Summary
While a recent delay has pushed Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipatedAvowedinto 2025, the upcoming action RPG has already been showcased and seemingly had much of its core gameplay loop revealed. The studio behind thePillars of Eternityuniverse and prestigious titles likeFallout: New Vegashas continued to implement an immersive and player-driven narrative into its upcoming title, and the mystery ofAvowed’s protagonist seems to directly be an important element of its intrigue. When acknowledging the circumstances of the player character in the context of this game’s Living Lands setting, it seems highly possible that Obsidian has been inspired by the scenario of its popularFallouteffort.
There are several major developments occurring throughout the world ofEora as ofPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, butAvowedis set on a previously unseen continent and follows a protagonist who is seemingly a mere agent of a greater force. Working for the Aedyran Empire, the Envoy is on an apparently simple mission to investigate the Dreamscourge plague which is ailing this area. Given the track record of the title’s developer, however, this unassuming setup is most likely serving as a foundation to subvert the player’s expectations.
The Aedyran Envoy’s Place in the Living Lands Mirrors New Vegas' Courier
Seemingly Minor Characters in Established Worlds
With the Envoy set to make their way through the Living Lands and handle its plague, one ofAvowed’s main focuses appears to be allowing the player to choose how to go about this process. While there isn’t a massive open world of diverging paths, there seem to be at least three key factions who all have different approaches to destroying or aligning with the power of the Dreamscourge. Being a simple Envoy on paper and ending up making world-altering decisions seems like a huge jump, but this kind of premise is all too familiar for theCourier ofFallout: New Vegas.
The Potential for Similarities to Finding Influence Through New Vegas' Factions
After being shot in the head and left to die, the Courier of the Mojave Wasteland ends up in a position where they are capable of controlling the future of the entire wasteland. This is done through siding withfactions like the NCR or Caesar’s Legion, who represent vastly different ideals but mostly similarly violent means, forming a compelling plot that begins with the attempted killing of a mere messenger. With an even deeper plot under the surface of that game’s main story, it’s possible that Obsidian has once again gravitated towards a similar narrative withAvowed.
The Godlike Status of Avowed’s Envoy Hints at a Hidden Narrative
Shaping the Future like the Courier
As much as the identity of an Envoy is hardly anything notable, there’s been a massive hint that the protagonist ofAvowedwill turn out to be more important than initially expected. A recent showcase has revealed that the player seems to be locked into playing as a Godlike, essentially a demigod vessel for divine power. While it’s been explicitly stated that this protagonist’s parentage is unknown at the start of the game, revelations about their past could mirror the plot explored inNew Vegas' Lonesome Road DLC.
Following a base game of mostly reactive situations, the foil that is Ulysses, another Courier, confronts the player about the role they previously unknowingly played in spreading the destruction caused by nuclear weapons. This kind of reveal that the protagonist has a far bigger role in the world than first shown seems even more likely to appear inAvoweddue to being aGodlike ofPillars of Eternitylore, and the active problem of the Dreamscourge will probably require a more direct solution that impacts many NPCs, and possibly even companions, regardless of the route taken.
