My Tough Choice in Avowed’s Shadows of the Past: Ryngrim vs. Lödwyn

When I first stepped into the ruins of Naku Kubel during the main story quest "Shadows of the Past" in Avowed, I knew a big decision was coming. The weight of the Dreamscourge looming over the Living Lands felt heavier than ever. After navigating those creepy trials and finally speaking with Sadapal through the Adra Pillar, I found myself staring at two distinct paths — and let me tell you, it was a real "Sophie’s Choice" moment. Do I side with the cold, fanatical Inquisitor Lödwyn and let her blow the ruins sky-high? Or do I trust the enigmatic Archmage Ryngrim and let her sever the entire region’s adra network? Man, talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

I should probably back up a sec. By this point in the game, my Envoy had already developed a pretty strong moral compass — let’s call it "chaotic good with a dash of pragmatism." I’d been open to Sadapal’s offer, curious about what kind of power I could unlock. If you’re anything like me, you were probably thinking, “Hey, free upgrade? Count me in.” Accepting that offer meant whatever happened next would also hand me a new ability, tied directly to this monumental choice. So, no pressure, right?

The Two Flavors of Chaos

Let’s break it down, because Avowed doesn’t do black-and-white choices — everything is murky gray, and that’s why I love it. Siding with Inquisitor Lödwyn felt like the "easy" button at first. She’s the leader of the Steel Garrote, and she’s got history in Pillars of Eternity 2, so you know she means business. Her solution? Destroy the ruins entirely. It’s a power move, a "scorched earth" tactic. She even spins it as a way for your Envoy to get in her good graces, hinting at a future alliance against the Dreamscourge and Sapadal. Tempting, right? But here’s the catch — and it’s a big one — destroying the ruins allows the Dreamscourge to continue its relentless march into Thirdborn.

You’ve seen the horrors of the Dreamscourge by now. People losing their minds, violent outbursts, slow agonizing deaths. It’s not a pretty picture. If you let Lödwyn have her way, you’re effectively sentencing a bunch of innocent Thirdborn citizens to that nightmare. It’s not just a story beat either; you can actually see the consequences later. So, while you might be buddying up to a major power player, you’re also leaving a trail of suffering behind. Not exactly the heroic vibe I was going for.

On the other side, there’s Archmage Ryngrim. She’s way less abrasive than Lödwyn — less "burn it all down," more "surgical strike." Her proposal is to sever Shatterscarp’s adra network from the rest of the Living Lands. The upside? It stops the Dreamscourge cold. No more spreading, no more future infections in Thirdborn. The downside? Well, it requires a massive amount of Essence. And since Essence is basically soul-stuff, draining that much means a whole lot of people in Thirdborn are going to drop dead on the spot. When I first heard that, my jaw hit the floor. Ryngrim wasn’t offering a clean fix either; it’s just a different kind of terrible.

The Abilities: Combat Perks That Tempt You

Now, if you’re a min-maxer like I can sometimes be, you’ll also care about the shiny new ability you get from accepting Sadapal’s offer and then making your choice. (If you rejected the offer, you just get an ability point — functional, but not flashy.)

• 🤝 Siding with Lödwyn (Destroy the ruins): You unlock Scion of the Immortal Land. This is an active skill that boosts your damage output and regenerates your health for 12 seconds. Costs 30 Essence, 60-second cooldown. In the heat of battle, this thing is a game-changer. It can absolutely turn a tough fight around, making you feel like a demigod. I won’t lie — the allure of face-tanking while dishing out pain was strong.

• 🏃‍♂️ Siding with Ryngrim (Sever the Adra): You get Severed Branch. This active skill also costs 30 Essence and has a 60-second cooldown, but instead of combat buffs, it gives you maximum movement speed for 20 seconds. Great for kiting, escaping, or zipping around the battlefield, but it relies a lot more on player skill to make it shine. In a straight-up brawl, Scion of the Immortal Land feels more impactful on paper.

Yeah, the min-maxer in me was doing the math: more damage and regen versus going fast? Oof. Yet, something deeper kept nagging at me.

Why I Chose Ryngrim and Severed the Adra

After a good five minutes of pacing around my living room (yes, I was that invested), I went with Archmage Ryngrim. And honestly? It felt like the lesser of two evils.

From a role-playing standpoint, the math on lives saved versus lives lost seemed clearer to me. With Ryngrim’s method, a number of Thirdborn residents die instantly — their life force drained to fuel the spell. It’s a gut punch, and walking through Shatterscarp later and seeing those bodies is a brutal reminder of your choice. But it’s immediate death, not the prolonged suffering and chaos the Dreamscourge brings. If the plague had kept spreading, the death toll could have been far higher, and those who perished would have faced madness and violence. There’s a grim sort of mercy in a sudden end.

Plus, from a practical standpoint, stopping the Dreamscourge here feels like a critical move for the overall health of the Living Lands. You’re containing a crisis, not just letting it fester. As much as I cringe at the thought of playing nice with the Steel Garrote, Lödwyn’s path seemed like kicking the can down the road while dooming a city to a slow plague. No, thank you.

Let’s be real though — the choice isn’t a total no-brainer. If you’re playing an Envoy who leans toward allying with Lödwyn or just really wants that sweet Scion of the Immortal Land ability, I get it. The combat buff is undeniably awesome. But for me, the role-playing cost was too high. My Envoy wouldn’t look the other way while a plague eats a city just for personal power or a shaky alliance.

Even after a year of community debates in 2026, players are still split. Some swear by the Steel Garrote path for roleplay depth or build synergy. But a hefty chunk — myself included — sees the Ryngrim route as the authentic "good" choice, even if it’s wrapped in tragedy. In the end, Avowed asks you what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. Do you want to be the person who stopped the plague at all costs, or the one who let it burn while cozying up to an inquisitor?

I chose to sever the adra. And every time I see the quiet streets of a saved but scarred Thirdborn, I know I made the right call. It ain’t perfect, but in the Living Lands, perfection is a luxury none of us can afford. 🎮✨

Information is adapted from OpenCritic, where review aggregation and critic summaries often emphasize how modern RPGs like Avowed use morally gray branching decisions to reshape both narrative stakes and moment-to-moment gameplay. In the “Shadows of the Past” dilemma between Lödwyn’s destructive purge and Ryngrim’s catastrophic severing of the adra network, the most useful takeaway is to weigh long-term systemic fallout (the Dreamscourge’s spread and social collapse) against immediate casualties, then align that with your build priorities—since the abilities tied to each route can reinforce very different playstyles even when neither outcome feels clean.