Pillars of Eternity: Complete Guide

A guide to Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity as it plays in 2026: character creation, attributes, the 11 classes, party building, Caed Nua and the Endless Paths, the White March, and the new Turn-Based Mode.

Researched September 2026 — current as of patch 3.9.5.0 (July 6, 2026), which follows the April 2026 release of Turn-Based Mode. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Real-time with pause or turn-based, your choice. Since April 2026 the original Pillars has a Turn-Based Mode (TBM). You can pick it at the start and swap between it and real-time with pause in the options at any time.
Health and Endurance are different. Endurance drops in combat and refills after it; Health drains more slowly and only comes back by resting. If Endurance hits zero you are knocked out; if Health hits zero the character can die permanently.
Rest regularly. Resting at inns, your stronghold, or with camping supplies restores Health and per-rest spells. Carry supplies at all times.
Every attribute is useful for every class. There are no truly "dump" stats in the usual RPG sense (see the table below).
Engagement matters. Moving away from an enemy that has engaged you provokes a free disengagement attack. Tanks hold the line; squishies stay behind them.
Use a balanced party. A frontline tank, a healer or buffer, and ranged damage or control carries you through most of the game.
The stronghold arrives at the end of Act I. Caed Nua gives income, resting bonuses and a huge optional dungeon underneath.
Start on Normal. Hard and Path of the Damned are tough for first-timers; Story Time exists if you just want the narrative.
The White March is part of the main world. Its two parts raise the level cap and add companions, so do not skip it.

Attributes

Attribute	What it does
Might	Damage and healing from all sources (weapons and spells), plus Fortitude
Constitution	Health and Endurance, plus Fortitude
Dexterity	Action speed (attack and cast speed), plus Reflex
Perception	Interrupt, Accuracy, plus Reflex
Intellect	Area of effect size and duration of effects, plus Will
Resolve	Concentration (resist interrupts), Deflection, plus Will

Rules of thumb: damage dealers want Might, Dexterity and Perception; tanks want Constitution and Resolve; casters love Intellect for bigger areas and longer durations. Dialogue options also check attributes, so a talky character benefits from Resolve, Intellect or Perception.

Defences

Defence	Protects against
Deflection	Most weapon attacks
Fortitude	Poison, disease, knockdowns and other body effects
Reflex	Area effects, explosions, many spells
Will	Mind effects like charm, confusion, terrify

Your Accuracy is compared to the target's defence. Graze, hit and critical outcomes depend on the gap. Picking the right attack for the enemy's weakest defence is the core tactical skill.

Races and Skills

Races: Human, Aumaua, Dwarf, Elf, Godlike and Orlan, each with subraces and a racial ability.
Skills: Stealth, Athletics, Lore, Mechanics and Survival.
- Mechanics opens locks and disarms traps; you want at least one character investing heavily.
- Lore lets anyone use scrolls and unlocks dialogue.
- Athletics affects fatigue; Survival boosts bonuses from resting.
- Stealth helps scouting and avoiding traps.

The 11 Classes

Class	Role	Key mechanic
Fighter	Tank / melee	Durable, strong engagement, per-encounter abilities like Knockdown
Barbarian	Melee area damage	Carnage: melee hits splash nearby enemies
Paladin	Tank / support	Order choice and group auras
Monk	Melee skirmisher	Builds Wounds from being hit and spends them on abilities
Rogue	Burst damage	Sneak Attack against afflicted or flanked targets
Ranger	Ranged + pet	Animal companion bonded to the ranger
Chanter	Support / summoner	Chants play constantly; Invocations fire off from built-up phrases
Cipher	Control / damage	Builds Focus by hitting with weapons, spends it on mind powers
Priest	Healer / buffer	Per-rest spells; strong buffs and heals
Wizard	Area damage / control	Per-rest spells from grimoires
Druid	Area damage / shapeshifter	Spiritshift into animal forms, strong elemental spells

Beginner picks: Fighter or Paladin as the Watcher are very forgiving; Chanter is a low-maintenance support; Cipher is a fan favourite once you understand Focus.

Companions

The base game has eight recruitable companions:

Companion	Class	Where (general)
Edér	Fighter	Gilded Vale, by the ruined Temple of Eothas (Act I)
Aloth	Wizard	Gilded Vale, outside the Black Hound Inn (Act I)
Durance	Priest	Magran's Fork, praying at the statue of Magran (Act I)
Kana Rua	Chanter	Near the entrance to Caed Nua
Sagani	Ranger	Woodend Plains, at the central crossroads
Pallegina	Paladin	Defiance Bay, Ondra's Gift (Vailian Trading Company); finish the quest there first
Hiravias	Druid	Stormwall Gorge
Grieving Mother	Cipher	Dyrford Village, eastern edge

The White March adds more: the Devil of Caroc (construct rogue, Galvino's workshop in Durgan's Battery) and Zahua (monk, near the fishery in Stalwart Village) in Part I, and Maneha (barbarian) in Part II.

