Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
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Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 party look

Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 takes gamers back to the snowy mountains of Eora, giving them a chance to revisit the mechanics of the party-based RPG experience while introducing a story that's more engaging than the one in the first part and has higher stakes for the entire universe.

There are many combat encounters to get through, and because both the enemy forces and the player party are high level and use good equipment, they really give the battle mechanics a chance to shine.

Many players were a little disappointed with the way Part 1 turned out, but this second content builds on the ideas first introduced in 2015 to deliver a great core story and some genuinely impressive moments when it comes to both story and gameplay.

Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 was created by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive and can only be played on the PC.

Story

Pillars of Eternity: The White March is clearly inspired by Icewind Dale, taking gamers to an entirely new region of the world to introduce new locations, more companions and unique enemies that deliver twists on the formula of the base game, while also introducing a new major threat that affects the entire Eastern Reach.

The first part of the expansion can be accessed once the player secures Caed Nua and introduces the village of Stalwart and the dwarf constructed Durgan's Battery, which was locked down long ago but can turn the location into a powerful manufacturing center for the rest of the factions around them.

Part 1 of The White March features some smaller side quests but the central conflict is pretty clearly defined from the beginning, and there's not much in the way of depth for either the story or the new companions.

Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 corridor fight
Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 corridor fight

This changes in the second part, with the Watcher, now having to deal with an invasion and with a much bigger threat that involves one of the gods of the universe and some major consequences for Eora.

New character Maneha, an Aumaua with a positive attitude and a much darker backstory, is very tightly integrated into the story of The White March - Part 2 and is worth having around while dealing with Ondra and the major threat that's linked to her godly pursuits.

There are some great dialog driven moments, on par with those delivered by the base game, but the entire adventure feels a little short, and at least one story arc moves far too quickly from beginning to end to be satisfying.

Gameplay

Pillars of Eternity: The White March - Part 2 features the same turn-based combat systems of the original release, albeit with some big improvements and more options for gamers to control the difficulty level of the engagements.

There are a few new locations on the northern map centered around the Stalwart village and gamers will have to explore, fight and deal with some light puzzles to make progress and deal with the oncoming threat.

There are plenty of moments when the player can talk his way out of situations, as long as he can pass the checks associated with attributes and skills, but Part 2, as the previous White March installment, features plenty of battles against some very capable opponents.

The Eyeless are the new opponent that most fans will be familiar with, and they will require quite a bit of team effort to take down, but I personally had more trouble with the followers of Ondra, who tend to move around in groups with good balance and often feature powerful caster among their ranks.

A higher level cap for characters, coupled with powerful equipment and plenty of ways to combine abilities, spells, blessings and other special moves, create spectacular engagements, although the difficulty will force gamers to constantly pause to evaluate the situation and issue orders.

There's an option to go into the White March with overpowered characters, which makes it easier to get through the story, but it's better to allow enemies to scale for high-level parties because solving the puzzles associated with combat is one of the great pleasures of the expansion.

Alongside The White March - Part 2, Obsidian is delivering a new major update for Pillars of Eternity, with the biggest addition being the Story Mode, which, as the name implies, allows gamers to move through the narrative faster and with less focus on the combat encounters.

Those who play the base game will also get tweaks to the way knockout works in combat and other systems, all of them optional, and there are plenty of other tweaks and fixes that have been introduced based on the feedback offered by the fan base.

The White March, in its entirety, is a good way to expand the universe of Pillars of Eternity and to keep gamers coming back to it, and the developers offer plenty of reasons to not only see what the mountains have to offer but also to restart the main campaign and try out a new character build and new party setups.

The biggest problem with the title is that it starts off a little slow, which Story mode should help with, and I would appreciate a system that allows gamers to hot swap main characters at certain points, just to see what all the characters classes and builds have to offer in different situations.

Graphics and audio

Pillars of Eternity: The White March does not introduce any major visual improvements to the core game but it does add variety, and the developers at Obsidian wisely choose to show off some unique environments.

The Abbey of the Fallen Moon is one of the most mysterious and beautiful places I have moved through in a classic role-playing game, and every fan will be able to appreciate how the developers use the look of the world to reflect the state of the universe and its evolution.

The maps remain limited in size and sometimes the design of the dungeons seems over-complicated, but the studio does provide plenty of interesting arenas, with well-placed opponents, which showcase the combat system.

The voice work associated with The White March can be hit and miss, mainly because sometimes the characters approach lines using tones that seem wildly inappropriate, but there are some very good exchanges between powerful forces that make the entire adventure feel crucial to the universe.

The soundtrack is filled with very classic orchestral takes that emphasize the heroic nature of the player's action, but I would have liked to hear more unique tracks and clearly defined themes for characters and even villains.


The Good

  • A threat worthy of The Watcher
  • Great combat challanges
  • Builds on the ideas of The White March - Part 1

The Bad

  • Some repetitive engagements
  • Gamers need to complete Part 1

Conclusion

Pillars of Eternity: The White March in its entirety represents a worthy expansion for the classic role-playing experience that Obsidian has created and shows how the studio can tackle other regions of Eora in the future.

Both Part 1 and 2 are a little more focused on combat than the main game, and some story elements seem a little rushed, but there's plenty of new lore to absorb, and the development team continues to explore some interesting themes linked to religion, memories, souls and how society reacts in times of crisis.

The core mechanics of Pillars of Eternity were solid from the start, and the 3.0 version introduces even more polishing and options, with the Story Mode a great way for newcomers to take in the new universe and its unique elements.

For fantasy and role-playing game fans, the game can occupy hundreds of hours, even after they finish the main campaign and the narrative associated with the expansion, because there are so many possible character builds to explore and an even bigger number of tactics that their interactions can lead to based on party choices.

Newcomers should first pick up the base game to see what Pillars of Eternity has to offer regarding mechanics and main story, with The White March serving as a showcase of how the core features look when they are pushed to their limits.

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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