Avowed is set to let us dual-wield wands like, in the words of gameplay director Gabriel Paramo, a "gun-slinging mage". If that isn't enough to put some magic into Obsidian's upcoming fantasy RPG, then the setting and amount of player choice it appears to boast just might. In the latest Xbox Developer Direct 2024, we, at long last, got a closer look at the new Pillars of Eternity universe-set adventure, and alongside the beautiful and diverse landscapes on show, the deep dive continued to reiterate how much freedom and choice we'll have to pave our own way through the world in the Living Lands.
And as we saw in the latest look, how we fight against the many dangers of Eora is one way we'll be able to do just that. Ever since Avowed was first announced, its first-person combat has been a big point of interest. The initial teaser showed off a combination of swordplay and magic, with a later gameplay reveal giving us glimpses of axes and different abilities in motion. But this is the first time we've gotten a detailed overview, with Paramo guiding us through some of the different loadouts at our disposal. Above all, the way it's referred to as a "flexible combat system" is the real music to my ears. It once again puts emphasis on the fact that, as Paramo said, "the team's overarching goal is to empower you with choice".
Mix and match
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In many ways, the combat gives me Skyrim vibes, and that's not a bad thing. One aspect that I've always enjoyed about Bethesda's RPG is the way you can mix up your arsenal, wielding both weapons and magic, or even having two different spells going in either hand. And when it comes to Avowed's "flexible combat system", there are some similarities that could be drawn between the Dragonborn's mission and here, not least the way it lets you "mix and match your loadout". But it also looks to have a bit more variety, with some neat abilities and weapon types to play around with.
As Paramo intros going into the combat section, the system is part of the team's goals to bring us player choice, with it letting you "quickly swap from spellcasting and sharpshooting, to melee combat." We get to see this in action, with a variety of combinations on display, from conventional loadouts such as a sword and shield or bow, alongside some more unique duos such as the aforementioned dual-wands that flick spells, and a shield and pistol mishmash. We even get to see some of the abilities, such as a 'Tanglefoot' power that fuses enemies to the ground with vines not unlike the Entangle spell in Baldur's Gate 3.
Personally, I'd like to see what it would be like to use a pistol and wand combo, firing out magic and bullets in a lethal fusion. But I love the fact that we can chop and change our set up, with the freedom to customize our loadouts in order to "play however you want". When it comes to RPGs, I often appreciate those that have a bit more tailorability when it comes to combat so you can find your groove, and I can already see myself experimenting to discover the set up I enjoy the most in the Living Lands.
Gray area
Choice doesn't just begin and end at combat, though. As game director Carrie Patel reveals, "players will have ample choices for how to build and progress their Envoy in the world of the Living Lands as they get to know the game and the story and explore the many diverse regions", and that also extends to quests. While there's still some mystery surrounding the central story of the game, some quests in Avowed will "have you make difficult decisions with profound consequences". We only get to see one side quest example during the Xbox Developer Direct, where an encounter with some bodies of fallen soldiers is said to lead us to have to determine "who, if anyone, is at fault."
It's hard to say just how profound these consequences will be from the short example, but if anything is going to speak to me in an RPG, it's the idea that we won't always know what the "right choice is". As Patel goes on to highlight, Obsidian is embracing "moral nuisance and gray areas", meaning that it'll be left up to us to make "tough decisions in complicated situations" that might not always be so cut and dry. I'm interested to see what Avowed does with this idea, particularly because of Obsidian's past offerings such as Fallout: New Vegas that included a karma system - making the idea of good and bad a little more tangible.
It's still early days, and there's plenty of questions hanging in the air about how Avowed will shape up when it launches this fall, but I'm already looking forward to having the chance to sink my teeth into a new fantasy RPG in 2024 – particularly one that seemingly focuses on player choice.
Here's all of the upcoming Obsidian games in the works.
