GamesRPGAvowedAfter years of speculation about whether Avowed takes place before or after Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian casually revealed it’s a sequel through a preview quest poking fun at the events of Pillars 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesRPGAvowedAfter years of speculation about whether Avowed takes place before or after Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian casually revealed it’s a sequel through a preview quest poking fun at the events of Pillars 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Obsidian)

Gold skinned, glowing elf viewed from below with totem-statue visible in the background

Avowed was never billed as a direct follow-up to Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity games, but rather another story in the same setting of Eora. Still, the events of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire in particular were so big, so transformative, and with so many ending permutations, fans like me had to wonder if Avowed took place after the original games, or at some point in Eora’s distant past.

31 Minutes of Avowed Live Gameplay Demo | gamescom 2024 - YouTubeWatch On

31 Minutes of Avowed Live Gameplay Demo | gamescom 2024 - YouTube

31 Minutes of Avowed Live Gameplay Demo | gamescom 2024 - YouTube

31 Minutes of Avowed Live Gameplay Demo | gamescom 2024 - YouTube

But nope, not only is Avowed set after Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, the quest at the center of its Gamescom preview cheekily references the events of Deadfire before directly confirming the timeline. The quest sees you helping out a priest of Eothas⁠—the godly antagonist of Deadfire, who possesses a magic crystal colossus to wreak existentially-motivated havoc⁠—in digging up a relic of Pillars' most “problematic fav” deity. In the background, you can see that the disturbingly serene priest is building some kind of giant crystal effigy to Eothas.

So Avowed is moving the world of Eora forward, which is particularly exciting given how much Deadfire’s ending upended things: No matter your choices, Eothas manages to undo the setting’s cycle of death and rebirth, leaving the people of the world to wrestle with the implications. The Living Lands' remoteness from Deadfire and the Dyrwood, meanwhile, frees the team from having to address the nitty gritty of how players left the world, though I’m excited at the prospect of seeing a familiar face or two. We’ll know everything for sure once Avowed finally releases on February 18.

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

Avowed detailsAvowed companionsBest Avowed buildsAvowed best weaponsBest RPGs

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

Avoweddetails: Everything we knowAvowed companions: Party’s all hereBest Avowed builds: Freeform skill buildsAvowed best weapons: What to dual-wieldBest RPGs: The greatest you can play now

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