A classic starting party: Edér to tank, Aloth for area damage, Durance for buffs and healing, then add Kana Rua and Sagani or Hiravias as you meet them. You can also hire custom adventurers at inns.

Story Structure (Spoiler-Light)

Part	Where	What happens
Act I	Gilded Vale and surroundings, ends with claiming Caed Nua	Awakening as a Watcher; the Hollowborn crisis introduced
Act II	Defiance Bay	Investigating the conspiracy; you align with one of the city's factions, which closes off some quests for the others
Act III	Dyrwood regions (Dyrford and beyond)	Following the trail toward Thaos
Act IV	Twin Elms	The final act; confrontation with Thaos. The final dungeon is a point of no return, so finish side content first
The White March	Stalwart and the north	Two-part expansion with its own story, higher level cap and new companions

Level cap: 12 in the base game, raised to 14 with White March Part I and 16 with Part II.

Caed Nua and the Endless Paths

Stronghold upgrades: spend money on buildings for income, defence, resting bonuses and prestige. Upgrading the walls and barracks reduces the harm from attacks on your keep.
Stronghold events: visitors, bounties and attacks happen over time; hire hirelings to defend.
Resting at Caed Nua with upgraded rooms gives useful temporary bonuses.
The Endless Paths of Od Nua: a 15-level mega-dungeon under the keep. Descend gradually as you level; the bottom holds a fearsome optional boss (the Master Below). Clearing it and completing the related quests rewards the weapon Blade of the Endless Paths, which improves as you progress.

Turn-Based Mode (April 2026)

Obsidian added a Turn-Based Mode to the original game, inspired by the system in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire:

Turn order is influenced by character speed.
Combat pacing was adjusted for greater lethality.
Actions such as swapping weapons, drinking potions and enabling modals count as free actions with per-turn limits.
You can pick TBM when starting a game or switch between TBM and real-time with pause in the options.

Follow-up patches 3.9.4.0 (May 2026) and 3.9.5.0 (July 2026) fixed many TBM issues, for example prone now adding an extra initiative delay, Seal spells no longer vanishing immediately, Cipher's Tactical Meld accuracy bonus working, and a stuck encounter by the Sacrificial Pit on Endless Paths level 2 now progressing properly. If you hit a combat lock in TBM, update to the latest version first.

TBM tips:

Positioning on your turn is everything; put the tank in front before enemies act.
Free actions (potions, weapon swaps) are limited per turn, but using them well is a big advantage.
Slow, heavy-hitting builds feel stronger in TBM because turn order reduces "dead time".

Crafting and Enchanting

You can enchant weapons and armour with materials and money. Early priorities:

Raise weapon quality (Fine, then Exceptional, then Superb).
Add damage-type lashes or slaying enchantments for tough enemy types.
Enchant tank armour for defence.

Unique items with special properties (for example Dragon's Maw Shield or One-Eyed Molina's Gold Fingered Spike-Flinger, both touched by 2026 patches) are worth building around.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Running out of camping supplies deep in a dungeon.
Ignoring Health because Endurance refills after fights. Low Health means low max Endurance.
Pulling casters into melee. Disengagement attacks hurt; plan positions before combat.
Stacking the same defence-targeting attacks against an enemy strong in that defence. Check the enemy's defences and switch.
Going to the final dungeon too early. It is a point of no return; finish companion quests and the White March first if you care about them.
Diving deep into the Endless Paths at low level. Lower floors spike in difficulty.
Skipping stronghold defences. An undefended keep can lose buildings or money.

Advanced Tips

Use the per-encounter vs per-rest split. Save per-rest spells for big fights; handle trash with per-encounter abilities and weapons.
Interrupts win fights. High Perception and fast weapons can keep casters from ever finishing spells.
Pre-buff before combat on hard difficulties; Priests and Chanters shine here.
Pause often in real-time. Slow mode and auto-pause settings (on enemy spotted, on spell cast) make RTwP much more manageable.
Build Ciphers around Focus. Start fights with weapon attacks to build Focus, then chain powers.
Mod friendly, but patch-sensitive. Big patches (including TBM) can break older mods and saves made with missing DLC; back up saves before updating.
Save import: your final Pillars 1 save can be imported into Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

FAQ

Is Pillars of Eternity turn-based now? Yes, optionally. Turn-Based Mode launched April 2026, and you can switch between it and real-time with pause at any time.

What is the level cap? 12 in the base game, 14 with White March Part I, and 16 with Part II.

Which class is best for beginners? Fighter or Paladin for durability; Chanter for low-effort support.

Should I play the White March before or after the main story? During it. It is designed to fit into the main campaign, and the final story dungeon is a point of no return.

How many levels does the Endless Paths have? Fifteen, beneath Caed Nua.

Can I import my save into Deadfire? Yes. A 2024 patch fixed an issue where Pillars 1 saves could not be imported; loading and re-saving a problem save corrects it.