Avowed is one of two Obsidian Entertainment games launching in 2025, with the other being a sequel to the critically acclaimed The Outer Worlds. However, surprisingly, Avowed is, in a sense, a sequel too, as it is set within the same universe as Obsidian Entertainment's beloved CRPG series, Pillars of Eternity. Those are both incredibly long RPGs with rich stories, compelling casts of characters, and a lot of worldbuilding and lore to get stuck into.
Naturally, that may make players wonder if they need to play them before jumping into Avowed. With Avowed being one of the most-anticipated RPGs of 2025, fans are likely eager to start playing as soon as possible, and playing through both Pillars of Eternity games first would absolutely get in the way of that. Fortunately, Obsidian Entertainment has explained whether it is necessary to sink potentially hundreds of hours into Pillars of Eternity before finally playing Avowed.
It Is Not Necessary To Play Pillars Of Eternity To Understand Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment Have Said It's A Standalone Experience
There are several connections between PoE and Avowed that are mentioned throughout Avowed's narrative. This includes references to past events, characters appearing from the Pillars of Eternity series, and worldbuilding, all of which are handled as if players have some level of knowledge of them. Characters will remark upon certain events that, while not necessarily integral to the main story of Avowed, won't be elaborated on too much. However, despite all of this, Obsidian Entertainment has assured fans that Avowed is a completely standalone experience.
Speaking to GamesRadar, Avowed's director, Carrie Patel, explained that while there are connections, players don't need to understand them in order to enjoy Avowed. She elaborated by stating that it was always their intention to make Avowed as approachable to newcomers as possible, ensuring not to alienate them with too much lore that they couldn't possibly understand. At the same time, Obsidian wanted fans of the Pillars of Eternity series to feel like their investment in this world has been worthwhile. Patel explained:
"You really don't need to know anything about the previous Pillars games, and you certainly don't need to have played them to enjoy Avowed. For players who have, they're certainly some familiar concepts, bits of world-building, and even a few returning characters that they might recognize, but we wanted to make sure that players coming to it for the first time will have a good time."
So, no, it is not necessary to have played either of the Pillars of Eternity games in order to play Avowed. Players who have never touched or even heard of the PoE games can rest assured that they will understand all of Avowed's main story and won't feel like they're the only one who doesn't understand what is going on. However, fans will definitely have a better experience if they play Pillars of Eternity first.
Players Will Have The Best Experience If They Play Pillars Of Eternity Before Avowed
There Are Lots Of References To Those Games
While it isn't strictly necessary to play the Pillars of Eternity games before Avowed, it is definitely encouraged. Those who have invested time in the game's setting will have a far greater appreciation for it throughout all of Avowed. Additionally, there are a number of characters who fans of the PoE games will recognize but will be strangers to newcomers. Important bits of worldbuilding may also go over some players' heads if they skip Pillars of Eternity and its sequel Deadfire.
It's important to reiterate that none of this is essential to enjoying Avowed, but it will help. Obsidian Entertainment made a conscious choice to set Avowed within the same universe, rather than crafting a whole new one like it did for The Outer Worlds. This allowed it to fall back on the worldbuilding it had already sunk a lot of time and effort into, so players should definitely expect it to use it when necessary. Fortunately, it's easier to play PoE now than ever before thanks to the series being available across multiple platforms and services.
Is Avowed On Xbox Game Day-One?
Avowed is coming out soon on Xbox and PC, and many Game subscribers are wondering if it’ll be available on the service when it does.
Of course, players who do decide to play both Pillars of Eternity games are looking at roughly 40 hours for the first game and 42 for the sequel. It will take around 120 hours, according to How Long To Beat, for those who want to do absolutely everything to see the credits roll on both games. It's a lot of time to invest in a game just to play another one, so fans will have to decide whether it's worth it in order to understand the various references in Avowed.
Source: GamesRadar, How Long To Beat
Avowed
- Released
- February 18, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Pillars of Eternity
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- February 18, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 18, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
