WARNING: Some Major spoilers for Avowed ahead
As I withdrew my one-handed legendary axe from one of the final foes in Avowed, I felt a feeling of satisfaction… and disappointment. My journey through The Living Lands had come to an end. I'd made peace with my God, Sapadal, releasing her from eternal torment. I'd stopped the Dreamscourge, looted what felt like a thousand treasure chests and lockboxes, and killed my fair share of monsters and people. But as soon as I saw the credits roll, I wanted to play it again. Straight away.
Like many RPGs, Avowed encourages repeated playthroughs thanks to the customizable character you play. You can develop different skill sets and choose from a range of dialogue options, all dependent – or not – on the type of Envoy you want to be. While the paths and combat builds I hadn't yet explored were calling to me, there was one choice I'd inadvertently made in my first run that continued to haunt me. So, with the chance to make amends for my past wrongs, I dived right back in all over again.
A different approach
As a player, it's easy to slip into old habits in combat, but Avowed encourages the continued customization of your favorite weapon. Soon, nothing you discover in the wilds will match up to that Exceptional Sword you've been studiously upgrading back at camp. But back to that aforementioed legendary axe: I loved that weapon. Sure, it's slower than a sword and less powerful than a Great Hammer, but it accompanied me throughout my adventure, the blood of a thousand enemies staining its blade.
My ranged weapon of choice was the two-handed Arquebus, and I continually upgraded both with the broken-down parts of other weapons, including Grimoires. Apart from that one scene in the opening chapter where the game forces you to use a Grimoire to burn off foliage, I didn't wield magic once in Avowed. I needed a Wizard build.
Magic users in Avowed follow a similar pattern to other RPGs – they're initially vulnerable before the levelling up of their skills makes them even more potent than their warrior comrades. And the magic in Avowed is glorious, a cascade of lethal color (much like the rest of the game), fire, ice and lightning spells leaping forth from the caster's hand.
But it's not just the magic that got me jumping back into Dawnshore. While getting to grips with Avowed's gameplay systems, I was acutely aware that I had rushed it, not taking the time to explore or realizing that Obisdian's RPG rewards mooching about. Apart from those valuable herbs, almost every nook and cranny hides a secret, whether it's the poor unfortunate victim of a hazing ritual, a mysteriously unclaimed backpack or a glowing chest containing weapons, gold and more. Somehow, I even missed those three merchants bunched together in a mini high street as I stepped off Ilora's boat. What a nimdut.
Hidden consequences
My biggest reason for immediately starting over, however, was a cave, sneakily concealed behind a waterfall and a throwaway remark from an NPC. During the Steel Resolve quest, the Envoy travels around Emerald Stair searching for a traitor within the ranks of the local Rangers. Their investigation leads them to the cliffs just west of the region's major city, Fior Mes Ivèrno.
Here is the conspirator, Ranger Dorso, who's been helping the Steel Garrote to establish a foothold in Emerald Stair. After a brief chat, Dorso explains her somewhat misguided reasoning for assisting the Garrote – she believes an Aedyran occupation will fix Emerald Stair's problems – and reveals the location of a hidden detachment of Steel Garrote soldiers in a nearby cave.
I didn't investigate immediately and made a mental note to return to the cave later. We're used to people and events just hanging around in RPGs, waiting for the player character to wander back whenever they feel like it. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Fior Mes Ivèrno, while I was busy investigating Naku Tedek, the Garrote made its move, utterly obliterating the city.
Look, I was busy, OK? I had about a million and one things to do, weapons to upgrade, people to talk to, and I forgot to visit the cave. Hours later, when I emerged from the underground ruins of Naku Tedek, a raging inferno greeted my party, causing high distress for Fior Mes Ivèrno citizen Giatta in particular. And I was distressed, too – how could I have let this happen? Forgetting to put the bins out is one thing – this was serious.
In effect, beyond the initial chaos, the principal issue was being unable to visit Fior Mes Ivèrno, its traders and bounty master. The main population, fearful of further attacks from the Garrote, still abandon the city, their destination guided by the Envoy. I never lost my guilt, and just as I was beginning to forget the slip, a character would mention the destruction of Fior Mes Ivèrno, blending the Aedyran Empire and Steel Garrote into one despicable enemy, and the remorse would come rushing back.
Understandably, I wanted to right my wrong as quickly as possible, so I dove straight back into Avowed, determined to eradicate that group of Steel Garrote at the earliest opportunity. Maybe I'll also let that nice Sapadal merge with me this time – what could go wrong?
