^{Image: Obsidian Entertainment}

The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian has shown off combat and choice-driven quests for its new fantasy RPG Avowed.

During today’s Xbox Developer Direct, developer Obsidian Entertainment gave viewers a deep dive into its upcoming fantasy RPG Avowed. Avowed is a spin-off of Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity series and takes place in the same world of Eora, with dynamic combat and a, “colourful, vibrant, strange,” setting in the Living Lands. The game will launch in Fall 2024.

Watch the deep dive below:

Xbox confirms launch window and gameplay details for Avowed

Obsidian Entertainment is well-known for action-RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, but this time the studio is drawing from its own IP: Pillars of Eternity. Set in Eora’s Living Lands, the game will feature fantastical creatures and visually colourful environments that contain them, though many of them will likely be hostile. The Living Lands itself is a mysterious island made up of different biomes, such as barren deserts, blighted wastelands, volcanic areas and more.

The game’s combat is a little bit more dynamic than The Outer World shoot-or-slash system. Players can use guns, bows, melee weapons and magical wands, sometimes in tandem, to attack enemies with different loadouts. Some enemies will likely be more vulnerable to one weapon compared to the other, so dual-wielding wands or using guns with swords is an option. You’ll also be able to use custom loadouts to switch between different builds on the fly.

The deep dive also used a sidequest players undertake in a settlement as an example of its narrative reactivity. The player can decide if the lone survivor of a group of dead soldiers is guilty of their deaths or not, and the consequences to that decision will reveal themselves upon their next visit to the settlement. Sidenote: look at the game's gorgeous cover art!

Avowed is launching in Fall 2024. The Xbox Developer Direct also showed off Indiana Jones and the Great Circle today, which is targeting a 2024 release.

Obsidian's fantasy RPG Avowed reveals 2024 launch window and gameplay