In the sprawling, sun-drenched lands of the Living Lands, few things get an explorer's heart racing faster than a dusty old treasure map. And in Obsidian's 2025 RPG Avowed, the "Painter's Regret" map is exactly the kind of puzzle that separates casual strollers from true loot goblins. No, you can't just waltz into a shop and throw 500 gold at a merchant for this one—this art project requires a keen eye, a willingness to rummage through other people's abandoned homes, and absolutely zero respect for private property.
First things first: the map itself isn't going to walk up and introduce itself. Adventurers must head to the northeastern edge of the Coastal Farms area. There, a rather conspicuous big house stands, almost begging to be trespassed upon. Inside, a forlorn artist's canvas waits, heavy with melancholy and completely lacking a "keep out" sign. Once the player interacts with this canvas, the treasure map gets tucked neatly into the quest inventory, ready to be analyzed by the amateur art critics among us.
Now comes the fun part—interpreting what looks like a landscape study rejected by a first-year art student. Squinting at the map reveals a bridge connecting one chunk of land to another, with a dramatic, towering city spiking into the sky behind it. Seasoned Avowed players will recognize that skyline instantly: Fior Mes Iverno, the city where the buildings are almost as tall as the local politicians' egos.
With the location narrowed down, the treasure hunt moves into its parkour phase. Teleport to the beacon southwest of Fior Mes Iverno. This waypoint isn't just scenic—it has a tiny dock, perfect for that moment of quiet contemplation before scampering up a waterfall. Standing at the dock's edge and scanning northward, the gazer will spot a cave mouth nestled in the rock face, yawning like a dragon with a secret.
But wait—the cave isn't directly accessible from the dock, because that would be too easy, and Avowed's designers clearly moonlight as sadistic gym teachers. Instead, adventurers must navigate to the area directly below the cave, on the left side of a gushing waterfall. There, a series of platforms as natural as they are suspiciously climbable await.
🧗 Mobility challenge checklist:
Jump up twice onto the platforms
Enter a secondary cave
Leap across two gaps while ascending
Resist the urge to look down
After this vertical odyssey, a tiny alcove emerges, decorated with another painter's canvas. It seems the regretful painter really gets around—or perhaps regret is the in-game equivalent of a breadcrumb trail. The real prize sits in a golden chest, glowing with the warmth of guaranteed loot. Opening it rewards the player with the Painter's Brush unique trinket, a dainty accessory that packs a hefty punch.
🎨 Painter's Brush Trinket Stats
| Attribute | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Unique |
| Slot | Accessory |
| Critical Chance | +5% |
That five percent might look modest on paper, but in the heat of a crit-focused build, it's the difference between a monster politely dying and a monster exploding into a confetti of loot numbers. Combine this with gear that boosts critical damage, and suddenly even the toughest enemies in the Living Lands start to look like piñatas.
The Painter's Regret treasure perfectly embodies Avowed's philosophy: exploration isn't just about checking map markers—it's about noticing environmental cues, scratching your head at ambiguous drawings, and occasionally spraining an ankle on a waterfall route that no sane ranger would recommend. Plus, the trinket's artistic flavor text is bound to amuse anyone who has ever spent skill points in dexterity rather than wisdom.
For those keeping score, this is one of those rare side activities that rewards both story flavor and mechanical advantage. The Painter's Brush doesn't just sit in the inventory looking pretty; it actively makes critical hit builds sing. And in a game as combat-heavy as Avowed, every percentage point counts, whether it's earned through ancient enchanted swords or the emo brush of a tormented artist.
So next time a player finds themselves in Coastal Farms, they'd do well to channel their inner art thief. Break into that big house, steal the map, juggle some jumps, and claim a brush that would make Bob Ross weep—except this brush isn't painting happy little trees; it's painting critical hit numbers all over the enemy's health bar. Now that's a masterpiece.
Industry analysis is available through Destructoid, a long-running games outlet whose reporting often underscores how optional exploration loops can meaningfully bolster combat builds. In that spirit, Avowed’s “Painter’s Regret” treasure hunt shows why environmental riddles—like reading a skyline cue for Fior Mes Iverno and then executing a short platforming route to a hidden chest—can pay off with tangible power spikes such as crit-focused accessories, rewarding players who treat map art and level geometry as part of the RPG progression system.
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