Should I Play Pillars Of Eternity 1 Before 2?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You care about narrative continuity and want your choices to feel meaningful. Pillars of Eternity 1 introduces the world of Eora, the Watcher’s unique ability to read souls, the political factions of the Dyrwood, and companions such as Eder, Aloth, and Pallegina. Deadfire assumes some familiarity with these ideas and brings several characters and consequences back into play. Experiencing them firsthand in the first game makes returning faces, references, and world-state reactions far more impactful than simply selecting options from a menu at the start of the sequel.
• Good fit: You enjoy deliberately paced, text-heavy CRPGs in the Infinity Engine tradition. The first game emphasizes branching dialogue, extensive lore books, tactical real-time-with-pause combat, stronghold management at Caed Nua, and careful party building. If that style appeals to you, Pillars of Eternity 1 is the natural starting point and will ease you into the sequel’s more refined systems while giving you the full foundation of the setting.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: You have limited time or a large backlog of games you already want to play. A thorough playthrough of Pillars of Eternity 1, including its expansions, can easily take 60 to 100 hours. If your main interest is the pirate-themed archipelago setting, naval exploration, multiclassing, or the improved quality of life in Deadfire, you do not need to finish the first game to enjoy the second.
• Warning sign: You tried Pillars of Eternity 1 and found it slow, overly verbose, or mechanically clunky. The first game has a denser prose style, slower traversal, older interface conventions, and combat that can feel ponderous compared with Deadfire. Forcing yourself through a game you do not like just to reach its sequel can lead to burnout and may make you less likely to finish either title.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Stronger narrative payoff: Playing the first game gives you direct context for the Watcher’s journey, the nature of souls and animancy, and the major factions that reappear in Deadfire. Returning companions and callbacks land with more emotional weight when you have spent dozens of hours with them.
• Meaningful choice carryover: Deadfire allows you to import a save file or manually configure your previous decisions. A real playthrough of the first game means those decisions are lived experiences rather than abstract menu selections, which can make the sequel’s world feel more reactive.

Cons

• Large time investment: The first game is long even by CRPG standards, and its expansions add substantial side content. If your goal is to reach Deadfire quickly, committing to a full PoE1 run can feel like a major detour.
• Older design and quality-of-life limitations: Pillars of Eternity 1 lacks many refinements found in Deadfire, such as smoother user interface improvements, better companion AI, more flexible respec options, and the optional turn-based combat mode. Some players find the first game’s pacing and inventory management less comfortable than the sequel’s.

Decision Checklist

• Do I enjoy reading dense lore, branching dialogue, and tactical real-time-with-pause combat enough to invest 50 or more hours in the first game?
• Do I have enough uninterrupted time to finish, or at least make significant progress in, Pillars of Eternity 1 without rushing past the story?
• Would I rather experience every story beat myself, or am I comfortable using a recap video or Deadfire’s history creator to fill in the gaps?

Alternatives to Consider

If you want to jump straight into the sequel, start Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire and use its built-in history creator to set the major choices from the first game. This gives you a self-contained entry point without requiring a prior playthrough. Another option is to begin PoE1 and treat the opening hours as a trial; if it does not click, move on to Deadfire rather than forcing yourself through it. You can also watch a story recap or a lore summary video to learn the key terms, factions, and characters before starting Deadfire. Finally, if you are unsure about the CRPG style in general, try a shorter or more modern title such as Tyranny, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, or Baldur’s Gate 3 to gauge your tolerance for complexity and reading.

Final Recommendation

If you have the time and appetite for a lore-rich, slow-burn CRPG, play Pillars of Eternity 1 first. It provides the strongest narrative foundation and makes Deadfire’s returning characters, factions, and consequences feel more meaningful. If you are short on time, prefer modern gameplay conveniences, or find the first game’s pacing tedious, start with Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire and use its history creator to stand in for the first game’s choices. Both approaches are valid; the best choice is the one most likely to keep you engaged from start to finish.