Pillars of Eternity launches a new feature that makes it worth another nostalgic yet fresh playthrough

After over a decade, developer Obsidian Entertainment has added a highly-requested feature to the original Pillars of Eternity, and it changes the CRPG in more ways than one.

A new turn-based mode is now available in Pillars of Eternity, giving players the option to play the game like a traditional CRPG. Instead of the non-stop, real-time action that takes place in the vanilla version of the game, you can slow things down and play with more strategy and at a tactical pace. Players were previously able to play a beta version of the turn-based mode through Steam, but Obsidian has now made it available for everyone.

In addition to adding turn-based combat, there’s a new update with a long list of patch notes to accommodate the mode. Fortunately, the update doesn’t mess with any of your existing save files. You can even hop into an old playthrough and simply toggle on turn-based combat, allowing you to pick up where you left off in Pillars of Eternity. Or, you could start an entirely new playthrough with turn-based combat, letting you experience the whole game with the mode.

In any case, Pillars of Eternity’s turn-based mode works a little differently than you might expect. If you’re an avid Pillars fan, then you might have already experienced turn-based combat in the franchise, as it’s been available in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire for several years. While some of the same turn-based mechanics are in place from Deadfire’s mode, there are a lot of changes this time around.

For starters, Pillars of Eternity’s turn-based mode limits you to a single action per turn. Unlike Baldur’s Gate or Solasta, you can’t perform multiple actions every turn using available Action Points, which both limits and expands the strategy for certain combat situations. However, Pillars does allow you to move your characters quite a lot, and some of your characters can take multiple turns in a single round. This is largely based on a character’s “recovery” stat, which is determined by the armor they have equipped.

Overall, if you’re expecting the turn-based mode to act exactly like any other CRPG you’ve played in the past, you’re in for a surprise. After playing for a few hours, Pillars of Eternity with turn-based enabled feels like a completely different game to me. Your moves have to be deeply rooted in strategy, and you can’t brute force your way through an irritating enemy anymore.

Also, Obsidian has made a number of noticeable changes to the core game. You’ll see UI alterations, bug fixes, and changes to the control scheme to make it feel smoother during turn-based combat.

As far as updates to decade-old games go, this one in Pillars of Eternity feels as substantial as a DLC expansion.

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Crimson Desert is a single-player game, but you don’t have to enjoy your adventures alone. While you can complete all the quests and content on your own, you can do so with your beloved pet. Obtaining your animal companion takes a bit of time when you begin your adventures, and there are two choices to consider.

But first, let’s find out how pets work in Crimson Desert.

Update: Added a table for all types of pets and their favorite food items (offers biggest boost to trust).

How pets work in Crimson Desert

Crimson Desert has a trust system that works between your character and animals. The trust mechanic begins at zero and goes up to 100. This system is universal for all pettable animals, which are two in the current version of the game.

• Cats
• Dogs

The process of getting a pet varies slightly based on your choice.

• If you want to pet a dog, walk up to the animal, and press the applicable button for the interaction prompt.
• If you want to pet a cat, pick it up by getting close to it. Then, select the carry prompt to pet the creature.

When you pet a creature, you gain +5 trust. You can gain up to 25 trust with an animal companion in a single day from this method.

Pets are immensely helpful when they’re active, as they help bring back the loot you get from defeated enemies. However, they will loot everything they can as there’s no filter available in the current build of Crimson Desert. However, it’s still beneficial to have them active; otherwise, you’ll be spending a lot more time getting different loot.

All pet locations in Crimson Desert

Pets, typically, are located randomly across Pywel. However, I have listed down specific ones that I have found in particular locations. The exact locations in your adventures could be different. The locations of cats, in particular, appear to be quite universal.

• Boarhounds: Hernand City (one is always near the Constabulary).
• Shepherds: Look for outposts in Hernand.
• Huskies: Can be found in colder regions of Pailune.
• Jindo: Hernand City.
• Floppy-Eared Bulldog: Near Hernand City bounty board.
• Loafy cat: Pororin Village.
• Short-Haired cat: You can find it in a corner in Pororin Village where there are several pots.
• Long-Haired, Slim cats, and kittens: Tariv, sorcerer village in Demeniss.

All pets and their favorite foods in Crimson Desert

The table below has a list of all the pettable animals I have found, along with their favorite food items.

Name	Type	Favorite Meat
Cat	Cat	Squid
Short-Haired Kitten	Cat	Small Gudgeon
Fat Cat	Cat	Sockeye Salmon
Long-Haired Cat	Cat	Mackerel
Kitten	Cat	Fish Fillet
Desert Cat	Cat	Egg
Slim Cat	Cat	Pond Loach
Short-Haired Cat	Cat	Egg
Saluki	Dog	Fine Meat
Pointy-Eared Bulldog	Dog	Egg
Shepherd	Dog	Bird Meat
Floppy-Eared Bulldog	Dog	Cheese
Boarhound Puppy	Dog	Lean Bird Meat
Husky	Dog	Bird Meat
Jindo	Dog	Sweet Potato
Greyhound	Dog	Fine Meat
Boarhound	Dog	Lean Bird Meat
Beagle	Dog	Sweet Potato

How to add more pets in Crimson Desert

The key to gaining a pet is to take your trust to 100. Once that’s achieved, hold the selection button and press the Claim option. This will register the dog/cat as your pet. You can have up to 30 pets for your adventure, but only one can be active at any given moment.

How to use food to gain trust in Crimson Desert

While playing with cats/dogs helps to gain trust, there’s a daily cap on that. A better way is to use food items. Feeding also helps to improve your trust with them, but there’s a daily cap as well.

• Tough Meat (Feed to a Dog for 10 trust)
• Fine Meat (Feed to a Dog for 35 trust)
• Bird Meat (Feed to a Cat for 10 trust)
• Fish (Feed to a Cat for 10 trust)
• Milk (Feed to a Cat for 10 trust)

Food items have a cap of three per day. In simple words, you can feed a creature at most three times in a given day. If you max out the daily caps, you’ll be able to gain a new pet every two days. The only exception to this is Fine Meat, which allows you to gain a new pet in a single day. However, you’ll have to spend coins at a vendor to get the item.

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