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Avowed Could Be 'Pillars of Eternity' Prequel

When they announced this game I could have sworn 'Eora' sounded familiar.

Well....

Avowed Could Be 'Pillars of Eternity' Prequel


The upcoming first-person open world RPG Avowed takes place in the land of Eora, the same fantasy setting as Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Some fans have assumed Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment's attempt to make a next-gen sequel to their iconic fantasy franchise, but visual clues in the latest trailer strongly imply that Avowed is a prequel to the Pillars of Eternity games, telling a story about the rise of Eora's greatest empire and, perhaps, the fall of their greatest goddess.

Both Pillars of Eternity games drew narrative and gameplay inspiration from the Baldur's Gate franchise, an isometric Bioware-developed RPG series which adapted the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop RPG to a digital format. Like the Baldur's Gate games, gameplay in Pillars of Eternity revolved around the tactical maneuverings of fantasy heroes in an adventuring party as they navigated the Renaissance-inspired fantasy world of Eora and uncovered dark secrets related to the nature of gods and the cycle of reincarnation.

Avowed, gameplay-wise, seems to draw inspiration from the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (and Obsidian's own first-person sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds) judging by the viewpoint character's dual-wielding of swords and magic in the trailer. The narrator of the Avowed trailer, much like in the premiere Skyrim trailer, warns prospective players about the "monsters our sins have borne" while musing on the nature of war, monarchy, and oaths. Obsidian hasn't explicitly stated whether Avowed is a sequel or prequel to their Pillars of Eternity games. However, there are many symbols and visual motifs in the cinematic trailer which hint that Avowed takes place centuries before Pillars of Eternity, if not millennia.

Souls and Divinity have always been major themes of the Pillars of Eternity games, with the core conflicts of both titles revolving around questions like "What are Gods?" and "Should we be worshiping them?" Avowed's gameplay is explicitly about the nature of oaths and vows, with the trailer's narrator alluding to a holy order of warriors that "forged an empire" with the "power of their oaths." These two themes aren't as contradictory as they seem at first glance; old-school Oaths and Vows were made by invoking deities who smiled upon the honorable and punished oath-breakers.

Additionally, the trailer for Avowed shows two symbols used by deities from the pantheon of Pillars of Eternity. The huge statue of the warrior with a wolf companion is Galawain, patron of the hunt and wild places. The fluttering castle banners display the crown of Woedica, goddess of law and justice, commonly referred to as the "Oathbinder." In Pillars of Eternity, Woedica is the patron deity of the expansionist Aedyr Empire. Juxtaposed with the "forged an empire" line from the trailer, the implication is that Avowed will be a prequel, not a sequel, to Pillars of Eternity, focused on the Woedica-worshiping heroes who built the Aedyr Empire and how their bond with their goddess was shattered by a cruel betrayal.
 
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Other sites are confirming it is.

Sorry if it's old news. I've been away.


It's been confirmed that Avowed takes place in Eora, the same setting as the Pillars of Eternity franchise, which means players will encounter the same races found there...and probably play them.

Other major sites are also saying it's in the same universe.
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Sequel or prequel I'm good either way. I played PoE for the first time fairly recently thanks to Game Pass and loved i. I loved the lore, the narrative and the Eora. I do think a prequel would be stellar since I was curious and interested to know what went before the events in PoE.
 
Sequel or prequel I'm good either way. I played PoE for the first time fairly recently thanks to Game Pass and loved i. I loved the lore, the narrative and the Eora. I do think a prequel would be stellar since I was curious and interested to know what went before the events in PoE.
Yeah I'm a lot more interested now since I like the lore of PoE.

Avowed could be the next Morrowind or Fallout 3 whereas the third games in those series took the game in new directions with new technology.
 
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Zeypher

Member
Makes zero difference to me as didnt play POE beyond first few hours (not a fan of top down rpgs) so avowed being a prequel or sequel anything is fine as long as its good and fun.
 
Makes zero difference to me as didnt play POE beyond first few hours (not a fan of top down rpgs) so avowed being a prequel or sequel anything is fine as long as its good and fun.
Which is why I think it could be the beginning of popularizing the PoE setting just like Morrowind and Oblivion and especially Skyrim did for TES or how Fallout 3 did for the Fallout series. Or even how GTA 3 did for GTA series.
 
It's literally only info on official page outside of trailer and platforms it will be released and it's there since day one.
If it's prequel we will have yet to see. Screen rant is not source I would cite about anything.
It's pretty much been confirmed I read on most other big sites. Whether it's a prequel, sequel or takes place during one of the two previous games is unknown but it does take place in the same world as PoE.
 

