Longtime RPG designer Josh Sawyer has weighed in on a specific point of friction for players of Pillars of Eternity: the game's refusal to grant the player absolute agency. In recent comments, Sawyer noted that many genre fans have been conditioned to believe they are “built different,” a mindset that leads to significant pushback when a game tells them they simply cannot do something.

The Conflict Between Expectation and Design

According to Sawyer, the core of the issue lies in how players perceive their role within a narrative RPG. Because many modern titles emphasize extreme player freedom, users often approach games with the expectation that every problem has a solution they can force through their own character's capabilities or choices.

When a game like Pillars of Eternity enforces boundaries—whether through narrative outcomes or mechanical constraints—it clashes with that conditioned expectation. Sawyer highlighted that this creates a negative reaction in some players, who feel that being told "no" by the game engine or the story is an affront to their perceived status as an all-powerful protagonist.

Conditioned to Win

The design philosophy behind Pillars of Eternity often prioritizes a consistent, authored experience over the "everything is possible" approach found in sandbox-style RPGs. Sawyer’s perspective suggests that this design choice is intentional, meant to ground the player within the world's established rules rather than catering to the assumption that the player character should be the exception to every rule.

For players who have spent years in environments where their input dictates the world's reaction in every instance, the limitations in Pillars of Eternity can feel like a lack of agency. However, Sawyer’s comments frame this not as a design flaw, but as a direct challenge to the player's ego, forcing them to engage with the game as it is, rather than as they wish it to be.

Quick Facts

  • Pillars of Eternity was released in 2015.
  • The game holds a Metacritic score of 89.
  • It is available on PC, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.