Obsidian just pulled off one of those rare late-game surprises that lands perfectly. After ten years, the original Pillars of Eternity now officially supports full Turn-Based combat. The public beta has been live since November fifth.
This is a fully integrated mode with smarter systems, tighter pacing, and the option to switch between Real-Time-with-Pause and Turn-Based combat at any moment.
Pillars of Eternity Turn-Based Mode
No more starting a new save just to try the other combat style. You can now toggle between them mid-playthrough from the options menu. The team is even testing a direct HUD button for quick swaps. If you ever wished Pillars felt more like Owlcat’s Pathfinder games, now it does.
Nick Carver and Jesse Bureno led the charge on this update, with support from Kurt Decker. Together, they addressed many of the complaints surrounding how Turn-Based was implemented in Deadfire. The combat now hits harder and flows faster, making trash mobs less of a slog while preserving the tactical depth where it counts.
What Changed Under the Hood
This is not just visual polish or another legacy update, but a serious mechanical overhaul that fixes how slow and drawn-out Deadfire’s Turn-Based mode could feel.
First, there is the big feature: on-the-fly switching. You are no longer locked into one combat style for an entire run. This puts Pillars on the same level of flexibility fans love in the Pathfinder games. Say you want to breeze through a filler encounter. Switch to RTwP and keep moving. Hit a tough boss where positioning matters. Flip back to Turn-Based for precise control.
Second, they turned up the lethality. Fights now end faster because abilities hit harder and enemies drop quicker. This mirrors one of the most popular community mods for Deadfire and addresses how long it used to take to get through bigger packs of enemies. The new pacing respects your time and better fits the TB format.
Then there is the action economy. Instead of fixed round turns, the game uses Unbound Turns. Your number of turns is tied to character stats like Dexterity and Recovery, which keeps the system aligned with how RTwP worked. It means builds feel the same across both modes, so nothing gets accidentally nerfed or overtuned. Abilities that were free in Deadfire’s TB mode are also being adjusted. Smarter Free Actions are now more carefully limited to avoid exploit loops or unfair power spikes.
Pillars of Eternity Anniversary Update
Obsidian returning to support Pillars of Eternity ten years later is more than just a patch. It is a strong signal to the community and a reminder that some games do not fade away, only evolve.
At launch, Pillars followed the RTwP tradition of Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment. Josh Sawyer, the game’s director, even said that real-time combat felt like a required homage back then. But the genre has changed. Turn-Based is no longer niche. Games like XCOM, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and Baldur’s Gate 3 have brought tactical combat back to the front. Even Sawyer now calls RTwP an awkward middle ground.
This update fits right into that shift. It makes Pillars more accessible for a wider audience, especially those who skipped it the first time because of the combat style. It also breathes new life into a classic that plays surprisingly well on the Steam Deck. The cleaner pace, more readable turns, and better combat speed are a win across the board.
Obsidian did not have to do this, but they did. And they are asking players to try it, give feedback, and help shape the final version. That kind of community-first approach is rare and it is exactly what long-term support should look like.