How Avowed Takes a Fantasy Staple to the Next Level

Even ahead of Avowed‘s launch, there was nothing prettier than its magic combat. As spells would fling out of the end of a wand or the player character’s hand would rise up, causing a magical explosion to erupt from the ground, it was reasonable to expect jaws to be on the floor in amazement at the light show they were bearing witness to. Then, Avowed released, letting its magic combat be experienced by the masses for the first time, and it hasn’t disappointed. While the melee combat in Avowed has plenty of things going for it, the game’s magic combat supersedes it in a number of ways.

It’s not just that Avowed‘s magic combat is more powerful or flashier, however, as that is generally the case in any RPG that features spellcasting. It’s more so that Avowed‘s magic combat takes that fantasy staple to the next level — yes, visually, but also mechanically. Not only can players use the power of magic to manipulate the environment in Avowed, they can also dual-wield different magical tools and weapons, each of which rely on unique characteristics to keep the game’s magic combat feeling diverse at all times.

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Avowed Takes Magic to the Next Level

Avowed’s Magic Lets Players Interact With the Environment in Unique Ways

One rather significant way Avowed‘s magic combat takes the fantasy staple to the next level is the ability it gives players to interact with the environment in unique ways. Using an ice spell on water in Avowed, for instance, will create a block of ice players can use to more easily cross said water. Of course, Avowed isn’t the first game to involve this type of mechanic in its gameplay, as even games as early as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time allowed players to create a path of ice on water in order to traverse it. However, this isn’t necessarily common in fantasy RPGs, and Avowed does even more than that.

Players can also use an electric spell on water to create an AoE shock effect that will briefly stun anything in the water. Unlike the aforementioned freezing mechanic, this is something that is even less common in fantasy RPGs, making Avowed unique within its classification. Then again, it does implement classic fire-based environmental mechanics that allow players to burn away vines that might be blocking a passage. Even if this particular interaction is more common, though, it still shows Avowed‘s willingness to let its magic go beyond the confines of combat.

Avowed’s Magic Lets Players Dual-Wield Wands and Grimoires

Something else that sets Avowed‘s magic apart is the fact that players can dual-wield wands and grimoires if they choose to. This allows for some personalized and powerful spell combinations, and that’s even further impacted by the fact that wands and grimoires in Avowed are all unique. In other words, wands aren’t just static tools, but all come with unique stats and abilities, and grimoires are the same way. This increases the potential for build diversity in Avowed, which has long been marketed as one of its strong points.

Magic may have been able to put on a show ahead of Avowed‘s launch, and it may still be doing that, but it doesn’t settle for being a flashy, high-damage alternative to melee. Instead, Avowed‘s magic encourages players to find creative solutions to problems by using it to manipulate the environment when the route seems impassable. On top of that, Avowed‘s magic allows for more build diversity than many other fantasy RPGs offer, setting it apart in an increasingly crowded space.

Game

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Systems

Released

February 18, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios