One of the first decisions you’ll need to make in Avowed comes during the opening tutorial quest, On Strange Shores. While venturing through the jail cell, you will come across Ilora, who is locked uup. She will tell you her crew went mad, though she’ll also be highly aggressive to you, immediately making her unlikeable and untrustworthy.
So, the question is, do you free her? It’s a choice that has consequences both immediate and in the game’s first map, Dawnshore, so you’ll want to get it right. Then again, this is the first decision, so don’t expect a massive impact. It’s there to show you how your choices impact the world, so let’s dig into that impact.
Should You Free Ilora?
The first bit of information here is Ilora is telling the truth. The madness she speaks of is Dreamscourge, a major theme in the game. But does that men you should trust her? Again, the answer is yes. There are several advantages to helping Ilora, while leaving her to rot offers several disadvantages. First things first, there’s the immediate impact.
If you free Ilora, she will help you as you battle through the island. Things are quite easy, as it’s the tutorial, but every little helps – especially as you have pretty poor weapons here. On the flipside, if you leave Illora, she will break out, and by the time you reach the final combat arena, you will have to fight her. Once more, she’s not difficult, but does provide another annoyance against the ‘boss’ of the island, Steadman Ralke.
However, more interesting is the longer lasting impact. In Dawnshore, you can pick up the side quest Escape Plan from the Shanty Town. Here, an elderly couple will want help being smuggled out of town. After the first stage asks you to find plants and a deed, you’ll need to negotiate with smugglers. If you freed Ilora, she will be in the group of smugglers. This allows you to negotiate a peaceful solution with the smugglers.
If you killed Ilora, admitting this to the smugglers immediately starts combat. If you lie and say she perished to the Dreamscourge, or that you never found her, the smugglers believe you… but they won’t reach a peaceful solution and thus you will fight them.
The basic options are free Ilora and get her help in a later quest, or leave Ilora, be forced to fight her, and be forced to fight in a later quest.
Where To Find The Jail Key For Ilora?
Given the sensible solution is to free her, the next step is how. Thankfully, the key is nearby. Head up the boxes opposite the cells until you reach the next level. From here, head through the broken wall and turn right. You will come to a wooden floor. Attack it and you will drop down into a room with the key.
Grab it off the wall, unbar the door, and leave. This will lead you back to the room with the cells. Interact with Ilora’s door, and she’ll be free. You can also open the cell next to her then crawl through the wall to find Deerskin Gloves.