While I'm a gigantic fan of classic RPGs due to their focus on storytelling and actual roleplaying, there is one element of the genre that I've always found a bit lacking - the combat. Whether we're talking about Baldur's Gate, Torment: Tides of Numenera or the more modern Pillars of Eternity 2, the combat is always the weakest and least interesting part of the experience. I wouldn't go as far as to call the combat in these games bad, mind you, but for me the real-time, isometric combat system is a relic of the past and should remain there.

With that in mind, I hope you can realize just how happy I am to announce that Pillars of Eternity 2 has now added a turn-based mode! More importantly, instead of simply slowing down the action and keeping everything more or less the same, the developers have gone and rebalanced a good portion of the combat system in order to ensure that the new turn-based mode is more than just a gimmick. In fact, the changes are so extensive that you simply cannot shift between real-time and turn-based modes at will, so if you're planning to give Pillars of Eternity 2 another look, be prepared to start a brand new campaign.

I've only played around with it for about 30 minutes, and so far I have to say it's a noticeable improvement over the real-time combat for me. Not only do the abilities feel like they have a much greater impact in each encounter, but some of those buffs and debuffs I never even bothered to cast in the original are now genuinely useful! So if you're like me and you're looking for a more tactical approach to combat, the new mode is definitely worth checking out!

That said, the system is still undergoing testing and there might be issues that pop up here and there. So if you do end up encountering a problem, whether that be related to an ability or the pathfinding going haywire, make sure to let the developers know over at the official forums. Obsidian has been pretty good at fixing these types of issues thus far, so don't worry about your voice not being heard.

You can read a little bit more about the new turn-based mode, as well grab yourself a copy of Pillars of Eternity 2 while it's till on a discount, by visiting Steam. Have fun!