Key Takeaways
1. Replayability and Side Quests: Avowed offers significant replayability, with many side quests that impact the game’s ending and experience, making exploration crucial.
2. Technical Performance Issues: The game pushes system requirements to the max, with reported frame drops and crashes, but fixes are expected with upcoming patches.
3. Character Customization and Classes: Avowed features extensive character customization, allowing players to switch classes and adjust skills on the fly, enhancing player flexibility.
4. Companions and Team Dynamics: Players can have two companions with unique abilities, enhancing gameplay, though romance options are absent, which feels unusual for an RPG.
5. Crafting and Gear Limitations: The crafting system is shallow with limited gear tiers, lacking the depth expected from a true RPG, highlighting the gap between good and great game design.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was definetly the most fun I’ve had with a title promoted by Xbox. This is why I was excited for Avowed, mainly because it comes from Obsidian Entertainment. I really enjoyed The Outer Worlds, so a new game by Carrie Patel was something I looked forward to. You can see hints of TOW in Avowed, but they are pretty subtle. More on that later.
I confess, I’m not well-versed with the game’s origin (Pillars of Eternity), but that didn’t stop me from diving into it for several hours. I aimed to explore as much side content as I could on my first playthrough, yet I still missed some aspects. Avowed offers a lot of replayability, so with one run completed, I feel the next will be smoother. So, does it live up to the expectations? Let’s explore.
Performance and System Requirements
Like all Unreal Engine games, Avowed pushes your system to its max. On my setup, which includes a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, and 48 GB DDR4-3200 CL 16 RAM, my FPS ranged from 40 to 60 FPS, just below maximum settings with DLSS quality turned on. Occasionally, I experienced frame drops in busy areas, but this is pretty typical for an open-world game.
Aside from frame drops, I encountered quite a few crashes during my 20-hour gameplay. Luckily, Obsidian quickly recognized the issue and promised a fix at launch. One crash happened during the frustrating ‘shader compilation’ phase found in nearly every Unreal Engine title. As of now, detailed PC requirements have been disclosed, but based on my experience, Avowed should work fine on lower-end systems with some adjustments.
Playing on Different Devices
I attempted to run the game on my Steam Deck OLED, but it was far from playable. Even on the lowest settings, I struggled to stay above 30 FPS. Hopefully, this changes with the day-one patch set for Feb 13 or the one on Feb 17. Also, the game doesn’t have a dedicated benchmarking tool, which feels strange for a game released in 2025. And there’s no Photo Mode. I don’t care much for it, but it’s odd to see a game launch without one.
In Avowed, you begin your journey waking up on a desert, completely clueless about how you arrived there. Later, a doctor revives you and calls you Courier. Just kidding! But the actual story isn’t too far off. You wash up on the shore after your ship sinks and then battle through the tutorial and face what I like to call a cheap version of a Soldier of Godrick.
The Storyline and Quests
Once that’s out of the way, you enter the Living Lands, where your mission is to discover the reason behind a strange plague (Dreamscourge) causing people to hallucinate and look like fungus. As an emperor’s envoy and a ‘Godlike’ being, you’re quickly recognized and taken to see a local commander, and that’s where the real plot begins to unfold when you die and come back to life. Throughout your journey, there’s a persistent voice in your head that talks to you in riddles.
Much of the first act involves hunting down your assassins. Act 2 is somewhat forgettable story-wise, but there’s a series of side quests you can’t miss. The game is packed with side quests to keep you busy for hours, and some rewards are too good to ignore. You can’t rush the main story without losing a lot of EXP by skipping non-essential content. Some side quests even impact the game’s state or ending later on. So, don’t skip them! While most are marked on the map, some aren’t, so talk to every NPC you encounter.
Lore and Character Customization
Since Avowed already has a rich setting, there’s plenty of lore for fans to dive into. The game mainly keeps a medieval RPG tone but includes light moments and a good dose of cheeky one-liners. If you played The Outer Worlds, you’ll feel right at home. Before the credits roll, you see the consequences of your actions through a hand-drawn presentation narrated to you.
Avowed features an extensive character creation screen packed with customization options. If you want your character to look a specific way, you can easily spend hours tweaking it. Outside of character creation, you’ll find many customization options throughout the game. You can even disable everything on the HUD for a Morrowind-style experience for maximum immersion.
Technically, Avowed has only three classes, but you can choose from five backgrounds, which provide unique stats and dialogues. Moreover, you gain unique ‘Godlike’ abilities as you progress. This changes depending on your play style, dialogue choices, and story path. Unlike other RPGs that make you commit to one path, Avowed allows you to switch classes easily. Skills and stats can be adjusted on the fly, even during intense battles. Coupled with quick-save and quick-load options, you can navigate tricky dialogue checks with ease.
