I agree with the majority of your points, especially about the overstretched narrative, but I think the protagonist's story ends up seeming dull and uninteresting BECAUSE it's a muddled mess (and most of your agency is taken away with the weird past-life memory interactions with the antagonist where you as the player often have no idea wtf is even being discussed). I don't think Aarwolf is suggesting even more crap be dumped into the protagonist's story (let alone backstory). I think to make that story interesting and more appealing (and again it's not JUST backstory, it's the actual game narrative) would require pruning away a lot of those pieces that didn't work. A stronger (even simpler) throughline, clearer motivations, agency, and drive for the overarching narrative (which ends up being the protagonist's story) can better support overbearing characters like Durance. As it is, milquetoast companions better suit the narrative because anything else would overshadow it.
There's that thirsty Obsidian wit. Also hilarious that the one dialogue option they cite has two of its three options that result in the exact same thing (you give a healing pottion).
It's not.
Avowed Hands On: Playing One Quest in Two Very Different Ways
Avowed, as with all Obsidian Entertainment games, has been designed with player choice at the forefront – your gear, your playstyle, your dialogue, your approaches to quests are all up to you. Xbox Wire had the chance to experience this for ourselves with the first playable preview with the game, which sent us on a journey to retrieve a lost relic.
To get a sense of the freedom that Avowed presents, Wire editors Danielle and Mike both played, and took two very different approaches to the demo. Here’s what we found.
Character Background
Danielle: True to RPG form, Avowed offers up myriad ways to approach the job at hand – even with your very first choices. Avowed offers five different background choices that will primarily affect your dialogue choices in-game, but all equipment and abilities are available to you regardless of the background you choose. Forever a fan of clean, stealthy operations that make me feel cool, I opted for a ranger build with a Vanguard Scout background – more at ease with the wilderness than around noble folk, but a skilled and observant hunter.
Mike: I, however, picked the Barbarian — Danielle took my preferred ranger class before I could blink — but I enjoyed not having to concern myself with stealth, and instead leaned in heavily on the power of my melee weapons, where running headlong into enemies was a bit more of my character’s forte during this demo. My character traits were not strong enough to do any Intellect or Perception checks in interactions with any characters I encountered, but I was able to successfully lie (more on that in a bit).
The World
Danielle: After picking our characters, we headed into the game itself. Avowed is an action RPG set in the land of Eora, which Pillars of Eternity fans will be familiar with. The section we played takes place inside a lush dungeon, paring down the scope of the full game for the sake of a demo but, as we quickly found out, by no means restrictive. In this quest, we’re tasked with locating an expedition group that has gone missing in search of a holy relic. We are however, in true Obsidian fashion, immediately sidetracked by another quest, which involves fetching that relic for another character we meet on the way, which we’ll get into shortly.
As I’m making my way through this cave system towards the first objective, it’s impossible not to notice how gorgeous these surroundings are – vibrant wildlife coats the walls and ceilings, a sparkling waterfall cascades in the distance. I’m transported instantly into the world of Avowed and the adventures it has to offer.
Mike: I too was immediately struck by the bright and colourful design of the cave system. This is no dark, grim fantasy adventure (as the developers have previously mentioned). It’s rich and full of greenery and grand views. I particularly liked how the giant tree roots almost looked like massive arms holding everything up and in place. We know Avowed will have a variety of biomes for us to adventure through, but this was a great introduction to seeing what one of these dungeons looked like – and this is just a side quest! This bodes well for what the main adventure will have in store for us.
Weapons and Magic
Danielle: This is where the fun truly begins. As a ranger, I am of course equipped with a trusty and extremely potent bow called “The Long Touch” which offers some serious bonus perks to sharpshooters. I’m also given the option to upgrade the bow using materials gathered from the wilderness, which is a nice touch for when you don’t want to give up that special weapon after levelling up a few times. Using the bow alongside the Shadowing Beyond skill – which made me invisible for a time – allowed me to deftly chew through smaller enemies with ease.
In a later boss fight, I quickly realized stealth wasn’t going to cut it, and I was able to completely flip the switch into a “shocking” secondary loadout. This included a unique pistol that dealt shock damage. It’s a slower, louder option that sacrificed dexterity for pure pain, which came in handy for battering down the dungeon’s boss. I didn’t just have different weapons either – Tanglefoot, a magic ability that sprouted spiky roots out of the ground to hold enemies in place, came in super handy for dealing with pests. I also had a throwable Electric Lily Seed, which dished out additional shock damage to everyone in this relatively small room.
