What CAN't you change importing to POE2?

[QuiteGoneJin]

Seems stats and classes can be chosen anew, I wager race has to stay the same or else the continuity would be weird? 

[Heijoushin]

Has it actually been confirmed somewhere that you can't change your race, or are you just wagering?

 

But yes, it would be mildly odd if your PC had a race and sex change in the 5 years separating the events of PoE1 and Deadfire.

 

Either you care about continuity, in which case you'd stick with your race, or you don't, in which case you might as well create a new PC from scratch.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Heijoushin

[Karkarov]

Sawyer has said due to the mechanics changes they will allow class and stat changes, but so far, do not plan to allow changing anything beyond that besides maybe appearance.  Mostly because from a RP/continuity standpoint suddenly being a different race, sex, or having a different country of origin and background would be.... strange to say the least.

[dragubaba]

And here I'm going through multiple playthroughs to get a specific class to port to PoE2 so as to multiclass them. But cool if you can change class though I would have been fine if they wouldn't allow it.

[Boeroer]

Actually it's quite nice that you can change the class. I'm doing a last PoE playthrough with my first ever char again (hearth orlan rogue, see avatar) and I remember now why I always say that the usual rogue sucks... a lot!

 

But I can't be bothered with another playthrough either. So I will finish this and then maybe choose another class if rogues still suck in PoE2.

 

p.s.: Only my personal preference and opinion of course.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Boeroer

[TheisEjsing]

As I see it is all about preference. People argue that you shouldn't be able to change your gender/race cuz it's weird. But you can just start a new PoE 2 char and set PoE 1 events as you want it. So it makes little difference. I think most people can start out PoE 2 as they want it in some way. I really won't mind if you can change your gender/race, but I won't be doing it.

Personally I hope there will be small nods to your run in PoE, if you import your char, that is not present in the "world state" options, where the big stuff is covered. It's very gratifying. That was one of my favorite things about the Mass Effect games. I think those games handled it very well. 

Edited March 14, 2017 by TheisEjsing

[ShadySands]

That's actually what I'm worried about, stuff you only get if you import. I remember searching character repositories to get the exact perfect state that I wanted for Mass Effect 2

[TheisEjsing]

That's actually what I'm worried about, stuff you only get if you import. I remember searching character repositories to get the exact perfect state that I wanted for Mass Effect 2

Well, the thing is that some stuff, you wouldn't understand starting a fresh game. An example of that is that in ME 2 you meet Fist at Omega, if you didn't kill him in the first game. But if you didn't play the first game, that encounter would make zero sense to you. It's that kind of nods to your PoE run I'd like to see. New players won't miss them, and would only be confused in any case.  

[dragubaba]

Personally I hope there will be small nods to your run in PoE, if you import your char, that is not present in the "world state" options, where the big stuff is covered. It's very gratifying. That was one of my favorite things about the Mass Effect games. I think those games handled it very well.

 

I'm with you on this one. Effort should be rewarded with unique content. But that probably won't happen what with everybody wanting everything at any given time. Preferably for free.

[blotter]

Has it actually been confirmed somewhere that you can't change your race, or are you just wagering?

 

In Q&A 4, Sawyer said we *might* be able to switch the Watcher's race when importing a save but it'd be based primarily on "whatever seems to feel best". Hard to say exactly what that means, but it could have something to do with whether it allows for interesting reactivity without requiring a lot of work that'd be better directed elsewhere. My guess is that it's probably more trouble than it's worth if they feel obligated to have companions and NPCs actually acknowledge the change, but who knows.

 

As for whether switching races makes sense, it depends how it happens. It could possibly be explained by the Watcher losing their original body and finding their way into the flesh of someone in Caed Nua who barely survived Eothas' awakening/departure; I'm not entirely certain whether the lore would require that the Watcher become a Vessel in a cases like this (which would strongly tip this toward "too much work"), but being at site of the rebirth of a dead god (of rebirth, no less) does seem like it'd provide a certain amount of room for exceptions. 

