head to head
vs
Pillars of EternityvsThief II: The Metal Age
Pillars of Eternity leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Thief II: The Metal Age leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Pillars of EternityThief II: The Metal Age
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Thief II: The Metal Age leans harder on execution: Fine arrow placement and rope climbing require care, not twitch
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Pillars of Eternity leans harder on variance: Hidden enemy immunities and ability distributions require investigation
Optimization9 vs 9
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.