Avowed Feature Scores
Explore all 81 feature scores for Avowed, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
81 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.011 (14%)
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Positive 3.5-4.441 (51%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.421 (26%)
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Negative 1.5-2.47 (9%)
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Very negative below 1.51 (1%)
Pros
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Exploration was one of the strongest consensus positives, with dense maps, secrets, vertical paths, and constant rewards keeping reviewers engaged.
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World-building was one of Avowed’s clearest strengths, especially its politics, cultures, history, and Eora continuity.
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Most reviewers praised the bold, colorful, alien fantasy art direction, though a few disliked the cartoony look or felt presentation was uneven.
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Combat was one of the most consistently praised elements, especially magic, responsiveness, and build variety, despite repetition and gear-gating complaints.
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Lore depth was consistently praised, especially the in-game books, history, politics, and reference systems that made Eora feel rich.
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Controls and combat feel were commonly praised for responsiveness, impact, and keybind flexibility, with a few targeting frustrations.
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Narrative quality was usually a strength thanks to mystery, choices, and world stakes, but some reviewers found the main plot predictable or underwhelming.
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Fun factor leaned positive overall, especially for combat and exploration, though some reviewers found the experience merely solid or underwhelming.
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Graphics quality was divisive but often positive, with praise for stunning vistas and vivid visuals alongside criticism of poor or compromised visuals on some platforms.
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Environmental detail was strongly praised through dense secrets, vistas, caves, and handcrafted spaces, even by some otherwise mixed reviewers.
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Visual effects, especially magic, were repeatedly praised for impact, color, and satisfying feedback.
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Weapon balance and variety were mostly praised for experimentation and flexible loadouts, but some reviewers felt magic outclassed melee or guns.
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Platforming precision was a pleasant surprise, with simple mantling and vertical puzzles adding a welcome exploration layer.
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Character creation was generally praised as solid or deep, with later updates adding more races and appearance options.
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Emotional impact came mostly from moral choices, consequences, and companion moments, though some endings or fallout felt muted to critics.
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Side characters and companions were highly divisive: some found them memorable and heartfelt, while others thought they were shallow or uninspired.
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Voice acting was mostly praised as strong or outstanding, though one reviewer found performances unable to save weaker writing.
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Build and class flexibility was praised because Avowed lets players mix archetypes freely, though balance sometimes favored magic or specific styles.
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Writing quality was widely praised for lore, companion dialogue, and sharp prose, but a minority found it wordy, pretentious, or mid.
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The Living Lands’ vivid tone, music, and dreamlike spaces were repeatedly praised for creating a distinctive atmosphere.
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Movement feel and parkour were strongly praised for making exploration fluid, vertical, and enjoyable.
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Gameplay mechanics were generally praised as streamlined and flexible, but a few reviewers felt RPG systems lacked depth or reactivity.
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Crash stability varied by platform and version: some reviewers reported no crashes, while another had severe startup crashes before fixes.
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Reviewers liked the dense zones and amount of side content, although some felt the scope was restrained rather than sprawling.
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The tutorial was praised for teaching systems naturally and creating meaningful choices early.
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Platform-specific support was praised for PS5 performance modes, Sony-platform feel, and PC features such as DLSS.
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Sound design was praised for impactful effects, combat feedback, and strong weapon audio.
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Level design was praised for verticality, density, handcrafted routes, and spaces that felt larger than their footprint.
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Returning Eora fans often felt Avowed was faithful to the Pillars of Eternity world, while still accessible to newcomers.
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Polish improved over time but remained uneven, with reviewers citing jank, lack of gloss, or presentation limits alongside strong craftsmanship.
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Quest design ranged from excellent side stories and meaningful follow-ups to fetchy, inconsistent, or repetitive tasks.
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Replay value improved with choices and post-launch New Game Plus, though some reviewers felt repeated runs changed too little.
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Open-zone design split reviewers: many liked curated, dense hubs, while others found the world restrictive, lifeless, or not interactive enough.
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Fast travel was viewed as convenient and generous, making it easy to revisit areas without friction.
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Post-launch support was viewed positively, with free updates improving stability, customization, build options, and quality-of-life features.
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Skill trees were praised for flexibility but criticized by others as simple, shallow, or uneven across archetypes.
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Dialogue quality ranged from standout and well acted to overly wordy, forced, or limited in the options it offered.
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Bug reports varied widely: some reviewers found almost none, while others hit quest bugs, map-edge bugs, or issues that required reloads.
