Released in 2018 roughly three years after the first game in the series, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is Obsidian Entertainment’s highly-anticipated sequel to the crowdfunded Pillars of Eternity. Like its predecessor, it adheres closely to the CRPG template that both Obsidian and BioWare established in the 1990s. Notably, Obsidian would choose to self-publish and crowdfund PoE II like its predecessor. The success and acclaim of Pillars of Eternity would lead to PoE II reaching its crowdfunding goal in a single day. Two years after the initial PC release, console versions of Pillars of Eternity II arrived for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A Nintendo Switch version would be announced and then subsequently canceled.
Like its predecessor, the critical response to PoE II would prove to be largely positive. The title holds a strong 88% positive review aggregate score for its original PC version. Additionally, Pillars of Eternity II would end up receiving several nominations for both “Game of the Year” and “RPG of the Year” from multiple outlets. Despite its strong critical praise, though, sales for PoE II would fail to meet the same level as the first game in the series.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Premise
©Pillars of Eternity II gameplay screenshot – Original
The story of Pillars of Eternity II picks up mere weeks after the conclusion of the first game. The realm of Eora is still plagued by a strange disruption of the cycle of death and rebirth. Part of this strange crisis is due to the harnessing of souls for magic power, but other, more serious forces prove to be at play when the god of life itself awakens underneath the Watcher’s stronghold. Nearly killing the Watcher and all their allies, the god Eothas sets about on a mission to take full control over the cycle of rebirth by destroying a mechanism known as the Wheel. With the other gods in Eora’s pantheon threatened, they step in to help the Watcher track down Eothas and put a stop to his plans.
Much like the first game in the series, Pillars of Eternity II is a classically-styled CRPG similar to Baldur’s Gate. Players control the main character, the Watcher, and their companions from an isometric third-person perspective. As they maneuver through the game’s varied maps, they remove a “fog of war” that obscures their vision and ability to detect enemies. Combat is classic “real-time with pause”, where characters attack automatically and players can pause to issue situational commands. While the first game in the series abides by a traditional high fantasy setting, the sequel takes the heroes to an island archipelago. As such, maintaining and upgrading a fleet of ships becomes a major part of the core gameplay loop.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Main Characters
©Pillars of Eternity II gameplay screenshot – Original
Pillars of Eternity II picks up shortly after the events of the first game in the series and sees the Watcher and their allies once again on a quest to save the realm of Eora. The breaking of the cycle of death and rebirth in Eora thanks to the harnessing of souls causes the god Eothas to awaken beneath the Watcher’s stronghold at Caed Nua. The awakening almost kills the Watcher, who is only able to cling to life with the assistance of the god Berath. Now in Berath’s debt, the Watcher and their allies follow Eothas to the Deadfire archipelago. Main characters in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire include:
- The Watcher: The hero from the first game returns as the player character in PoE II. Players get to reimagine the Watcher’s appearance, class, race, and background following the game’s violent beginning.
- Eothas: The god of life and rebirth in the Pillars of Eternity universe. Eothas is PoE II‘s main antagonist. He seeks to break the Wheel; the mechanism that governs the cycle of death and rebirth in the realm of Eora.