Exploration and Map Design
I appreciated how the game handled exploration. Instead of allowing you to roam the entire map at once, the Living Lands are divided into regions unlocked through story progression. This encourages a balance between main story and side content, as eventually, there’s literally nothing left to do in an area. However, you can spend a good dozen hours in one region due to the vast amount of exploration, and some hidden items are nearly impossible to find without help. Listen for audio cues to detect nearby treasures, making loot collection easier.
The map scaling for each area was confusing because the in-game distances feel much shorter than what’s shown on the map. Strangely, Avowed doesn’t allow you to place your own markers on the map, which is odd for an open-world game. Many including myself have asked the developers to add this as a quality-of-life upgrade, and I really hope it’s included in the day-one patch mentioned earlier.
Platforming and Combat Systems
Lastly, some platforming aspects felt strange. The player occasionally grabs ledges that seem unreachable, which isn’t bad since it gives you more freedom to explore. Plus, you don’t lose stamina while sprinting, which is nice.
Avowed allows you to experience the Living Lands in either first or third-person, with a dedicated key to switch between them. Personally, I prefer the third-person view, but some veteran RPG enthusiasts might lean towards first-person. My inner Souls-like fan scoffed at the thought of using a magic or ranged character, so I picked up the biggest stick available to smack everyone with it. This worked great in the early game, but things changed.
Even on easy mode, I struggled to one-shot many basic enemies with an upgraded weapon. However, this changed when I switched from my stick to a rifle. Ranged combat, especially with the right companions (more on that later), makes even the most annoying bosses much easier.
Weapon and Armor Mechanics
Weapons and armor in Avowed come in five tiers (Quality), starting from ‘Common’ to ‘Legendary’. Keep an eye on the icons over enemies’ heads, as they indicate what tier of weapon/armor is needed to fight them effectively. For instance, trying to defeat a ‘Fine’ enemy with a ‘Common’ weapon will feel like hitting with a wet noodle. Similarly, you’ll take more damage from higher-tier enemies compared to your armor. This system also applies to spell casting, so keep leveling up your favorite spells.
The tier of an item determines its damage and defense stats. Additionally, there are ‘unique’ items featuring special properties, with a progression system similar to regular weapons. If you find a unique weapon you like in the early game, you can keep it until the end by upgrading its quality, although eventually, it’s better to save upgrade materials for more powerful gear.
Companions and Team Play
Going on adventures alone is tough, and in a game like Avowed, you definitely want someone to make your journey through the Living Lands more enjoyable. You start with a random character whose only purpose is to guide you to Kai, your first ‘real’ companion. Kai is your typical goody-two-shoes, Marius is the stoic dwarf who’s seen a lot and is okay with morally questionable decisions, Giatta is your healer who loves to nerd out, and lastly, Yatzli is your damage-dealing wizard.
Kai instantly reminded me of Sarah Morgan from Starfield, and not in a positive way. He’s the tank of the party with self-revival abilities, which is super handy if you need someone to absorb damage. Giatta’s healing spells are useful when you’re low on healing items. Marius excels in single-target damage and has an AoE disable. Of the four companions, I found Yatzli’s spells the most effective as they sync well with my build.
You can only have two companions with you at a time, while the rest stay back at camp. There, you can chat with them, and depending on your actions in certain quests, you can unlock passive bonuses. Each companion boosts a different stat, so watch for dialogue prompts on your screen. Interestingly, you can’t romance any of your companions, which feels odd for an RPG.
Your companions are quite chatty and will frequently give you prompts during combat and unsolicited advice during puzzles. You can technically go solo, but I wouldn’t recommend it since Avowed is designed with team play in mind.
Final Thoughts
As a fantasy RPG, Avowed ranks among the best. It offers significant replay value, an engaging story, and rich lore, with plenty of potential for expansion. However, from a technical viewpoint, it has some shortcomings. Its crafting feels shallow and unfulfilling. Resources collected in the wild are primarily useful for immediate consumption or food items. There are only two tiers of gear, which offers little incentive to use non-unique items. Crafting gear is completely absent. I could elaborate more, but Avowed lacks the depth expected from a true RPG.
Obsidian obviously invested a lot of effort into the lore and storytelling, and I wish that level of care extended to other game aspects. This highlights the gap between a good game and a great one. While Avowed is enjoyable, it doesn’t quite reach greatness. It feels like a game from 2011 with modern elements mixed in. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it misses many quality-of-life features from both eras. Still, it’s worth experiencing at least twice for its plot and storyline. You can access it on Xbox Game Pass starting February 17 or today if you opt for the Deluxe Edition.
