Upcoming Obsidian RPG Avowed takes place in Eora, which within the fictional universe of Pillars of Eternity, is fairly various. However after Pillars let gamers select from a variety of completely different character races, followers have been questioning for a while now why Avowed is just letting them decide human or elf when customizing a participant character.
We have realized that Avowed participant character creation is restricted to creating both a human or an elf in earlier sport reveals – no dwarves, no aumauas, and undoubtedly no godlikes. Whereas this has been a disappointment to some followers, Avowed sport director Carrie Patel has made it clear that the explanations for this limitation are twofold: it is each a narrative selection and a growth choice.
On the story aspect, Patel explains in an interview with IGN, it is as a result of the participant in Avowed is a consultant from the Aedyr Empire, which is predominantly made up of people and elves. These conversant in Pillars of Eternity lore will acknowledge that that is certainly established canon, and has formed loads of the area’s specific tradition.
Nonetheless, that could be chilly consolation to these hoping to recreate their aumaua OC from Pillars in Avowed. For these people, Patel affords some further context that helps issues make a bit extra sense from the event aspect:
“We need to ensure that no matter expertise we’re providing is easy and pure and properly paced to the participant,” she says. “And one of many issues in regards to the species of Pillars that I believe is loads simpler to account for in an isometric sport is simply the variation in sizes. You have aumaua after which you’ve got people and elves who’re at roughly the identical scale, after which you’ve got orlans and dwarves who’re fairly a bit smaller. And for every of these, particularly in first particular person, you are adjusting the peak of the participant character’s capsule and form of the place their weapons are relative to enemies and the way their hits land and the way hits land on them. And it is clearly not that any of these items are inconceivable to resolve, however you are all the time making selections and selecting your priorities and growth.”
Patel declined to remark additional on the character creator in Avowed, which we’ve not seen a lot of but, nevertheless it’s additionally essential to keep in mind that Avowed is a sport that largely or completely takes place within the first-person. Whereas it is a bummer not to have the ability to be a dwarf, realistically, the one a part of your self you may be seeing for many of the sport is your palms.
Avowed obtained a 2024 launch window not too long ago, after first being teased again in 2020 on the Xbox Video games Showcase and getting a extra full reveal at a 2023 Xbox showcase. We additionally spoke to Patel final week about why Avowed is foregoing romances to concentrate on completely different sorts of companion relationships.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Obtained a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.