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Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire similar games & best alternatives

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2018

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Quick resume

Patch 5.0 - Turn-based mode and The Ultimate challenge out now! Pursue a rogue god over land and sea in the sequel to the multi-award-winning RPG Pillars of Eternity. Captain your ship on a dangerous voyage of discovery across the vast unexplored archipelago region of the Deadfire.

Global score

88/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Adventure

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep and engaging story with moral ambiguity
    • Extensive character customization and multiclassing
    • Large open world with rich exploration
    • Meaningful faction and companion interactions
    • Turn-based and real-time with pause combat options

    Cons

    • Main story considered short or rushed by some
    • Ship-to-ship combat is underdeveloped and repetitive
    • Performance issues and long load times reported
    • Some quest bugs and order dependencies
    • Loot balance and pacing can be frustrating

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players have freedom to explore a large open world, choose faction alliances, and customize characters and party AI, though some quest orders can limit choices."

    • Competence
      4

      "Combat is mentally and strategically demanding, with skill customization and challenging encounters, especially on higher difficulties."

    • Competition
      -3

      "Focus is on personal story progression and exploration rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

    • Continuation
      4

      "Long playtime with extensive side quests and DLC encourages habitual and extended play sessions."

    • Cooperation
      -2

      "Primarily single-player with party members controlled by player or AI; limited multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

    • Creativity
      4

      "Extensive character customization, multiclassing, and party AI setup allow creative playstyles and strategies."

    • Domination
      -4

      "Interactions emphasize balanced faction politics and moral ambiguity rather than exerting superiority or control over others."

    • Escapism
      5

      "Highly immersive fantasy world with rich lore and exploration offers strong escape from real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage out of intrinsic interest and personal desire for story and roleplaying rather than obligation."

    • Experimenting
      4

      "Players encouraged to try different character builds, faction choices, and combat tactics."

    • Exploration
      5

      "Open world archipelago with many islands, hidden quests, and secrets strongly encourages discovery."

    • Expression
      4

      "Character creation and customization, including multiclassing and equipment upgrades, support player expression."

    • Fantasy
      5

      "Strong fantasy setting with gods, magic, and mythical elements central to story and gameplay."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Some sense of community through faction interactions and companion relationships, but mostly single-player."

    • Growth
      4

      "Character leveling, skill acquisition, and strategic combat promote learning and personal development."

    • Health
      -4

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with long sessions and no physical activity elements."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention and strategic planning; not designed for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy
      2

      "Companion relationships and some romance options provide moderate emotional connection."

    • Leadership
      3

      "Player leads party and makes key decisions affecting factions and story outcomes."

    • Progression
      5

      "Strong emphasis on leveling up, acquiring items, upgrading gear, and unlocking abilities."

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Generally balanced challenge with moments of flow, though some find pacing slow or grindy."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Enjoyable visuals, voice acting, and music provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

    • Status
      -3

      "Focus is on individual story and roleplay rather than social recognition or popularity."

    • Story
      5

      "Narrative immersion is a core strength with rich lore, character development, and meaningful choices."

    • Strategy
      5

      "Combat and faction decisions require logical planning, problem solving, and tactical thinking."

    • Thrill
      2

      "Some suspense and tension in combat and story, but overall controlled and thoughtful experience."

    • Value
      4

      "High perceived value due to extensive content, replayability, and quality of writing and design."

    • Violence
      3

      "Combat involves tactical battles with enemies, including ship boarding and magical attacks."

    • Survival
      2

      "Resource management and avoiding failure in combat are important but not extreme survival elements."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026