Avowed Isn’t Obsidian’s Elder Scrolls, It’s A 3-D Pillars Of Eternity

The comparisons drawn between Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming role-playing game Avowed and the legendary Elder Scrolls series make sense. They’re both high-fantasy RPGs where you can toggle between first and third-person perspectives with combat that boils down to battering (or shooting) the various creatures you encounter into submission.

However, this is a reductive point of view and doesn’t reflect the priorities of either Bethesda or Obsidian. Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3 were fairly distinct experiences despite being created on the same engine with largely the same assets. It’s a narrative that’s been done to death but it’s all because of the difference in design philosophy. As Bethesda continues to pursue increased action in its games, Obsidian has continuously put roleplaying elements at the forefront of its releases.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is one of my favourite ever games; I successfully lobbied to include it in our best RPGs list. The world of Eora is infinitely interesting, with all of the factions, deities, characters, history and locations that make you want to explore a compelling fantasy world.

Eora Returns

Avowed will maintain the roleplaying-first gameplay that Obsidian has cultivated, but also leverage the experience the studio gained from working on a more action-oriented game like The Outer Worlds. The dialogue system in Avowed has been transplanted straight from Pillars of Eternity, and I wouldn’t be shocked if a fair few skills and spells are also being re-used.

I was extremely excited when I saw the recent story trailer and gameplay deep dive released by Obsidian following Summer Game Fest. We finally got some information on Avowed’s setting, narrative and key characters. Interestingly, game director Carrie Patel confirmed the player-character is “definitely a Godlike.”

Our character has been sent to the Living Lands by the Aedyr Empire to eradicate a malady known as the Dreamscourge, a degenerative plague of sorts. We hear from two characters in the story trailer. First, Inquisitor Lodwyn, a Woedican zealot (who appeared in Deadfire) wants the player to “tame the chaos of the Living Lands.” Then, one of your companions Giatta is more in favour of allowing the Living Lands to remain in a state of natural chaos.

This is classic Obsidian, we’re getting a factional power struggle combined with a main character fantasy. It’s reminiscent of Tyranny where you are tasked as an envoy of an all-powerful being with sorting out a rebellious region. There’s going to be a high level of player agency in Avowed, and I imagine that’s going to bring with it impactful, world-changing choices.

Avowed is another Pillars of Eternity, but in a more popular RPG subgenre and with a name that reflects this difference. It’s going to have all of that rich world-building and narrative goodness, just seen from a different perspective. As a fan of the genre as a whole, this suits me fine. Also, seeing an Orlan like Yatzli rendered in this engine is hilarious and necessary.

I understand why Avowed isn’t Pillars of Eternity 3, but I’m confident it’s going to hit those same narrative highs.

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