In news that is just as much appreciated as it is shocking, developers Obsidian have just rolled out a brand new patch for Pillars of Eternity – a game that was released almost an entire decade ago.
Even more shocking is that this update doesn’t contain even a single slither of new content. Instead, it’s entirely focused on fixing many glitches, bugs and gameplay issues that have been a part of the game since its debut.
These fixes are not for anything game-breaking; instead, they fix dreaded T-poses, glitchy audio and minor issues like that. Now, if you’re asking yourself, why on earth would a decade-old game receive what is essentially a quality-of-life update? You’re not alone.
My guess is that with Avowed, Obsidian’s upcoming game set within the world of Pillars of Eternity, set to release soon, Obsidian decided to go back and give the OG some love. But in all honesty, why question it? It might be a decade late, but it’s here, and it’s polishing up an already great game so that it can be even better.
There have also been rumours swirling online that this fix hints at Pillars of Eternity 3, which doesn’t seem as unlikely as it did a few short years ago. Last year, Obsidian said they would be keen to create a third game, but only if they could get a Baldur’s Gate 3-size budget.
While that might have seemed ridiculous just a year ago, the roaring success of Baldur’s Gate 3 has proved that gamers still want to play RPG. Maybe, just maybe, that means obtaining a budget won’t be as laborious a task.
It also helps that Xbox boss Phil Spencer loves playing the game, which became apparent after he shared his Xbox Year in Review, which revealed over 124 hours in Pillars of Eternity – making him part of the top 5% of players.
Every minute was worth it. So fun to see this year’s Xbox Year in Review and look back at all the games I played in 2023. Let’s see your #XboxYearinReview https://t.co/17kJSLiNIE pic.twitter.com/KTeBuxGL5J
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 12, 2023
If you want to dive back in and experience this long-awaited patch for yourself, all you need to do is right-click on the game in Steam, go to Properties and then Betas.
Once in the Betas tab, head to Beta participation and select “public_beta.” Your game should then run a small update, and bam! You’re good to go.
Are you also part of the 5% club with Phil “Pillars of Eternity” Spencer? Let us know in the comments.