Turn-based combat is coming to Pillars of Eternity

Ten years after its original release, Obsidian has announced that turn-based combat will be added to Pillars of Eternity sometime later this year.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the game’s release, which Obsidian have noted with a small patch. The patch fixes several issues, such as minor graphical errors and improvements to party AI. The patch also teased turn-based combat, a brand-new game mode to release sometime in 2025.

In the official patch notes, the team elaborated, “Coming later this year, Watchers will be able to help us test a brand-new feature: Turn-Based Combat. We’re excited to explore this new way to experience encounters in Pillars of Eternity, and your feedback will help shape its future. More details on how to participate will be shared in the near future, so keep an eye on our socials and in our Discord.”

It’s quite a surprise to see Obsidian adding a substantial feature to their decade-old game, but it makes sense. Pillars 2 also received a turn-based mode several months after launch, a feature that makes the overwhelming gameplay of Pillars far more approachable.

Turn-based combat may open the door to many new fans, such as fans of the very successful turn-based Baldur’s Gate 3. While Pillars 2’s turn-based mode was warmly welcomed, some players criticised how it slowed combat down too much and lacked the option to toggle back to real-time combat. We’ll have to wait and see if this new turn-based combat will feature any major changes to the system in Pillars 2.