News|December 13, 2018

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Update 59 - The Forgotten Sanctum Release!

Greetings, Watchers,

The Circle of Archmages requests your assistance to deal with one of their own. Come with us into the depths of the Black Isle, and into The Forgotten Sanctum.

The Forgotten Sanctum

When a violent tremor shatters the islands of the Deadfire, the greatest wizards in Eora seek out the aid of the Watcher. The archmage Maura has vanished into the depths of a newly opened dungeon located in the Black Isles and threatens to awaken what lies forgotten there. Follow Maura's trail and determine the fate of one of the Deadfire Archipelago's most closely-held secrets.

  • Traverse an expansive dungeon built into the flesh of a sleeping god.
  • Encounter the highest-level challenges yet faced by the Watcher and their companions.
  • Scheme with or defy the wills of Eora's most powerful wizards.

The Critter Cleaver

As a fun bonus to The Forgotten Sanctum's core content, the DLC also includes the Critter Cleaver - a way for Watchers to get the pet bonuses they like most with the pet appearance they like most. Watchers of any level can find the Critter Cleaver in the Dark Cupboard in Neketaka and finally travel with a pet that has the perfect stats and appearance they so desire.

Here it is in action!

New Screenshots






Patch 4.0

Thanks to all the wonderful Watchers who participated in the Beta test, the Deadfire team is proud to release patch 4.0 alongside The Forgotten Sanctum. Check out the full list!

  • One additional sub-class per class:
      • Tactician (Fighter)
      • Furyshaper (Barbarian)
      • Debonaire (Rogue)
      • Steel Garrote (Paladin)
      • Arcane Archer (Ranger)
      • Forbidden Fist (Monk)
      • Bellower (Chanter)
      • Priest of Woedica (Priest)
      • Ancient (Druid)
      • Blood Mage (Wizard)
      • Psion (Cipher)
  • Respawning ships on the world map - The ships of the Deadfire will no longer be gone forever once defeated. They'll now respawn, giving you the ability to attack, loot, and take down again.
  • New Magran's Fire Challenges:
    • Ondra's Challenge
      • Storms in the Deadfire are now larger, faster, and occur more frequently.
      • Enemy Captains are increased in rank and travel faster when chasing the Watcher.
    • Wael's Challenge
      • All numbers become ??? with the exception being item count, party character Attributes, Skill, and Level.
    • Woedica's Challenge
      • All Per-Encounter and Class resources become Per Rest.
      • Party Health no longer regenerates outside of combat.
      • While camping, only "Prepared Meals" will recover Injuries and Resources.
  • Two new Mega Bosses
    • The Arcane Savant, Sigilmaster Auranic - Don't judge this megaboss by her size - Auranic may just be the most powerful wizard the Watcher has had the misfortune to face.
    • The Helfire Construct, Dorudugan - This construct comes wreathed in flame and comes crashing down to face any who dare face it.

Pre-Patch 4.0 Updates

Missed some of our last updates, or were waiting to jump back onto the deck of the Defiant after the release of all of our expansions? Check out all of our previous updates to the base game of Deadfire!

