Avowed is set in the Living Lands, an ecologically diverse frontier continent in the north of Eora, the world from Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity CRPGs. The studio will need to work hard to distinguish Avowed ‘s setting from the competition. There are even reasons this task may be trickier than it was with Pillars of Eternity . However, the Living Lands also offer some unique opportunities Obsidian shouldn’t let pass it
Pillars of Eternity takes place in a period of Eora’s history which is roughly technologically parallel to the real world’s early modern era, from around 1500 to 1800. While Pillars of Eternity has guns , bombs, and galleons, the trailer for Avowed shows more medieval architecture and weaponry. Not only that, but the trailer references oaths multiple times, as well as “kings and queens.” This hints that it is set during Woedica’s reign as the queen of Eora’s gods, as her domain includes rightful rulership and oa
Unlike the top contenders for The Elder Scrolls 6 ‘s setting , the Living Lands are practically a blank slate in terms of lore. In Pillars of Eternity, the region is simply described as a “lawless land where communities band together, fall apart, and fight petty wars with each other constantly.” This presents great opportunities not just in terms of storytelling, but in terms of mechanics. While the Living Lands will likely have some large fixed quest hubs, the dynamism of the setting could lay the foundation for Avowed to have a world far more prone to change than Skyrim
The universe of Pillars of Eternity is divided into three known realms. The material realm is known as “the Here.” The gods of Eora are unable to interact with the Here in their primary forms. “The In-Between” is Eora’s version of purgatory. When a person dies in Eora, their soul wanders the hazy landscape of The In-Between until it is able to enter “The Beyond” through pillars of A
The process of life, death, and reincarnation in Eora is a part of a natural phenomena known as The Wheel. The cycle of reincarnation goes on forever, but every time a soul goes through The Wheel it can lose a little bit of its essence to entropy. Once in The Beyond, a soul’s next life is chosen through a process known as the soul lottery. Not all souls are subject to the soul lottery, howe
If Avowed takes place during Woedica’s reign , the Engwithan machine controlling The Wheel will be in full effect. Pillars of Eternity players will have insight into many of the world’s phenomena that may not be discovered at the time of Avowed . If players have the opportunity to play as a Pale Elf, for example, this would be long before they learned that they were always reincarnated as a Pale
What they cannot do is pick up items and manipulate them in the game’s world. They can’t move bodies or objects, they can’t drink water from sources like in Fallout , and they can’t even sit in the captain’s chair of their ship The Unreliable . In fact, they can’t sit in any chairs. Players are also unable to zoom out to a third-person view like they can in an Elder Scrolls or Fallout g
Based on just how heavily the trailer features Woedica , Avowed may be set during the height of the goddess’ power. Woedica may not even be “the Burned Queen” or “the Exiled Queen” yet at all. She only gained those names after the other gods of Eora cast Woedica from her throne, and the fire god Magran burned her. “The Strangler” is Woedica’s manifestation on Eora. She is an old woman who wears expensive but tattered clothing, and who supposedly appears on empty roads to strangle those who break their oaths. The Strangler is also said to be supernaturally fast and strong, which could make her a horrifying encounter if she appears in Avow
This could require Obsidian to make some updates to its engine during the development of Avowed . That being said, the studio can’t hope to take on The Elder Scrolls series without first understanding some of the smaller elements that helped bring its huge success. Avowed Guide may be a continuation of Pillars of Eternity , but many fantasy fans buying the game will be hoping for a spiritual successor to Skyrim . If Obsidian is going to take on a giant, the devil will be in the deta
Avowed ‘s setting has far more to offer than it first appears to. Its hidden depths are literal. There are huge pillars of adra – a soul-channeling mineral – that extend into mega-dungeons beneath Eora that hide hidden secrets and technology. This might sound like The Elder Scrolls ‘ Dwemer ruins, but unlike The Elder Scrolls , Obsidian’s Eora-set games have not hesitated to make solving the mysteries of its lost civilization a main part of the p
The specialization of class systems can be very satisfying, however, particularly in RPGs where the player travels in a party like Avowed ‘s CRPG precursor series Pillars of Eternity , which came with eleven largely traditional fantasy RPG classes. That level of specialization can also be particularly immersive in a way Skyrim ‘s jack-of-all-trades Dragonborn sometimes falls shorts. A classless sytem also risks generalizing gameplay – players may not be an all-out mage, for example, but there’s little reason not to use Skyrim ‘s starting Healing spell regardless of their playst