Why Avowed Doesn’t Feature Traditional Classes

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 10, 2025 143 Views 5 Min Read
Why Avowed Doesn't Feature Traditional Classes



The RPG genre seems to be doing everything in its power lately to change the way it approaches traditional character classes, and Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed will be one of the latest attempts at that once it launches on February 18. Rather than relying on the limited range of playstyles offered by classic RPG classes, Avowed won’t feature traditional classes at all, and there happens to be a compelling reason for that.

Recently, Game Rant had the chance to interview game director Carrie Patel about Avowed‘s approach to character classes. During the interview, Patel disclosed some intriguing information about Obsidian’s deliberate choice to remove traditional classes from Avowed entirely, including why the decision was made in the first place.

Avowed Trades Traditional Classes for Increased Player Agency

Avowed Wants Its Players to Be in Charge of Their Journey

One of the main reasons there has been such a push for the reinvention of traditional RPG classes is an increased desire for more player power and the limitations that said classes place on players. While keeping game elements like character classes within a box can sometimes lead to a more accessible experience, trends in the industry have proven that players desire freedom in gameplay beyond predefined constraints now more than ever. After all, video games are getting bigger, and so too are players’ eyes.

This is ultimately where Avowed‘s approach to character classes comes in, as it hopes to walk alongside that evolution. When asked about why Avowed chose to go the direction of not locking players down to a specific class, Patel replied,

“What we did instead is give players the freedom to make their character be whatever they want them to be. You can still go into the game with a specific character type in mind and make that character and play it that way, end to end. However, being locked into a single style is the player’s choice and not ours.”

It’s a bold step for an RPG, though it’s not the first to implement a system like this. For example, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, which Avowed was initially inspired by, doesn’t lock players down to a specific class and instead allows them to shape their character according to the skills they unlock. While Avowed‘s development saw it eventually becoming a more structured experience than it originally intended, it still maintained the freedom offered by Skyrim‘s class system. However, it wasn’t always that way.

Avowed’s Classes Evolved Throughout Development

“We actually started with defined classes, true to the old Pillars games, and they were part of the game for a while,” Patel said. Avowed being set in the same universe as Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity series might have squashed the freedom players will now get to shape their character in the way they see fit, but that’s no longer the case, showing the developer’s efforts to make Avowed a standalone game that doesn’t force Pillars of Eternity onto its players. Patel continued,

“You’re free to change things up and evolve your character in new directions as you get new gear if you are inclined. The classic RPG roles define the spectrum of choice and the player is free to find any point within it they like.”

Offering players a more guided tour of the gameplay space can lead to a more accessible experience, but so can allowing them to go on a self-guided tour. RPG enthusiasts may prefer the traditional approach to character classes, but newcomers may find that system too restrictive. By emphasizing flexibility and experimentation, Avowed somewhat lowers the barrier to entry while offering depth to those who want it. Ultimately, this is all a part of Obsidian’s plan to put player agency at the forefront of Avowed‘s game design and could be a significant part of what carries it through to success in the end.

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