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Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire similar games & best alternatives

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2018

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Quick resume

Patch 5.0 - Turn-based mode and The Ultimate challenge out now! Pursue a rogue god over land and sea in the sequel to the multi-award-winning RPG Pillars of Eternity. Captain your ship on a dangerous voyage of discovery across the vast unexplored archipelago region of the Deadfire.

Global score

88/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Adventure

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep and engaging story with moral ambiguity
    • Extensive character customization and multiclassing
    • Large open world with rich exploration
    • Meaningful faction and companion interactions
    • Turn-based and real-time with pause combat options

    Cons

    • Main story considered short or rushed by some
    • Ship-to-ship combat is underdeveloped and repetitive
    • Performance issues and long load times reported
    • Some quest bugs and order dependencies
    • Loot balance and pacing can be frustrating

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      3

      "Players can explore a large open world freely, choose stealth or combat approaches, and decide mission order, though some quests are guided."

      Capsule for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™ Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora™

      "Players have freedom to explore a large open world, choose faction alliances, and customize characters and party AI, though some quest orders can limit choices."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      4

      "Combat is challenging and tactical, requiring skillful positioning and strategy, especially on higher difficulties."

      Capsule for The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos

      "Combat is mentally and strategically demanding, with skill customization and challenging encounters, especially on higher difficulties."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on personal progression and story exploration rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

      Capsule for Sultan's Game Sultan's Game

      "Focus is on personal story progression and exploration rather than direct competition or leaderboards."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Long game length with many side quests and DLCs encourage extended play and habitual engagement."

      Capsule for Assassin's Creed® Origins Assassin's Creed® Origins

      "Long playtime with extensive side quests and DLC encourages habitual and extended play sessions."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -2

      "Primarily single-player with AI teammates; limited multiplayer or cooperative modes currently."

      Capsule for Rising Front Rising Front

      "Primarily single-player with party members controlled by player or AI; limited multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      4

      "Extensive character customization, class switching, and party building allow creative playstyles and strategies."

      Capsule for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

      "Extensive character customization, multiclassing, and party AI setup allow creative playstyles and strategies."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -4

      "Interactions emphasize balanced faction reputation and choices rather than exerting control over others."

      Capsule for Gothic® 3 Gothic® 3

      "Interactions emphasize balanced faction politics and moral ambiguity rather than exerting superiority or control over others."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      5

      "Immersive fantasy world with rich lore and exploration offers strong escape from real life."

      Capsule for Bastard Bonds Bastard Bonds

      "Highly immersive fantasy world with rich lore and exploration offers strong escape from real life."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and intrinsic motivation for story and roleplaying."

      Capsule for The Necromancer's Tale The Necromancer's Tale

      "Players engage out of intrinsic interest and personal desire for story and roleplaying rather than obligation."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      4

      "Players encouraged to try different combos, skills, and character builds."

      Capsule for Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

      "Players encouraged to try different character builds, faction choices, and combat tactics."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      5

      "Open world with many islands, secrets, and dynamic events encourages discovery and curiosity."

      Capsule for Sea of Thieves: 2025 Edition Sea of Thieves: 2025 Edition

      "Open world archipelago with many islands, hidden quests, and secrets strongly encourages discovery."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      4

      "Character and vehicle customization, plus modding, allow for personal expression and unique playstyles."

      Capsule for Grand Theft Auto V Legacy Grand Theft Auto V Legacy

      "Character creation and customization, including multiclassing and equipment upgrades, support player expression."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      5

      "Strong fantasy setting with magic, mythical creatures, and RPG elements."

      Capsule for Kingdom of Atham: Crown of the Champions Kingdom of Atham: Crown of the Champions

      "Strong fantasy setting with gods, magic, and mythical elements central to story and gameplay."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      1

      "Some sense of community through shared fandom and companion relationships, but primarily a single-player experience."

      Capsule for The NOexistenceN of Morphean Paradox : The Forest of Silver Shallots The NOexistenceN of Morphean Paradox : The Forest of Silver Shallots

      "Some sense of community through faction interactions and companion relationships, but mostly single-player."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Character leveling, skill acquisition, and strategic combat provide meaningful personal development"

      Capsule for ELEX II ELEX II

      "Character leveling, skill acquisition, and strategic combat promote learning and personal development."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with long sessions and no physical activity elements."

      Capsule for Disciples: Liberation Disciples: Liberation

      "Typical sedentary gameplay with long sessions and no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention and strategic planning; not designed for casual or background play."

      Capsule for ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game

      "Requires focused attention and strategic planning; not designed for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      2

      "Romance options and companion interactions provide some emotional connection."

      Capsule for GreedFall GreedFall

      "Companion relationships and some romance options provide moderate emotional connection."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Player leads the party and makes key decisions, guiding group actions and story outcomes."

      Capsule for Persona 5 Royal Persona 5 Royal

      "Player leads party and makes key decisions affecting factions and story outcomes."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on leveling up, acquiring items, upgrading gear, and unlocking abilities."

      Capsule for The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

      "Strong emphasis on leveling up, acquiring items, upgrading gear, and unlocking abilities."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Generally balanced challenge with moments of flow, though some difficulty spikes cause tension."

      Capsule for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Shantae and the Pirate's Curse

      "Generally balanced challenge with moments of flow, though some find pacing slow or grindy."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable visuals, voice acting, and music provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for Ethereal Enigma Ethereal Enigma

      "Enjoyable visuals, voice acting, and music provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on individual story and progression rather than social recognition or popularity."

      Capsule for Expeditions: Rome Expeditions: Rome

      "Focus is on individual story and roleplay rather than social recognition or popularity."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Narrative immersion is a core strength with deep lore, meaningful choices, and engaging characters."

      Capsule for Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game

      "Narrative immersion is a core strength with rich lore, character development, and meaningful choices."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      5

      "Combat and faction decisions require planning, tactical thinking, and problem solving"

      Capsule for ELEX II ELEX II

      "Combat and faction decisions require logical planning, problem solving, and tactical thinking."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Some suspense and tension in combat and story moments, but generally controlled experience."

      Capsule for The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition

      "Some suspense and tension in combat and story, but overall controlled and thoughtful experience."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "High perceived value due to extensive content, replayability, and educational benefits."

      Capsule for EXAPUNKS EXAPUNKS

      "High perceived value due to extensive content, replayability, and quality of writing and design."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      3

      "Combat involves fighting and defeating enemies with physical and magical attacks."

      Capsule for Fairy Bloom Freesia Fairy Bloom Freesia

      "Combat involves tactical battles with enemies, including ship boarding and magical attacks."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      2

      "Resource management and avoiding death in combat are present but not extreme."

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      "Resource management and avoiding failure in combat are important but not extreme survival elements."

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Cooperation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 30/04/2026