Avowed: One Year Later, Why All the Hate?

It’s 2026 now, and I still see people fighting over Avowed like it just came out yesterday. Yeah, you heard me right—this Obsidian RPG dropped over a year ago, and the flames haven’t died down one bit. When I first booted it up back in February 2025, I had no idea I was stepping into a battlefield that would make the Living Lands look peaceful.

So what’s the deal? Is Avowed a hidden gem or a flaming dumpster fire? Why are so many people still mad about it? And more importantly—should you even care in 2026? Let’s dig in.

The Pre-Release War: When Opinions Couldn’t Wait

Before Avowed even hit general release, things got spicy. If you pre-ordered the premium edition, you got in on February 13, 2025, five days early. That’s when the first wave of hot takes flooded Reddit and Twitter. And oh boy, it was messy.

I remember scrolling through Reddit and stumbling upon this one post by u/YeahhhhhWhateverrrr that kinda summed up the whole thing. They were basically saying: “People don’t even like games anymore. It’s just about what’s popular… fitting in.” They blasted influencers for profiting off drama, hate, and chaos, because let’s face it—clickbait pays the bills. Negative coverage generates more views than a nuanced review. It’s like the internet decided Avowed was guilty before the trial even started.

But was there truth to the criticism? Or were we all just parroting what our favorite YouTuber said for the algorithm?

The Critic vs. Player Divide

Here’s the thing: professionally, Avowed didn’t do half bad. It snagged an average critic score of 82 on OpenCritic. TheGamer’s own Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley gave it a 3 out of 5, noting, “Avowed is a valiant attempt at fantasy you can play your way, but while it delivers well enough with combat, the narrative just isn’t there.” So a solid B+, right?

Yet if you hang out on Obsidian fan forums or the Pillars of Eternity subreddit, you’ll see a very different vibe. Players there seem pretty happy overall. The loudest complaints often come from outside those communities. And yes, there’s a lot of misinformation. A commenter named u/KatyaBelli nailed it: “People just buy that the game lacks world reactivity or exploration when there are multiple out-of-the-way side quests that completely alter the world state and even the main quest of the game.”

I mean, c’mon—Eora, the world first introduced in Pillars of Eternity, is rich with lore and reactivity. I’ve personally stumbled into quests that changed entire faction outcomes, and yet I still see comments calling it “shallow.” Are we even playing the same game?

Steam Reviews: Very Positive but with a Grumble

Avowed debuted with a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, and honestly, that alone should tell you something. But if you dive into the negative reviews, you’ll see a pattern. The biggest gripe? That the game feels “barebones.” Some fans of classic Obsidian RPGs expected something with the depth of New Vegas or Pillars of Eternity—and instead got a faster-paced action RPG that streamlined some systems. One particularly bitter player wrote, “From the studio that prides itself on role-playing, this is barely an RPG at all.”

Ouch. But is that fair? Avowed isn’t trying to be Pillars of Eternity 3. It’s an indirect sequel, a gateway into Eora for a broader audience. Expecting deep D&D-style branching dialogues here is like expecting a Souls game to have a quest log. Different design, different goals.

My Experience: A Year of Patches and New Perspectives

Let me level with you: I played Avowed at launch and again a few weeks ago. Obsidian has been busy. Bugs got squashed, balance got tweaked, and even some narrative expansions dropped. It’s a better game now than it was in 2025. Combat, which was already pretty fun, now feels even smoother with new weapon varieties and magic combos. The companion Kai (yes, that blue guy in the pic) got more dialogue and backstory—thank goodness, because he was already a highlight.

But the narrative… Stacey wasn’t wrong. The main quest is serviceable, but it doesn’t punch you in the gut like The Outer Worlds or Tyranny. Side quests, however, are where the magic hides. I found a forgotten shrine that triggered an entire cult storyline, reshaping a town’s politics. How many players missed that because they rushed the yellow exclamation marks?

Why the Drama Won’t Die

A year later, you still have two factions. On one side, folks who see Avowed as a symbol of “dumbing down” RPGs. On the other, players who just vibed with the colorful world, snappy combat, and companions. And then there are the YouTube warriors, still milking views by calling it “the death of Obsidian.” Do you really think that after Grounded and Pentiment, Obsidian can’t handle different genres? Give me a break.

The truth is, Avowed sits in that awkward middle ground—too streamlined for hardcore CRPG fans, too narrative-heavy for pure action gamers. It’s a game that asks you to meet it halfway, and in an age of instant opinions, hardly anyone bothers.

Should You Play It in 2026?

Here’s my take: if you crave a colorful fantasy romp with enjoyable combat, a world dripping with lore (especially if you’re a Pillars fan), and don’t mind a story that’s more functional than mind-blowing, Avowed is absolutely worth your time. It’s available on Xbox Series X/S and PC (and yeah, Game Pass still has it). Just don’t go in expecting New Vegas 2.0, and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

And if you’re still out there shouting “barebones”—I challenge you to find the hidden quest about the stolen soul gems. Then come talk to me about world reactivity.

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