A new public beta for Obsidian Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity has been announced to test a mode fans have been asking for. Furthermore, it’s open to everyone starting on November 5th.
Obsidian Entertainment has been in rare form in 2025. From Grounded to The Outer Worlds 2, the RPG-centric company has had quite the year. Fortunately, it hasn’t forgotten about its past, especially its Pillars of Eternity series. Inspired by Baldur’s Gate, the top-down RPG has gone on to have a sequel, Deadfire, and be the setting for Avowed in Eora. One feature that fans of Deadfire got to try was turn-based combat, evolving the game’s stop-and-play style. After a tease this year, the team has announced that it’s coming to the original in beta form.
Pillars of Eternity Adding Turn-Based Mode With Public Beta, Starts November 5th
In a blog post from Obsidian, it announced that Turn-Based Mode is coming to the original Pillars of Eternity. The mode, available via a public beta, is releasing on November 5th, 2025. You can see the gameplay in action above, but it seems the team wants to fix some of the snags it encountered during its incorporation into Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Combat feels a lot faster and accurate, which fans should enjoy. Luckily, if you want to test it out or change it, you can freely switch between regular and turn-based whenever.
For fans of Pillars of Eternity, this seems like the perfect time to return to the series. A third entry is unknown, as the previous two titles needed crowdfunding to come together. However, after Deadfire, Obsidian was bought by Microsoft, followed by The Outer Worlds and Pentiment. Perhaps this addition could lead to a franchise return? We shall see but, for now, this should do for fans and newcomers alike.
What do you think of Turn-Based Mode coming to Pillars of Eternity? Did you play the mode in Deadfire? Will you join the beta on November 5th? Would you like to see the series return? Let us know in the comments and on the official Insider Gaming Discord!
For more RPGs, check out our articles on Baldur’s Gate 3 on Switch and Final Fantasy 9’s unknown remake. Make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
