Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire: Navigating Relationships

Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire:

Obsidian Entertainment used the setting of Pillars I to examine a host of series issues. The tradition continues in Deadfire. No concept is avoided; debt, racism, colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, slavery, exploitation, domination, the centralization of power, and might versus right. The developer muddles the topics, mixing them in differing proportions, fostering a complex debate. Often the question isn't about the morality of the initial action, but about how to react to evil. The region is mired in continued conflict, that often retribution is meted out over some past, unconnected, injustice. Every faction is dirtied by conflict, deception, and their attempts to claim power, even if they seek virtuous outcomes. The poor, the weak, and the honest suffer, regardless of their allegiance, while the powerful remain aloof. In seeking to unite the native aumaua into a centralized Huana kingdom against the imperialist powers, even the Queen of the region appears power hungry. Yet she seems a saint compared to the other factions; the Vailian Pirates, the Rauatain Royal Deadfire Company, and the Vailian Republican Traders. These only seek profits over people. The player is forced to interact, make decisions, and determine the outcome in ethically uncertain circumstances. In one instance, healing Adra to help the native population, leads to suffering. An imperial power enslaves the locals to farm the Adra. Deliberations focused on not who was worthy of help, but who was least noxious. Unfortunately Pillars II doesn't allow the player to tear down unjust structures. The Watcher must accept some injustice, the player must accept the limitations of the video game, because Pillars offers limited options to resolve events.

Interacting with the inhabitants of the Deadfire builds the player's own power. Fight to level up, solve problems to build institutional support, but also earn as much money as possible. Aside from pirate ships, the Deadfire is packed with people offering bounties on other factions. Enemies drop the same pathetic weapons again and again (Why can't the game just give gold instead?). Cities are packed with shops, but I rarely used them. I don't buy heroes, consumables, or items. I don't buy heroes, because I use the companions; they elevate the themes with dialogue. I don't use consumables. I don't buy items because companions arrive with items that are powerful enough they never need to be replaced. Enemies drop powerful weapons often enough that purchasing them is unnecessary. I bought food for the crew, and upgrades to the ship. Right before the conclusion I purchased high quality enchantments for weapons/armor, and the best ship. Until the very end I had so much cash, because I never spent it.

With the main quest approaching its conclusion, and with no more side quests to complete, I had a decision. The story leads to a mythical island, Ukaizo. The Huana speak of it with reverence, one of myth, like the battle of Troy. Lost eons ago, they ascribe to it historical and supernatural relevance. To it Eothas wends his way, and the factions pursue, suspecting the island holds fantastical power.

The good news; there is no pressure to seek it prematurely, regardless of what any NPC says. Time causes the sun to rise and the moon to set, but it has almost no impact on the game. Only one quest was time sensitive, and I failed because I didn't realize this. If Eder asks the Watcher to chase after the Vanguards when they leave Queen's Berth, to find Bearn, chase after them immediately. Only one other quest was time sensitive, and by that I mean; I had to do it at the correct time of day. I had to find evidence of a crime, and it was only available at night.

But when the player is ready to set sail for Ukaizo, they need to decide; from which faction should they seek aid? The rapacious Rauatai who covet the Deadfire for its abundant resources? The greedy Vailians who want to force the local aumaua to slave in the luminous Adra mines? The foreign pirates who seek combat and ill-gotten glory on the high seas? Or the Huana government that wants to unify all the disparate islands of the archipelago under its centralized control, ostentatiously to defend them against imperialist forces? The last sounds preferable, but there is a fifth option.

The player can seek Ukaizo solo, just the Watcher and their companions. This decision requires two specific ship parts; the Dragonwing Sails and the Blackwood Hull. Building these requires raw materials, of which exist only the exact amount, and no extra, spread across six islands. The game provides no hints to their location, so at the very end of the game, I found myself exploring vast expanses of ocean. It's strange; completing the major and minor quests used only a third of the ocean, but finding five Blackwood logs to build the Hull used the other two thirds. On my search I found the four Mega bosses, and many new locations, like a vampire paradise. Many of the random dungeons were super easy and a waste of time (I could have used the scaling difficulty option to increase the challenge). Hiding these objects without a hint led the Watcher on a tiresome odyssey, much like Ulysses faced on his return to Ithaca. I had already expended so much effort to follow Eothas, only to have the developer add an additional, obscure and boring objective.

The decision to travel to Ukaizo solo only led to one dissenting companion. With a little forethought, even that could have been avoided. Instead of sailing solo immediately, I talked to each faction. One of them asked me to assassinate the leader of another faction. When I tried to back out, the leader accused the Watcher of treachery, and the entire base attacked on the spot. In the greatest battle in the entire game (Pillars II lacks a massive battle like The Battle of Yenwood Field), swarms of enemies attacked my party. But (without reloading) I was able to defeat them all, including their leader. Then my party cut its way out of the base, and never returned. As a final finger to the faction, the member of the butchered faction didn't abandon the Watcher's company.

Finally, at level 20 (the level cap), with the best ship and a full crew, we sailed into the storm. The game gives proper respect to every named character on the ship; companions, sidekicks, and crew. Each speaks with insight. But they are upstaged by the gods, who force the Watcher into a final conversation. They offer their final thoughts, finishing with Rymrgand, the god of Entropy. He reflects on the foolishness of concern, since eventually the universe will run out of energy. In the end, reincarnation, the Wheel, and even the gods will perish.

Landing on the island invites a final battle, a duel with a guardian devised by the gods to protect their secrets. It is one of the most difficult battles in Pillars of Eternity II, but only offered a moderate challenge. Then, there is a final, final battle against the strongest faction (How did mine end up as the Principi?) This battle is as easy as defeating a level one rat in the tutorial battle.

By the time the player arrives on the island it's clear Ukaizo is the home of a wondrous device of the Engwithians. Since this discussion now considers the ending of the Pillars of Eternity series, there will be no attempt to obfuscate the issue.

The island houses The Wheel, the device by which the Engwithans made themselves into gods, and by which they keep the cycle of death and rebirth moving. Apparently it's a physical object. Before the gods there was some sort of reincarnation. According to Eothas, the Engwithans refined the process, improved it. But he doesn't say how. The gods admit that they siphon off a bit of energy from every dead soul as a source of energy. A person lives on Eora, dies and goes into the In Between, with the help of The Wheel travels into The Beyond, and returns to live in Eora. Playing Pillars II clarifies the ending of Pillars I. I gained a better grasp on the cosmology of Eora. The ending of Pillars I was so surprising and sudden, with many details skimmed over, that this is not surprising. But the ending of Pillars II obfuscates the details of its own conclusion.

Awkward Mixture

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Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire: Navigating Relationships

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