What to Expect From Avowed in 2025

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 19, 2024 2 Views 10 Min Read
What to Expect From Avowed in 2025

Summary

  • Avowed, a first-person fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, offers unique combat systems and open-world exploration.
  • Scheduled for release on February 18, 2025, Avowed promises a fresh take on Obsidian RPGs with an emphasis on player agency.
  • While post-launch content for Avowed is unconfirmed, Obsidian’s history suggests substantial support could be expected.



Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipated fantasy RPG, Avowed, is nearly here, aiming to offer fans of the developer’s past work something unique and yet familiar. Set in the same universe as Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity series, Avowed takes players to the Living Lands of Eora, where they have been sent by the Aedyr Empire to investigate a mysterious plague known as the Dream Scourge. Based on what has been revealed so far, Avowed is chock-full of content for players to discover, including an expansive world, new characters to befriend, a robust combat system, and more.

Avowed might have been originally set for release this year, near the end of 2024, but now that it has been moved to early next year, there is plenty in store for fans of the highly anticipated fantasy RPG in 2025. Not only will Avowed be offering gameplay elements that are unique to the Obsidian brand, but there is plenty of reason to believe that its legacy will continue on throughout the year, in light of the developer’s history with post-launch content. That being said, Obsidian has yet to confirm whether Avowed will receive substantial post-launch support apart from regular updates and any fixes that are necessary for the game to perform well.


Avowed character back with logo

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Avowed Is Slated for a February 2025 Release

Avowed Is Launching on February 18, 2025 Alongside Many Other Big Titles

Avowed was initially slated for a Fall 2024 release but was delayed, with Obsidian revealing its intentions were to provide players with some “breathing room” amidst a crowded release schedule. Ironically, Avowed‘s new release date of February 18, 2025 puts it right in the middle of one of the most crowded release windows in gaming history, meaning perhaps avoiding the shadow of other highly anticipated titles just wasn’t in the cards for Obsidian’s upcoming RPG. That being said, there is still time between now and February 18 for Obsidian to change Avowed‘s release date once again, by either moving it up or delaying it.

Warhorse Studios’
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
was recently moved up a week, likely in an attempt to get ahead of the busy release schedule, though the developer never explicitly stated the reasoning for the change.


Among February 2025’s most notable releases are Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on February 4, Civilization 7 on February 11, Assassin’s Creed Shadows on February 14, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on February 21, and Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28. In defense of Avowed‘s new release date, the game could have enough to stand out in the crowd, given how unique its fantasy, almost Fable-like setting is in comparison to the rest of February 2025’s games. However, being an RPG, it may still have both Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii to deal with.

Avowed’s Combat and Exploration Are Unique for an Obsidian Title

Fortunately, Avowed isn’t a typical RPG experience for Obsidian, as it innovates on the most fundamental elements of the developer’s portfolio with some unique methods for enhancing player engagement and agency. Firstly, Avowed‘s roots and setting distinguish it from Obsidian’s more recent success, The Outer Worlds, since it is a first-person take on the fantasy world established by Pillars of Eternity.


However, Avowed‘s combat is also a step in a different direction for the developer, with a more flexible system than past Obsidian games that allows players to mix and match weapons and magic across both hands, offering combinations like wielding an axe in one hand and casting spells with a grimoire in the other. Ultimately, Avowed‘s combat system allows for more diverse playstyles than have ever been present in an Obsidian game, emphasizing an unprecedented amount of player agency for the developer.

Fortunately,
Avowed
isn’t a typical RPG experience for Obsidian, as it innovates on the most fundamental elements of the developer’s portfolio with some unique methods for enhancing player engagement and agency.


Avowed‘s quests and exploration are also unique for the developer, both of which also rely heavily on the choices that players make and expect players to make as many of their own choices as possible. Avowed‘s world features interconnected open areas for players to explore, all of which have been intentionally designed, not just to encourage exploration, but to encourage players to feel safe engaging with the world at their own pace and in the way they see fit. Avowed‘s quests couple with exploration in this way, letting players approach almost every quest in multiple ways.

Gears of War E Day with Perfect Dark and Everwild and Xbox logo

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Avowed Could See Post-Launch Content Added at a Later Date

While news of post-launch content for Avowed hasn’t been disclosed by Obsidian just yet, it’s possible to speculate on what could be coming to the game after its February 18 release next year, based on the developer’s history with post-launch content. Obsidian Entertainment has a strong track record of supporting its games with substantial post-launch content, so the same could very well be true for Avowed. For example, The Outer Worlds was expanded after its release with two significant DLCs, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, both of which introduced new storylines, quests, areas, and characters.


Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity series, which Avowed is rooted in, also received substantial post-launch support. The first Pillars of Eternity, for instance, received a two-part expansion, The White March, which added new regions, quests, companions, and an increased level cap to the base game. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire received similar support, with multiple post-launch DLCs that introduced a plethora of new content to the base game. Needless to say, in light of Obsidian’s history with post-launch content, Avowed may be receiving the same level of support, though it’s important to remember that has yet to be confirmed.

With
Avowed
launching so early in 2025, there is plenty of time left in the year for it to receive post-launch content, should Obsidian decide to go that route.


For now, Avowed continues marching on toward its highly competitive 2025 release window, with firm plans to set itself apart, no matter which other games it shares that launch window with. With plenty of unique RPG elements and a distinctive take on Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity formula, it could be enough to stand out in the crowd and begin a new tale for the developer. Whether or not Avowed avoids the shadow of other big titles in February 2025, its emphasis on player agency and fantasy adventure may still ensure its spot on the list of 2025’s greatest achievements.

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