Games in the Pillars of Eternity Series
Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity franchise is a callback to the CRPGs of old, including the Obsidian and BioWare classics that helped to establish and popularize the genre in the 1990s. Following the massive Kickstarter success of the initial game in the franchise, Obsidian would quickly produce a sequel to Pillars of Eternity, with Pillars of Eternity II arriving just a few years after its predecessor. Though Obsidian initially planned to bring the game to Nintendo Switch, those plans were canceled not long after Microsoft’s purchase of Obsidian as a first-party game studio. The developer is currently readying to release Avowed in February 2025, which takes place in the Pillars of Eternity universe despite featuring different gameplay. Games in the Pillars of Eternity series include:
- Pillars of Eternity (Linux, Mac, PC, 2015)
- Pillars of Eternity: The White March (Linux, Mac, PC, 2015)
- Pillars of Eternity: The Complete Edition (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, 2017)
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (Linux, Mac, PC, 2018)
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, 2020)
- Avowed (PC, Xbox Series X/S, 2025)
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Cheats & Secrets
Just like in the original Pillars of Eternity, PoE II has several cheats available. Players will be able to enter these cheats using the command console after following some simple steps to activate the cheat function. Note that these cheats are exclusive to the PC version. There are no known cheats for the console versions of Pillars of Eternity II.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Console Commands (PC Only)
Players can use the command console to activate and deactivate cheats at any time during gameplay. To activate any of the following console commands, players will first need to enable cheats. While playing PoE II, press the tilde key (~) to open the command console. With the console open, type Iroll20s and hit [Enter]. You will now be able to enter any of the following console commands to activate the corresponding cheat. Note that playing with cheats active disables the ability to unlock achievements.
| Cheat | Console Command |
|---|---|
| Activate Cheat Function | Iroll20s |
| God Mode/Invincibility | God |
| Grant [X] amount of XP to the party | AddExperience [X] |
| Give enough XP to have the party reach level [X] | AddExperienceToLevel [X] |
| Increase Attribute [Y] level for character [X] | AttributeScore [X] [Y] |
| Place Cosmic Bird pet in inventory | Cosmic Bird |
| Place Cosmic Cat pet in inventory | Cosmic Cat |
| Place Cosmic Dog pet in inventory | Cosmic Dog |
| Place a variety of crafting materials in inventory | CraftingDebug |
| Find relevant game data for any item [X] | FindGameData [X] |
| Craft any recipe without needing ingredients | FreeRecipesToggle |
| Place item [X] into inventory | GiveItem [X] |
| Give [X] amount of money | GivePlayerMoney [X] |
| Restore Health and Stamina of all party members | HealParty |
| Invisibility | Invisible |
| Remove “Fog of War” | NoFog |
| Rest without using Camping Supplies | Rest |
| Increase Skill level for character [X] in [Y] field | Skill [X] [Y] |
| Cast unlimited spells | ToggleSpellLimit |
| Unlock all locked chests on current map | UnlockAll |
| Unlock all Bestiary entries | UnlockBestiary |
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Cheat Engine Cheats (PC Only)
In addition to officially supported console commands, PoE II has several cheats available via third-party cheat engine. After downloading and installing the cheat engine software, players can scan their game library and download the applicable trainer files. One such cheat trainer file can be found here and contains the following cheat options:
Player Mods
- Infinite Health
- Fast Attack Speed
- Max Crew Morale
- Ghost Mode
Enemy Mods
- One-Hit Kills
Stat Mods
- Infinite Money
- Infinite XP
Inventory Mods
- Infinite Medical Supplies
- Infinite Repair Supplies
- Infinite Ammunition
- Easy Craft
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Achievements/Trophies
Completing the following in-game activities will unlock the corresponding achievement/trophy.
