Avowed didn’t have the biggest launch when it first released, but it’s looking to make a comeback with its new Anniversary Update. This update launches right alongside its PS5 release, giving PlayStation players the absolute best version of the game right off the bat.
The Avowed Anniversary Update is also great for returning fans since it adds plenty to the game that make it worth another visit. The best part about this update is that it’s completely free for those who already own the game, meaning all you have to do is update the game to enjoy newly added content.
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If you’re wondering what the Avowed Anniversary Update has to offer, we have you covered right here. Here are 7 additions in the Avowed Anniversary Update that elevate the experience.
7
New Game Plus
Play It Again
The absolute best part of the Avowed Anniversary Update is the addition of the New Game Plus mode. This mode will allow players to start a new game with their previous character, bringing over all their strong equipment, skills, abilities, items, and more. The only thing that resets in New Game Plus is your character’s level, which returns to level 1. This is actually a good thing to reset, though, as it gives players something to grind for.
Additionally, New Game Plus in Avowed will increase the difficulty of enemies and give them increased resistance to elemental attacks. This change makes New Game Plus more of a challenge and gives highly-skilled players something to look forward to in a second playthrough. Even though the mode is more challenging, players can expect higher attributes and ability point caps, allowing for deeper build customization and the chance to make stronger characters.
6
Magic Mirror Character Editing
Customize Your Character Mid Playthrough
One of the biggest complaints from Avowed players is that there was no way to customize your character after the initial character creation screen at the start of the game. This meant that players were stuck with their creative decisions throughout the entire playthrough, and would have to start an entirely new game if they wanted to change a character’s appearance. Fortunately, this has been changed with the Anniversary Update and now players can edit their character whenever they like.
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This is done through the new Magic Mirror feature, which is easily accessible from any camp in the game. It is found near the workbench and all you have to do is interact with it to change your character’s appearance. There is no limit to how many times you can use the Magic Mirror, allowing you to tweak your character’s looks, including hair, skin color, height, etc,. It’s a feature that should have been in the game from the start, but better late than never, I suppose.
5
Difficulty Sliders
Fine Tune Your Game
While Avowed has already had multiple difficulty settings, the Anniversary Update takes things a step further and adds new difficulty sliders that allow players to further customize their game. For example, players can adjust enemy health, the amount of damage they inflict, companion power, and much more. One of the best sliders available is for the game’s economy, allowing you to adjust the prices of items at merchants.
This is a fantastic addition to Avowed as it will help make each playthrough feel more personalized for the player, opening up the opportunity to make the game incredibly hard or straight up simple. Being able to fine tune and tweak all these settings is not something normally offered in RPGs, so it’s a pleasure to see the developers at Obsidian decide to add this to the game.
4
New Playable Races
Three New Races
Avowed only released with two playable races: Elves and Humans. Fortunately, the Avowed Anniversary update is more than doubling that amount with three new playable races, increasing the total amount to five. These new races are as follows: Dwarves, Aumaua and Orlan. Not only do these races bring a new style and look to your character, but they will also add unique dialogue options for each race when speaking to NPCs, adding more replay value to the game.
Additionally, the new races bring specific attribute bonuses to the game along with them, deepening build customization even further. The addition of these races adds more of an RPG feel to Avowed, which is something the game was severely lacking at launch, and opens up the opportunity to have a more unique playthrough that feels more different compared to other players.
3
New Quarterstaff Weapon Type
This Staff Goes “Bonk”
A great addition to Avowed in the Anniversary Update is the new weapon type called the Quarterstaff. This new weapon is a melee focused staff that deals a ton of damage through pure strength. If you ever wanted to roleplay as a wizard that uses strength to their advantage, the Quarterstaff is the perfect choice for you. Just like other weapons in the game, the Quarterstaff comes in different tiers, such as Common and Fine.
The good news is that this new weapon type is easily obtainable from the game’s merchants early on in the game, meaning you can test it out right away. After the tutorial level of Avowed, make sure to stop by the first merchant you see in Claviger’s Landing to get your hand on this unique-looking weapon. Luckily, it’s pretty cheap for the common version, so you won’t have to grind too much to afford it.
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2
Photo Mode
Take Beautiful Pictures
Avowed has a beautiful world, so it was always a shame that you couldn’t take pictures of it with a dedicated Photo Mode. Luckily, that is no longer the case, as the Avowed Anniversary Update adds a dedicated Photo Mode that allows you to take pictures at any point in the game. It’s easily accessible and has a ton of customization options that help you create the picture of your dreams. Whether it’s to add a filter, adjust the lighting, or add unique colors, you can do it in the new Photo Mode.
Since the Photo Mode can be accessed at any time, you can use it in the midst of combat and take action shots, which is personally the reason why I love it so much. Being able to freeze-frame your wizard casting a spell or your knight swinging a club is very exciting and enhances the overall experience of Avowed. You can spend hours upon hours within the new Photo Mode, trying to get the perfect shot of your playthrough.
1
New Melee Finishers
Defeat Enemies in Style
A huge issue when it came to Avowed’s combat system is the lack of variety near the end of the game. Eventually, you will see all the finishers the game has to offer, making combat feel more and more tedious as you progress. However, with the Avowed Anniversary Update, players can expect more melee finishers when defeating enemies as a melee-focused character. These added finishers aim to make combat feel more fresh, even after playing for many hours.
If you aren’t familiar with finishers in Avowed, they are flashy attacks that occur after filling up a meter below the enemy’s health bar. Once this meter is filled up, your character does an extra long animation, where he or she executes a deadly attack that deals a ton of damage. These attacks are the strongest in the game, so it’s nice to know there will be more available in this update.
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- Released
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February 18, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