Tschumi

Member
If this is right. HOLY SHIAT am I pumped. Unlike almost any other computer game franchise these days, I am a committed PoE fan. BG3 turn based combat booooooooo!
 

kuncol02

Banned
It's pretty much been confirmed I read on most other big sites. Whether it's a prequel, sequel or takes place during one of the two previous games is unknown but it does take place in the same world as PoE.
It's not "pretty much confirmed". IT IS CONFIRMED. It is literally ony info Obsidian gave us day one. Fact that some people are trying to make news from that NOW is baffling for me.
 
It's not "pretty much confirmed". IT IS CONFIRMED. It is literally ony info Obsidian gave us day one. Fact that some people are trying to make news from that NOW is baffling for me.
When I saw the trailer I sure as hell didn't know. Only give away was Eora, which sounded familiar to me but didn't click in memory despite owning both PoE games. I only today came across this news.

The trailer didn't explicitly say it was part of the PoE world, only strong hints. The fact that some people in this thread and the Avowed thread didn't know until just now either means I'm not alone on this.

Anyways, I had little interest until I learned of this. PoE is an interesting setting with it's "secret" background on the origin of gods, souls, etc so looking forward to this now.

Edit: btw I thought you were originally arguing with me that it WASN'T confirmed so we're on the same page.
 
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CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Makes zero difference to me as didnt play POE beyond first few hours (not a fan of top down rpgs) so avowed being a prequel or sequel anything is fine as long as its good and fun.

I feel the the same way about top down RPGs but the game was good enough to hook me. I'm super excited about Avowed since it looks like it will have excellent modern RPG graphics.
 

Dr_Salt

Member
I mean it takes place in Eora before the stories of Pillars and they said it day1. I don't think you have to be a genious to know it is a prequel to PoE.
 
I have the feeling The Elder Scrolls VI will look better and be closer to a current gen game than Avowed.

Obsidian is still kind of a small studio compared to AAA giants like Bethesda, right?
 

Fuz

Banned
Not a fan of PoE lore and ruleset.

Despite that, I really liked the two games (the second more than first).

Not sure how to take this news.
 
I have the feeling The Elder Scrolls VI will look better and be closer to a current gen game than Avowed.

Obsidian is still kind of a small studio compared to AAA giants like Bethesda, right?

There is nothing automatic that says Bethesda will make a better looking game just because they have more bodies to throw at it. Software development doesn't work that way. Having a talented team of 50 can produce miracles, whereas a mediocre team of 500 can produce crap.
 
There is nothing automatic that says Bethesda will make a better looking game just because they have more bodies to throw at it. Software development doesn't work that way. Having a talented team of 50 can produce miracles, whereas a mediocre team of 500 can produce crap.
True. Pillars of Eternity 2 was a beautiful game tbh.

But usually AAA studios have more resources and assets. Obsidian, though, isn't a full blown indie dev either.

Nice thing about Obsidian is they're known for their hard work and quality.

Which is why it's so hard for me to choose. I only go with TES VI for now do to my familiarity with the world of Tamriel.

Edit: plus we saw the "team of 500 can produce crap" with Halo Infinite.
 
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Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
True. Pillars of Eternity 2 was a beautiful game tbh.

But usually AAA studios have more resources and assets. Obsidian, though, isn't a full blown indie dev either.

Nice thing about Obsidian is they're known for their hard work and quality.

Which is why it's so hard for me to choose. I only go with TES VI for now do to my familiarity with the world of Tamriel.

Edit: plus we saw the "team of 500 can produce crap" with Halo Infinite.
The only difference between Obsidian and Bethesda till now was budget.
 

Greeno

Member
I have the feeling The Elder Scrolls VI will look better and be closer to a current gen game than Avowed.

Obsidian is still kind of a small studio compared to AAA giants like Bethesda, right?
Well.... Elder Scrolls 6 is using the creation engine.... the same engine used in Fallout 3, Fallout NV, Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. Avowed is using Unreal Engine......
 
Well.... Elder Scrolls 6 is using the creation engine.... the same engine used in Fallout 3, Fallout NV, Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. Avowed is using Unreal Engine......
Are you sure? Because I heard there's pretty nothing known about TES VI other than it's in some point of the development stage and many, many years before we see anything.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Was not a fan of the POE lore. It's a big part of why I couldn't even finish the games.
 
Oh man this game just keeps sounding better and better. I hope that either the XSX version supports keyboard and mouse or that I have become confident enough for PC parts to carry me through the generation (ie RDNA 3/RTX 4 series for great RT power and a CPU a good bit more powerful than XSX) by the time this game comes out. Because holy shit everything about this game has me excited and while I don't want to have to play with a controller I may have to
 

Dr_Salt

Member
Was not a fan of the POE lore. It's a big part of why I couldn't even finish the games.

Playing through the first one right now and even tho I like the characters and the chose your own adventure events I have to say that the lore seems rather boring to me. Not a fan of the RTWP gameplay either. I hope it gets better since I am still a couple of hours into it.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I kind of dig that a little Kickstarter IP has snowballed into a real AAA system-seller.