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Immersion was helped by dense worldbuilding and atmosphere but hurt for some by static NPCs and limited world reactivity.
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Reviewers noted useful accessibility and comfort controls such as camera, subtitle, difficulty, and arachnophobia-related options, though colorblind support was called out as missing.
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Puzzles were generally light but appreciated when they used environmental elements, timing, and exploration paths.
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Menu and ability-wheel usability was mixed; some quality-of-life systems helped, but radial wheels and limited hotkeys disrupted combat for others.
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Onboarding was praised when it taught by doing, though lore-heavy openings could feel steep for newcomers.
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Soundtrack reception was generally positive but often stopped short of calling the music unforgettable.
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Camera-related options were appreciated, especially the ability to adjust head bob and camera shake for comfort.
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One reviewer specifically framed Avowed as more appropriate for older teens and adults because of its complex themes and mature material.
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Learning support was helped by reference and lore systems that made Eora’s terminology easier to understand.
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UI options such as text sizing and subtitles were appreciated as useful interface support.
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Haptic support was platform-dependent: one PS5 review praised DualSense vibration, while another noted missing haptic and trigger use.
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HUD clarity improved through options to reduce clutter, adjust opacity, and toggle display elements.
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Enemy AI was considered serviceable but not especially smart; later impressions suggested fights remain engaging without feeling brain-dead.
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Steam Deck suitability was considered playable and verified, but the visual tradeoff was significant.
Cons
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World interactivity was one of the most common criticisms, with many reviewers finding NPCs, theft, objects, and systems too static.
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Stealth was criticized as underdeveloped or nearly useless, with little support for stealth-focused play.
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Enemy variety was a recurring concern; many reviewers felt the same bears, spiders, skeletons, and humanoids appeared too often.
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Sandbox freedom was limited compared with full open-world RPGs, though some reviewers still appreciated freedom in story choices or builds.
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Grind level was a common complaint tied to gear upgrades, resource hunting, and spongy combat loops.
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Mission design drew criticism when quests felt repetitive, fetchy, or like back-and-forth errands, though some standout missions remained.
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Endgame content was criticized because the original experience did not allow continued post-story play and lacked New Game Plus at launch.
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Resource balance divided reviewers: some liked the meaningful economy, while others felt crafting materials and upgrade resources were too scarce.
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Boss design was criticized as disappointing, with bosses feeling like tougher versions of regular enemies rather than unique encounters.
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Character development split reviewers: some found companions distinct and engaging, while others thought characters were bland or hard to care about.
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The core loop was divisive: strong combat and exploration were often undermined for some reviewers by gear-tier repetition and open-zone structure.
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Crafting was mixed to negative, with several reviewers calling it threadbare, expensive, or too tied to gear-tier progression.
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Upgrade systems were sharply divisive, with some liking gear longevity and many others criticizing tiers, scarcity, or number-go-up design.
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Aiming and first-person spell placement drew criticism when ground-targeted abilities were hard to place precisely.
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Originality was limited; reviewers often described Avowed as familiar comfort-food fantasy rather than a bold genre evolution.
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Facial animations were criticized in later impressions as not matching next-generation expectations.
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Loot opinions were mixed: unique items and progression could be satisfying, but many chests and rewards felt predictable or unexciting.
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Pacing was mixed, with slow starts, downtime, filler quests, and late-game repetition weighing against an otherwise easy-to-follow story.
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Innovation was usually described as limited; reviewers saw Avowed as confident and enjoyable rather than genre-changing.
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Map and navigation design was mixed, with missing custom markers criticized before later updates added them.
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Animation feedback was mixed, with stiff NPCs and less impressive presentation keeping the game from feeling fully modern.
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Save reliability was a concern for at least one reviewer who needed more careful saving because of bugs.
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Companion combat AI was mixed: some found companions self-sufficient or improved by patches, while others called them weak or unnecessary in fights.
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Progression systems were divisive: some liked flexible builds and added points, while others found midgame growth stagnant or too gear-dependent.
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The companion roster was often seen as small or limited, though some reviewers still liked the four supporting characters.
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Value for money was mixed: reviewers praised Game Pass or lower pricing but questioned the original premium price for the scope.
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Frame-rate stability varied: some reviewers saw stable performance, while others reported hitches, drops, screen tearing, or stuttering.
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Performance optimization varied sharply across versions, from stable and improved after patches to demanding, stuttery, or poorly optimized on some PCs.
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Difficulty balance was one of the most debated areas, with some finding it fair and flexible and others criticizing gear checks, sponginess, or uneven scaling.