Five things you need to know before playing Avowed

Advanced Access for Avowed is finally here, and with its arrival comes a glorious new adventure in which to immerse yourselves.

Having reviewed Avowed for GAMINGbible, I can’t sing its praises enough. It’s a “bold and invigorating tale” that slowly reels you in before throwing you into the wild landscape of The Living Lands.

Beginning a new RPG, especially an open-world one, can be quite daunting. Although I always believe it’s wise to start these adventures with as few spoilers as possible, it never hurts to get some insider knowledge before you embark on your journey. It’s always better to start on the right footing to smoothly progress through the unique challenges a grandiose tale like this presents you with.

If you’re reading this having already started Avowed, I’m certain you’ll still find something of value here. It’s never too late to learn something new.

The Living Lands isn't for the faint-hearted in Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed

Always upgrade your gear

You may think upgrading your equipment is self-explanatory, but it’s easy to let that slide when you’re off exploring or side-questing. In Avowed, the enemies don’t level up as you do, which means that it’s very easy to stumble into a fight you’re not equipped for.

You might be able to tough it out through sheer grit, determination, and a ton of potions, but that’s not a wise long-term plan. Consequently, you want to upgrade your armour and weapons whenever you visit camp. You can also buy new gear, but when you can often upgrade to a higher quality level yourself, it’s more cost-effective to upgrade than shop.

Everything is useful – grab it

Despite carry weight being an issue, I still believe one of the best things you can do while traversing The Living Lands is to collect everything that isn't nailed down. Rotten cucumber? Take it. Common sword? Might as well.

Even when you seemingly have no use for an item, you can break it down to collect resources for upgrading. As for spoilt food, that has its uses too; you can cook with it. At first, I avoided collecting them, but once I realised I could make pickles, I started to horde mouldy food ready for a big cooking session back at camp. Everything is worth something, even if only to sell.

Always have lockpicks handy

Usually, where there’s a lock, there’s a key. And oftentimes you’ll find that key by poking around in other people’s belongings before you have to resort to picking locks. Still, you will eventually be forced to... well, force your way into a locked chest and/or room. When that happens, the last thing you want to discover is that you have no lockpicks left.

Lockpicks don’t break in Avowed, however, a specific number of them are used depending on how difficult a lock is to pick. You may only need one, or you may come across a chest that demands three lockpicks or more. To be on the safe side, whenever you find lockpicks available – be them via a merchant or loot on a body – take them.

Listen out for hidden loot

I probably sound a little silly right now to anyone who hasn’t played Avowed, however, loot has a very specific sound by default. Whenever you’re near a backpack, chest, or enemy that can be searched for treasure, a sort of shimmery trill will grow louder the closer you get.

You’ll sometimes hear this sound and not be able to easily locate the item it's alerting you to. Maddening though that can be, with a bit of extra effort on your part, you soon become adept at tracking down these sneaky secrets. And rewards? Well, they speak for themselves.

You can play in third-person

Playing in first-person isn’t for everyone. I found it the better way to play Avowed, especially during intense combat when you want extra fluidity. That being said, if you really can’t stand the idea of playing in first-person, don’t let it prevent you from trying Avowed because there’s a third-person mode available.

You’ll need to go into the settings to change this in-game mechanic, and I wouldn’t say every aspect of Avowed’s gameplay is suited to this perspective. However, it’s there should you prefer to see your beautifully customised character at all times.

These five points are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to getting the lay of the land in Avowed. Nonetheless, while this isn’t a definitive list of handy tips, it’ll definitely make adjusting to The Living Lands a gentler transition.