Avowed is an upcoming fantasy RPG from developer Obsidian Entertainment. It's been two years since we first learned of its existence at the E3 2020 Bethesda showcase, and aside from knowing that it's part of the Pillars of Eternity universe, information on this upcoming Xbox Series X games is still rather sparse
Still, it's an exciting time for the Fallout: New Vegas developer. Avowed isn't the only game on the studio's roster, being just one of a few upcoming Obsidan game alongside the likes of The Outer Worlds 2, but it's certainly an intriguing one. Judging from the reveal trailer, Avowed takes place in the fantasy world of Eora and features a unique magic-based combat system. With an estimated release window of Q4 2024, it's not one of the new games for 2023 to look out for. That doesn't mean there's nothing for us to delve deeper into, however, so join us for a spell as we break down everything you need to know about Avowed.
What is Avowed?
Avowed is a new IP from Obsidian, revealed during the July 2021 Xbox Games Showcase. It appears to be a first-person RPG similar to Skyrim, with rune-based magic powers and sword combat confirmed by the short teaser trailer. It's set in the land of Eora, the same setting Obsidian used for its RPG Pillars of Eternity.
Job listings found in September of 2019 for Obsidian’s next AAA project talked about "combat actions utilising both first and third-person animations," with "branching dialogue" and "day/night cycles". This puts the game in league with Obsidian’s former RPGs such as The Outer Worlds and Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords.
Avowed release date and platforms
We’re yet to hear about a potential release date for Avowed since its initial reveal in 2021. We do however know that the first-person RPG is set to arrive on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass when it does launch.
Avowed trailer - What can we learn?
The very first Avowed trailer showcased at the E3 2021 Xbox event introduced us to a varied medieval landscape, starting in a war-torn castle owned by an empire of queens and kings “that has always known war”. According to the narration, this empire has now fallen into a state of disrepair, losing its oaths and giving rise to an unseen antagonistic force.
The game’s villainous monsters (skeletons are confirmed!) were apparently born of the sins of this empire, and the player character will face them over the course of the game. The question left by the end of the trailer - “Is an oath worth the weight of a crown?” - suggests that the player’s destiny may be that of royalty, and they might have to confront and question their fate as they rebuild the fallen empire.
Avowed setting explained
One of the details we do know about Avowed is that it’s set in the fantasy world of Eora, which is the world upon which Pillars of Eternity is set. Pillars of Eternity is another RPG franchise from Obsidian, though it is a more traditional isometric party-based game, billed as a spiritual successor to titles like Baldur’s Gate and the Planescape series.
Pillars of Eternity received a sequel in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in 2018, which further developed the lore of Eora. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check the franchise out if you’re excited about Avowed, so you can ground yourself in the lore of this fantasy world.
Sleuths on Reddit have found some small tidbits that give us a better idea of the premise behind Avowed. According to this post, the flag seen in the Avowed trailer is related to Woedica, a deity also known as “Oathbinder” who shaped Eora but was killed by the other gods who conspired against her for being too powerful.
Woedica is one of the faiths held by the Aedyr Empire, a nation within the world of Eora that may be where the game takes place. The story of Woedica lines up with the narrative of the trailer, where the protagonist is confronting a destiny of broken oaths, a fallen empire, and potential royalty.
Interestingly enough, the translated Aedyran runes on the sword seen in the trailer spit out “Oathbinder,” according to a Reddit post.
The fact that the combat is sword and magic-based suggests it may be a medieval prequel to Pillars of Eternity, which includes more renaissance modes of combat such as flintlock pistols and crossbows. The existence of musket-like firearms has been hinted at, too, but with little more to go on than a two year-old trailer, this remains to be seen or confirmed by the developer.
Avowed rumours
Although a ResetEra leak in 2020 hinted that the developer was aiming for a late 2022 to early 2023 launch, YouTube user eXtas1s supposedly leaked that Avowed has been given a ballpark release window of sometime in Q4 2024 (via Comicbook.com). This means the game might be slated to launch anytime between April to June 2024, but being a leak from an unconfirmed "insider", we can't know for certain.
While details from Obsidian and Microsoft on Avowed have been scarce, the aforementioned post from ResetEra user Sponger back in 2020 made a number of bold claims that we’re going to sum up below. Just make sure you take this with a heavy pinch of salt, as without corroboration these claims are unsubstantiated. Their tip about the release date didn't turn out to be true after all, but for all we know, it might have been Obsidian's initial goal. Good food for thought, regardless!
According to Sponger, the game will be fully open-world and “much larger than Skyrim.” The leaker says the game will be set in The Living Lands of Eora, and feature a real-time weather system, as well as mod support.
Players will apparently be able to have companions, fight “very large” bosses, and deal with gods while fighting against the “incoming threat of tyranny” which frames the narrative. The dialogue will also supposedly be dynamic, and the leaker claims Obsidian is planning to allow players the ability to “kill everyone in the game.“
Sponger claims that as of July 2020, the game had been in development for two years and seven months, with “around 100 people” working on it with scope to grow.
Check out the best Xbox Series X games to play while we await more news on Avowed.
