How Avowed Integrates Player Choice into Combat Dynamics

“From the start, we aimed to offer a wide range of combat options,” says Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo. “When it comes to weapons, players can select from a variety like a quick-strike dagger, a slowly-reloading arquebus, hefty two-handed great hammers, or a more versatile one-handed sword. There are also one-handed pistols and wands. Plus, our dual-wielding system is designed to let you combine an off-hand weapon with a one-handed weapon, allowing for some creative combat strategies.”

Diving into my exploration with different weapons, I found myself drawn to the Grimoire early in the game. This intriguing magic weapon lets you tap into spell abilities, even if your character isn’t typically magic-focused. Pairing it with a sword felt like an exciting combo, enabling some thrilling battle scenarios. I discovered that you can find more Grimoires across the world of Avowed. Once found, you can choose to enhance these magical tomes or learn new spells from them. For instance, imagine mastering a “Fan of Flames” spell and then adding it to your ability arsenal. Picture yourself swinging a giant hammer and simultaneously unleashing fiery blasts, independent of the spell book itself.

Paramo explains, “What makes our system stand out is how seamlessly all the parts fit together, offering players incredible freedom. We don’t set limits on them, allowing them to swiftly switch and execute actions. Whether it’s skills selected from their ability trees, the variety of weapons they choose to fire, or quick dodges—they all blend in a way that might be reminiscent of other games, but we’ve uniquely mixed them to maximize player creativity.”