Eternity Avowed - Obsidian's first person action-RPG in the Pillars of Eternity setting - coming February 18th

[Vyvian]

Kai, our green-skinned companion who just happens to be voiced by Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian actor Brandon Keener, keeps things light-hearted with quips and remarks about this new area we’re exploring.

Oh joy...

 

[Bulo]

The one highlight of TOW is that you can murder anyone you don't like. I hope the same is true of Avowed

 

[Baron Tahn]

Least they tried to describe some gameplay instead of JUST being about fkn Kai. Also, spears. If I can run this solo I might just play it one day.

 

[Infinitron]

I hope the same is true of Avowed

It's not.

 

[Florian Gheorghe]

Really hate what they done with the game, I hate even the name so I will not buy this. This looks so lame.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.eurogamer.net/avowed-pl...uddy-up-with-the-voice-of-mass-effects-garrus

Avowed plays like a funny Obsidian role-player where you buddy up with the voice of Mass Effect's Garrus​

And maybe that's enough.

I'm still a bit fuzzy about the lore of Avowed - I've not played Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity games, whose world this new RPG shares - but after an hour hands-on at Gamescom 2024, I'm clearer about some of the details. And, happily, I'm a little more convinced this is a world I'll explore further, when Avowed's new February 2025 release date rolls around.

In Avowed, the game's world of Eora is experiencing some kind of magical plague, and you play as an important envoy from a nearby empire, investigating the cause. The Gamescom demo allows you to play as a beefy Barbarian, stealthy Scout or magic-infused Mage, with locked ability loadouts - I picked the latter - in a dungeon exploration mission where you were tasked with tracking down a lost expedition.

Accompanying you on this quest is Kai, a companion character voiced by the unmistakable Brandon Keener, who many players will recognise as legendary sidekick/romance option Garrus from the Mass Effect trilogy. Kai very much acts as your Garrus here and shares a strikingly similar personality also: an encouraging comrade, with a dry sense of humour. When I wasn't looking at his blue face, I could imagine it was my favourite turian there beside me. When I did look at his face, I was always a little surprised it was one of Eora's Aumaura staring back.

For fans of fantasy proper nouns, Avowed has a ton of lore to learn. This is clearly a world with a decade of backstory - perhaps too much, and I say that as someone who loves a good codex. Still, there's a smart system here to get Eora newbies up to speed, which lets you press a button to quickly surface an explanation for the many places, people and historical events that regularly pepper the conversation.

Visually, Avowed looks impressive, but its graphical style can sometimes feel an odd mix. The dungeon I explored is refreshingly bright and colourful as video game caves go, but it - and everything else I've seen from Avowed so far - seems a bit of a fantasy hodgepodge: Skyrim meets Lord of the Rings via a punchier colour palette, with blobs of James Cameron's Avatar thrown in. I'm reminded of Kingdoms of Amalur, a game made by a starry development team that never - for me - managed to really define an identity of its own.

Down into the cave I go, Garrus chattering away. There's humour to Avowed, which I'm really pleased by, a sense that underneath the Proper Nouns there's personality here too, and one potentially as enjoyable as in Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. A handjob gag later and we meet Sargamis - a Midas-like figure covered in gold, whose role in the proceedings can, depending on your subsequent choices, vary greatly.

Sargamis is after the artefact your missing expedition disappeared trying to find, it seems. And so with a request from him to find said macguffin, you head off again, now with more information on what's going on. I have a feeling that Pillars veterans may twig the dungeon's overall storyline sooner than I did, but I still enjoyed discovering exactly what was going on here - and, crucially, it all still made sense to this newbie, more or less.

Exploration is fast and fluid, with first-person crouching, mantling and sliding that felt modern for the genre. You can sneak up behind unaware enemies and surprise-melee attack, via a mechanic that looks like you're stabbing them with a Mass Effect omni-blade. As a mage, I held a spellbook in one hand and then either my wand or another melee weapon in the other, with the game's two loadout options swappable with a quick button press. A selection of four other, more elemental, abilities was spammable by holding down the left trigger and hitting one of the face buttons. All classes seem to be able to lob quite powerful ranged explosive items that act as grenades.

