![]() Respec: At any inn or tavern the player can re-level their party members.The new AI makes the entire game more of a challenge, and spell casters will use a wider variety of their spells in more devastating ways. Enhanced Enemy AI: Enemies and monsters are now smarter than ever.Party AI: Now you will have the option to set AI scripts for your party, allowing you to focus on controlling the characters you care about most.Multi-class talents: Classes will now have additional options to diversify and take on some of the abilities of other classes.The Devil of Caroc, a rogue, and Zahua, a monk, will be available to join you on your quest in The White March and will travel back with you into the base game. New companions: Part 1 of the expansion introduces two new companions you will be able to use throughout all of your adventures.These weapons gain different powers and attributes depending on the character class that binds to it. Soulbound weapons: The expansion features mighty artifacts that grow stronger over time.New areas to explore: Largely focused on the snowy environments inspired by Icewind Dale, the expansion will feature a new quest hub, and many additional quests and dungeons. ![]() The additional levels add powerful new spells, abilities and talents for all 11 classes. Raised level cap: Your party of six adventurers can now progress beyond level 12 to 14.Even if you haven't played Pillars of Eternity, now is a great time to jump in and experience the hardcore classic RPG with The White March - Part I. Along with the new quests and area content, the team at Obsidian continues to support and make improvements to the entire game, including the additions of Player Party AI and Enhanced Enemy AI. Pillars until now has relied almost exclusively on vicious combat encounters requiring intense micromanagement to the point of tedium, and as my five deaths to the same merry band of no-name cultists attests, that's still true of the higher settings.Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part I is a large sprawling expansion pack with hours of gameplay integrated into the main adventure. For players who just want to enjoy Pillars' rich tale and flip through the lore without mastering spellbook juggling, it's a godsend. But more to the point, the update also introduces "Story Time," a new difficulty setting that takes its cues from the Normal setting and, to use Obsidian's language, "biases the math heavily in the player’s favor."It still presents challenge in spots, but it comes closer to being a true "Easy" mode than what Pillars had before. The release of Part II coincides with Pillars' latest general patch for the game proper, which brings numerous tweaks as well as a fun scenario in which you have to fight for your stronghold in the face of a local lord's violent objections. Happily, the journey needn't be as taxing as it was in the past. And all that says nothing of the varied battles with foes like tentacles and angry flowers that fill in the spaces between. That honor mainly goes to the monkish followers of the goddess Ondra, who rove about their cloisters in balanced flocks with powerful casters and dodgy acolytes who demand careful planning with every pull. As imposing and heavy-hitting as these giants are, though, they're not the main challenge in combat here (nor, somewhat hilariously, is the towering final boss). It doesn't hurt that the main antagonists are fun to look at, sort of like half-metallic, half-fleshy Groots with hammers and spears standing in for hands. Though a touch formulaic, this is the stuff of great fantasy: the awakening of a forgotten evil rumbling in the bowels of the earth and the emergence of an army that threatens to kick aside civilization like a beachside sandcastle. Set seemingly months in the future, it kicks off by chronicling the consequences of improved fortunes at the hamlet of Stalwart in the wake of the White Forge's relighting, and ends with actions and sacrifices that feel almost as momentous as those capping the events of Pillars of Eternity proper. It's just that the second half does everything so much better. High praise, you might say, from someone who wasn't exactly fawning over the expansion's first half (and my opinion on that hasn't changed).
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