Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – A Look at Shops

If you’re someone who feels that shops in RPGs tend to generally be overshadowed by all the loot you find while exploring vast and dangerous dungeons, you might enjoy this PC Gamer article that revolves around the idea that Obsidian Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire offers a better way of doing things. A few sample paragraphs:

Many of these items come with story text explaining the item’s origins and information about the life of the object’s previous owners. I’ll be honest, most of them seem to die horribly, but I love how Obsidian has squeezed extra worldbuilding into the humble RPG store. Check out this miniature story attached to a helmet called the Horns of the Bleak Mother.

[…]

In the same store, a humble little shop called Dockside Arms and Armor, I find a pair of heavy gauntlets called the Gatecrashers, and a helm called Heaven’s Cacophony. The magical Dark Cupboard has more delights, like a Ring of Focused Flame, or Sasha’s Singing Scimitar—magic items are worth extra if they alliterate.

It’s a small thing, but it makes me actually care about how much money I have, which is unusual in many RPGs. You still resupply from shops, but these exciting extra items make shopping less of a chore, and more of an extension of a great seafaring adventure.