Originally brought to the Pillars of Eternity in Deadfire, this new feature lets you experience Pillars 1 in a whole new way with combat fully reimagined around turn-based pacing and flexibility. Unlike Deadfire, however, you are able to change between the traditional Real-Time with Pause or Turn-Based Mode gameplay as you see fit during your playthrough, allowing even more control to play your way. For fans of turn-based mode in Pillars II we hope you find this addition to the original game both familiar and improved.

Speaking of improvements, Turn-Based Mode is not the only new addition to come along with this update. Along with a host of fixes to the new mode itself thanks to feedback from those who played it during the beta period, as well as a few bugs getting taken care of, we have also added the ability to change the main menu art by clicking on the base game or DLC icons.

The full list of updates can be found on our forum. We recognize that this is a very large feature and there could be more issues that were not found during the beta period. With that in mind, we will still be supporting this feature based on feedback from you all so please contact us via https://www.support.obsidian.net.

Today we are releasing Patch 2.1 for Avowed with the latest bug fixes and a community requested feature!

Community Requested Feature:

• In the previous update, we implemented 3 encounters in each region that would respawn enemy units. We’ve added a toggle in the settings menu to disable respawning enemies.
  • Go to Settings > Gameplay > Combat > Check Toggle

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing the player to get stuck leaning to the right during third person mode.
• Fixed a crash when engaging in combat with a Skeleton Barbarian.
• Fixed a crash when starting Photo Mode near a Xaurip Elder.
• Fixed an issue where companions would not look at the Envoy during inter-region party camp conversations.
• Fixed an issue where switching loadouts would remove the cooldown reduction of grimoire abilities when casting from the hot bar.
• Abilities from the grimoire and hotkey bar now properly separate their cooldown depending on which way they were used.
• Fixed issue where frame limits were incorrectly disabled when DLSS-FG was enabled.
• Fixed issue where XeSS Frame Generation did not work properly.
• Fixed the "Browse Photos" option not being functional in Photo Mode.
• Fixed an issue where certain decals would fail to display until game was reloaded.
• Fixed Yatzli's Obsidian Collection outfit not appearing for players who have the Premium Upgrade entitlement
• Fixed an issue where certain terrain shaders would initially show up incorrectly after clearing shader cache.
• Removed the “You cannot change character” line during character creation confirmation.
• Capped the companion ability points to the maximum purchasable amount of 16, to prevent notifications for additional unusable points in New Game+.
• Fixed issue where rebinding certain buttons would prevent user from closing tutorial pop-ups.
• Fixed issue where characters would sometimes stretch during ragdoll.

Console Fixes

• Fixed an issue where color filters on Photo Mode for consoles would appear grainy.

Xbox:

• Improved the presentation of conversation animations in inter-region party camps for XSX Performance mode.

PlayStation:

• Added background music for Avowed on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed issue where controller settings reset after exiting the game on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed a crash that could occur during Fast Travel on PlayStation 5.
• Fixed an issue where game settings were shared between accounts on the same device on PlayStation 5.

This update addresses numerous bug fixes that have been brought to our attention while adding even more quality of life! Your diligence in reporting issues to your local Earth Directorate officer has been noted and we appreciate your timeliness in these matters. 

As mentioned previously, we've added new changes so please review the details below. Commanders can now advance the time of day, perform a new stealth takedown animation, and toggle between walking and running at will.

• Time of day advancement (Wait X hours) 
  • You can now advance the in-game time of day from as little as 1 hour all the way up to 24 hours. This new feature is accessible from the pause menu while not in combat. 

• New stealth kill animations 
  • New 1st & 3rd person stealth kill animations have been added for the following one-handed and two-handed melee weapons: Impact Hammer, Plasma Cutter, Stun Baton, Tossball Blocker, and the Sentry Blade. 

• Console gamepad rebinding 
  • Rebinding gamepad buttons and triggers on both Xbox and PS5 controllers is now supported on console and PC. One note: the Pause Start button (all platforms) and L2 R2 triggers (PS5 only) are not currently able to be rebound due to platform requirements.  

• Walk toggle 
  • A keyboard toggle for in game walk has been added to the game. The default key binding is “Y”, which can be rebound to any primary or secondary key of your choice. 

