Summary
Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming RPGAvowedis a somewhat ambitious title for the developer, mixing the fantasy elements of itsPillars of Eternityseries with the life and visual appeal of its more recent title,The Outer Worlds. In fact,Avowedcould end up being fantasyOuter Worlds, but that may not be a bad thing. At the same time, Obsidian confirmed in an interview with PC Gamer last year thatAvowedshares one particular similarity withThe Outer Worldsthat could unintentionally put its skill trees in the hot seat.
The Outer Worldsisn’t a huge game, despite the countless opportunities it gives its players to explore. In the same way, it seems likely thatAvowedwon’t be either. Obsidian has confirmed thatAvowed’s scale and scope will be more akin toThe Outer Worldsthan larger RPGs likeThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be as small or smaller thanThe Outer Worlds, it still doesn’t bode well for the game’s skill trees. Specifically, ifAvoweddoesn’t give players long enough to enjoy the skills they’ve unlocked before the game ends, the whole system may feel lackluster as a result and leave players wanting.
Avowed’s Skill Trees Need to Respect the Game’s Scale
Avowed’s Skill Trees Need to Be Smaller Than the Game
Avowed’s skill trees have already been confirmed to be entirely accessible by players of any playstyle, primarily due to the fact that players will progress by investing in abilities rather than stat points.Avowedwill not have traditional classes, so its skill system could potentially be more similar toThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim’s, which allows players to choose skills and abilities from a wide variety of categories, no matter their playstyle. While this level of customization may be appealing, if it is too extensive, it could compete withAvowed’s scale. As such, it would do well forAvowedto ensure its skill trees aren’t larger than the game and can be completed long before the credits roll.
Larger RPGs, likeSkyrim, allow players plenty of opportunities to max out their skill trees before they complete the game. They accomplish this by providing players with vast worlds filled with optional activities that award notable experience upon completion that they can then use to unlock new skills. However, withAvowedreportedly being much smaller than games likeSkyrim, it will have limited room to work with. This means thatAvowed’s skill trees will need to beAvowed-sized, notSkyrim-sized, whatever the final size ofAvowed’s scope and scaleturns out to be.
Avowed’s Skill Trees Can’t Be Locked Behind Narrative Progression
One wayAvowedcan ensure itsskill treesare appropriate for the game’s scale is to keep them free from the bounds of narrative progression. Some games tie certain skills to major plot points, but this can result in those skills not being used at all until the game reaches its climax.Avowedcan easily avoid this, but its world will need to be large enough to compensate. Players will need plenty of reasons to venture off the beaten path to improve their characters, rather than relying on any amount of experience earned from completing story quests.
With little to no information currently available aboutAvowed’s skill trees, it’s impossible to know whether they will be complemented or betrayed by the game’s size. Thankfully, Obsidian has confirmed thatAvowedwill not be anotherSkyrim, despite its skill system clearly being inspired by Bethesda’s hit RPG, so its skill trees could follow suit. Hopefully, Obsidian will reveal ’s skill system as its release date gets closer, but that remains to be seen.