When all was said and done, I felt I'd had a number of options for how to conclude the quest, and also spend a good amount of time chatting through my various options with Sargamis. At one point I could also choose to ask Garrus what he thought. My mind was already relatively made up, but I ended up siding with him. Did Avowed do enough to sell me on its final promise? I'm more intrigued than I was, certainly, now I have a novice understanding of its playstyle and story. More time is good, then. As perhaps Microsoft itself knows, judging by its recent statement it was delaying Avowed into 2025 "to give players' backlogs some breathing room" - which felt something like an admission it might struggle to stand out during the busy Q4 period, particularly amongst RPG entries in established series such as Assassin's Creed and Dragon Age. If you're after a fresh Obsidian hit after that, Avowed is one to keep an eye on. Also, more Garrus.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/08/21/avowed-hands-on-playing-one-quest-in-two-very-different-ways/

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.

Come on you guys, no it isn't.

https://www.shacknews.com/article/141096/avowed-gamescom-2024-preview

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.

 

[Alienman]

Kai, our green-skinned companion who just happens to be voiced by Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian actor Brandon Keener, keeps things light-hearted with quips and remarks about this new area we’re exploring.

Oh joy...

It will be 110% marvel writing through and through. May god have mercy on any soul that intends to play this.

 

[Readher]

 

[luj1]

Avowed plays like a funny Obsidian role-player where you buddy up with the voice of Mass Effect's Garrus
And maybe that's enough.

>buddy up with a "voice"
>maybe that's enough

Imagine using this as a selling point lol

 

[Jermu]

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.

 

[Gargaune]

I hate even the name

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."

 

[Beans00]

Bad name for a bad game.

 

[Orange Clock]

Even after all the negative news/previews, after all missing features Obsidian were so eager to tell about, after knowing that Josh is not involved with this project, after all these.. I was giving Awoved a benefit of the doubt, was still thinking that game could be good/alright somehow.
But this single gameplay clip:

Man, this game gonna suck, it’s gonna be worse than Veilguard. Fuck you obshitian, hope you next on the Microsoft kill list

 

[ropetight]

I hate even the name

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.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Christ on a cross, it's hard to stay optimistic if even journo shills can't come up with any praise beyond randomly referecing some Mass Effect memberberries.

 

[Beans00]

Christ on a cross, it's hard to stay optimistic if even journo shills can't come up with any praise beyond randomly referecing some Mass Effect memberberries.

The only reason outer worlds was successful was because people kept referencing FNV.

 

[Old Hans]

https://sea.ign.com/avowed/219682/p...-obsidians-first-person-rpg-and-its-fantastic

Avowed: We Finally Played Obsidian’s First-Person RPG and It’s Fantastic​

The world of Eora is looking eorawesome.​

Avowed was a surprising delight to play for the first time. After a lot of questions about the shift in art direction from the teaser trailer, questions about the length, and a combat demo on the Xbox stage that had many asking if the game was earlier in development than expected, I’m happy to report that Avowed is feeling great, looking great, and offering a compelling story based on the early slice I played at an event.

My journey began just after the opening main mission in Avowed, and we’ve been sent on a task to find an Aedyran Expedition team. It turns out, as it often does with RPGs, that fate had other plans for them. Kai, our green-skinned companion who just happens to be voiced by Mass Effect’s Garrus Vakarian actor Brandon Keener, keeps things light-hearted with quips and remarks about this new area we’re exploring. The banter is welcome and sparse, only chiming in occasionally to make a quip, like when I paused to admire the view.
And the view is very pretty. Avowed has done a great job leaning into the art style the larger Pillars of Eternity series is known for and had me stopping to admire waterfalls in the distance and moss-covered structures that set the aesthetic tone for this mysterious cavern we are diving deeper into. Avowed’s world design is shaping up nicely too, and as I dove deeper I would discover walls that could be blown up to traverse a new path, or puzzles that would open a secret new area with a large chest if I threw my shock explosives at a few tucked away circuits I found by exploring off the beaten path, only to find a hole in the wall. These puzzles have the added bonus of revealing coveted loot like a powerful ring that would offer some choice stat bonuses for my character.

