It has been one year since the launch of Avowed and the team is ending its post-launch roadmap with a substantial anniversary update built with both returning and new players in mind. This release delivers long-requested community features and a broad slate of quality-of-life improvements, including a fan driven feature to bring Avowed even closer to its Pillars of Eternity franchise roots. On top of that, Avowed is now available on PlayStation 5 opening the Living Lands for even more envoys to explore.
Let’s break down all of the big new additions that are coming to the game with this update.
New Playable Species
Headlining the anniversary update is a major expansion to character creation: three new playable species join the existing Humans and Elves.
- Dwarves – The most well-traveled species in Eora, the stout dwarves are known for their great strength and tenacity.
- Orlans – Their two-toned skin, prominent ears, and hirsute bodies all in the smallest size of Kith make them stand out in Eora.
- Aumaua – Towering, powerfully built, and physically imposing.
With all five of the Eoran kith species now available, players have more ways than ever to define who their envoy is as they decide the fate of the Living Lands. The new species are available for selection at character creation, but for those who are currently in the middle of an adventure and are looking for a change, a mirror has been added to the Party Camp that allows players to change their appearance, including species, at any time!
Not only do the different species change how you look, but the team has also added in stat bonuses for all species adding another layer to character creation.
- Humans
- +1 Might
- +1 Resolve
- Elves
- +1 Dexterity
- +1 Perception
- Aumaua
- +2 Might
- Dwarves
- +1 Might
- +1 Constitution
- Orlans
- +1 Perception
- +1 Resolve
To team up with species specific stat boosts, we have also added a stat boost that comes along with your background choice, adding more to your build variety.
- Arcane Scholar - +2 to Intellect
- Court Augur - +2 to Resolve
- Noble Scion - +2 to Perception
- Vanguard Scout - +2 to Dexterity
- War Hero - +2 to Constitution
Return to the Living Lands Again and Again
New Game Plus is now available after completing the main story. This mode is designed to reward mastery, experimentation, and making the all-powerful build.
When starting a New Game Plus save, players will bring along with them:
- All unlocked abilities (with the exception of godlike abilities which are gained through story progression/world exploration)
- All spent attribute points
- All unique weapons and armors (but they are reset to level 1)
- All unlocked enchantments remain
- All unique gloves and boots
- All necklaces, all rings, and all trinkets
- Any equipped Common Weapons or Armor items are kept (but they are reset to level 1)
The following are removed from the player at the start of a New Game Plus:
- All common weapons and armor that aren’t equipped
- Companions must be picked up via story progression
- Companions keep their talent points and start at level 1
- All resources that had been collected
- Gold
- Upgrade materials
- Enchanting materials
- Food ingredients
- All consumables that had been collected
- All potions
- All food
- All quest items
- All god totems/trinkets
- Fast travel points/fog of war
- The aforementioned godlike abilities
To ensure challenge scales alongside player power:
- Enemy stats are increased across the board
- Enemies now have a chance to have modifiers applied to them
- Elemental Modifiers
- Fire: Immune to Fire damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Fire damage
- Frost: Immune to Frost damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Frost damage
- Shock: Immune to Shock damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Shock damage
- Poison: Immune to Poison damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Poison damage
- Bleed: Immune to Bleed damage and accumulation. Attacks also now deal Bleed damage
- Physical Modifiers
- Haste: Increased movement speed, attack speed, and lowered cooldown timings
- Glass Cannon: Increased damage dealt and damage received
- Colossal: Increased maximum health
- Life Steal: Attacks restore the enemy’s health by a percentage of the damage dealt
- Crippled: Reduced movement speed and attack speed
- Sturdy: Increased stability making it harder for them to be stunned
- Natural Immunity: Immune to all status accumulations
- Forceful: Increased impact on attacks
- Vindictive: Increased damage dealt based on the amount of health lost
- Elemental Modifiers
- Attribute stat cap rises from 15 to 30
An important note for those who have already completed Avowed: Since New Game Plus is being added post release and the game was not initially designed with it in mind, a completion save will be necessary in order to take advantage of the mode. You will need to load a point of no return save or later and beat the game to make a proper New Game Plus save.
Your Game, Your Way
For players who want even finer control, Avowed now includes custom difficulty modifiers, allowing you to tune the game’s systems to your preferred experience. These new options are found by scrolling down through the “Game” tab of the settings menu.
Adjust player:
- Damage dealt
- Health, stamina, and essence resources
- Elemental status effect threshold
- Health and essence regeneration rates
- Potion and food restoration rates
- Interrupt or knockdown ease
- Second Wind cooldown time
- Carry capacity
- Parry window
Adjust enemy:
- Damage output
- Health pool
- Stun, interrupt, or knockdown ease
- Attack speed
- Elemental status effect threshold
- Aggro threshold
Adjust companion:
- Damage dealt
- Health max
- Elemental status effect threshold
- Aggro threshold
As well as general adjustments:
- Merchant prices
- Equipment upgrade material costs
- Fall damage
- Trap damage
- Item quality damage reduction
Custom game options allow you to better play the game your way. These options can be changed and adjusted at any time during the game so be sure to mix and match all you’d like. Some also add in XP modifiers to boost your gains further.
Important note: While changing these options will not negate most achievements that you may be hunting down, they will invalidate a Path of the Damned achievement. That achievement must be done without use of the custom game options.
New Weapon Type: Quarterstaff
A brand new weapon type is joining the arsenal with the quarterstaff. Designed with the archmage fantasy in mind, the quarterstaff is a new bludgeoning weapon that comes complete with wand style stun finishers. Unleash brutal physical combos along with a fury of spells that would make even Concelhaut jealous.
Photo Mode and Quality-of-Life Enhancements
While far from completing everything that is coming in the anniversary update, there are a few more notable callouts:
- Photo Mode – Capture your envoy, companions, and the Living Lands from any angle and share your journey
- Improved lighting and visual polish throughout
- The ability to skip previously unskippable conversations with a certain god
A World Built for Return Visits
For those who are making their return to Avowed to check out the anniversary update, welcome back. If this is your first time in the Living Lands, you are about to enter a world of wonderous flora and fauna, exceptional exploration, and satisfying combat.
This is just a touch of what is in the update as the full patch notes go into more detail.
Be sure to check out the previous updates to see what else the team has added in case you’ve missed it.
The fate of an island is up to you; forge it to your will.