the game if I purchase the physical box?

 

A: Purchasers of the box copy will receive their digital code both in the box and via email on release day (same code, you won't get two different codes). You will not have to open the box at all, if you don't want to.

 

[draego]

Ye level 1. boo no pet ranger. I am sure a lot of people will love that. like the reactivity also

[Sedrefilos]

So we start level 1 again. Kewl.

[jones092201]

Wow. I'm amazed we're going back to level one. if im being honest, that's fine with me, especially with the possibility to sub-kits and mutliclass. But i kind of feel  like i did when i finished watching episode VII--- it's good, but are we really just pushing the reset button?

[evilcat]

Damm you Eothas eating my levels, leveling my house.

 

Class kits look even better, pushing classes in more unknown territory than simple specialization.

 

Still hoping for Advanced Start, if we beat poe2 1time, new game will leave us with 5 levels so we can skip some early content.

Or introduce orgins (not possible)

Edited January 27, 2017 by evilcat

[Infinitron]

My level-halving idea ignored, bah.

[juanval]

I like starting at level one, but I hope the level-up pace will be slow, because if it's fast, you don't experience the fun of leveling-up, as happened in Icewind Dale2

[Gromnir]

most folks here will have no memory o' iwd2 development.  josh/black isle kit suggestions before the switch to 3e were not well received. resulted in a kinda comical conflict 'tween forumites and developers. am curious to see how the poe fanbase reacts if josh and co has created poe kits along similar lines as the iwd2 kits.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited January 27, 2017 by Gromnir

[White Phoenix]

Give me back my 16 levels! Or 12! Blasted Eothas! I hope subclasses will be there to erase my pain. Best motivation ever to go hunting.

Edited January 27, 2017 by White Phoenix

[ShadySands]

most folks here will have no memory o' iwd2 development.  josh/black isle kit suggestions before the switch to 3e, were not well received. resulted in a kinda comical conflict 'tween forumites and developers. am curious to see how the poe fanbase reacts if josh and co has created poe kits along similar lines as the iwd2 kits.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

Well, if changing the ranger pet from an animal to to a spirit that is only a short duration summon in combat is the only feature of that kit then I'd be pretty disappointed if I played a ranger. 

 

For now I'll try to be cautiously optimistic since I'm sure it'll be a long while until we get more info on all the kits

[Gromnir]

 

most folks here will have no memory o' iwd2 development.  josh/black isle kit suggestions before the switch to 3e, were not well received. resulted in a kinda comical conflict 'tween forumites and developers. am curious to see how the poe fanbase reacts if josh and co has created poe kits along similar lines as the iwd2 kits.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

Well, if changing the ranger pet from an animal to to a spirit that is only a short duration summon in combat is the only feature of that kit then I'd be pretty disappointed if I played a ranger. 

 

For now I'll try to be cautiously optimistic since I'm sure it'll be a long while until we get more info on all the kits

 

am thinking folks need to reign in their expectations if they do not wish to be disappointed.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Aramintai]

Give me back my 16 levels! Or 12! Blasted Eothas! I hope subclasses will be there to erase my pain. Best motivation ever to go hunting.

And curse him for destroying Caed Nua! Yea, looks like this time this is personal. Just like it was in Baldur's Gate, I love this type of motivator.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Aramintai

[Eivenne]

I'm kind of glad that they decided to reset all levels, at the end of the playthrough there were too many spells and abilities, I didn't use 90% of them. Right now I'm only hoping that in the future someone will create a mod which balances levels in PoE1. I really don't need 16 levels, 8 would be just fine. Then we could pick up from this level in PoE2 and retain our builds. 

 

Well, we'll just have to wait and see how it plays out, maybe this decision will make perfect sense. 

[ShadySands]

 

 

most folks here will have no memory o' iwd2 development.  josh/black isle kit suggestions before the switch to 3e, were not well received. resulted in a kinda comical conflict 'tween forumites and developers. am curious to see how the poe fanbase reacts if josh and co has created poe kits along similar lines as the iwd2 kits.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

Well, if changing the ranger pet from an animal to to a spirit that is only a short duration summon in combat is the only feature of that kit then I'd be pretty disappointed if I played a ranger. 

 

For now I'll try to be cautiously optimistic since I'm sure it'll be a long while until we get more info on all the kits

 

am thinking folks need to reign in their expectations if they do not wish to be disappointed.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

That does not inspire confidence

 

Cautiously optimistic has been downgraded to cautiously pessimistic

Edited January 27, 2017 by ShadySands

[Gromnir]

for perspective, here is an oldie Gromnir post dealing with the iwd2 kit issue.

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/54409-dragon-age-discussion/?p=1039586

 

HA! Good Fun!

[InsaneCommander]

Give me back my 16 levels! Or 12! Blasted Eothas! I hope subclasses will be there to erase my pain. Best motivation ever to go hunting.

 

If you think that is bad, think about characters that are priests of Eothas. They are gonna be even more angry.

[ShadySands]

Ok, upgraded to just cautious

[White Phoenix]

 

Give me back my 16 levels! Or 12! Blasted Eothas! I hope subclasses will be there to erase my pain. Best motivation ever to go hunting.

 

If you think that is bad, think about characters that are priests of Eothas. They are gonna be even more angry.

 

Well, my Watcher is one of them. Time for apostasy.

Edited January 27, 2017 by White Phoenix

[AndreaColombo]

Now I'm really curious what the cap will be in Deadfire. My inner powergamer demands satisfaction!

[LuccA]

With sub-classes and multiclassing, folks will certainly find some OP combinations... and then we'll have a long period of "balancing things out" after release... I just hope I won't have to wait as long as I did to play the "finished" version of PoE 1...