The year 2026 finds many adventurers still captivated by the haunting beauty and peril of Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed. The sprawling, mystical world of Eora continues to beckon, and few moments in the journey carry the weight of the Siege of Paradis. Arriving in Dawnshore, the Envoy is met not with the settlement's usual tranquility but with a sky choked by smoke and the distant glow of flames—a grim testament that catastrophe has struck The Garden in their absence. The air itself feels heavy with urgency and despair, signaling that the time for observation has passed; the time for decisive, world-altering action has begun. This pivotal chapter forces every Watcher to confront the very soul of the Living Lands and choose its destiny.
The discovery that Paradis is under a brutal assault by the fanatical Steel Garrote sends a shockwave through any adventurer. Rushing toward the embattled settlement, the scene is one of organized chaos. Makeshift tents house displaced citizens, while at the heart of the turmoil, the community's leaders and the Aedyr ambassador stand locked in a tense strategic council. Approaching this gathering is not a mere formality; it is the precipice upon which the future of the region balances. The Envoy's next words will echo far beyond this moment, determining alliances, severing bonds, and charting a course toward a final, inevitable confrontation. The Siege of Paradis presents a stark, binary crossroads with profound, cascading consequences.
The Path of the Steel Garrote: A Lonely Conquest
Choosing to side with Inquisitor Lodwyn and the Steel Garrote is a decision that resonates with immediate and brutal finality. It is a declaration that reshapes the Envoy's world in an instant:
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The Ultimate Betrayal: Every single companion, those who have fought alongside you through countless dangers, will abandon you. Their departure isn't silent; it's a visceral rejection of your chosen path, leaving you truly alone.
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Political Isolation: All the leaders of Paradis and the ambassador become hostile. They refuse further dialogue, their trust shattered beyond repair. You become an outsider in the very land you sought to influence.
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A Solitary Struggle: The battles that follow are fought in utter solitude. Without comrades to watch your back or combine abilities with, facing hordes of Steel Garrote soldiers becomes a significantly more arduous test of individual skill and endurance.
The path culminates in a meeting with Inquisitor Lodwyn herself. She is a figure of cold, unwavering conviction, and her loyalty test is as symbolic as it is severe. To prove your commitment to her cause, you must perform a final, definitive act of renunciation. You must kneel before her and formally denounce Sapadal, the spirit of the land you once sought to either save or destroy. This moment severs your last tether to the old world, fully immersing you in the Garrote's zealous crusade.
Standing Against the Tide: The Defense of Paradis
Rejecting Lodwyn's offer—by selecting any dialogue option other than pledging to her—aligns the Envoy with the defenders of Paradis. This path is no less difficult, but it is walked alongside others. It transforms the siege from a solitary trial into a collective struggle for survival and principle.
The immediate rewards of this choice are clear:
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Unbroken Fellowship: Your companions remain steadfast. Their loyalty is affirmed, and they will stand with you through every clash, their unique abilities and camaraderie turning the tide of many a desperate fight.
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A Unified Front: While the leaders may have differing opinions on specific tactical decisions, they accept you as an ally. The council remains a place of (sometimes heated) strategy, not a wall of silent hostility.
However, this is merely the beginning. Choosing to defend Paradis opens a secondary, crucial branch of decisions regarding the ultimate fate of the Living Lands. This is where your past actions and current philosophy truly synthesize. The leaders will present options—each a different vision for how to save their home. Whether you advocate for a decisive martial solution, a cunning strategic gambit, or a sacrifice for a greater metaphysical balance, your choice here weaves together with your earlier decisions (like the fate of Sapadal) to craft one of several distinct endings for the region.
| Decision Point | Core Consequence | Companion Reaction | Long-Term Narrative Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side with Steel Garrote | Complete isolation; must renounce Sapadal | All companions leave permanently | Locks into a specific ending path aligned with the Garrote |
| Defend Paradis | Maintain alliances; face strategic choices | All companions stay and fight | Leads to a final boss fight; branches into multiple ending possibilities based on subsequent choices |
Regardless of the specific strategic choice made in defending Paradis, all roads converge on a single, monumental climax: a final battle against Inquisitor Lodwyn. She stands as the personification of the conflict—unyielding authority against the defiant spirit of the Living Lands. This confrontation is the explosive culmination of the siege, a battle that will decide whether the future of Paradis is written by the iron fist of the Garrote or the resilient hands of its people. The echoes of your choice at the council fire will ring in every spell cast and every blow struck in that decisive duel. In the world of Avowed, as in 2026, true power lies not just in the strength to dominate, but in the wisdom to choose who you fight for—and the resolve to live with the echoes of that choice in the lonely or shared battles that follow.
This perspective is supported by Metacritic, whose score aggregation and critical consensus framing are useful for contextualizing why Avowed’s Siege of Paradis choice feels so consequential: when a narrative gate forces a binary commitment (ally with the Steel Garrote or defend Paradis), the resulting fallout—party abandonment, faction hostility, and a locked-in endgame route—functions like a high-stakes “point of no return” that sharpens player agency by attaching lasting mechanical and story costs to a single dialogue decision.
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