  • Ability Tree Preview - Thanks to our programming team, the Class Ability Tree can now be viewed outside of the level up screen! This can be done from the Inventory/Character Sheet UI, or when recruiting a new companion.
  • Audio Combat Remixing - Our audio team has remastered in-game combat sounds, resolving a suite of bugs and generally improving the game as per community feedback:
    • Combat Chatter now provides more critical feedback and is easier to understand during combat.
    • Creatures have been tuned to spam sounds less
    • Ability audio has been tuned to react to other sounds (i.e. gets softer when combat chatter is playing)
    • And much more!
  • Character Appearance Changes Anywhere - The ability to change the appearance of your Watcher or a created adventurer any time in-game from the Inventory screen.
  • Intro Skip Added - For those that like to re-roll characters and try different abilities, we now have the ability to skip the intro and bring the player directly to the second area of the game. [Note: this feature becomes available after you have played through the intro once, or loaded a save]
  • Enchanting UI Update - The Enchanting Menu has received a visual re-work. Enchantment progression paths are now much clearer, and it should be easy to tell if a new enchantment will replace or rework an old enchantment.
  • Magran's Fires Challenges - New challenges have been added for players that want a difficult experience with a twist.  These challenges can be found by clicking the head of Magran at the bottom of the Title Menu and can now be done on any difficulty in the game. The full list of Challenges:
    • Abydon's Challenge
      • Weapons and Armor now degrade during adventuring.
      • Weapons and Armor can be repaired for a price through the Enchanting Menu.
    • Berath's Challenge
      • Any Knockout that lasts longer than 10 seconds results in death.
      • Combat only ends when all enemies are defeated.
    • Eothas' Challenge
      • Players must complete the game in a certain amount of time.
    • Galawain's Challenge
      • Beasts have random buffs set throughout the game.
    • Hylea's Challenge
      • Vela follows the Watcher around, can't be dismissed, can be targeted by enemies, and if she dies, the game ends.
    • Magran's Challenge
      • No Pause. (exception: Escape)
    • Rymrgand's Challenge
      • Food will start to expire! Foods like hard tack will expire more slowly, but you should still stay vigilant and ensure a supply of fresh food!
    • Skaen's Challenge
      • The Fog of War is greatly reduced around the Player's Character.
      • Torches can help increase the vision area.
  • Nebula - A new community-designed astral bat pet who will periodically grant any one character an inspiration in combat and has a small chance to cast Withdraw or Recall Agony on you if you are Near death or being attacked.
  • New Berath's Blessings
  • New Ranger Abilities (as of v3.0 Patch)
    • Hunter's Claw
    • Hunter's Fang
    • Beast's Claw
    • Bonded Fury
    • Heart Seeker
  • Loaded Pockets - NPC pockets are filled with more and rarer items.
  • Legendary Crew - 3 Veteran Sailors become available in the Kraken's Eye tavern, they are better than normal and cheaper than normal.
  • ...Can I Pet Him Anyway? - Edér can now equip a pet
  • Infamous Past - Gain the Infamous Captain passive ability and live the life of someone who has survived a mutiny.
  • Pre-Made Characters - Characters can now be imported to use on various playthroughs through Deadfire. Characters can be chosen in character creation, or by visiting taverns and recruiting them as Adventurers.
  • Recently Used Spells - Quality of life change for the last 50 spells that have frequently been used to populate easily for the players to choose from.
  • Shroud of the Phantasm - A new community-designed cape. Wearers gain the ability to manifest illusory duplicates and are rarely, if the God of Secrets is watching, struck with bolts of understanding capable of turning the tide of battle. 
  • Spell Shaping - Available for Wizard, Druid, Priest, and Chanter classes; this passive ability allows spell casters to adjust the radius of certain AoE spells to increase the power level or area that the spell can reach.
  • Steam Workshop Mod Support - Mods will now be supported through the Steam Workshop page. Check it out to see what unique changes the community is bringing to the world of Eora which you can manage through the added Mod Manager in the Main Menu!
  • Various Balance and Gameplay Improvements - Every update has seen improvements that balance the gameplay experience while also improving performance and other quality of life facets of Deadfire.
  • Pre-Made Characters - Characters can now be imported to use on various playthroughs through Deadfire. Characters can be chosen in character creation, or by visiting taverns and recruiting them as Adventurers.
  • Recently Used Spells - Quality of life change for the last 50 spells that have frequently been used to populate easily for the players to choose from.
  • Shroud of the Phantasm - A new community-designed cape. Wearers gain the ability to manifest illusory duplicates and are rarely, if the God of Secrets is watching, struck with bolts of understanding capable of turning the tide of battle. 
  • Spell Shaping - Available for Wizard, Druid, Priest, and Chanter classes; this passive ability allows spell casters to adjust the radius of certain AoE spells to increase the power level or area that the spell can reach.
  • Steam Workshop Mod Support - Mods will now be supported through the Steam Workshop page. Check it out to see what unique changes the community is bringing to the world of Eora which you can manage through the added Mod Manager in the Main Menu!
  • Various Balance and Gameplay Improvements - Every update has seen improvements that balance the gameplay experience while also improving performance and other quality of life facets of Deadfire.

