Avowed Gameplay's Combat System Wasn't Final; It Wasn't Even Actual
The combat system in Avowed did not excite after the first gameplay presentation. It was „heartening” for the Obsidian Entertainment team, as the gameplay was significantly delayed compared to the current state of the game.
Since the last gameplay presentation of their new game, the devs from Obsidian Entertainment have been eager to give interviews and reveal information about their new title. Carrie Patel appeared on a recent episode of the Dropped Frames podcast (via IGN / Idle Sloth on X / monarch10 on Resetera). The director of Avowed assured that the state of the combat system in the first gameplay was already out of date at the time of publication of the material.
Combat system a few weeks behind
Patel mentioned that some of the players' feedback was "encouraging" for the developers, as fans highlighted issues that the team had been actively addressing for a while. One of these elements was the combat system, or more precisely: the sensations accompanying attacking and hitting enemies.
Patel stresses that what fans saw during the Xbox Developer Direct, at the time the video was published, was "behind" the actual progress on Avowed. It's simply the "nature of things" - all materials are pre-assembled, so in the case of an ongoing project, they use recordings from the "old" version of the game.
The director also confirmed that the team is closely monitoring the feedback from players. So, if online users frequently highlight an unsatisfactory element, fans can be confident that it's a subject of discussion among developers. And the combat system is undoubtedly the most common object of criticism in discussions about Avowed.
Avowed not only for veterans of Pillars of Eternity
This isn't the first time Patel or another representative from Obsidian Entertainment has responded to the criticism. We learned from the previous statements of the devs what title serves as a model for the team when it comes to close combat. The developers also brought up other systems or mechanics, such as romances (or rather the absence of them) and companions.
These last ones also slipped up during the Dropped Framed podcast during a conversation about character development. The player's character won't be restricted by classes (as Patel confirmed again during the conversation), but the skill trees of companions will be limited to one of the "archetypes." However, players will still have some freedom in creating their characters, allowing them to subtly adapt the fighting style of companions to their personal preferences.
Furthermore, the director has confirmed the absence of a base-building system (the protagonist will have a camp that "follows" him), mini-games, mounts, as well as the game's "scale" (comparable to The Outer Worlds, and thus noticeably smaller than typical "large RPGs"), a day-night cycle (though it doesn't affect the gameplay), and the familiar magic of grimoires from the Pillars of Eternity series. Patel also mentioned that you won't need to be familiar with both installments of the PoE series to keep up with the plot.
Avowed will be released on PC and XSX/S (and Xbox Game Pass) this fall. The devs still didn't provide an exact release date, which confirms that they still have a lot to do.
