Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Update #19, Successfully Funded at $4,407,598

Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire campaign finished successfully last night with a total funding amount of $4,407,598, but before everything was finalized, the team slapped together a 19th update that confirms we’ll be getting an intelligent soulbound weapon, unveils a new “Hunt Sea Monsters and Go Fishing” stretch goal, and more. First, a thank you video from Adam Brennecke that includes some pre-alpha footage:

And then a taste of what this new stretch goal is all about:

As they say, there are a million fish in the sea. And with your new boat, why not drop a hook and see what comes up at the end of the line? In Deadfire, fish will provide you with different rest bonuses and give you more recipes to cook up to help you on your adventures. Fishing will trigger scripted interactions on your boat where you can choose various baits you have collected and see what fish you can catch. Different areas on the world map will have different fish below the surface. You can be an occasional line-dropper or an expert fisherman. And who knows, maybe you’ll hook some rare gear or run into sea monsters who have only been spoken of in tales…

Kraken – Once believed to be a legend spread through the Eastern Reach by Aedyran explorers in the Deadfire, krakens have been proven all too real by the numerous ships they have lain to waste at the western edge of Ondra’s Mortar. Like enormous, aggressive octopuses, kraken prey on the largest creatures of the sea, including great whales, and are known to smash ships to pieces and devour the entire crew in the span of minutes. Legends abound of an ancient sickly-yellow kraken that has lived since, in the words of the Huana, “Magran’s Teeth last roared”. According to Captain Verenti of the galleon Brascera, he was pursued by the creature and managed to put a 9 pound cannonball in its right eye, breaking the chase. Other captains have confirmed that the beast now lacks an eye, but its hatred of kith has apparently increased threefold.

Polpovir – The folk-sized polpovir appear to be some sort of squid-like monstrosity that haunts dark coastlines across the Deadfire. Naturalists believe they operate purely on animal instinct, but sailors who have encountered them swear they are driven by some malevolent collective intelligence. The polpovir have barbed tentacles that can propel them on land with frightening speed, massive mouths capable of swallowing an orlan whole, and eerie illuminated antennae that can hypnotize even a well-trained sailor. Huana tribes share information of polpovir sightings and avoid them both of out of fear and reverence. They believe the creatures, whom they call wahēra, are servants of the goddess Ngati (Ondra, to those from the Eastern Reach).

Helwater Crabs – So-named for their habitat, helwater crabs have adapted to life in the searing waters surrounding undersea volcanicvents. The helwater crabs vary in size based on sex, with females being about the size of folk, males the size of aumaua. The males are feared for their incredibly tough shells and powerful claws, capable of causing shocking wounds in even well-armored foes. The females possess a dangerous defensive weapon they can unleash against careless kith who assume their smaller size means they are less dangerous. While not tending to their nests, females store boiling-hot water from thermal vents in a large internal sac, where it can remain insulated for hours. They can release the water with great force, propelling them backward and fatally-scalding the poor souls caught in the blast. Though naturalists believe helwater crabs do not attack kith to eat them, they are extraordinarily defensive of their nests, which sailors and explorers unwittingly pass by.

Maiden of the Depths – Sailors throughout the Deadfire fear the cry of the Maiden of the Depths and her “court” of handmaidens. With the rough appearance of winged women, handmaidens can be mistaken for some kind of flying kith at a distance. Proximity reveals their true, horrid form: leathery bodies, monstrous heads, talons instead of fingers, and flippers instead of feet. Unfortunately for sailors, most of them are lulled to sleep during the handmaidens’ approach by their wordless songs of indescribable beauty. Entire crews have been gently carried to a watery grave by a flock of singing handmaidens. There are dozens of legends and rumors about why handmaidens prey on ships. Most of them revolve around an enigmatic figure known as the Maiden of the Depths, a being of massive power that supposedly commands the entire host.

With this stretch goal we will add fishing and new sea monsters that you may encounter while sailing on the seas around Deadfire!