Thursday, 08 November 2018 09:00

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Seeker, Slayer, Survivor Review

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Edited by: Tiffany Lillie

Come now, Watcher. The crucible calls. Seeker, Slayer, Survivor is the second DLC for Pillars of Eternity II. While the last DLC (Beasts of Winter) took you south to combat monstrosities, this new entry brings you to a gladiatorial-esque crucible where you must combat waves of enemies, based on the Face of the Hunter that you ally with. While this piece adds plenty of story and side missions, fans of the strategic combat of Pillars of Eternity II are sure to love the tactical decisions needed to fend off the hordes of enemies.

THE FACES OF THE HUNT

Seeker, Slayer, Survivor will initiate when a strange bit of cargo arrives on your vessel. Spirit beckons you to visit an island, to bring order back to the crucible by gaining favor with the Faces of the Hunt. To my joy, the Faces of the Hunt are all part of a three-headed giant statue. The Seeker is represented by a spider, the Slayer is represented by a saber-tooth tiger, and the Survivor is a hog. Each of these faces brings different challenges to the table, which forces you to pledge your allegiance to one of these spirits. After pledging to a spirit, you will need to read carefully about how to proceed. The combat really drives home the tactical focus that we have come to love in Pillars of Eternity. Each scenario feels fresh and new and will force your team to make strategic decisions, so be prepared to pause quite often.

CONTENT

While Seeker, Slayer, Survivor does encourage replayability by allowing you to re-complete the crucible, this seems more for the individuals who want to get the fastest times in completing the challenges. Have no fear, all of you one-timers — the story is fairly long and will definitely be worth your time. It takes well over five hours if you wish to fully complete the story. While the arena up front only offers a few rights of passage challenges, there are plenty of artifacts to gather across the land that will open the doors to even more combative arena fights that soak up your time.

PREREQUISITES

Keep in mind that your party must be level sixteen prior to this quest beginning, and you must have completed the Magran’s Teeth quest line. This means that new players will need to sink some time into completing a few quests prior to visiting the crucible. After the volcanic adventures of Magran’s Teeth, be aware that because of the entry level, these challenges can be unforgiving. I might just be awful at this title, but I saw the “You Died” screen more than I want to admit.

NEW

Seeker, Slayer, Survivor adds many different fixes and expanses to this title, including Steam Workshop support, which is sure to motivate many gamers to return to their beloved adventure. They have also added many new sounds to combat as well as some more side quests around the world. It feels to me that load times have increased, including going through different doors or passages, so keep in mind it might take a few more seconds for a cutscene to load or to traverse the land.

8

The Verdict: Excellent

Seeker, Slayer, Survivor is zeroed-in on the combative nature of Pillars of Eternity II. Though fans of a story will truly enjoy the lore-heavy quest lines and dialogue, the challenges of the crucible are many and are truly a tactical experience. The difficulty is definitely not to be taken lightly and will more often than not force you to watch your party be annihilated time after time until you get your strategic foothold. The additions to the base game and the implication of Steam Workshop support will be sure to add multiple more layers to the original title.

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Bric Hudson

Bric is a US Army veteran and a passionate gamer. While in military service, he found gaming to be a way to connect with his friends all over the world. This blossomed into a fascination with the gaming culture and the experiences had while launching up a whole new title. He is fond of a variety of genres, which is reflected on his Twitch streams and on his Youtube channel. Find Bric on YouTube. Find Bric on Twitch.