Avowed has done a great job leaning into the art style the larger Pillars of Eternity series is known for.​

When I wasn’t exploring the depths of the oceanic cave I had to swim through it only to find myself facing off against a Xaurip. These are Lizard-like creatures with your standard human weapons like swords, shields, and bows, and they make for good fodder as you learn your beginning attacks. Combat in Avowed is much better than I had anticipated. You quickly become accustomed to using flasks to regenerate not just your health, but more importantly your essence, which allows the execution of your most powerful attacks. As the barbarian, I found myself stalking spiders in the caverns and plotting my attack. To begin, I use Kai’s ability Fire and Ice via the radial wheel you access by holding down the left bumper (if you’re playing with a gamepad, obviously). Fire and Ice sees Kai Teleport to the target and then unload a powerful bullet into the spider’s Chelicerae, aka its face. Then I command him to use his area of effect attack, Leap of Daring, that has him slam into the ground and briefly stun everyone around him. During that time I’d been closing the gap, and using the two weapons I first charged up my right-handed axe which offers a powerful attack that inflicts frost damage accumulation to nearby enemies. After holding the right trigger to empower this attack I manage to freeze my opponents for just a moment. Then I unleash my more powerful essence abilities. First I shout to push back the smaller spiders who are also surrounding me, and while stunned, I then select charge and ram my body with force into the biggest guy in the room. Then, I follow it up with a flurry of blows with the left trigger, which holds my nimble sword for a small flurry of strikes that results in the dispatch of the last spider standing in the room.

Later, I would return as a mage, which was described as the most difficult of the three classes available to use. Abilities for this character included an ethereal staff that you could materialize with essence, orb projectiles that would track your target, and standard attacks that had you flicking your wand to and fro while smaller spells did damage to your target. Additional Essense abilities included a spear that was a bit faster than the staff (as you’d expect), and several different protection or buff spells to help your hits land with a bit harder thud. My personal favorite, however, was an ability that had you snap your book of magic shut to send a wave of damage-dealing aura at everything around you. It just looked cool seeing a book wreck everything in the immediate vicinity.

Make no mistake though, combat was also challenging. I was chugging potions with recklessness as I knew this was just a demo, but it was clear that you’ll need to master the balance between your spell casting, defense, and gear options for maximum efficiency. Digging into the menus, I found that you could spec out your character with a 2nd weapon set that would be accessed with the press of the Y button on the controller. The potential that something so simple offers had me excited because with one press you could access a significantly different playstyle. Combat felt clean, intuitive, and had a depth I didn’t expect. I can’t wait to dive into it more. And fortunately, the oomph of your attack animations that many felt were missing from a demo on the Xbox stage earlier this year have seemingly been implemented; enemies react how you’d expect them to when you slash them with a sword or blast them with a spell.
Eventually, on our journey, Kai and I would run into Caedmon, a young explorer who had managed to survive the Xaurip assault. His friends from the expedition team weren’t so lucky, however. After lamenting that he’s “never touched a girl” and his looming fate wasn’t fair, we were given several conversation options:

• “Kai, we can’t let this kid die a virgin. Can you help him?”
• “Give Caedmon a healing option. Let’s get you back on your feet!”
• “Toughen up kid. I’m not wasting my supplies on you.”

I, of course, picked the top one.

Kai responded: “Not with that… OH you mean with healing him.” He would then go on to make me offer my potion instead. Caedmon was back on his feet and offered us some advice that would help us continue our journey.
But because I also wanted to try out combat as a Mage, I got to see what happened if you always picked the bottom option. “Toughen up Kid!” my character shouted. Caedmon said something Kai called nonsense, and pleaded with me to help him. I however refused to offer him the life saving potion, resulting in his immediate death. Did I loot his corpse? You’re damn right I did.

