Pillars of Eternity: Obsidian's Latest Spell Brings Turn-Based Combat to Beta, Learning from Past Potions
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Obsidian's classic RPG, Pillars of Eternity, is getting a turn-based mode in open beta this week, carefully refined from lessons learned in Deadfire to offer greater player flexibility and more impactful combat, arriving as a tenth-anniversary surprise for Steam and Xbox app players. They're after player feedback, so dive in and tell them what you reckon!
Alright, listen up, you digital adventurers! My wizardly senses are tingling, and it's not just because I accidentally enchanted my coffee mug to only pour glitter. We've got some rather splendid news for fans of classic RPGs, particularly those who've been patiently waiting for Obsidian to pull another rabbit out of their hat.
Mark your calendars (or just let your digital familiar remind you): **Pillars of Eternity**, that grand old dame of isometric RPGs, is getting a proper shake-up. As of November 5th, its much-anticipated turn-based mode is landing in open beta on PC. And Obsidian, bless their ever-tinkering hearts, are framing this as a rather nice tenth anniversary gift – though, let's be gently sceptical, they're also very much after our feedback before they commit to making this a permanent fixture. Fair dinkum, right?
Now, if you, like me, dabbled in **Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire**'s turn-based shenanigans, you might have had a few... *thoughts*. And it seems Obsidian did too! Director Josh Sawyer, in the beta's announcement video, was pretty upfront about tackling those 'very reasonable criticisms' of Deadfire's implementation. It's like they brewed a potion, it was mostly good, but had a few dodgy side effects, and now they're back in the lab trying to fix the recipe.
A huge shout-out from Sawyer went to Nick Carver and Jesse Bureno, with Kurt Decker pitching in too. These digital alchemists have been putting in a heck of a lot of work to make this new turn-based mode sing. They're not just porting Deadfire's system; they're actively trying to iron out the creases.
So, what's new in this magical concoction? Well, this is where it gets proper exciting for those of us who like a bit of player agency. Instead of being locked into real-time-with-pause (RTwP) or turn-based from the get-go, you'll be able to **switch between modes at any point** in your playthrough via the options menu. That's a game-changer, mate! Obsidian's also 'investigating' a direct HUD button toggle, but Sawyer's tone makes it sound like that's pretty much a done deal already. My money's on it being there, like a secret spell you discover.
They've also done some clever rebalancing to stop combat from devolving into three-hour long slogs (you know the ones, where you just end up wishing you had a 'skip to victory' button). Turns are now tied to your character's speed and recovery, which makes a lot more sense. Plus, those 'free actions' like weapon swaps, potions, or activating modals? They're now limited to one use per turn. This, apparently, is to stop them being 'abusable' – because who wants an infinite potion loop, eh? And they've 'significantly increased' combat lethality for both enemies and players, mirroring popular Deadfire mods, to keep those battles tense and impactful. No more falling asleep mid-skirmish, hopefully!
The beta's duration is a bit of a mystery, with Obsidian just saying it'll 'run for some time' as they roll out updates. Typical wizardly vagueness! But we do know it's coming to Steam and the Xbox app. For Steam, you'll likely just opt into it like any other beta (you know the drill). For Xbox app users... well, the original article playfully suggests you might need to press a special button that summons Phil Spencer. Knowing my luck, it'd probably just summon a minor imp.
All in all, this feels like a genuinely exciting step for Pillars of Eternity. It's not just a re-skin; it's a careful re-evaluation of how players want to engage with a beloved world, learning from past experiments. Obsidian are showing they're listening, and that, my friends, is a good omen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see if I can make my coffee mug pour actual gold. Wish me luck!
*(Original news by Mark Warren for Rock Paper Shotgun, published Nov. 4, 2025. You can find the full article at)*
Tags: Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian Entertainment, RPG, Turn-Based Combat, Gaming News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun