‘Pillars of Eternity 2’ Reaches First Stretch Goal: Obsidian Crowdfunding Target Reached In One Day

Having teased gamers for the last few weeks with mysterious hints dropped on the Obsidian Twitter feed, the game developers finally revealed Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire for crowdfunding on Fig.

The original Pillars of Eternity took gamers back to the days of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment, the classical era of role-playing games on PC. While maintaining the old-school feel was crucial to Pillars of Eternity’s success, modernizing the game played no small role.

Hence, Pillars of Eternity 2. Obsidian reached the primary funding goal in roughly a day, and with 26 plus days remaining for funding, the developers stand to make enough money to make the sequel even better than the first game. Pillars of Eternity brought in just a hair shy of the ultimate $4 million goal, raising well over three times the initially asked price. PoE 2 is on track to do even better.

The first two stretch goals for PoE 2 have already been reached. At $1.4 million, two sub-classes per class were added to the final game. The $1.6 million stretch goal added an expanded level cap. A new, seventh companion, a priest named Xoti, is the next reward for reaching $1.8 million. So far, stretch goals are only listed up to $2 million, at which point Obsidian plans to add player AI scripting for companions. Hopefully, that will add something like the Dragon Age tactical commands for AI party members. It is quite likely Pillars of Eternity 2 will push past the $2 million mark before the crowdfunding on Fig is completed.

Pillars of Eternity 2 will pick off after the original game ended. The player’s stronghold from the first game, Caed Nua, is destroyed after the birth of a new god. Players will pursue this malevolent deity to a series of archipelagos where they will seek to destroy the god.

According to MMORPG, “Obsidian is excited for Pillars II, as are all the fans of the original. Much of the feedback from the first game has made its way into the new sequel and fans will be excited with the end results. More interaction, stronger scripts, and a bit more fun with the world map elements have really pushed the team on design. It opens the doors for more freedom to do a sequel and add in elements you have always wanted from a CRPG.”

Obsidian has emphasized how much they have learned from feedback from not only Pillars, but also from Tyranny. Part of the challenge the game developers face is their community, not necessarily because of toxic communication or reception, but simply because the types of gamers who enjoy these old-school types of games tend to be experts at cutting through the challenges the genre can provide.

PCGamesN describes the situation as “It’s Obsidian’s unenviable job to cater to the challenge level demanded by those players, providing deliciously intricate encounters that necessitate plenty of pausing, while keeping Pillars II playable for newcomers.”

The rewards individuals can receive for investment in the Obsidian crowdfunding range anywhere from $5 for an exclusive forum badge up to the as-yet-unclaimed $10,000 tier where not only does the donator get to help design a Soulbound item, but also gets to meet the developers in person. One of the more popular high-tier donation levels is becoming an NPC. There are actually a few high-end options, whether it becoming just an NPC, a pirate king complete with raiding party and ship, or helping the dev team design an inn where player parties can rest and recuperate. Getting an artist designed portrait in game was popular enough the tier was brought back for a second round.

If you wish to get involved in the crowdfunding, head on over to Fig.

So what are your thoughts on the upcoming Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire? Tell us what you think in the comments section below!

[Featured Image by Obsidian Entertainment]