How Long to Beat Pillars of Eternity Before Avowed

I’ll be honest: I used to think I could watch a five-minute lore recap before Avowed and call it a day. Then I actually booted up Pillars of Eternity again in early 2026, and I realized Obsidian’s world of Eora is less like a theme park you can glance at and more like a slow-burning coal seam—it doesn’t flash, but it smolders until the entire setting feels lived-in. Avowed launched back in February 2025, but if you’re finally circling around to it now, you might be wondering how much time you need to play the Pillars of Eternity series first.

Obsidian has spent more than two decades building a reputation for ambitious, sprawling RPGs. While Avowed swaps Pillars’ isometric camera for a first/third-person perspective, it’s still set in Eora just a few years after Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. So if you want the big picture, the series is the best way to get it.

Pillars of Eternity: The Base Game Is a 36-Hour Core

Released in 2015, the original Pillars of Eternity is an isometric RPG that channels classic genre giants like Baldur’s Gate. It takes place mainly in Dyrwood, where a mysterious force causes newborns to arrive without souls. After your character witnesses a soul-harvesting ritual, you become a Watcher—someone who can peer into past lives and interact with souls. I found that hook immediately gripping, but the game does not hand you the plot on a silver platter.

If you stick to the main story, expect around 36 hours. If you’re a completionist like me, the base game can stretch to roughly 109 hours. That number is not a typo; it’s a full archaeological dig through side quests, companions, and hidden corners.

The White March Expansion Is a Two-Part Small Plate

Five months after launch, Obsidian added The White March in two parts. Part 1 arrived in August 2015, and Part 2 followed in February 2016. The expansion sends your Watcher to a newly discovered forge in the White March region, where a fresh threat begins to stir. It also adds new companions and combat abilities.

If the base game is a banquet, The White March is the kind of small plate you didn’t know you needed until the server placed it down. Part 1 takes about 8 hours to mainline, while Part 2 takes about 5.5 hours. That’s roughly 13.5 hours for the full expansion story. Completionists are looking at 17.5 hours for Part 1 and 20 hours for Part 2.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Takes Around 42.5 Hours

Released in May 2018, Deadfire puts you back in the Watcher’s boots five years after the first game. This time you’re hunting Eothas, the god of light, across the Deadfire Archipelago. It’s a direct sequel, so the context from the first game matters more here than in almost any other section of the series.

Deadfire’s main story averages about 42.5 hours, which is longer than the original’s main path. Completionist runs average around 98.5 hours. I’ve spent entire weekends just sailing between islands and chasing faction threads, so I completely understand why that number gets so high.

Deadfire’s Three Expansions Add Another 13.5 Hours of Main Story

Deadfire also has three smaller expansions. Beast of Winter, released in August 2018, sends you to Hel itself to stop an ancient dragon from unleashing a deadly frost. Seeker, Slayer, Survivor, released in September 2018, drops you on the island of Kazuwari to test your combat skills. The Forgotten Sanctum, released in December 2018, has you helping a group of wizards clear a mysterious dungeon beneath the Black Isles.

Main story times are 5 hours for Beast of Winter, 4 hours for Seeker, Slayer, Survivor, and 4.5 hours for The Forgotten Sanctum. Completionist times are 8, 9, and 9 hours respectively.

Planning Your Full Eora Run

Here’s the time budget I’d use if I were starting fresh:

Content	Main Story	Completionist
Pillars of Eternity	36h	109h
White March Part 1	8h	17.5h
White March Part 2	5.5h	20h
Deadfire	42.5h	98.5h
Beast of Winter	5h	8h
Seeker, Slayer, Survivor	4h	9h
The Forgotten Sanctum	4.5h	9h

Add that up and you’re looking at about 105.5 hours just for the main story across every base game and expansion. If you insist on scraping every corner, the total balloons to roughly 271 hours. Playing both Pillars games before Avowed is like weaving a safety net out of old maps—each hour adds another knot of context, but you don’t need every single knot to enjoy the jump.

What I’d Actually Recommend in 2026

If your calendar is already groaning, prioritize the two base games and maybe Beast of Winter for a focused story run. Avowed is built to be approachable on its own, but going into it with the broad strokes of Eora’s Watcher saga makes every returning name and faction feel heavier. Just don’t wait too long if you want the full picture before your next journey through Eora.