Avowed is shaping up to be one of the best games in 2024
What you need to know
Avowed is the next big RPG coming from Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and other popular RPGs (among other titles).
Often thought of as Obsidian's take on The Elder Scrolls, Avowed will feature a wide variety of magic spells, melee weapons, and ranged armaments for players to combo together in their loadouts, along with a nuanced dialogue system.
Avowed will be an Xbox console exclusive and will be available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam. As an exclusive, it will also be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass. It will be launching in 2024.
Meet Giatta, one of the four companions you’ll encounter during your adventures. Discover the Dreamscourge and its devastating impact on the region. Take a peek at the factions at play and the choices you’ll face as you forge your destiny.
One of the biggest Xbox console exclusives releasing in 2024 is Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, a new IP built in the studio's existing Pillars of Eternity universe. Earlier this year, we got a deep dive into its world design, combat mechanics, and dialogue systems, along with confirmation of a Fall 2024 release window; now, thanks to a brand new trailer shown during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, we got to see more of its story and characters.
Avowed is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC in Fall 2024, and like all Xbox exclusives, it will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass as well as Xbox Cloud Gaming for those who subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can watch the new trailer for it below:
Avowed is set in a new region of the world of Eora called The Living Lands, where players will fill the shoes of an Aedyr Empire representative sent to investigate a mysterious arcane plague sweeping through the land. In many ways, the game looks like Obsidian's take on Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls, with a diverse array of magic spells, ranged weapons, and melee armaments available to wield and combo together as you see fit; with that said, expect Avowed to have more nuanced questing and options for dialogue choice, similar to other Obsidian RPGs like The Outer Worlds and perhaps even Fallout: New Vegas.
Avowed sports a stylized, but detailed art direction that seems to blend the vibrant with the gloomy and everything between, which will hopefully result in diverse and varied environments for players to explore. Overall, though, the aesthetic seems far more bright and colorful than not, which is a bit of a shift from what we first saw of the game back when it was teased in 2020.
From Xbox Wire
From Xbox Wire:
In Avowed, as the envoy sent directly by the Aedyran emperor, your adventure kicks off in Paradis, the bustling port city at the heart of the Living Lands. This vibrant hub has been shaped and reshaped by generations of pioneers, each leaving their mark, often in blood, on the Living Lands. It’s also the epicenter of tension between Aedyran forces and the locals, who are suspicious of Aedyr’s growing presence.
Rumors and hysteria have also begun to bubble up in Paradis surrounding the Dreamscourge – a mysterious plague of the soul – as it afflicts people, animals, and even the land itself. No one knows how it spreads, but many have come to recognize and dread the symptoms: first, victims experience confusion, disorientation, and hallucinations. As it worsens, they become unpredictable and erratic in their behavior, as if trapped in a waking nightmare. In the final stage, they turn into violent “Dreamthralls,” their bodies twisted with fungal growths and their minds and souls overtaken by the plague.
Watching our newest trailer, you’ll hear three distinct voices speaking to you. First is your emperor, who believes the Dreamscourge could develop, if unchecked, into a dire threat to Aedyr. He sends you into this wild frontier to uncover the source of the plague and put an end to it. Inquisitor L?dwyn, the leader of the Steel Garrote – an extremist paladin order from Aedyr – believes there’s something more sinister at play and calls on you not only to eradicate the Dreamscourge, but also to bring the island’s unruly factions to heel. Meanwhile, your companion Giatta perceives a larger and more mysterious force at work in the land and urges you to embrace it in all of its awe and chaos. As a stranger to these shores, you’ll need to navigate your relationship with all three of these factions, work to uncover the source of the Dreamscourge and prevent it from plunging the Living Lands into madness.
Supporting you on your journey are four companions, including Giatta. A brilliant and outspoken animancer who studies soul energy, she has endured suspicion and ire for her work. But like you, she desperately seeks a solution to the Dreamscourge. She’s a vital ally who will help you understand the unique metaphysical ecosystem of the Living Lands.
But remember, the Dreamscourge is not the only thing you are up against. Tensions simmer between the locals and Aedyr, and the island itself seems to be rebelling against itself.
Obsidian's next big adventure is almost here
I've always been a huge fan of Obsidian's — New Vegas, in particular, is one of my favorite games of all time — and I've been looking forward to the studio's next big RPG ever since The Outer Worlds back in 2019. Avowed has me especially excited since I've been searching for something to fill the Elder Scrolls-shaped void in my heart, and it's exciting to know that it's just a few short months away now.
While not everyone will love the visual style that the developer's gone with, I think it looks great, and the way Avowed seems to encourage you to put together creative battlemage-style loadouts is activating all the neurons in my build crafting-addict brain. Here's hoping it lives up to the hype.
The latest gameplay trailer has me more excited than ever
Seriously, this looks great. I know there were some complaints after the game's initial reveal about how it looked, but now it looks awesome. Given how this game looks, I won't understand any complaints going forward about the game's presentation! I will argue with each and every one of you!
From the combat to the rich telling, the game is shaping up to potentially be one of the best games in 2024. I'm making my pitch right now to the editors of Windows Central. Can I please be the one to review this one? Pretty, pretty, please? (This is Michael, Brendan, and I co-wrote this piece).
From the story trailer, the Living Lands is yours to protect, and your choices will shape its destiny. "Choose your side," blasted across the screen; I'm eager to be a little evil menace. Another small snippet that people may not have caught was the reveal of the third-person perspective. An absolute must for RPG fans.
Avowed will be released sometime in 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, or you can play it on day one with an Xbox Game Pass.
