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The Ultimate is a quest in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. It was added in version 5.0.0[1][2], and is started alongside the Magran's Fires challenge of the same name.

Synopsis[ | ]

Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Seek out the deadliest foes in the Deadfire Archipelago and defeat them.

Walkthrough[ | ]

  • This quest is likely the toughest challenge that a player will ever face in Deadfire. It enables all God Challenges, Trial of Iron, Path of the Damned, and Solo mode all at once, making the game extremely difficult. As with other God challenges, console commands and mods are disabled. The main objective is to defeat a number of powerful enemies, as listed below.
  • Once completed, a player could refer to The Ultimate Challenge Submission Guidelines and Terms in order to redeem their reward.
  • Being one of the first 12 players to complete the challenge it would earn the player a spot on The Ultimate "Roll of Honor", a physical plaque in Obsidian's studio lobby that would immortalize their achievement. In addition, the first 50 players would be sent a letter and a special Josh Sawyer patch to celebrate.[3]
List of enemies to defeat
Objective Enemy Notes
Defeat the Everlasting Archmage. Concelhaut During Bekarna's Folly
Defeat the Destroyer within Drowned Barrows. Nemnok the Devourer During Nemnok the Devourer (quest)
Kill the Secret of the Watershapers. Scyorielaphas During The Shadow under Neketaka
Kill the Terror of the Maw. Jadaferlas the Ancient During He Waits in Fire
Destroy the Guardian beyond the Mortar. Guardian of Ukaizo During The City Lost to Time
Kill the Tunneler below Neketaka. Giant cave grub During The Cornett's Call
Kill the Crystal Empress. Belranga In Mega Boss - The Crystal Empress
Destroy the Voracious Mountain. Hauani O Whe In Mega Boss - The Voracious Mountain
Kill the Arcane Sigilmaster. Sigilmaster Auranic In Mega Boss - Sigilmaster Auranic
Destroy the Ironclad Colossus. Dorudugan In Mega Boss - The Helfire Colossus
Kill the Abomination of Galawain. Porokoa During The Hunter Hunted [SSS]
Kill the Risen Dragon. Neriscyrlas During Death's Depthless Dominion [BW]
Defeat the Beast of Winter. The Beast of Winter During Death's Depthless Dominion [BW]
Kill the Memory Hoarder. Memory Hoarder During Under Observation [FS]
Defeat the Oracle. Oracle of Wael During The Inner Mysteries [FS]
Submission guidelines
The Ultimate Challenge Submission Guidelines and Terms

In order to streamline the review and vetting process, please read the following submission guidelines and terms:

  1. Cheating, including save-scumming, use of third-party tools or mods, and/or doing anything in a manner contrary to the spirit of the challenge is prohibited.
  2. Console commands that do not require the "iroll20s" command be enabled are allowed.
  3. Submissions must include a video of the entirety of your run and a save file of the run completed.
  4. We reserve the right to disqualify a submission without notice or explanation.

If you have completed the challenge and wish to send it in for review and judgment, please send the following evidence to theultimate@obsidian.net:

  • We require full video evidence of your run - acceptable forms of video include: YouTube playlist links, or direct download links via Dropbox.
  • We also require the save game file with the completed challenge.

From Update #61 - Patch Update 5.0 - The Return of the Ultimate

Congratulatory letter[ | ]

Dear <name>,

    Thank you for taking the time to play Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and participate in The Ultimate challenge.  The Ultimate represents the pinnacle of strategic and tactical difficulty in Deadfire and we are honored by your efforts to complete it.

    After reviewing the save game and gameplay footage that you submitted for <character>, we have confirmed that you have satisfied all the requirements for The Ultimate.

    Since you are the <nth> player to complete the challenge, we have included a woven I Beat "The Ultimate" patch with this letter.

    Congratulations from the Deadfire team and all of Obsidian Entertainment on achieving The Ultimate, <name>!