 

More generally, here's a pertinent blurb from the first guidebook:

 

 

...Furthermore, should the CLIENT suffer unexpected consequences in the aforementioned RUINS from the failure or success of the MISSION OBJECTIVE, they shall hold neither the CONTRACTED PARTY nor the party's association ("Hounds of Galawain") in any way responsible. This covers the following:

• Death
• Dismemberment
• Spiritual fracturing
• Spiritual annihilation
• Intrusion by a foreign spirit
• Unexpected change of race, sex, or age
• Spontaneous transportation/imprisonment
• Imbalanced humors
• Injuries taken in battle
• Injuries taken from traps
• Loss of memory
• Disturbing thoughts

(...)

 

So apparently, mucking around in Engwithan ruins can pose the risk of physical transformation (or possession, to relate this back to the body swapping scenario above), and the Watcher is basically sitting on top of a pretty epic Engwithan site that could easily go haywire when Eothas decides to take up residence in the statue.

 

I agree that changing backgrounds doesn't make a lot of sense, but even that could be explained in terms of Awakening shenanigans if having your soul partially devoured by Eothas shook loose memories from other past lives.

 

That said, Sawyer has been pretty clear that they plan to lock in story states from imported saves, so there's at last one thing that won't be changeable.

[JerekKruger]

That's actually what I'm worried about, stuff you only get if you import. I remember searching character repositories to get the exact perfect state that I wanted for Mass Effect 2

 

Agreed. If the system for making a new character allows you to set every decision that's imported from a PoE save then I don't care if there are limitations one what can be changed when importing a character; but if there are decisions that are only set with an actual imported save then let me change whatever I want. I don't see it as rewarding to have to replay PoE simply to get the save state and class/race I want, and I really don't see why I should be limited by other peoples dislike of an option they don't have to use.

[JerekKruger]

But that probably won't happen what with everybody wanting everything at any given time. Preferably for free.

 

Pillars is a game. It's something people do in their spare time for fun. It's not a job and the idea that it's lazy or entitled to want to be able to start Deadfire with a particular class/race and game state without having to spend 20+ hours rushing through a game is just bizarre to me.

[Pinsalinj]

For me, the main limitation to "making people able to completely select the state of the world" is the fact that there are SO MANY decisions the Watcher can make in the first game. Not only the big ones, but also all the different quest resolutions that could very well have consequences in Deadfire.

 

I don't think many people would want to read through an explanatory text and make dozens if not hundreds of choices before starting a new game. That would be incredibly annoying. So there will necessarily be stuff that would be "missing", but could still be present for people who imported a game.

 

And another thing: what would be the point of importing a game if it didn't bring you any "story bonus", but only constraints? You could as well re-make a new character.

[dragubaba]

 

But that probably won't happen what with everybody wanting everything at any given time. Preferably for free.

 

 

Pillars is a game. It's something people do in their spare time for fun. It's not a job and the idea that it's lazy or entitled to want to be able to start Deadfire with a particular class/race and game state without having to spend 20+ hours rushing through a game is just bizarre to me.

Look man, it's all optional. Nobody forces you to do anything. "It'a game not a job" is not an argument because it applies to anything if need be. Including playing the game.

[JerekKruger]

Look man, it's all optional. Nobody forces you to do anything. 

 

Sure, but as far as I can tell you're in favour of enforcing a system whereby I have to decide between replaying the game or not being able to enjoy the sequel in the way I'd like to because of some "kids these days are lazy and entitled" argument, and I am simply saying that this mindset is bizarre to me.

 

"It'a game not a job" is not an argument because it applies to anything if need be. Including playing the game.

 

 

It's a perfectly good argument. You're advocating a system whereby one is rewarded for putting in time. That sure sounds like a job to me.

 

Now of course there are plenty of leisure activities where there is no way to bypass a long learning period (there's no way to rush me to a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for example). However since there is at least one very simple way for Obsidian to allow people to start Deadfire with their desired game state, I see no reason not to implement it. If your enjoyment of Deadfire will be lessened by the fact that people would be able to enjoy the same experience as you without having put in time then all I can do is repeat myself: this attitude is just bizarre to me.