Pillars of Eternity Patch v2.3 Changelog, Beta Released, 3.0 Changes Teased

A beta version of patch v2.3 for Pillars of Eternity has been released today on Steam. It introduces a series of balance and usability changes, and also introduces some features to support Valve’s recently released Steam controller. Here’s the full changelog:

Steam Controller

• Pillars of Eternity now has support for the Steam controller. The default template will be set once the update is live.
• There is a suggested configuration that can be found on the templates that are accessed in Steam’s big screen mode.
• New key bindings have been added to support additional actions needed for the Steam controller control schemes.

Fighter Changes

• Base Deflection raised up by 5.
• Knockdown gets a 1.20 damage multiplier (no longer gets bonus Crush damage)
• Disciplined Barrage raised from +10 to +15 Accuracy
• Armored Grace has been scaled from -15% to -20% Armor Recovery Penalty
• Clear Out base Crush damage increased from 10-16 to 15-22. Scales every 3 levels after 7 by 15%.
• Into the Fray’s damage scales every 3 levels after 5 by 15%.

Major Fixes

• Fixed an issue that was causing certain quests to take experience instead of granting it.
• Fixed a problem with chanters not being able to set their chants properly after they have retrained.
• Fixed an issue where retraining was allowing characters to obtain unlimited skill points.
• Using store filters now only shows the appropriate items instead of graying out other items in the store panel.
• Fixed multiple issues with the stronghold and how it interacted with DLC content.
• Fixed an issue that caused the main character to lose his or her background shortly after character creation.

Party/Companion AI

• Can now enable/disable AI on multiple non-pet characters at the same time.
• Fixed issues where AI would not automatically attack enemies.
• Fixed issues where AI would engage enemies that were hidden by fog of war.
• Fixed an issue where AI casters would cast per-rest abilities despite the option being turned off.
• Fixed an issue that caused AI controlled party members to attack other party members that were charmed or confused.
• Reviewed and updated what spells/abilities are cast in AI profiles for multiple classes.

Monsters/Enemies/NPCs

• Multiple enemy types have been given immunities to certain afflictions.
• These enemy types have had their bestiary updated to reflect these immunities.
• Fixed multiple issues regarding NPC reactivity after completing certain quests
• Fixed multiple bugs regarding Enemies/NPCs detecting stealthed characters and how they react to stealthed characters that they detect.
• Rebalanced requirements for full bestiary unlocks for certain enemies that were not unlocking on easy difficulty.
• Added additional bestiary information for multiple enemy types.

Abilities/Talents

• Minor Grimoire Imprint has had multiple fixes and now works as intended.
• Fixed an issue with the Ranger’s Stalker’s Link ability adding too much accuracy in some situations.
• Fixed an issue that caused certain buffs and abilities to persist after combat ended.
• St. Ydwen’s Redeemer’s Revive the Fallen ability now works correctly.
• Fixed an issue that allowed Chanters to choose an extra talent.
• Fixed an issue where the debuff “Bonded Grief” would not be removed after reviving animal companions.

Quests

• Fixed an issue with The Siege of Cragholdt that kept the quest from progressing.
• Fixed an issue with the Grey Sleeper questline that would cause it fail after completing it.
• Fixed multiple issues with the “Sacrificial Bloodlines” quest.
• Fixed an issue that would break game progression after talking to Maerwald.
• Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the player to complete the game after killing Thaos.

Achievement

• Fixed an issue with the Herald of the Old Flame achievement being awarded prematurely.
• Fixed an issue that kept players from receiving White March Part 1 achievements.

Items

• Fixed an issue that caused enchants to be removed when a character retrained.
• Fixed an issue that allowed Sentinel’s Girdle to be equipped in a ring slot.
• Fixed enchantment issues with Badgradr’s Barricade.
• Fixed an issue where the draining modification on weapons would disappear.
• Fixed an issue that caused Sabra Marie to be mis-categorized.

Localization

• Fixed multiple issues with Korean text.

Additionally, project director J.E. Sawyer has teased some of the changes that will be introduced with patch v3,0, which will drop at the same time as The White March Pt.II expansion for the title, on the Something Awful forums. Some of the highlights include new content for the stronghold and the introduction of optional level scaling for the third act of the game:

[T]here’s more stuff coming for the 3.0 patch that will drop concurrently with The White March Pt. II.

* New stronghold content – Stronghold adventures now actually have their proper names and mini-story premise/resolution and unique items. Visitor dilemmas that you can lord over from your throne. A small series of stronghold-specific quests and associated storyline.

* Athletics and Survival are being revised. Athletics can provide a personal heal (like 4E’s Second Wind) and Survival allows individual party members to select from various bonuses when you rest in the wilderness. We just started using and tuning these, so we’ll see where they wind up. However, one nice side effect will be that the Fatigue mechanic is being revised and it won’t have anything to do with Athletics.

* An option for Knockout Injuries (off by default). If you want being KOd to be a bigger deal, you’ll get an Injury that lasts until you rest. These include most of the Injuries from the base game that you normally get from scripted interactions (e.g. Twisted Ankle, Bruised Ribs) but also include some new damage-specific ones like Severe Burn, System Shock, and Frostbite.

* Tuning up the late game (Elmshore+) content to not only be a little harder overall, but also trigger a high-level scaling switch for people that are really amped up from The White March.