So my rambling thoughts on the ending, Act 3 and 4 spoilers like crazy.
I found both the revelations regarding the pantheon of the world of Pillars and the fate of Iovara kind of anti-climatic. If they were a greater focus in the first half of the game maybe there would have been a bigger impact for me, but all in all it kind of fell flat.
So Iovara reveals that the gods were artificial and created by the Engwithans (she uncovered this earth shattering secret cause she listened to a conversation in a doorway?) and proceeded to lead a rebellion to discredit Thaos. Her rebellion eventually led to your main characters betrayal and her torture and execution.
Interesting, but it felt so out of left field. At that point in the game I had little interaction with Iovara and your betrayal had little weight to it because for all intents and purposes she was a minor character’s whose spirit shows up in Act 3 if I remember correctly. If she was a constant presence throughout the game maybe it would have worked better, but I had no connection to her character and her revelations felt so disconnected to Waidwain’s Legacy and the game’s immediate problems.
Similarly, the revelation regarding the gods had little impact to me. Outside of the Godhammer, Eothas’s demise and Woedica actively messing with the natural order of things, I had little interaction or feelings one way or the other regarding the rest of the pantheon of Pillars. Sure they are in the background here and there and some of your companions have their relationships with their preferred diety (Durance and his relationship with Magran and the subsequent revelations in particular were super interesting) but all and all I felt no special connection with them. They played next to no part in the immediate central narrative outside of needing divine favor in Act 3, so the revelations regarding their creation again fell flat.
The whole, "gods are man made bullshit, open your eyes" felt a little like heavy handed religious allegory to me. Similarly I never really felt that the Watcher was ever in jeopardy or going crazy, outside of not sleeping much.
Anyway, I would love to hear about everyone’s final decision and proceeding ending state. Mine were as follows:
General World State
1. Went with Berath to return the souls to the Wheel. Seemed the most rational thing to do, which ended the Legacy and brought normal births back
2. Defiance Bay went to shit for a bit because I sided with the Dozens
3. Gilded Vale was wild but improving
4. Didn’t destroy the Hertitage Hill machine, so the Leaden Key reactivated it and the undead scourge returned
5. Dryford Village was greatly improved iirc
Companions (note I did all of their sidequests)
1. Eder was a boss and went on to become the mayor of Dryford
2. Grieving Mother became a midwife in Dryford and seemed to be dealing with her troubled past (I didn't erase her memory and told her to use it as a lesson)
3. Kana became a popular story telling eccentric
4. Sagani – returned to her village successfully and eventually became a super respected elder leading to peace and prosperity
5. Hirivas – kicked all of the druids butts in his old village til they acknowledged he was a hunter, then he left lol
6. Pallagenia – told her to follow her heart so she was exiled and followed the Kind Wayfarers
7. Durance - wandered around kicking ass and taking names trying to figure out how to get revenge on Magdan (I convinced him that she apparently tried to have him offed)
8. Aloth – Decided to take the mantle of the Leaden Key (this one came out of left field)
