Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is an isometric party-based role-playing game set in the fantasy realm of Golarion. A group of adventurers roams the Stolen Lands, fights creatures and rival powers, and with their decisions lays the foundation for a kingdom of their own.

The game combines classic role-playing combat, character development and branching quests with managing new settlements and political decisions.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker was released for PC on Sep 25, 2018. The Definitive Edition followed on Aug 17, 2020 for PS4 in Europe and on Aug 18, 2020 for Xbox One on the German Microsoft Store.

The PC version received additional quality-of-life features and expansions to the base game with the Enhanced Plus Edition. On consoles, the Definitive Edition includes the main game and six additional content packs.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker was originally released for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On PC it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. PS4 players can also run the version on a PS5 via backward compatibility. The same applies to the Xbox One version on Xbox Series X|S.

The console versions are called Definitive Edition. They are not standalone PS5 or Xbox Series games.

You guide an adventuring party through wilderness, ruins and dungeons. Battles can be fought in real time with pause or turn-based. Spells, positioning, equipment and the targeted use of individual party members' abilities all affect the outcome.

Quests have different solutions, and companions' reactions depend on their own convictions and your decisions. The classic Pathfinder rule system forms the basis for character stats and many dice rolls.

The three major PC expansions deepen different aspects of the game. The Wildcards adds tieflings, the kineticist class and a new companion. Varnhold's Lot tells a standalone story about Maegar Varn and his court. Beneath the Stolen Lands adds an extensive dungeon with a separate, replayable mode.

The Definitive Edition for PS4 and Xbox One includes the base game and six additional content packs. The PC season pass bundles the three major expansions.

On Windows, Pathfinder: Kingmaker requires at least an Intel Celeron 1037U at 1.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 30 GB storage. Recommended specs include an Intel Core i7 920, 8 GB RAM and a Radeon HD 5770 or GeForce GTX 960M.

The Steam version also supports macOS and Linux. The current Steam client requires Windows 10 or newer.

You determine the origin, class and abilities of the main character and develop their fighting style with talents, spells and specializations. The choice ranges from weapon-focused classes to arcane and divine spellcasters.

Characters that complement each other can offset weaknesses in combat. Melee fighters benefit from protective spells, while ranged fighters and mages need room to use their abilities.

During the story, you found your own barony. You open up territories, expand settlements, appoint advisors and decide on political, economic and social problems.

Management runs alongside the adventuring party's journey. Not every crisis can be postponed: conflicts with neighbors and developments within your own realm require decisions that also affect later events.

The playable companions have their own backstories, preferences and conflicts. Some support your political decisions, others disagree with you or pursue personal goals. Through shared travels and companion quests, you learn about their past.

Roles such as defense, healing, control and damage output can be combined within the group. The group's makeup therefore affects both conversations and combat.

The Stolen Lands are a contested border region of Golarion. Forests, swamps, ruins and remote fortresses lie between rival claims to power. The story begins with a dangerous expedition and develops into a tale about power, responsibility and the price of political decisions.

New regions can be explored gradually and later added to your own domain.

You can fight enemies in real time and pause the action at any moment to issue orders. Alternatively, battles can be fought turn by turn. Both modes use the same character stats and abilities.

Especially with larger groups, the pause and turn functions help you coordinate spells, control enemies and protect wounded companions in time.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is a single-player role-playing game with no shared online campaign. On PC and consoles, the on-screen text is in German and the voice acting is in English. Spoken dialogue is supplemented by extensive text passages.

The wide range of classes, difficulty options and both combat modes allows for different playstyles.

On Steam, the base game is offered as the Enhanced Plus Edition. It expands the original PC game with additional quality-of-life features, reworks and new character options.

The Definitive Edition on PS4 and Xbox One also includes six additional content packs. On these platforms, the edition name refers to the full package, not a separate sequel.