Obsidian Entertainment thrilled fans today by showcasing the first extended look at gameplay for their upcoming fantasy RPG epic Avowed. The footage reveals the game’s intense magic and weapon combat, sprawling environments, character builds and release window. Avowed launches for Xbox Series X/S and PC this fall 2024.
Immersive First-Person Fantasy Action Unveiled
Fans have eagerly awaited more details on Avowed since its announcement over 3 years ago. Obsidian delivered today with an exciting deep dive that shows off what look to be thrilling mage battles. Players can wield firearms alongside magical staves to obliterate fantastical foes using kinetic blasts, area spells and more.
The gameplay demo depicts a lush forest environment teeming with wildlife and mystical ruins. Avowed appears to deliver on its promise of an expansive open world brimming with secrets and adventure. Players traverse misty swamps, creepy catacombs and an abandoned mining town while encountering treacherous beasts and bandits.
Revolutionary RPG Combat Systems Revealed
Obsidian detailed some of the underlying RPG mechanics that should dramatically enhance Avowed’s combat. Players can customize their character across 3 key attributes – Might, Perception and Intellect. Investing points into each one unlocks certain skills and playstyles.
Might boosts effectiveness with melee and shields. Perception improves archery, lock picking, stealth. Intellect covers magic schools like conjuration, necromancy and psychic assaults. Players also choose between 30 upgradeable talents like critical strikes, conjured healing or seeing through walls.
This flexible classless system lets you combine magic and physical prowess however you see fit. Go full mage? Heavy armored knight? Rogue archer? The choice is yours.
Avowed Brings The Weight Of Player Decisions Into A Reactive World
Obsidian says Avowed will react to your choices throughout. NPCs remember your past deeds and change their disposition towards you. Entire quest lines can play out differently based on small early decisions. Environments transform to reflect the passage of time and your actions.
For example, clearing out an abandoned mine can lead to it becoming repopulated later on. Or killing a particular magical beast might remove access to crafting certain items. Even subtle things like acquiring a reputation for being savvy with artifacts might unlock new dialogue options.
Jaw-Dropping Graphics Powered By Cutting Edge Technology
Avowed leverages Xbox Series X/S to deliver staggering visuals running in 4K resolution at 60 FPS. Realistic weather, volumetric fog, detailed foliage and life-like NPCS help the fantasy realm of Eora come alive.
ray tracing vastly improves lighting, shadows and reflections to increase immersion. Obsidian also utilizes the console’s velocity architecture to enable massive open spaces with minimal loading. All of this technical prowess combines to make Avowed one of most graphically impressive RPGs ever made.
| Combat Attribute | Effects |
|---|---|
| Might | Melee Damage, Shield Usage |
| Perception | Archery, Stealth, Lockpicking |
| Intellect | Magic Schools, Psychic Damage |
What We Still Don’t Know
Despite the wealth of details revealed, Obsidian is still keeping several Avowed secrets close to the vest:
- The Scale of Eora – Early concept art depicted sweeping vistas and sprawling medieval cities. But beyond isolated areas, the actual size of Avowed’s game world isn’t clear yet. Is this a Witcher 3-style massive single open world? Or more structured discrete zones?
- Crafting & Character Progression – With such an emphasis on build flexibility, fans are eager to know what long term advancement looks like. Will there be deep crafting systems or intricate skill trees to unlock?
- The Scope of Quests – Non-linear missions with consequences are great. But details on the main campaign arcs or end game content are still mostly unknown. Is there a central narrative or is it a pure open world sandbox?
- Post-Launch Support – Games as a service with continual updates and expansions are common now. But concrete plans on keeping Avowed fresh down the road haven’t been revealed yet.
While the gameplay footage answered many burning questions, critical details on the full breadth of the experience remain unexplained for now. Obsidian no doubt has additional surprises up their sleeves heading towards Avowed’s tentative fall 2024 launch.
What The Future May Hold For One Of Xbox’s Biggest Bets
As a first party Xbox console exclusive, Avowed represents one of Microsoft’s most substantial investments for this generation. Developed by the renowned RPG veterans at Obsidian, expectations are sky high for a game that aims to revolutionize the genre.
Today’s reveal indicates that Avowed could fulfill its lofty ambitions. Early fan and critic impressions are incredibly positive overall. Many favorably compare both the frenetic combat pacing and reactive world to genre benchmarks like Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate.
If Obsidian manages to deliver on the immense potential shown already, Avowed may cement itself as an all-time great RPG. The Xbox platform needs a showstopping mega hit on the level of God of War or Zelda. All signs point to Avowed being the game to finally get them there when it launches this fall.
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