Even with a loadout I hadn’t fully chosen myself, it felt like I had a ton of options for how to approach each situation, but the tools I had still felt augmented to the style and background of my character.
Mike: Mine was a more… direct approach than Danielle’s. I was able to hot-swap between two weapon loadouts: a dual wield option that paired a common sword with a one-handed axe called “Drawn in Winter” – it deals frost damage, if the name wasn’t a giveaway. I could also quickly swap to the two-handed “Seven Strings” club which dealt massive damage. I elected for the club for most of my playthrough, mainly because I liked the ability to block enemy attacks from the lizard-like Xaurip and giant spiders we encountered. I also had two abilities: Charge, which was a powerful dash-like attack, and Barbaric Shout, which interrupted enemy attacks.
I also liked how my companion Kai, a blue-skinned Aumaua voiced by Brandon Keener (Garrus from Mass Effect), would call out locations of enemies to ensure I don’t get flanked. While the demo only offered us a small glimpse, it’s clear the companion system will be a major component of Avowed and I’m excited to see how this works in the longer-term adventure. Obsidian has shared there will be four recruitable companions that can aid you on your journey – and I’m excited to see how they all play into the story.
Play Your Way
Danielle: The preview presented several opportunities for dialogue, which gave a sense of how conversations will shape your adventure just as much as combat. The Vanguard Scout-specific choices were snappy and to the point, as a background of roaming amongst the trees rather than mingling with royalty would imply. I was given the choice to be polite and honest to Caedmon, a young chap that needed aid, or snarky and unhelpful, but figured that kindness might afford more opportunities down the road if he remembers that I saved his life in a dark cave. Avowed features attribute points that will unlock different dialogue choices, as well as buffs to your combat skills. As a ranger, I was particularly buffed out in the Dexterity and Perception departments, which delivered both extra critical hit chances and more observant options while I talked with other characters.
Mike: It wasn’t long until I was saying to myself that this felt very Obsidian-like – the myriad of dialog choices and interactions afforded to my character will be immediately familiar to players of the studio’s other games. While Danielle took a noble, helpful approach, I took the opportunity to see how the world and characters would respond to a brash warrior who lies through their teeth. There seems to be a wide variety of choice, and more humor than I was expecting (this was a good thing), that make this feel like an Obsidian RPG in the vein of Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Being able to either help Caedmon by healing his wounds or straight-up lying to him and pretending you’re a ghost is peak form for this studio – and I hope to see high level of player choice throughout Avowed.
I was also curious to see how far I could “push” the dialog with Sargamis, the gold-bodied Oracle who tasked us with retrieving the dagger so he could imbue a soul into a giant, lifeless stone giant – who may just have had something to do with the missing expedition. I’m not going to spoil exactly what happened here – it’s way too much fun not to let you discover it for yourself – but the fact that Avowed let me go so far with Sargamis’ conversation branches, has left me really excited for just how many dialog paths there will be in the mainline adventure.
It’s clear to see that Avowed is shaping up to be an extremely impressive adventure – there’s rich lore to be found in every corner and minimal rigidity to the builds, so you can play however you’d like. Even in this purposely select area, the bones of Obsidian’s RPG mastery are truly at work here, and we can’t wait to see how the choices play out in the full game. This will have to sate you for now but keep an eye out for more updates on Avowed, heading to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass on February 18, 2025.
Avowed is the Elder Scrolls formula in a Pillars of Eternity world
Avowed's combat felt familiar to fans of other first-person adventures, but its setting is distinctly in Obsidian's recognizable fantasy series.
It feels like ages since Xbox and Obsidian Entertainment first unveiled Avowed, a first-person action-adventure set in the world of Pillars of Eternity. Even with so much time having passed, there's been a lot of curiosity regarding gameplay. This was an itch that Shacknews was finally able to scratch at a special remote Gamescom event held by Xbox in Los Angeles, CA. After taking this first opportunity to try out Avowed, it was hard not to feel like this had some of the best elements of the Elder Scrolls formula mixed together with some of Obsidian's tried-and-true RPG flair.
There were three classes playable during this Avowed demo. It didn't take long for the developers to intimidate attendees away from selecting the Mage, noting that it had some complex spells and little in the way of defensive capabilities. Rather than select the mindless melee methods of the Barbarian, I opted for the Ranger. The Ranger has a pair of abilities that taps into the power of the earth, a specific one able to bind enemies with entangling vines. In terms of weapons, this Ranger was equipped with dual pistols, able to strike at foes from a distance with light and charged shots.
