After a long wait, Obsidian Entertainment finally brought players back to Eora with Avowed, the studio’s first major fantasy action RPG since Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in 2018. Obsidian is already known for Fallout: New Vegas, Grounded, and The Outer Worlds, so the expectations around Avowed were substantial. The game arrived on February 18, 2025, and by 2026 it has settled into the fantasy RPG conversation alongside heavy hitters like Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3. The pitch is simple: an envoy travels to the Living Lands to investigate a strange plague, but the real draw is a flexible combat system that lets players mix magic, swords, axes, bows, and early firearms.
🗓️ Release Date and Platforms
Avowed launched on February 18, 2025, after a small delay that pushed it out of a crowded late-2024 window. The game released simultaneously on Xbox Series X/S and PC, and PC players could grab it through the Xbox app, Battle.net, Steam, or Xbox Game Pass. Being a day-one Game Pass title was a huge deal because it meant subscribers could jump into the Living Lands without paying full price. Even in 2026, Game Pass remains one of the easiest ways to try the game, especially for players who are curious about Obsidian’s take on first-person fantasy combat.
💿 Editions and Preorder Bonuses
Avowed offered a few different editions despite being available on Game Pass from day one. The main reason to pay extra was early access, which let premium buyers start playing on February 13, five days before the official launch.
| Edition | Price | What Players Get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | $69.99 USD | Base game only |
| Digital Premium Edition | $89.99 USD | Base game, 5 days early access, two premium skin packs, digital artbook, soundtrack |
| Premium Edition Steelbook | Physical | All digital premium perks plus a steelbook, physical map, and developer letter |
A useful feature was the upgrade option. Anyone who bought the standard edition, even through Game Pass, could pay $24.99 later to unlock the premium extras and early access if it still applied. The two skin packs, the Eora Collection Set and the Obsidian Collection Set, gave players some cosmetic flair, but early access was clearly the biggest incentive.
📖 Story: The Dream Scourge and the Living Lands
The story sends players to the Living Lands as an envoy of the Aedyr Empire and its emperor. Their job is to investigate the Dream Scourge, a mysterious plague spreading through the region. Along the way, the protagonist discovers an unexpected personal connection to the problem, which suggests the mission is not as straightforward as it first appears. Obsidian has hinted that something deeper in the Living Lands may be causing the plague, and players will have to make choices that shape the outcome for better or worse.
Avowed shares its setting with Pillars of Eternity, so the world of Eora already has a deep foundation. One of the most important concepts in Eora is the Wheel, a cycle of rebirth in which souls are continuously reincarnated. Because souls were so central to the Pillars stories and to Eora itself, it is likely that souls play a major role in Avowed’s plot. The Living Lands themselves are a northern frontier that has not been explored in the previous two Pillars games. In-universe, they are still being settled by different factions, and the region is known for difficult terrain, undocumented creatures, and dangerous weather.
⚔️ Gameplay: Magic, Firearms, and Companions
Avowed moves away from the isometric CRPG style of Pillars of Eternity and gives players first-person and third-person camera options. Players still create a custom character with unique backgrounds and appearances, but the playable races are limited to human and elf because the protagonist comes from the Aedyr Empire. That restriction disappointed some fans who wanted to explore Eora’s wider range of fantasy races, but the character creator still offers a major twist: the main character is Godlike, meaning they have been blessed by one of the setting’s gods. Godlike characters often have unusual physical traits such as fungal growths or bird-like eyes, and their rarity usually makes them important to the story.
Combat is where Avowed tries to stand out. Players can switch between magic and weapons on the fly, combining spells with swords, axes, bows, and guns. One example from the first gameplay trailer showed a player freezing enemies with ice magic and then shattering them with an axe. That kind of flexibility encourages experimentation. To grow stronger, players unlock abilities through skill trees while upgrading their favorite weapons, so the loadout choices matter.
Companions are also part of the adventure. Up to two companion NPCs can join the player at a time, helping in combat and teaching new skills. However, players cannot romance any companions, so anyone expecting Baldur’s Gate 3-style love interests will be disappointed.
Avowed is not a seamless open-world game. Instead, the Living Lands are divided into connected zones that are openly explorable. Obsidian has compared this structure to The Outer Worlds and even Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. The goal is depth over sheer size, which fits the studio’s reputation for narrative and RPG systems.
🏁 Final Take for Players in 2026
For players looking back in 2026, Avowed is a strong choice if they enjoy fantasy worlds with layered lore and flexible combat. It may not be a massive open-world sandbox, but its connected zones offer plenty of exploration without feeling empty. Game Pass subscribers have an easy entry point, and the premium upgrade path means nobody is locked out of the extra content. At launch, critical reception was solid, with an OpenCritic average near 80 and a recommendation rate around 84 percent. The Living Lands bring a fresh frontier to Eora, and the mix of Godlike abilities, firearms, and traditional fantasy weapons gives Avowed a distinct identity among modern action RPGs.
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