It’s situations like this that will make Avowed really stand out if they are plentiful enough. Can you really be that evil? Apparently so, and I look forward to doing a sane-person playthrough where I don’t murder everyone if I can avoid it, and a playthrough where I’m the biggest jerk possible because… well, that’s where the fun lies now, isn’t it?
The demo ended with an encounter where we met Sargamis. Sargamis is a gold-skinned deity-like creature who sent us to find an item and return it. But like our explorer friends from earlier in the demo, there were other plans afoot and it wasn’t long until we came face-to-face with the Skeleton boss and a pesky Skeleton priest that would heal the large group of enemies we were facing off against. This was all triggered immediately after getting to the object Sargamis sent us to retrieve, to which Kai quipped, “It can’t be this easy… can it?” No, Kai, it apparently cannot be.

Can you really be that evil in Avowed? Apparently so.​

Once in battle and realizing I was greatly outnumbered, I ran out of the room to survey the battlefield. After taking out a few of the lower rank-and-file skeletons just outside of the priest’s healing aura, I identified the one thwarting my plans of murder (can you murder a skeleton?) and I turned his bones to ice and dust. Just as I had cleared the grunts, I was finally ready to take on the Skeleton boss with Kai, but just as I had him on the ropes…. The power in the building went out for everyone playing the demo.

It’s OK, though, because Avowed had made its impression. My doubts about it have faded away, and I’m left excited for its release in February. This small slice Obsidian gave us the opportunity to play was a treat, and while it’s a tiny glimpse, our 50-minute demo session flew by in the blink of an eye. And that’s always a good sign.

Oh boy we get to fight a !!!SKELETON BOSS!!! we're in uncharted territory

 

[notpl]

Pillars of Eternity's writing had exactly two interesting elements:
- Avellone's character work;
- and the twist at the end about their gods being man-made.

That's it. I barely recall anything other than the wind stealing your soul, there being a fort, a grey city and a watermill, nor anything about characters beyond physical characteristics, like the feathered woman or the dwarf lass with a pet wolf. I think there was also a not-orc companion with sharp teeth, I see his portrait around these forums sometimes? That's two companions whose most memorable quality is appearing next to Codex shitposts.

Anyway, I remember Durance for his character, a broken and abrasive man, misshapen by his own failures and resentment into a fount of twisted wisdom without dignity. I don't recall anything about Pellagina beyond the "riveting" online debate about whether or not she had a cloaca.


P.S. No, actually, I guess I vaguely remember Eder's personality too, I remember him being dull. They were going for the relatable everyman (which I appreciate and RPGs need more of) but they overshot. For a counterexample, see Safiya in MotB - setting her backstory aside, she's the adult in the room (even as MotB's cast are more mature and composed in general), she's rational and reasonable, but she makes an impression to that end. Eder doesn't, he's just kinda "there."

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.

 

[notpl]

Chris Avellone writes his characters like you went to the wikipedia page for "philosophy" or "behavioral psychology," clicked one of the headers, copy and pasted the resulting paragraph into ChatGPT and asked it to say the same thing with 10x as many words.

 

[Tyranicon]

When your marketing's biggest hook is "our fish guy is voiced by the alien bird guy from Mass Effect."

Same energy:

 

[Child of Malkav]

View attachment 54116

Still can't believe this is a thing.

 

[Gargaune]

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.

Just 'cause we're talking PoE doesn't mean you gotta turn the

button into a sixty-page dissertation. Click it and move along, gobshite.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Wait for those mass-firings after February.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Christ on a cross, it's hard to stay optimistic if even journo shills can't come up with any praise beyond randomly referecing some Mass Effect memberberries.

The only reason outer worlds was successful was because people kept referencing FNV.

Obsidian was lucky with TOW. It happened in the right moment, when the hate for Fallout '76 was at its peak. Authored by the NV/original Fallout devs, TOW was identified as the good old school single player game vs. the new modern AAA trend of predatory multiplayer messes such as Bethesda Fallout '76.

 

[TT1]