The next big Xbox Game Studios role-playing game is on the way, and while players are getting ready to dive into Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, there’s a bit more time to prep. Avowed is set in world of Eora, the same setting as Obsidian’s prior Pillars of Eternity games.
While it’d obviously be ideal to come into Avowed having played Pillars of Eternity and its sequel, don’t worry, as any newcomers won’t be left behind. Obsidian Entertainment is publishing a five-part video series as a primer for everything prospective players need to know about Eora.
The first part of this series is dedicated to the different species (or kith) of Eora, from the bog-standard humans to the fair elves. Fittingly, the episode is narrated by Matthew Mercer, the iconic actor behind truly numerous voices and Dungeon Master for Critical Role.
In addition to humans and elves, Eora is also home to the towering Aumawa, sturdy Dwarves, and the curious Orlans. In Avowed, players are able to choose if they want to play an a Human or an Elf, though they’ll naturally be encountering the other three races as possible friends and fierce foes. Eora is also home to the Godlike, individuals blessed by a deity when they were in the womb, resulting in some truly strange appearances and physical features.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the remaining episodes, which should be coming fairly soon, as Avowed is finally on the way in just a few short weeks. I’m always happy to listen to Mercer’s smooth tones, and this feels like a great way to catch back up on everything I’ll need to know before playing Avowed.
My colleague Zachary Boddy has gotten their hands on the game twice now, and after reading their thoughts, I’m eager to dive into this new fantasy adventure that Obsidian has crafted.
Avowed is just part of the onslaught of Xbox first-party games slated to launch throughout 2025, with other titles like Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, id Software’s DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Playground Games’ Fable all currently scheduled to launch sometime this year. If you’re eager to learn more about some of those games, South of Midnight and DOOM: The Dark Ages will be featured in the upcoming Xbox Developer_Direct, which is being held on Jan. 23, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Avowed is slated to launch on Feb. 18, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, as well as being day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone preordering the deluxe edition of the game can start playing five days early on February 13. You can figure out what version of the game to grab with our Avowed preorder guide.