Source: Xbox
After selecting the Ranger, the demo began in earnest with a mission to search for the remnants of the Aedryan Expedition Team. Obsidian dropped me into one of the more scenic corners of the Pillars world filled with flowing waterfalls and lush plant life. While there were several points during this demo that reminded me of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls franchise, the bright color scheme and vibrant environments made Avowed stand out by comparison. There were even beautiful underwater sections where the game's art style got to flourish.
The first part of the demo's quest led to a wounded explorer named Caedmon. The young man is convinced he's at death's door and pleads for help. This is where Obsidian's penchant for humor starts to shine through. Panicked by what has happened, Caedmon worries about dying a virgin, which brings up several dialogue prompts. It's possible to give him a potion, but it's also possible to ask your companion, a green-skinned being named Kai, to help the kid with his problem and mirthful misunderstandings ensue. The writing makes Avowed feel closer to a fantasy version of some of Obsidian's past work, like The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas.
Like those two previous efforts, character-building is key to unlocking certain dialogue choices. There was no opportunity to craft a specific build in this demo, but players will have an option to grant their character various traits like Intelligence, Perception, and the like. These traits will offer various passive advantages and disadvantages in combat, but they can also be put to work when speaking to the game's different characters. Perception dialogue options were available to me during this demo, but a different character without points assigned to this trait wouldn't have that selection available to them.
The encounter with Caedmon showed that companions will do the bulk of the vocal work. While player characters can communicate through dialogue selections, characters like Kai will recite fully voice-acted lines and help push the narrative forward. Companions are also handy in combat, as evidenced by Kai helping dispatch numerous bugs during a later quest.
Source: Xbox
After helping Caedmon with his problem (though not that problem), the next part of the demo introduced an abandoned oracle named Sargamis. This is where it should be noted that player characters are part of a group called Godlikes. In the Pillars of Eternity world, Godlikes are a rare race believed to be blessed by the gods and are either greatly revered or greatly feared. Sargamis is also a Godlike, one looking to restore the fallen god Eothas. He believes he can bring him back, but needs a relic known as the Splinter of Eothas, which is hidden in the ruins of a nearby temple.
The nearby temple is where most of the demo's combat occurred. While Kai can lend a hand, players must be aware of their surroundings when fighting enemies in large numbers. Unlike the bugs from an earlier section, skeleton enemies came in different class varieties with different functions. For example, a skeleton ranger would try and snipe from afar while skeleton priests would attempt to heal the party. Determining which foes should take priority is a big key to victory, especially when smaller foes are flanked by a much larger boss. Of course, when all else fails, there's an option to toss explosives, which can come in different elemental varieties.
The tail end of the demo dealt with the fallout of the quest for the Splinter of Eothas. Players have a decision to make here. They can see this quest line through and attempt to help Sargonis resurrect the god Eothas or they can decline. If they decline, Sargonis will become hostile and another fight will begin. While it's possible that violence could have been the solution, I ultimately helped Sargonis with his plan. The dialogue and player choices would do the heavy lifting from here with each selection leading the story down a different path.
This early demo offered only a small taste of what to expect in Avowed. The final product could go any number of ways given the multitude of dialogue options. I'm also eager to experience the game's other classes, meet other companions, and the character-building interface. Not everything looked totally rosy during my hands-on, as I looked through the game's various equipment menus and found them to be more complex than I'd like. As I picked up loot, it was hard to determine if any of it was worth equipping and I couldn't tell if I had picked up anything more powerful. Of course, it was a short demo and I was thrown in fairly cold, so this is an issue that's likely easily fixed by spending more time with the game.
So far, Avowed feels like a perfectly competent adventure that could prove to be comparable with the best of the Elder Scrolls franchise. More importantly, it could fit in alongside some of Obsidian's best work like the aforementioned Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Obsidian appears to be confident enough in its work that it's taking a few additional months to give it some extra polish. Look for Avowed to come to PC and Xbox Series X|S on February 18.
It will be 110% marvel writing through and through. May god have mercy on any soul that intends to play this.
Yeah, I hate the name too, really wish they'd used Pillars as a subtitle or something, I'd have gotten so much mileage out of "Avoid: Pillars of Eternity."
Avowoo is a great name.
Oh boy we get to fight a !!!SKELETON BOSS!!! we're in uncharted territory
I normally try to at least soften statements like these by phrasing them as a joke but if you enjoyed clicking on either Durance or Grieving Mother and reading the sophomoric drivel that spewed out then you are stone-cold retarded. Your family needs to have a long, serious talk about putting you out of your misery medically because while your muscles may spasm from time to time and create the illusion of life, the space between your ears is completely barren.