| Achievement/Trophy | Description |
|---|---|
| Voyager | Acquire Master Captain rank |
| A Sailor’s Life | Repair your ship and set sail |
| Full Complement | Assign a crew member to all slots on a single ship |
| Establishing a Link | Establish a link with Eothas |
| Constellation Prize | Complete “Bekarna’s Folly” |
| Explosive Confrontation | Confront Eothas in Magran’s Teeth |
| Conduct Unbecoming | Complete “Blow the Man Down” |
| The End of the Beginning | Confront Eothas in Ukaizo |
| Decked Out | Attach each type of upgrade on a single ship |
| Making Waves | Complete the Huana faction questline |
| Ship’s Carpenter | Attach a ship upgrade |
| Gold, Greed, and Guts | Complete the Príncipi faction questline |
| A Brighter World | Complete the Vailian Trading Company faction questline |
| Hostile Takeover | Complete the Royal Deadfire Company faction questline |
| Heart of the Deadfire | Reach Neketaka |
| Paradise of the Mind | Complete “A Paradise of the Mind” |
| New Gods of Deadfire | Complete “Nemnok the Devourer” |
| Any Port in a Storm | Sail to all major ports in the Deadfire |
| Explosives Expert | Create 5 or more different bombs |
| Gathering the Party | Recruit all Companions |
| Alchemist | Create 5 or more different potions |
| Recruiter | Recruit all sidekicks |
| Scribe | Create 3 or more spell scrolls |
| Molded to Perfection | Create an Adventurer at the Adventurer’s Hall |
| Enchanter | Enchant 5 items |
| Steadfast Ally | Maximize positive relationship with a Companion |
| A Fleet to Call My Own | Acquire each type of ship |
| Burning Bridges | Maximize negative relationship with a Companion |
| Sailor’s Tales | Acquire first Captain Rank |
| Making your Mark | Name an Uncharted Island |
| Max Level | Reach Level 20 |
| Explorer | Name all Uncharted Islands |
| Infamous Captain | Survive an attack from a mutinous crew |
| Bounty Hunter | Finish 15 Bounties |
| Dragonbane | Deal with two Dragon dilemmas |
| Old Salt | Acuire Master Captain rank |
| Soulbinder | Unlock all powers of a Soulbound item |
| Trapper | Place 5 traps |
| Well that was Easy… | Defeat the Messenger |
| Following Certain Death | Enter the Beyond |
| This Time with Feeling | Defeat Neriscyrlas |
| Null and Void | Escape the White Void |
| Traveler of the Void | Decide the fate of Inquisitor Naxiva, St. Waidwen, and King Wingauro |
| You are the Champion | Become the Champion of the Hunt |
| The Watcher’s Debut | Earn the title of Contender in the Crucible |
| Archivist of Kazuwari | Collect all Artifacts of the Crucible |
| The Greatest Opponent | Confront the porokoa |
| Opener of the Way | Repair the flow of souls to the Beyond |
| Facing the Faces | Become the chosen of the Seeker, Slayer, or Survivor |
| One of Them | Obtain all of Weyc Heldr’s items |
| No Card Required | Complete the Archives wing of the Halls Obscured |
| A Day at the Zoo | Complete the Collections wing of the Halls Obscured |
| Cruelty to Animals | Create a pet using the Critter Cleaver |
| Perfect Vision | Confront the Oracle of Wael in the Heart of Mystery |
| An Incredible Smell | Discover the Secrets of Imp Spray |
| Rescuer Down Under | Open all the cages in the Collections |
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Cheat FAQs
How do you enable cheats in Pillars of Eternity II?
Activating cheats in Pillars of Eternity II is strikingly similar to how players use cheats in the original PoE. At any point during gameplay, players can press the tilde key (~) to open the command console. With the command console open, typing Iroll20s and hitting [Enter] will activate cheats. Any applicable console commands players enter afterward will apply the corresponding cheat function. Note that activating cheats disables the ability to unlock achievements for as long as they are active.
What’s the max level in Pillars of Eternity II?
The maximum level the player character can reach in Pillars of Eternity II is 20. Notably, certain difficulties extend the level cap of NPCs and creatures to 30. This means that the toughest enemies in Pillars of Eternity II can out-level the player up to 10 levels.
Is there romance in Pillars of Eternity II?
One of the main things separating many of Obsidian’s RPGs from BioWare’s is the lack of romance. While BioWare games typically provide the player with several different characters they can form romantic relationships with, Obsidian traditionally forgoes these elements in favor of different quest designs and companion dynamics. That said, Pillars of Eternity II is one of the few Obsidian games in which players can romance other characters.
How long to beat Pillars of Eternity II?
Similar to the first game in the series, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a lengthy RPG experience. Just focusing on the main story and ignoring most of the side content will still take most players roughly 40-45 hours to complete. If they branch out to tackle some of the side quests and get into the game’s deep character creation and progression system, they can expect to spend 60-65 hours. Anyone attempting a completionist Pillars of Eternity II playthrough where they unlock all achievements is looking at 120+ hours.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Pillars of Eternity II key art.