Avowed – The Big Preview

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With exclusive access to Obsidian and hours spent with Avowed's opening zone, we unpack everything you need to know about Xbox's first 2025 RPG must-play

A river leading out to sea in Dawnshore from the the Avowed Big Preview
(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment)
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Avowed is quickly shaping up to be Xbox's first big hitter in 2025, and a major landmark for RPG fans. While developer Obsidian Entertainment have released great games since they were bought by Microsoft back in 2018, those of us who have adored the studio since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity have been desperate to see what the studio could accomplish with a full-on Xbox exclusive RPG, and with all the blockbuster power that comes with it.

It goes without saying that when we got the call to visit Obsidian Entertainment HQ in Anaheim, California, we jumped at the opportunity to neglect the sunshine and instead stay indoors pouring over every facet of Avowed available to us. That means talking to the great RPG developers responsible for this rather unique and funky fungal take on the genre, and, of course, spending many hours with the opening of the game. We get into it all, from getting started with questing, meeting the companions, the combat, and more – all while discussing it all with the many individual developers that have been crafting it.

Keep reading to discover our Avowed Big Preview, your best place to get started with one of the biggest upcoming Xbox Series X games and one of the most anticipated new games of 2024.

The Big Preview

An axe-wielding Xaurip takes aim at the player from the the Avowed Big Preview

(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment)
Cover Story

Despite the Skyrim comparisons, Avowed is an Obsidian RPG first and foremost: "Let's bring in all the greatest hits": Simply put, Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment at its best. It's not just an epic new RPG, but one that feels truly like a culmination of everything the developer has wowed us with through the years. This feels like an RPG that only this team could make, at this moment. We unpack everything that happened in our visit to the dev's offices as we speak to the team about the long road to building this pivotal RPG, as well as getting into the nitty gritty of what we got to play while we were visiting!

The video

Video

The ten things we love about Avowed: After spending hours with the opening of the game and trying different builds and approaches, Avowed is an RPG that really puts its best put forward to get you into the action and have a taste of everything as quickly as possible. Which also means several elements have already jumped out to impress us. Watch us cut about the Dawnshore ourselves as we get to grips, showing you all the little things we love already from the characters to the types of gear we use. We've also loved chatting with the party so far, even if you can't romance them.

The interview

Kai from the the Avowed Big Preview walks behind the player character at the docks

(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment)
Dev access

Avowed is an RPG that aims to respect your time: "I'm getting older, I got a lot of responsibilities, I don't got time for a 500-hour game": Which isn't to say Avowed isn't going to be a massive quest. In our interview with Obsidian Entertainment, we learned plenty about how the RPG isn't going deep while also respecting player time. "I will say that I did a full completionist playthrough, and the game is big," says lead environment artist Dennis Presnell. Learn more from our interviews with the team here, as well as throughout the rest of the Avowed Big Preview!

Everything we know

A reflecting pool from the the Avowed Big Preview, within the Dawnshore forest

(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment)
Explainer

Avowed guide: Read everything within the tomes of our Avowed Big Preview? Don't think that's where your quest has to end! There's still plenty more to learn, and thanks to the game's imminent 18 February, 2025 release date we already know a lot more about the game. In particular how it connects into the Pillars of Eternity world of Eora, how Avowed's mix-and-match combat system works, what to expect from character customization and your party of companions, and much more!

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

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