Obsidian announced on March 18, 2026 that patch 3.9.3.88783 is now live for the original Pillars of Eternity, and its headline feature is the full release of turn-based mode. For a classic CRPG that has long been associated with real-time-with-pause combat, that is a meaningful late-life update rather than a routine balance patch. The studio framed it as a fresh way to experience Pillars 1, especially for players who liked experimenting with turn-based combat in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

According to Obsidian's forum post, players can choose turn-based mode when starting a game, but the bigger usability change is that the game also lets them switch between real-time-with-pause and turn-based combat while outside combat. That can be done through the options menu, a keybinding, or a HUD toggle. In practice, that makes the feature less of a hard fork and more of a flexible layer on top of the original game, which should make it easier for returning players to test without fully committing a run at the outset.

The mechanical changes go well beyond simply slowing combat down. Obsidian says initiative is now tied to character speed and recovery, meaning faster characters can act multiple times in a round while heavily burdened characters may act less often or even skip a round. The studio also raised all damage by 35% globally in turn-based mode to keep battles moving and to put more weight on tactical choices. Free actions were also reworked so that swapping weapon sets, drinking potions, and toggling modals no longer consume the same kind of action budget, but each now has per-turn limits.

The patch also adds support features that matter for moment-to-moment play. There are dedicated bindings for Delay turn, End turn, and the combat speed slider, and smart camera is now available in turn-based mode with an option to disable it. Outside the headline feature, the update includes a long list of fixes touching status effects, animation issues, UI behavior, combat log problems, and interaction bugs. Obsidian also says Korean localization is now available and updated across all versions of the game.

Just as important, Obsidian did not present this as a one-and-done drop. The studio thanked public beta participants and said it expects more issues to surface because of the size of the feature. It also said it will continue releasing patches for a short while longer. That should give players some confidence that the mode is not only live, but still being stabilized after launch, making this a notable support beat for one of PC RPG's most durable modern classics.

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Pillars of Eternity Turn-Based Mode Goes Live in Patch 3.9.3.88783