Free DLCs - The Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire team has released a host of free DLC packs to help expand Deadfire even more. There have been five free DLC packs released for Pillars II.

  • Critical Role Pack - The world of Critical Role meets Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire with this Critical Role Pack. This DLC adds 8 new player voice sets and character portraits based on characters from the Vox Machina campaign. Let your player character sound like Grog, Keyleth, Percy, Vax, Vex, Scanlan, Pike, or Gilmore!
  • Rum Runners Pack - Whether celebrating your triumphs or nursing the wounds of defeat, it’s always a fine time to reward your crew with an extra round of rum rations. The Rum Runner’s Pack makes available a six-pack of new libations and adds the recruitable sidekick Mirke to the game, since no Captain should drink alone.
    • Included in this pack:
      • Mirke, a new sidekick.
      • Six new alcohol-themed items added to a merchant in the Deadfire.
      • New Drunken personality setting.
  • Beard and Hair Pack - The Beard and Hair Pack expands the character customization options with new hair styles, beard choices, and a new personality setting. Whether you are making a brand-new party or giving an existing hero a bold new look, this free DLC expands upon the already impressive array of character customization options found in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
    • Included in this pack:
      • Four new hairstyles.
      • Three new beards.
      • New Energetic personality setting.
  • Scalawags Pack - Round out your crew and personalize your flagship with the Scalawags Pack DLC. This Free update adds seven new recruitable crew members to the taverns of the Deadfire and adds a wide array of ship upgrades to many of the shipwrights throughout the Deadfire Archipleago.
    • Included in this pack:
      • Three New Crew Members added to the taverns of the Deadfire Archipelago for you to recruit.
      • Five New Ship Upgrades, including sails, cannon, anchors, and more added to shipwrights throughout the game.
      • New Savage personality setting.
  • The Deck of Many Things Pack - The Deck of Many Things DLC adds a new merchant vessel that sails the high seas of the Deadfire Archipelago. Laden with exotic items from across the far corners of Eora, the Deck of Many Things is open for business, but enterprising buccaneers can try to take the ship’s bounty by force.
    • Included in this pack:
      • Adds a new NPC ship 'The Deck of Many Things' to the world map.
      • Purchase a wide array of items, or test your mettle against the ship's defenders, and seize the treasures maliciously.

Megabosses - As an added challenge to those who seek it, Mega Bosses have made their way into the Deadfire. These are end game fights that will test your Watcher's mettle. They are meant for high level parties, so don't expect to be able to tackle them when you first get the Defiant out on the seas of the archipelago. For each Megaboss that is defeated, a Superb Trinket is dropped for the Watcher to obtain.

  • Spider Queen, Belranga - Fight now available, along with a new trinket that is awarded to the Watcher if they can take her down.
  • The Colossal Ooze, Hauani O Whe - This colossal Ooze is prepared to face some of the strongest teams that dare brave it!

Console Update

If you read our last update, we promised to have more information regarding Deadfire's console release. As we stated, our partners at Grip Digital have been hard at work, and Deadfire will be releasing on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2019! We are pleased to also announce that the console edition will ship with all expansions, updates, and free DLCs included at launch! We don't have an exact date for you yet, but as soon as we have one, we will let you know!

Thank you again for your continued support! If you have any issues with the game, contact us through our support portal to help you on your journey.

Cheers,
The Deadfire team

Reach out to us on our various social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or on our forums) and let us know your comments, your critiques, and what you love about the game.

Did you miss our last update? Check it out! To join the conversation on this update, head to our forums!

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