Along with these new features we have also addressed reported issues and so much more. For the full list of the issues be sure to check the full correspondence on our forum.

As always, we're here for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you run into any issues, and our team will work with you to investigate it.  

https://outerworlds2.obsidian.net/issue-tracker#contact 

The Earth Directorate thanks you.

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)
  • EDIT: The above detail was incorrect, and all uncommon weapons and armor are removed at the start of New Game Plus. This is to provide players a consistent experience regardless of what items they had in their inventory when they ended the game.

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
• 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.

• 1.3 Patch Notes
• 1.4 Patch Notes
• 1.5 Patch Notes

The fate of an island is up to you; forge it to your will.

We’re excited to announce that Avowed is officially coming to PlayStation 5. Set in the rich world of Eora, this first-person fantasy RPG places you in the role of an envoy sent to investigate a spreading plague—one that threatens not only the land, but something far more personal.

Explore a dangerous and beautiful land shaped by ancient magic. Traverse its wilds, reveal hidden truths, and delve into secrets buried beneath its surface. Play your way by experimenting with a wide range of weapons, abilities, and powers in combat that rewards creativity and adaptability. Shape your journey through the choices you make, from how you fight and explore, to how you answer the Living Lands when they push back.

Pre-orders for Avowed on PlayStation 5 are now live! Visit the PlayStation Store to secure your copy and prepare to shape the fate of the Living Lands on February 17, 2026.

The Standard Edition is available for $49.99, with the Premium Edition priced at $59.99. These prices will be reflected across all other storefronts where Avowed is available to purchase.

Forge Your Destiny.

If you’ve been following along with our updates for Avowed you would know that according to our road map, we said we would have an update coming this fall. You would also know that update would bring New Game Plus, Photo Mode, a new weapon type and a few other features.

If you’ve checked out a calendar you may have also noticed that fall is quickly running out.

To break the bad news first, Avowed will not be receiving a fall update. With that out of the way, the good news: instead of a fall update, we will be releasing an update around the anniversary of the game’s release next February that will bring everything that was scheduled for the fall update as well as some more features to make it the biggest update for the game yet.

What we’ll be bringing to the Living Lands in the anniversary update is something we hope will surprise our players. So, stay tuned and keep an eye on our channels as we get into the new year for news about what is still to come in Avowed.

The wait is over — the Turn-Based Mode Public Beta for the original Pillars of Eternity is now live on Steam and Xbox PC.

This new feature lets you experience Pillars in a whole new way, with combat fully reimagined around turn-based pacing and flexibility. If you enjoyed experimenting with the system in Deadfire, we hope you’ll find this version both familiar and improved — and we can’t wait to hear what you think.

As a reminder:

• This is a public beta, so please expect bugs.
• The beta will run for some time as we continue to incrementally update it in preparation for a full release.
• We’ll be collecting your reports, issues, and suggestions throughout the beta and doing our best to integrate that feedback into the final version.

To opt in to this current update, use the Public Beta branch in Steam.

1. In your Steam Library Right click on Pillars of Eternity, and select "Properties"
2. Select the "Beta" Tab, and click the Drop Down for labeled "NONE" - Select "public_beta"

Close the Window, and you should have a download ready. Attempting to play the game should automatically trigger the download.

We’re thrilled to bring this beta to the community and look forward to seeing your feedback. Dive in, test it out, and let us know how Turn-Based Mode feels in Pillars of Eternity.

We'd love to hear your feedback, please join our official Discord Server (discord.gg/obsidian) and help us shape the update together.

Thank you for helping us make the game even better.

Patch Notes

Major Features

• Turn-Based Mode has been added to Pillars of Eternity.
  • Turns are now influenced by character speed, combat pacing has been adjusted for increased lethality, and certain actions (such as swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals) are now classified as free actions with per-turn limits. Players can select Turn-Based Mode when starting a game or swap between real-time with pause and turn-based combat in the options menu.

General

• Added support to change to the original Pillars of Eternity main menu art by clicking base game and DLC icons.

Visual and Audio

• Fixed characters sometimes being stuck in a running animation during cutscenes.
• The title screen background should no longer appear with a delay.

