Pillars of Eternity (Original Soundtrack) (also Official Soundtrack) is the official soundtrack to Pillars of Eternity. It was arranged and composed by Justin E. Bell, with performances by The Budapest Art Orchestra, and recordings by the East Connection Music Recording Company.
Release[ | ]
The soundtrack is included in the Champion, Royal, and Definitive editions of the game[2], and can also be purchased or streamed separately on a number of online stores, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Google Play/YouTube Music.[3] A physical limited edition CD was available as an $20 add-on (over any physical reward tier) during the Kickstarter campaign.[4][5]
Additional music was added in The White March expansion, which itself received a separate soundtrack.
As part of the Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Fig campaign, an extended collection of all the music contained in the Pillars of Eternity and its expansions was made available as a backer reward, titled Pillars of Eternity (Deluxe Edition) [Original Soundtrack]. It was released to backers on April 26, 2017.[6]
Production[ | ]
When asked during a livestream in 2024, Justin Bell stated that the concept of the Hollowborn Crisis was one of the main inspirations for the feeling of the music of the game. He wanted the score to be empathetic to the people of the Dyrwood, and evocative of the emotions that they would be undergoing as a result of the crisis, feelings of demoralization, as well as a mix of yearning, sadness, and nostalgia. He said that having young children of his own at the time helped put himself in that mindset. Justin stated the idea of music following story, and evoking the overall feeling of the world helped influence his compositional processes for future projects, including Tyranny and The Outer Worlds.[7]
Beyond the story, he also wanted to deliver something that would meet the expectations of fans of Infinity Engine games.
The combat music in Pillars of Eternity is not dynamic, and is only enabled or disabled depending on the state of combat. Bell thought that despite it being "true" and appropriate to an Infinity Engine game, the combat music ended up being repetitive as a result — particularly in comparison to modern ways of implementing music for combat. He said that this was mainly due to a lack of experience with scripting audio in the Unity Engine, and that if he'd do it again, he'd add more nuance and reactivity to the music, or at least make sure that the music doesn't start at the same place every time.[7]
Track list[ | ]
Track listing | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Eora (Title Theme)" | 2:30 |
2. | "Encampment" | 2:35 |
3. | "The Harbingers Doom" | 1:05 |
4. | "Dyrwood" | 4:27 |
5. | "Gilded Vale" | 3:16 |
6. | "The Lover Cried Out" | 2:21 |
7. | "Skean" | 4:08 |
8. | "Oldsong" | 3:40 |
9. | "Their Hearts Grew Bold" | 1:46 |
10. | "Defiance Bay" | 3:10 |
11. | "The Fox and the Farmer" | 1:12 |
12. | "Ondras Gift" | 4:34 |
13. | "Brackenbury" | 1:48 |
14. | "Crashed Upon the Shield" | 1:01 |
15. | "Dyrford" | 4:36 |
16. | "Woedica" | 2:00 |
17. | "Twin Elms" | 4:41 |
18. | "Elmshore" | 2:32 |
19. | "Burial Isle" | 1:50 |
20. | "The Dragon Thrashed and Wailed" | 1:50 |
21. | "Shadow of the Sun" | 1:47 |
22. | "Engwith" | 5:24 |
23. | "The Endless Paths I" | 2:32 |
24. | "The Endless Paths II" | 2:33 |
25. | "Come Soft Winds of Death" | 1:28 |
26. | "Road to Eternity (Ending Credits)" | 5:30 |
Total length | 1:14:06 |
* Tracks 1, 4, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, and 18 are performed by The Budapest Art Orchestra.
Additional music[ | ]
Project Eternity Kickstarter Campaign Music[ | ]
The music used in the original trailer and promotional material for the Project Eternity Kickstarter campaign is available on SoundCloud, consisting of three tracks in a set titled "Project Eternity Kickstarter Campaign Music". It was announced in Update #14 during the campaign.[8]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Project Eternity - Prelude" | 1:33 |
2. | "Project Eternity - Dirge of Eir Glanfath" (Resembles "Elmshore" and "Road to Eternity", in the game soundtrack) |
3:27 |
3. | "Project Eternity - The Road to Eternity" | 1:55 |
Total length | 6:55 |
Pillars of Eternity Soundtrack B-Sides[ | ]
A number of tracks that didn't make it to the soundtrack were uploaded to SoundCloud on March 6th, 2016, under the title "Pillars of Eternity Soundtrack B-Sides". This playlist includes few full-length tracks, as well as a number of shorter "stinger" tracks which saw limited use in the game itself. These tracks can be found in the game files, and on SoundCloud, but otherwise are not available for purchase.
Track listing | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Caed Nua (Stronghold Theme)" | 1:58 |
2. | "The Old Watcher" | 2:11 |
3. | "Thaos" | 1:13 |
4. | "Character Creation" | 9:50 |
5. | "Ambush!" | 0:43 |
6. | "Riot at Defiance Bay" | 0:59 |
7. | "Glanfathans" | 0:19 |
8. | "Shock and Awe" | 0:04 |
9. | "The Biawac" | 1:09 |
10. | "The Soul Machine" | 0:29 |
11. | "Waidwen's Legacy" | 1:03 |
12. | "Victory" | 0:25 |
13. | "Leaden Key (Obsidian Logo)" | 0:21 |
14. | "A New Act" | 1:04 |
15. | "Welcome to Eora (New Game Stinger)" | 0:24 |
Total length | 22:12 |
Trivia[ | ]
- Pillars of Eternity was the first game that Justin Bell composed the entire score for, from beginning to end.[7]
- "The Lover Cried Out" was an entirely improvised piece, based on a guitar transcription of the work of "some baroque composer", that Justin riffed upon.[7]
- Critical Role, a Dungeons & Dragons web series, incorporates music from the Pillars of Eternity soundtrack as background music. Matt Mercer, the show's host, obtained Obsidian Entertainment's permission for its use.[9] During the Campaign One: Vox Machina (and part of Campaign Two) track 17 "Twin Elms", was often played over a segment where fan art is showcased, which gave the track a beloved reputation in the Critical Role community.
Gallery[ | ]
Videos[ | ]
See also[ | ]
- Pillars of Eternity: The White March (Original Soundtrack)
- Pillars of Eternity (Deluxe Edition) [Original Soundtrack]
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (Original Soundtrack)
External links[ | ]
- Amazon Music - official
- Amazon Music - original
- Apple Music
- SoundCloud - Project Eternity Kickstarter Campaign Music
- SoundCloud - Pillars of Eternity Soundtrack B-Sides
- Spotify
- YouTube Music - official
- YouTube Music - original
- VGMdb
References
- ↑ Obsidian Entertainment (November 18, 2015). "The White March Part 2 Release Info and Soundtrack News" - Steam Community.
- ↑ Pillars of Eternity | Paradox Interactive, Official Site
- ↑ The Pillars of Eternity Soundtrack is Now Available on iTunes and Amazon!, Official Site
- ↑ Project Eternity by Obsidian Entertainment — Kickstarter
- ↑ Project Eternity • Project Eternity Add-On List at the Wayback Machine (archived April 8, 2016)
- ↑ Update #31 - Extended Slacker Backer Funding, and Developer Updates
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Obsidian [Obsidian] (July 19, 2024). "Road to Avowed w/ Audio Director and Composer Justin E. Bell" - Twitch.
- ↑ Update #14: The Music of Project Eternity - Pillars of Eternity: Announcements & News - Obsidian Forum Community
- ↑ GeekandSundry [@GeekandSundry] (November 6, 2015). "Trial of the Take: Part 2 (ft. FELICIA DAY) | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 19", at 7:33 - YouTube.