Is this skullduggery?

During E3, Obsidian and Paradox announced the first expansion for Pillars of Eternity, The White March Part 1. RPGamers who have yet to finish Pillars of Eternity won't have to worry about getting into the expansion content, as it will be accessible within the core game, and relatively early at that—around one third of the way through. The expansion consists of all the things that make up Pillars of Eternity: more quests, more companions, and more equipment.

The two companions will be Zahua, a monk, and The Devil of Caroc, a rogue. Ok, so The Devil of Caroc is actually the spirit of a rogue locked into an animated golem...but let's not quibble over details. Enhancing your ability to enjoy these new companions, as well as the old ones, is the addition of party AI scripts. These will allow players to set up simple actions for party members to take in combat situations, alleviating the need to issue every order. These companions can be taken to the newly raised level cap of 14 and of course, new spells, abilities, and talents are added to the various classes at that higher level.

RPGamers get a choice when it comes to the new content, too. The new quests can be completed at the level range they would be appropriate for when they are first accessible, or they can be scaled up to endgame content. This is a one-time choice available when first accessing the expansion area.

Of course, before saving the content for after the end of a playthrough, consider the fact that there will be new weapons that could be useful for the rest of the game. These new weapons are "soul bound". What that means in this game is that each weapon will be applicable to a particular class or classes, and upon choosing a character to use that weapon, it will forever be stuck on them. But as they continue to use that weapon, powers and levels unique to that character and weapon combination will be unlocked. This truly makes the weapons feel like something worth having through the bulk of the game, rather than at the end.

Obsidian is hoping this expansion will truly feel like an organic addition to the game, as though the content was always intended to be there. RPGamers who have yet to set off on an adventure into the world of Pillars may want to wait for this expansion before diving in. Unfortunately, there is no release date for this content at this time. Stay tuned and we'll let you know as soon as it's announced.