Background in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire affects starting Skills the player has. What Background you can choose varies depending on the Culture you select in the turn before. Some Backgrounds are available to any Culture, but most are not. Be sure to check which Culture is needed if you'd like to select a specific Background from the list below.
Background Information
Aristocrat
You've lived your life amongst the nobility. Your days have been marked by lavish meals and extravagant parties, your conversations peppered with talk of pedigree and bloodlines.
Culture Required: Any except The Living Lands
Bonus: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Bluff, +1 Intimidate
Artist
You've always felt driven to express yourself creatively. The structure and rigid control of other pursuits has never satisfied in the same way.
Culture Required: Old Vailia
Bonus: +1 Mechanics, +1 History, +1 Insight
Colonist
You were part of a group that founded a fledgling colony in a distant land.
Culture Required: Aedyr, Old Vailia, or The Living Lands
Bonus: +1 Survival, +1 Athletics, +1 Alchemy
Dissident
You've made a name for yourself as a troublemaker. Disrespect for authority and a lack of care regarding the rules are recurring themes in your life.
Culture Required: Aedyr, Ixamitl Plains, Old Vailia or Rauatai
Bonus: +1 History, +1 Intimidate, +1 Stealth
Drifter
You never quite fit in no matter where you go. Each new town is just a place to rest briefly before moving on to the next. You are more comfortable on the road, traveling the world.
Culture Required: Any
Bonus: +1 Sleight of Hand, +1 Bluff, +1 Streetwise
Explorer
You find the siren call of the horizon irresistible. You cannot help but wonder what lies beyond the next hill or wave, and you've built your life around finding out.
Culture Required: Deadfire Archipelago, The Living Lands or The White that Wends
Bonus: +1 Survival, +1 Diplomacy, +1 History
Hunter
You live for the thrill of the chase. Whether for glory or for sustenance, you have made your living taking the lives of wild creatures.
Required Culture: Any
Bonus: +1 Survival, +1 Mechanics, +1 Alchemy
Laborer
Your life has been spent in the study of your craft. You trained and prepared, hoping to hone your skills and ply your trade.
Culture Required: Any
Bonus: +2 Athletics
Mercenary
Blade and battle is your way of life. You solve your problems by pulling out your weapon and applying force.
Culture Required: Any except The White that Wends
Bonus: +1 Streetwise, +1 Athletics, +1 Intimidate
Merchant
You've traded goods from all over the world, pairing items with buyers of all kinds.
Required Culture: Any
Bonus: +1 Streetwise, +1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy
Mystic
You've never been able to explain how the universe guides your path. Behind every task you undertake is a feeling of cosmic direction.
Required Culture: The White that Wends
Bonus: +1 Religion, +1 Arcana, +1 Metaphysics
Philosopher
You are most at home inside your own head, analyzing the nature of the world and its inhabitants.
Culture Required: Ixamitl Plains
Bonus: +2 Insight
Clergy
Piety and prayer are the cornerstones of your public life, and you encourage the same in others.
Required Culture: Deadfire Archipelago
Bonus: +2 Religion
Scholar
For you, knowledge is a relentless pursuit. You hoard each kernel of information as though it were precious metal, and time you don't spend learning is time wasted.
Required Culture: Ixamitl Plains or Rauatai
Bonus: +1 History, +1 Arcana, +1 Metaphysics
Scientist
The rules that govern the world are a set of alchemical formulae to you, waiting to be discovered and manipulated.
Required Culture: The Living Lands
Bonus: +1 Explosives, +1 Metaphysics, +1 Arcana
Slave
You have never known freedom. Shackles and chains have bound your existence, and someone has told you what to do your entire life.
Required Culture: Aedyr, Deadfire Archipelago, Old Vailia, or Rauatai
Bonus: +1 Survival, +1 Athletics, +1 Streetwise
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Raider
You've spent your life on the wrong side of the law. What you want, you take, and what was theirs has a tendacy to become yours.
Required Culture: Deadfire Archipelago
Bonus: +1 Streetwise, +1 Athletics, +1 Stealth
