A proper pad pass
Pillars of Eternity controller support has finally arrived on PC, and it covers far more than a Steam Deck template ever did. Obsidian’s public test lets you play either Pillars of Eternity or Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire with a controller from character creation to the end credits, in both Real-Time with Pause and Turn-Based Mode. In Deadfire that runs all the way out to naval combat.
Obsidian posted the announcement on 4 November 2026, and the test is live on Steam, GOG and Xbox on PC. Deadfire’s support builds on the controller scheme from the console editions. If you’d rather go back to mouse and keyboard mid-session, you can, and the game follows along.
What the pad covers
The patch notes are specific. Pillars of Eternity (patch 1.3.10.0) gets controller play across exploration, combat, conversations, the inventory, crafting and enchanting, the Stronghold and the world map. Deadfire (patch 5.1.0.0) adds the world map and naval exploration and ship combat to that list. Radial menus handle abilities, spells and party commands, and button prompts appear throughout the interface. Prompts and interface follow whichever input you used last.
Xbox and PlayStation controllers are supported, along with Steam Deck and Steam Big Picture mode, including the on-screen keyboard for naming characters and writing notes. Deadfire’s notes say the pads work on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Getting it on Deck
Deck players have to switch the controller configuration on themselves. Open the game’s library page, select the controller icon, open your current layout, go to Templates and pick Gamepad with Joystick Trackpad (or Gamepad if the first isn’t offered), then apply it.
PC Gamer’s Joshua Wolens tried both games on a Steam Deck and found a couple of misaligned gamepad prompts and slightly awkward analogue movement, but called it kind of wild how well these isometric CRPGs adjust to a pad. That fits the rough edges Obsidian warns about: “This is a public test, so please expect bugs.”
To opt in, choose public_beta under Betas in the game’s Steam properties. On GOG, pick Public Beta under Beta Channels. On Xbox on PC, join the preview for Pillars of Eternity – Hero Edition through the Xbox Insider Hub. PC Gamer says the test runs until 25 November; Obsidian only says it will run for some time. We’d treat the beta as a spare install for a fresh run rather than the one you’re deep into.
Deadfire’s turn-based rewrite
The bigger change for Deadfire fans is the rebuilt Turn-Based Mode. It now uses the improvements from Pillars of Eternity’s Turn-Based Mode. Characters no longer take one turn per round. They act as often as their Initiative, based on real-time Recovery, allows. Faster characters (high Dexterity, lighter armour, speed-boosting effects) can take several turns a round, and a slow, heavily encumbered one can skip a round entirely.
- Lethality: on top of Deadfire’s existing lethality changes, Turn-Based Mode now increases damage from any source by 35% globally.
- Free actions: swapping weapon sets, drinking potions and toggling modals no longer spend your action. Each type is limited to one activation per turn, so one potion and one modal change is fine, but two potions is not.
- Interrupts: a successful interrupt pushes back the victim’s next turn, and Prone adds an extra 3 initiative delay.
- On and off: you can switch Turn-Based Mode during a playthrough, outside combat, from the options, a new HUD button or the T key.
Dexterity now sets how often you act, so it no longer also grants a Stride bonus in Turn-Based Mode. Intellect’s effect on duration in the mode rises from 5% to 10% per point. The patch also lets completed-game saves from Pillars of Eternity transfer to Deadfire.
Worth the opt-in
We think this is the right fix for an old complaint: turns that follow speed and free actions that stay free should make Deadfire’s party fights feel closer to Pillars. PC Gamer says Pillars’ turn-based changes won plaudits from players hoping they’d be ported back to Deadfire.
If you’re already planning a long party-based RPG stretch, our Baldur’s Gate 3 mods guide covers another game that rewards tinkering with party control. And if you’re keeping an eye on what else is coming to PC, our list of upcoming PC games with dates is the place to start. For now, the Pillars pair is a very good reason to dust off the Deck.
