My thoughts after finishing the game.

[Darren Heffernan]

Combat: The combat actually feels pretty good. I like being able to mix and match styles. It severely lacks depth for me. Once I hit level 20, which was maybe around halfway, I'd seen everything there was to see and it became boring. Quality of gear should determine the stats/enchants of said gear which affects the damage received/inflicted to/from enemies. I do not like the current design. I also found it quite strange that parry was in the skill tree.

Items/Gear: I do not like the quality system/ upgrade system in this game. I like accessories, boots, gloves, uniques. I also think upgrade materials are too scarce. 1 merchant in each zone that sells an unlimited supply of the previous zones materials would've made me happy. Food is pretty strong in this game. The ranger upgrade for the better recipes has some pretty insane buffs.

Exploration: Gorgeous maps to explore that have been well designed. Great hiding spots for the treasure. It was fun looking for them when I hear the sparkle. It started to feel like a chore to get resources to upgrade the gear though.

Audio: Music was great, sound design was great I have no complaints.

Story: I enjoyed the story. It didn't hit like Tyranny did. The writing wasn't as mature. It was a good premise however and I enjoyed being in the world of Eora again.

Sidequests: A certain beast of a certain season didn't appear in a certain game. A lot of the side quests were actually rather uninspiring and I finished every sidequest 0.3% on steam baby.

I hate to say it because I love Obsidian and I love the Pillars franchise but Avowed was a let down for me.