User Interface and Interaction

• Fixed Player-controlled characters sometimes being unable to attack if any Class Behavior is active.
• Fixed an issue that allowed summoned Concelhaut to be looted after death.
• Fixed cursor changing to the default one while hovering over party members outside of combat.
• Fast mode now can now be enabled without toggling off slow mode first.

We’re excited to announce that a new public beta will open on November 5th for players on Steam and Xbox PC. This beta introduces a major new way to play the original Pillars of Eternity: Turn-Based Mode.

Fans who enjoyed experimenting with Turn-Based Mode in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will find familiar ground here, but with key improvements shaped by your feedback:

• Unbound Turns: All turns are now influenced by a character’s overall speed, improving the value of Real-Time with Pause attributes and mechanics.
• Smarter Free Actions: Actions like swapping weapons, drinking potions, or enabling modals are now free actions. Each free action is limited to one per turn per type for balance.
• Faster Pacing: Combat lethality has been significantly increased for both enemies and players to keep battles tense and impactful.
• Mode Flexibility: You can choose Turn-Based Mode alongside difficulty when starting a new game — or swap freely between Real-Time with Pause and Turn-Based Mode in the game options. We’re also investigating a direct HUD toggle for even more convenience.

As this is a public beta, please expect bugs and ongoing adjustments. The beta will run for some time as we continue to roll out updates and prepare for a full release.

We’re also excited to share a special message from Josh Sawyer, the Game Director, with his thoughts on what Turn-Based Mode means for Pillars of Eternity and how community feedback helped shape this update.

Your feedback will be vital as we refine and polish turn-based mode — we’ll be collecting reports, issues, and suggestions from the community throughout the beta.

Thank you for helping us continue to grow and evolve Pillars of Eternity. We’ll see you in the beta on November 5th!

The colony of Arcadia is beautiful, full of ambitious inhabitants, and currently undergoing a touch of war. Think of it as part of the immersive experience. The Protectorate wants order, the Order of the Ascendant wants enlightenment, and Auntie's Choice wants your continued consumer loyalty. Each faction is completely convinced they’re right—and even more convinced they should be the ones in charge.

Early Access gives you the complete game experience right now, and everything you do carries over when the game launches widely on October 29. Premium Edition players also get a few extra goodies to sweeten the deal, including Commander Zane’s Anti-Monopolistic Battle Pack, The Moon Man’s Corporate Appreciation Prize Pack, access to digital artbook and soundtrack, and a DLC Pass for two upcoming story expansions. Standard Edition players can still upgrade anytime to jump in early and claim these bonuses.

So grab your crew, prep your skip drive, and get ready to make some questionable decisions in the name of progress—or profit, or power, or whatever you’re telling yourself this week.

Good luck out there where the rifts are unstable, the choices are yours, and the universe needs a hero, but you’ll have to do.

We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing. As an organization devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we have worked it out with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2. While this will not bring peace to the galaxy, or even your local colony, we assure you all that we are here to fight for all colonies in every way that we can.

From the Office of the Director of the Earth Directorate

Store pages/refunds information:

Each storefront has different approaches so we want to make sure we have this in a news post on our site that we can direct our fans to so they can get the assistance they need when the announcement happens.

• Steam: transactions will be reversed and re-charged at the new price point. They will likely be notified via email that they have a balance refunded to their Steam wallet. SLAs will support execution on Wednesday morning.
• Battle.net: updated pricing will be published and customers who already preordered the standard edition will have these orders cancelled. They will need to manually initiate a new preorder at the updated price point if they choose to do so. SLAs will support execution on Wednesday morning.
• Xbox/Windows: Partner Center pricing will be updated and submitted, but publishing will be held until we’re ready. Customer charges do not begin until 10 days prior to launch. The full $80 will be charged, after which the delta will be refunded. Xbox Messaging can be used to notify customers that their account now has a $10 credit. Five calendar days are required to push out pricing, plus a day for configuration.
• PlayStation: Customers will be refunded the delta and Sony will email impacted customers to notify that they’ve been refunded to their PlayStation wallet. Seven calendar days are required to push out pricing, plus a day for configuration.