The director ofPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire,Josh Sawyer, is putting his money where his mouth is concerning a tweet he made concerning the game’s Ultimate Challenge. The monolithic mode pits players into a super-hard boss rush against the entire game’s villainous roster and requires the utmost in-game knowledge and tactical skill.
The challenge, simply called The Ultimate in-game, enables every possible optional difficulty feature and sees a sole combatant face down fifteen of the game’s hardest foes. This is on top of a singlePillars of Eternitysave file that is deleted upon the player’s demise.
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Needless to say, the feat has been achieved by so few that their names are forever etched onto a plaque in Obsidian Entertainment’s office, and each victor receives a real-life coat patch bearing the smiling visage of Josh Sawyer (who also appears as the in-game achievement’s icon as well.)Obsidian’s upcoming RPGAvowedseems to follow inPillars of Eternity’s footsteps, so there could well be a sequel to this insane challenge in the future.
Fan reception to the originalPillars of Eternitywas excellent,with the sequel receiving enthusiastic backing. The established way to push through this trial was to create a character with the class Priest of Skaen or Blood Mage- or a mix of both- to benefit from both classes' dominance in survivability and damage. This meta seemed all but established, until the twelfth and final addition on the plaque was made, confirming that against all odds, an off-meta pick of a Troubador/Scion character made it through the challenge unscathed.
After Josh Sawyer’s tweet challenging the meta was published, it is only fitting that a Troubador is the one to earn a song. This twelfth victor marks the last to be verified and etched onto the plaque, but there are still patches to be won, up to the 50th verified completion. It bespeaks to the Ultimate’s difficulty inPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfirethat nearly three years after the game’s release, this honor roll has only just filled.
Personable moves like this only enhanceObsidian’s place as a developer dear to the heart of many gamers. The American firm has had financial troubles in the past but is still commended as one of the greatest RPG developers of all time, with legendary titles likeFallout: New VegasandStar Wars: Knights of Old RepublicIIin their lengthy portfolio. The game has enjoyed a bit of outreach withPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfirebecomingpart of Xbox’s Game Pass service,making the game easily accessible on PC and Xbox One- though it goes without saying the Ultimate is not a challenge for the uninitiated.
Heartfelt victory music isn’t all we’ll be seeing from Obsidian in the near future, withE3 on the horizon and Obsidian standing as part of Xbox’s roster. While Sawyer has not yet published their serenade to Riccardo Novello, the lucky Ultimate victor, they have redoubled on Twitter that they are indeed practicing for the musical finale toPillars of Eternity 2’s Ultimate Challenge race.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfireis out now on PC, Xbox One and PS4.
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