Avowed is set to let us dual-wield wands like, in the words of gameplay director Gabriel Paramo, a "gun-slinging mage". If that isn't enough to put some magic into Obsidian's upcoming fantasy RPG, then the setting and amount of player choice it appears to boast just might. In the latest Xbox Developer Direct 2024, we, at long last, got a closer look at the new Pillars of Eternity universe-set adventure, and alongside the beautiful and diverse landscapes on show, the deep dive continued to reiterate how much freedom and choice we'll have to pave our own way through the world in the Living Lands.
And as we saw in the latest look, how we fight against the many dangers of Eora is one way we'll be able to do just that. Ever since Avowed was first announced, its first-person combat has been a big point of interest. The initial teaser showed off a combination of swordplay and magic, with a later gameplay reveal giving us glimpses of axes and different abilities in motion. But this is the first time we've gotten a detailed overview, with Paramo guiding us through some of the different loadouts at our disposal. Above all, the way it's referred to as a "flexible combat system" is the real music to my ears. It once again puts emphasis on the fact that, as Paramo said, "the team's overarching goal is to empower you with choice".