Sincerely,

<signature>

Josh Sawyer
Game Director, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The Ultimate Roll of Honor[ | ]

Pavel Grab
"Decadency"
Priest of Skaen / Blood Mage 20
Valentin Karlin
"Tenray"
Blood Mage / Priest of Skaen 20
Mark Twain
"RoM"
Tactician Fighter / Priest of Skaen 20
Chris Lee-Egan
"Tinny XXIII"
Tactician Fighter / Priest of Skaen 20
Trey Dronyk-Trosper
"Jestergard"
Forbidden Fist Monk / Priest of Skaen 20
Min Kim
"NIW"
Blood Mage Wizard 20
Sergey Gusev
"Шao Ли"
Helwalker Monk / Priest of Skaen 20
Yūki Tachiyama
"Višnja"
Blood Mage Wizard 20
Marcin Stolarski
"Darth Plagueis"
Blood Mage / Priest of Skaen 20
Yue Dai
"Rua"
Ascendant Cipher / Priest of Skaen 20
Triantafyllos Tsitsiloni
"Tsitsilander"
Blood Mage / Priest of Skaen 20
Riccardo Novello
"Pale Shelter"
Troubadour Chanter / Psion Cipher 20

List of playthroughs[ | ]

Note: This list is incomplete, feel free to add to it by clicking "edit" at the top of the page!
Player Name Class Link
#1 Pavel Grab "Decadency" Priest of Skaen / Blood Mage Wizard https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3n3IpFTuXMxEcyQ0wxQxrS5R4zYmNGvh
#2 Valentin Karlin "Tenray" Blood Mage Wizard / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZKwaOuQ1KOOkeVx1gORfWqGv0bDOU_nY
#3 Mark Twain "RoM" Tactician Fighter / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqC3iYYkToNODONcafmJILEcSvOIw9etc
#4 Chris Lee-Egan "Tinny XXIII" Tactician Fighter / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwHaojHCE0drKcB2UR5qItu9lrgVQfRNX
#5 Trey Dronyk-Trosper "Jestergard" Forbidden Fist Monk / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JXiYuZuDpa_zmzP45iRM4w8IfTrDDTF
#6 Min Kim "NIW" Blood Mage Wizard https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzSdPqxP3DVtCGsr_fwFzIu-sD4_t7N7j[4]
#7 Sergey Gusev "Шao Ли" Helwalker Monk / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4-gPlAz-X6apyE2b2tKdlxiNRIqEjMB2
#8 Yūki Tachiyama "Višnja" Blood Mage Wizard https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBBzFXWz7A0MlOJQv-uhqOQWas0OvfNMP
#9 Marcin Stolarski "Darth Plagueis" Blood Mage Wizard / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtOp-Y5Gw0AkKYqbNpWeB6fTdKCLB9M4U
#10 Yue Dai "Rua" Ascendant Cipher / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWnrH6Lq2whImLWhcIfFYbsqaV5JnzSZY
#11 Triantafyllos Tsitsilon "Tsitsilander" Blood Mage / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFdF4ZTct4_YM8Dlohf4hS1VYj3ONYk2E
#12 Riccardo Novello "Pale Shelter" Troubadour Chanter / Psion Cipher https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7Rqzk0KXtVx8RPR4KQl4iJ72qEUKN0ew
#13 MeatKing "MeatKing" Helwalker Monk / Priest of Skaen https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK78rUMGu3yc-RReH43Pc9s7BcRN47xHH[5]
#14 SarcasticSarcophague "Va'exna" Soul Blade Cipher / Ranger https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSxfX1_DHQD36U-j6Mz3_C34fLKrg3s5G[6][7]

Trivia[ | ]

Gallery[ | ]

Video[ | ]

Josh Sawyer - I Will Always Love You, a Tribute to Pale Shelter[19][20]

Journal[ | ]

Quests/Challenges/challenge_qst_ultimate.quest
ID Objectives
0 The Ultimate
10000 Seek out the deadliest foes in the Deadfire Archipelago and defeat them.
1 Defeat the Everlasting Archmage.
10001 This Archmage has cheated death too many times. Make sure he does not cheat it again.

Or at least take his head.

2 Defeat the Destroyer within Drowned Barrows.
10002 Buried deep in the Drowned Barrows, a demon of great size grows fatter on arcane energy. Find it and end its reign.
3 Kill the Secret of the Watershapers.
10003 Within forgotten walls of Neketaka, a secret kept by ancient Watershapers writhes. Kill it.

This foe will barter for its freedom. Take care to not be swayed by its words.

4 Kill the Terror of the Maw.
10004 Lurking in the den of Rathun, a winged beast makes its nest.

Your chance to face this creature may be cut short. Do not miss your opportunity.

5 Destroy the Guardian beyond the Mortar.
10005 A Guardian, lost to the ages, sleeps beyond the Mortar. Relieve it of its post.

Be wary - you may be prompted to shrug off this duty. Do not let others face this foe for you.

