Culture and Background

Discover how your Culture and Background choices impact your stats and available skills in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Make the best start!

Hey there! So, you're diving into Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, awesome! Before you even step foot on a ship, you'll make a couple of crucial choices that really shape who your character is: their Culture and their Background. Think of it as setting your character's origin story and giving them a little starting boost.

Your Culture is basically where you hail from. It's not just flavor text; it actually gives you a +1 bonus to a specific attribute. So, if you want to be a bit tougher, maybe the Rauatai culture is for you (+1 Constitution). If you're more of a thinker, Old Vailia might be your pick (+1 Intellect). It also influences which Backgrounds you'll even have the option to choose from later, so keep that in mind!

Here’s a quick rundown of the cultures and their attribute bonuses:

Just a heads-up, some cultures like The Dyrwood exist in the world, but you won't be able to pick them for your own character.

Next up is your Background. This is like your character's past profession or life experience before they became an adventurer. Mechanically, choosing a background gives you a boost to your skills. You'll either get +1 rank in three different skills or +2 ranks in one skill. This is a pretty significant starting advantage, so pick something that complements your intended playstyle!

Here are the backgrounds and the skills they boost:

Remember, your Culture choice can lock you out of certain backgrounds. For example, if you chose The White that Wends as your culture, you can't be a Raider. It's all about synergy!

There are also backgrounds like Farmer and Marksman that you'll see NPCs using, but you can't pick those for your own character.

So, take your time with these choices! They really do add a nice layer to your character and can influence how certain quests or dialogues play out. Have fun building your Watcher!