What you need to know
- Avowed is an upcoming first-person RPG from Obsidian set to release in Fall 2024.
- A video just dropped on Xbox's YouTube channel with more gameplay and discussion on the game mechanics.
- The game is shaping up nicely and should make a great addition to Game Pass for Xbox and PC players.
Avowed was one of the highlights of the recent Xbox Developer Direct, yet maybe Xbox was worried the fantastic reveal of Indian Jones and the Great Circle gameplay overshadowed it.
So today, it released a 25-minute bonus episode of the Official Xbox Podcast where Carrie Patel, Avowed's Game Director, and Gabe Paramo, the Gameplay Director, sat down with Xbox's Jeff Rubenstein and Tina Amini to talk Avowed.
What new information did we learn from the Avowed Extended Gameplay Breakdown with Obsidian?
I recommend giving the video a watch. While a lot of the gameplay from the Developer Direct is being reused here, there seem to be some new gameplay scenes in the video.
The main things discussed during the video were Combat and Weapon load-outs, Using spells for crowd control, and elemental damage—also the importance of branching dialogue in Obsidian games and companions.
There seem to be a few types of weapons in the game, and they didn't mention Grimoires, which is exciting for players who want a more magic-focused gameplay option outside of just using wands. The developers also mentioned that there will be weapons with different elemental types and buffs or stats.
They mention that it's easy to respec and try out different builds and gameplay types.
Is there a skill tree in Avowed?
Avowed's gameplay director, Gabe Paramo, confirmed that Avowed has skill trees. Gabe emphasized that they don't want players to feel stuck in one role, and they built the skill tree to reflect that.
One of the things we have done in terms of skills and the tree is, we've tried to you know, Pillars is classes, right? We've wanted to try to grab as many abilities from the trees as possible and sort of categorize them a little differently so that the player doesn't feel like they are locked into a single choice at the start of the game. They can kind of mix and match [...] between different abilities.
Gabe Paramo
This is a good design decision in my opinion. It is always fun to try to mix class abilities together make a knight enchanter or other hybrid class.
What other exciting news did we learn from the Avowed deep dive video?
Another exciting thing discussed is that the alpha gameplay area takes place in Shatterscarp, where the companion Kai is from.
There will be companions who are your traveling partners in your journey throughout the Living Lands. The companions are your allies, advisors, and local guides to certain areas. Kai has a deep history with Shatterscarp. The gameplay shown in the video takes place in Shatterscarp Companions, where your allies are in battle. Kai is a tank-type of character and can taunt enemies. Giatta is a healer. It was also confirmed that there are more companions than just Kai and Giatta.
How is Avowed looking?
I'm excited for Avowed. I enjoyed the world of Outer Worlds, and my recent escapades in Baldur's Gate 3 excite me to get back into another deep fantasy RPG. I'm slightly concerned about how the combat looks, but at worst, it will probably feel like Skyrim, which I can live with. I think the environments look great, but I think a lot will hinge on the story and sucking the player in.
It's great Xbox is willing to show more of the game. It seems to be coming along well, and while some aren't sure that it will hit Fall 2024, the fact they were willing to show more and discuss testing of the game makes me think it's likely just going through final revisions and polish. The game will be launching on Xbox Game Pass later this year, and there has never been a better time to be an Xbox gamer as Game Pass games like Palworld keep on delivering.
Are you excited to play Avowed? What do you want to see in the game? Let us know in the comments.
