Obsidian Entertainment has released a patch for Pillars of Eternity adding a fully reworked turn-based combat mode after several months of testing.
Previously, combat ran in real time with an option to pause. The new turn-based mode redesigns fights from the ground up to match a different pace and flow. Character turn frequency within a round is determined by initiative — faster characters can act multiple times per round, while slower ones act less frequently or may skip a turn entirely. Speed is affected by agility, armor type, and any active movement-affecting effects.
Actions like drinking potions and swapping weapons count as free actions, but only one free action per category is allowed per turn — no chugging two flasks at once. All damage has also been increased by 35% to keep fights from dragging.
Turn-based mode can be selected at the start of a new playthrough, or toggled mid-game via settings, a hotkey, or a UI button.
The patch also fixes a large number of bugs and adds the option to switch back to the original Pillars of Eternity main menu background by clicking the base game icon — clicking a DLC icon restores that DLC's artwork.
News Writer | Editor
Erika Adzhaia is a talented writer and journalist with over 11 years of experience in editorial and copywriting. Erika is a wordsmith and a deep video game lover who successfully combines her literary talents with her love of video games.
Back to Top
