Obsidian is bringing a full turn-based combat option to the original Pillars of Eternity, with a public beta opening on Wednesday, November 5, for players on Steam and Xbox on PC. The studio frames it as “a major new way to play” and says the test will run for a while as feedback rolls in ahead of a wider release.
The mode isn’t a straight lift from Deadfire’s 2019 experiment. Obsidian describes several systemic changes aimed at making turn-based play mesh with Pillars’ underlying rules.
Overall speed now affects turn cadence across the board, weapon swaps and similar toggles become free actions with per-turn limits to avoid abuse, and combat lethality is tuned upward so encounters resolve briskly rather than bogging down.
Players can select Turn-Based Mode when starting a game or switch between real-time-with-pause and turn-based in the options during a run, and the team is exploring a direct HUD toggle to make swapping even more convenient. As a beta, bugs and balance passes are expected.
Access is limited to PC for now via Steam and Xbox on PC; Obsidian’s announcement doesn’t list console access during the test window.
The studio also notes a message from game director Josh Sawyer (you will find the video at the end of the article) accompanies the reveal, positioning the feature as a community-driven effort, one that follows years of player requests and the positive response to Deadfire’s optional turn-based mode back in 2019.
At the time, Deadfire’s implementation arrived with Patch 4.1 as an open beta, laying groundwork for what’s now being adapted to the first game.
For context, Pillars of Eternity launched as a real-time-with-pause RPG inspired by Infinity Engine classics.
Moving to a formal turn structure changes encounter pacing and clarity: initiative and speed stats matter more per character, free-action constraints keep item use and modal toggles from crowding out core turns, and the higher lethality setting aims to shorten trash fights without neutering tactical depth.
The result should preserve Pillars’ buildcraft and status-driven tactics while making decision windows explicit for players who prefer discrete turns. Obsidian says it will continue iterating during the beta and invites feedback throughout the test.
If you want to try it on day one, watch for the November 5 beta branch on Steam or the update on Xbox PC, then flip the combat mode at the start of a new game, or swap it in the options once you’re in. We’ll keep an eye on how the tuning evolves and whether the final patch lands with the same flexibility promised for the test.
