A new update for the Pillars of Eternity backer beta has gone live. It includes a number of changes to major and minor systems (including, but not limited to, the skill and talent progression and the way experience point rewards work) and also marks the launch of the Mac version of the beta. Unfortunately the Linux version still has some problems which are, according to Obsidian producer Brandon Adler, outside of Obsidian’s power to fix at the moment, which means the developer will have to wait for Unity to post an engine fix before being able to put a working Linux version online. Here’s the changelog:
Talents and Core Abilities
Over a hundred Talents have been added to allow more options for class customization during the level up process. We’ve adjusted how the core class abilities are granted to allow for more flexibility within each class.
Revised Skill Progression
You can no longer spend points to upgrade skills during level up. All skill advancement is now done through Talents, and thematically grouped Talents will award additional skill points if chosen during level up. Your background choice during character creation will also reward additional skill points.
Fog Of War
The Fog of War has been upgraded to obey the sight visibility for the party members. No more cheating by looking over walls and closed doors in dungeons!
Experience Points
We decided to add a few more ways to gain experience points to increase the regularity that XP is rewarded throughout the game. We’ve added minor bestiary, exploration, lock, and trap XP rewards. Bestiary XP is rewarded when new entries are unlocked in the Bestiary page in the Journal, and will stop being rewarded if the entry is complete. Exploration XP is given out when new areas and landmarks are discovered in the world.
Glossary
An in game glossary has been added with explanation and definitions of game and combat rules. These entries are hyperlinked so you can easily find information on what you are looking for. You can click directly on keywords in the combat log, or open up the Journal’s Glossary page.
Hotkeys
Hotkeys can be assigned to any ability on the hot bar and additionally be access through a quick hotkey menu. We still intend to revise how this system works, but please provide feedback if you like or dislike our direction.
Additional Fixes
- Improved 2D trigger rendering.
- Added new targeting indicators.
- Added a tab menu to quickly change between full screen UI.
- Update the stash UI with separate pages for ingredients and quest items.
- Revised lockpick UI for better clarity.
- Fixed many save and load inconsistencies.
- Fixed issue with perception not effecting the range of spells.
- Characters with reach weapons should now attack at a proper distance.
- Many fixes to placed traps.
- Many, many fixes to spells and abilities.
- Added more hairstyles.
- Added more icons.
Fixed Issues
- Save/Load/Persistence
- BB Wizard’s Cape is no longer rendered white, this was caused or fixed by Save/Load depending on the situation
- Loading saved games while in combat or with factions turned aggressive no longer persists into the loaded game
- Fixed issues with game options not persisting throughout gameplay and closing and opening the client
- Save/Loading in Lle a Rhemen 02 (the lower area) will no longer cause you to be unable to access certain areas
- Save/Loading no longer causes enemies in the scene to be reduced to 0 DT
Area Design
- Backer NPCs no longer have Missing Strings for their Soul Memory descriptions
- Examinable objects are no longer losing and/or duplicating their icons
Spells/Abilities/Classes/Gameplay
- Dead party members are now being removed from the party
- Perception now properly affects the range of attacks and spells
- Placed Traps are now working properly
- Missed attacks in combat are no longer causing hit reactions and hit SFX
- Characters with reach weapons are no longer moving into melee range when commanded to attack from a distance
- Druid Spirit Shift forms are now attacking properly – Thread Link
- Stone Beetles will no longer stay underground when in combat – Thread Link
- Spells already in BB Wizard’s or a looted Grimoire can no longer be inscribed a second time into the Grimoire
- Large parties, especially with Ranger pets or summons, should have an easier time with transitions
- Loading games no longer clears the resting bonus gained from an Inn
- Spiders no longer “teleport” past your front line or moving towards a character they could not have reached
Art
- Rocks near the east side of Dyrford Crossing have had navmesh adjusted to prevent clipping
- Navmesh near the ruins in the southwest of Dyrford Crossing has been cleaned up
- Scouting Circles have new art – Thread Link
Items
- Pollaxes are now being treated as best of Slash/Crush, instead of just Slash
- The BB Wizard’s Cloak item is no longer floating significantly out of position
- Minor Stamina potion is now valued less than Major Stamina potion
User Interface
- Abilities shown in character creation update immediately as different classes are selected
- Holding the Tab Key while transitioning no longer places Backer Icons on the screen permanently
- You can now split stacks of Potions, Scrolls, Traps, and other Quick Items
- Steps can no longer be skipped in Character Creation
- Paperdoll models are no longer disappearing from the Level Up and Inventory UI
Other
- Changing keybindings in the control options will now unbind the key you assign from its previous assignment
- The Cyclopedia Bestiary values are now accurate
Known Issues
- Save/Load/Persistence
- Save/Load causes the inventory paperdoll not to show weapons and shields until another character is selected
- Fog of War does not persist on Save/Load and transitions
- BB Fighter sometimes becomes invisible after Save/Load
- Uninstalling the game does not remove all files that the game created
- Save/Load causes character shadows to disappear on the East and West sides of Dyrford Village
- Saving a paused game, closing and reopening the client, then loading that game via the Continue causes the game to load in paused
- Memory usage increases after loading the game (closing the client and opening it resets this)
- Memory usage increases after transitions (closing the client and opening it resets this)
Area Design
- Hendyna wanders off to the forest at times and is not at her shop
- The Water Wheel in Dyrford Village seems to be rotating in the wrong direction
- The Temple Skaen entrance is visible on the area map without first moving the statue
- Boar companion is left behind when Medreth leaves
Spells/Abilities/Classes/Gameplay
- Best of Weapons are not showing the proper damage type in the combat log
- Talents Resilient Companion, Faithful Companion, and Painful Interdiction are not working properly
- Charmed/Dominated creatures will attack themselves
- Crystal Eater Spiders, Crystal Eater Spiderlings, and Widowmaker Spiders are bypassing 10 DT
Art
- Hendyna’s home has a visual shaking effect when entered and zoomed in
- The Health bar indicators feel somewhat unpolished and appear to overlap the portrait
- Morning Stars (of the non-Fine Quality) are transparent in game and character creation
Items
- The Sabre will sometimes strike for 0.0 damage negating the attack entirely
User Interface
- Paladin’s description is missing the word “Health” after the health multiplier
- Savage Endurance tooltip is showing too many decimals
- Accuracy shown in the Inventory and Character sheet do not reflect the bonus for single 1 Handed weapons and Enchant/Mod accuracy effects
- Character Creation buttons can have a significant delay when clicked
- Character Creation attribute allocation arrows continue to make SFX sounds if clicked after they have disappeared
- White damage values in the combat log only display whole numbers and not decimal values (Makes DoT effects misleading)
- Time stamp font is small in when viewing saved games
- Traps and Hidden Secrets change the mouse cursor when hovered over (before they are discovered)
- Saved games are not ordering properly and are sometimes resetting their play time
- Opening and closing the Area Map shifts 2D UI elements (Including character circles)
- Temp Status icons are sometimes appearing during combat (White Squares with Green Circles)
- Stash access in the Shop UI needs to be switched to page format
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