Obsidian Entertainment’s upcomingAvowedis faithfully bringing the universe ofPillars of Eternityinto the first-person format for the first time, but there’s one notable element of the CRPGs that has been left out. While it may be realizing many of Eora’s distinct races in more detail than ever before,Avowedis also set to limit the player’s choice between Human and Elf for their character. There’s an added twist to this dynamic which seems to be outside the control of character creation, but any additions will make it hard for the lack of race options to be ignored.
The role ofAvowed’s protagonistas an envoy of the Aedyr Empire makes the decision to restrict them to just two races grounded in the lore, and this approach extends into their mysterious status as a Godlike. Obsidian may be aiming for a more focused, narrative-driven experience over the open-ended nature ofPoE’s offerings, but this will be a tough balance to pull off when losing out on so much.
Avowed’s Character Creation Notably Lacks the Same Depth as Pillars of Eternity
The Nuance of Playing as a Godlike Doesn’t Replace a Proper Racial Choice
It was revealed that the player is seemingly a Godlike derived from an unknown god regardless of decisions inAvowed, foreshadowing that this could play into the story in a major way. This unique status is still undercut by the fact that the wide array of races previously available is no longer on the table, however, as it’s no replacement for the full experience of being one ofPillars of Eternity’s Aumauaor Orlans.
Roleplaying Opportunities in Avowed Are Bound to Be Limited
While thePillarsgames provide a multitude of roles for the player to fill in terms of their backstory, being limited to the position of an Envoy of one oftwo playable races inAvowedis a far less broad scope. This minimizes the sort of character-building that the titles set within Eora have become known for, risking one of the IP’s key appeals for the sake of what will hopefully be a worthwhile trade-off in narrative cohesion. The large selection of backgrounds inDeadfiremight not be able to fit into the archetype of an Envoy, possibly leaving skill bonuses to be associated with new professions and backstories.
The Potential for a More Focused Perspective from Avowed’s Protagonist
Avowed Could Feature a Detailed Depiction of the Experience of an Aedyran
By highlighting the experience of an Aedyran venturing into the foreign continent of the Living Lands,Avowedcould utilize its limited races to focus on a richer cultural exploration instead. In the high-fidelity graphical context of a modern first-person RPG, players have the potential to become more immersed in Eora from the perspective of a given race than ever before. A more detailed look into two races with similar backgrounds may ultimately be able to evolve the entirefranchise’s presentation afterPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, but the world’s more unique races should receive their own form of spotlight despite this.
It’s been confirmed thatAvowed’s lack of racial optionsis set to be balanced by a variety of different backgrounds within the framework of its character creation, so it’s unlikely that the protagonist will be severely restricted in their own personal story. On top of this layer of potential lore representation, companions revealed so far have veered towards races that are no longer available to the player. If these characters are able to use their spots in the party to properly showcase their respective cultures, the lack of them being directly usable inAvowedis even capable of making up for the player being stuck with two races.