I didn't play PoE but cool that they have some lore to work with. I am definitely interested in Avowed.
 

CitizenX

Banned
Let me guess there is an evil force that is trying to take over the Kingdom, massacre everyone, fetch a few apples and build up my old castle, we will be victorious. All the while putting points into my level up tree AND romancing possibly a frog?
 
Was not a fan of the POE lore. It's a big part of why I couldn't even finish the games.
I like that the world has a bit of weirdness and originality to it. There are some aspects of the lore I do not like....

Mainly that the gods are nothing but creations by sorcerers using soul magics.

There's also the fact the sequel was a little on the woke side and that kind of bothers me a little that Avowed will be even worse in that regard especially considering the current environment.
 
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Ballthyrm

Member
I played both Pillar of Eternity games as my avatar makes clear enough.
I hope we get to explore yet another part of this planet.

The writers and actors involved in both PoE were really good i hope it's will still be the same team.

Let us remember that the Pillar of Eternity kickstarter saved Obsidian from closing.
I hope it keep giving them dividend for trusting their fans.
 
S

SLoWMoTIoN

Unconfirmed Member
After Outer Worlds I'm just not gonna get my hopes up sorry.
 

anthraticus

Banned
Was not a fan of the POE lore. It's a big part of why I couldn't even finish the games.
Obsidian's best writers like Avellone left a few years back. I think he only wrote the Durante & Grieving Mother characters for Pillars.

But yea, after New Vegas and the kickstarter for PoE, cRPG fans had high hopes for Obsidian, but many were left pretty underwhelmed with their cRPG output.....Sawyer and his 'obsessive overbalancing' with the rules, plus the very uneven and 'dry' setting/writing/lore of PoE.

As far as AAA action RPGs go.....

The core problem is this: when trying to appeal to the masses more now with this game, devs are gonna be thinking in terms of how do I design a combat system that won't drive away potential sales. So anything that's somewhat challenging or complex like KCD or Warband will get dismissed, and it's just whack/whack/static block/whack, that you're left with, as any retard can do that.
 
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Obsidian's best writers like Avellone left a few years back. I think he only wrote the Durante & Grieving Mother characters for Pillars.

But yea, after New Vegas and the kickstarter for PoE, cRPG fans had high hopes for Obsidian, but many were left pretty underwhelmed with their cRPG output.....Sawyer and his 'obsessive overbalancing' with the rules, plus the very uneven and 'dry' setting/writing/lore of PoE.

As far as AAA action RPGs go.....

The core problem is this: when trying to appeal to the masses more now with this game, devs are gonna be thinking in terms of how do I design a combat system that won't drive away potential sales. So anything that's somewhat challenging or complex like KCD or Warband will get dismissed, and it's just whack/whack/static block/whack, that you're left with, as any retard can do that.
I hate how games have to technically and socially pander to the masses nowadays.
 

anthraticus

Banned
I hate how games have to technically and socially pander to the masses nowadays.
If you're a big action RPG fan and not into 'traditional RPG combat'....dice rolls/turn based/rtwp..

..I can see it even being more annoying, cause at least cRPG fans are getting stuff from AA & indie studios.

But hey, sp tactical shooter fans have it even worse with the genre being pretty much completely dead. At least you get the rare decent action RPG like the Souls games, Dark Arisen, KCD...
 
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Seems as good a thread as any for this

Currently playing through PoE Deadfire, and having already played through the first game, I really want this to be a sequel. Even though I usually prefer prequels in games.

The events that shape Eora's geographical, political, social and mystical aspects have been referenced and repeated over and over in the two Pillars games.

And while it would be cool to play through them, It would take some of the magic out knowing exactly what the canon repercussions are.
With Obsidian billing this to have choice reactivity, it'd be kind of odd making a morally-gray choice knowing it won't matter much because eventually it all goes to shit in very specific ways.

They don't have to set it in the specific periods referenced in the Pillars games, and I believe the people at Obsidian are skilled enough to handle their world with care, but at the same time it'd be really difficult to make a sequel that doesn't heavily reference the
engwithian "gods"

Tl;dr The pillars games are lore- and history-heavy, anything happening in a prequel plot-wise will have to be cleverly handled to be fresh
 
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e0n

Member
Kind of a shame to make it a prequel since the original game was high fantasy mixed with precolonial firearms and conflicts which was kind of unique.
 

luffie

Member
They should have really dropped the poe settings and gone with a new direction.

PoE as a general has a very stupid plotline, which causes PoE to end up in a stupid cliffhanger. PoE 2 also didn't leave on a good impression, so I don't see how making it PoE setting is an attractive selling point for most people.

The writing is self indulgent, the lore is uninteresting, and the gods are stupid af. At least for me, after playing PoE2, I'm dropping anything related to it.
 
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