8 Kill the Tunneler below Neketaka.
10008 A gluttonous creature feeds on all thrown down beneath the Gullet of Neketaka. End its life.
9 Kill the Crystal Empress.
10009 The Crystal Empress and her horde hide in the northern waters of the Deadfire.
10 Destroy the Voracious Mountain.
10010 Feeding upon generations of Huana, the Voracious Mountain continues to go unchecked. Do not let it grow further.
11 Kill the Arcane Sigilmaster.
10011 Left to toil with her arcane magic, this Sigilmaster has become unhinged. Put an end to her madness.
12 Destroy the Ironclad Colossus.
10012 This metal contraption, left to rust in a forgotten corner, is waiting to fall into the wrong hands. Ensure that it does not.
23 Kill the Abomination of Galawain.
10023 Something is brewing on the island of Kazuwari. Go there and put a halt to it.
24 Kill the Risen Dragon.
10024 In southern waters, a glacial island houses a dragon brought back from the brink.

Many opportunities may present themselves to avoid direct quarrel with the creature. Do not take these avenues.

25 Defeat the Beast of Winter.
10025 A horrid beast wanders the White Void. Put an end to its empty existence.

You may be tempted to barter your way out of this. Be sure that you do not.

26 Kill the Memory Hoarder.
10026 A collection of tortured souls wanders forgotten grounds. Seek it out and let it find rest.
31 Defeat the Oracle.
10031 Something dreadful stirs within the Black Isles, threatening to give rise to a threat more terrible than Eothas. Find and defeat it.
End states
No 30000 Quest Failed.
Yes 30001 You have completed the Ultimate.

References

  1. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Update 61 - Patch 5.0 - The Return of the Ultimate - Official Site
  2. Update #61 - Patch Update 5.0 - The Return of the Ultimate - Obsidian Forums
  3. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (February 3, 2021). "And, of course, if you are the 13th-50th player to complete The Ultimate, you will still receive a letter and a woven patch which, in spite of my enormous vanity, was actually not my idea, but @mitchloidolt's." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  4. Sam Chin [@chinner17] (March 11, 2020). "@TylerJBrown192 and @jesawyer You can check Orz's full playthrough on their YouTube playlist :)" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  5. I BEAT THE ULTIMATE (Meat-King, The Ultimate on Steam)
  6. One of the most satisfying challenges to figure out as a Ranger/Cypher, got acknowledged!
  7. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (July 25, 2021). "Congratulations to SarcasticSarcophague on being the 14th player to complete The Ultimate challenge in Deadfire. The build used was one we haven't seen before: Seer (Cipher[Soulblade]/Ranger). https://t.co/Ish2ibnSXM" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  8. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (August 10, 2019). "happy to be sending the first of these out today" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  9. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (August 9, 2019). "big mood. congratulations to @Decadency_ for being the first to complete The Ultimate challenge for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. 🏆" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  10. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (September 12, 2019). "the roll of honor grows..." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  11. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (December 14, 2019). "the Roll of Honor grows. congratulations to @itsthelee !" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  12. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (May 5, 2020). "The Roll of Honor grows. Congrats to Trey Dronyk-Trosper, Min Kim, and Sergey Gusev for making it on the list. Extra special congrats to Trey and Sergey for being the first to complete with monks, and huge kudos to Min Kim for being the first single-class/non-priest winner." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  13. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (March 11, 2020). "It's official: @chinner17 has verified that we have three more successful completions of the Ultimate challenge for Deadfire, including our first single-class completion." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  14. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (July 31, 2020). "Congrats to Yūki Tachiyama, Marcin Stolarski, and Yue Dai for being the 8th, 9th, and 10th additions to Deadfire's The Ultimate Roll of Honor. Only two slots left.👀" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  15. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (February 3, 2021). "only one left..." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  16. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (February 3, 2021). "IF the twelfth person to complete The Ultimate and earn the final spot on the plaque completes it WITHOUT Priest of Skaen or Blood Mage, I will record a cover of I Will Always Love You dedicated to them." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  17. Josh Sawyer [@jesawyer] (April 14, 2021). "it is accomplished" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  18. Josh Sawyer has to sing 'I Will Always Love You' to a Pillars of Eternity 2 player | PC Gamer
  19. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire [@WorldOfEternity] (November 17, 2021). "Watchers, you've waited for it, and Studio Design Director, Josh Sawyer, delivered! 🙌 Check out his rendition of "I Will Always Love You," in honor of Riccardo "Pale Shelter" Novello being the 12th person to complete Deadfire's The Ultimate challenge." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  20. Josh Sawyer - I Will Always Love You, a Tribute to Pale Shelter - YouTube
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