Twelve months ago, Avowed launched as a high-stakes experiment for Obsidian Entertainment. A first-person action RPG with deep tactical combat and a world steeped in Pillars of Eternity lore, it arrived at $70—a price that felt steep even for a studio known for ambitious storytelling. The backlash was immediate: critics who dismissed it as shallow, players who expected a Skyrim clone, and a vocal minority who weaponized its inclusive design choices into a culture-war distraction. The game itself, meanwhile, remained unchanged.
Now, a year later, the only thing that has changed is the price—and it’s finally right. At $50, Avowed isn’t just a bargain; it’s a correction. The game’s core remains the same: fluid, weighty combat where every dodge and parry matters, a branching narrative that rewards player choice, and a world that feels alive despite its smaller scale. But the $20 discount isn’t just about savings. It’s Obsidian acknowledging that Avowed was never meant to be a $70 game. Not in 2025. Not when graphics cards cost $300 for mid-range performance and AAA titles routinely launch at $60 or less.
The update itself is modest but meaningful—a series of polish refinements that address the nitpicks without altering the foundation. Weapon upgrades now feel more intuitive, the UI has been streamlined, and minor bugs that frustrated players at launch have been ironed out. There’s no overhaul here, no sudden transformation into something it wasn’t. But that’s the point. Avowed didn’t need to be reinvented; it needed to be seen for what it was from the start: a tightly crafted, first-person RPG that plays like a love letter to Mass Effect and The Witcher meets Obsidian’s signature tactical depth.
The real story, though, is the shift in perception. The outrage that greeted Avowed at launch—over its body-type customization, its perceived lack of gender options, its failure to live up to Skyrim-like expectations—has faded. The same people who once called it a broken promise now seem to have moved on, either to newer titles or to the realization that their initial reactions were built on misplaced expectations. The game’s Metacritic score hasn’t budged, but the noise has. And in the quiet that followed, Avowed revealed itself for what it always was: a polished, rewarding experience that rewards patience and precision.
For those who missed it in February 2025, the timing couldn’t be better. The $50 price isn’t just a sale—it’s a statement. It’s Obsidian saying, This is what the game costs. No apologies. No upsells. No waiting for a deluxe edition or a re-release. It’s the price of a game that deserves to be played, not debated.
So if you’ve been waiting for the dust to settle, there’s no need anymore. Avowed is still the same game it was a year ago—just now, it’s priced like one that should have been affordable from day one.
And if that’s not reason enough to pick it up, nothing will be.
