Obsidian Entertainment has unveiled a comprehensive 2025 post-launch roadmap for their fantasy RPG, Avowed, alongside the detailed patch notes for its 1.4 update. This information was shared on the Obsidian website, providing players with a glimpse into both the immediate enhancements and the long-term vision for the game.

The 1.4 update introduces several noteworthy features. Among them is an Arachnophobia mode, transforming the game's giant spiders into less intimidating, faceless blobs. Additionally, there are improvements to map exploration, increased availability of gold and crafting materials, gear adjustments, and the introduction of a new party camp feature. For Xbox players, this update also brings mouse and keyboard support.

Avowed 2025 Roadmap. Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment.

Looking ahead, Obsidian has outlined three major updates planned for 2025. The first, already live with update 1.4, sets the stage. The summer update will enhance cooking and crafting, introduce new NPC interactions, add more weapons and armor, and allow for custom map markers. Finally, the fall update promises highly anticipated features like new game plus and photo mode, along with a new weapon type, appearance changes in the world, additional character presets, and expanded language support.

Obsidian is committed to enhancing the game's accessibility for players in Korea, Japan, and French-speaking regions. They are actively working on localized versions and ongoing improvements to ensure a quality experience in players' preferred languages.

Note: Potential spoilers have been highlighted in bold.

Avowed Update 1.4 Patch Notes

Greetings Envoys,

We want to take a moment to thank you for your continued reports, feedback, suggestions, and your patience. Your insights are valuable to us, and we appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing your experiences with us.

Without further ado, the 1.4 patch notes are now ready for all to enjoy!

Thank you for being part of our community—we appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more with you in the future!

— The Avowed Team

Features and Improvements!

• Arachnophobia Safe Mode: Now available in the Accessibility menu, this mode replaces all spiders with little spheres wielding swords. While friendlier in appearance, they remain as deadly as ever!

• Community Highlights:

  • The fog of war clears automatically once nearly all accessible areas on a map are explored.
  • Entering cities on overland maps now reveals the corresponding map section.
  • Increased radius for clearing fog while exploring.
  • Critters can now be killed and may drop loot.
  • Players can wait to pass time at Party Camp.
  • Soul Pod throwables dispel illusions, except at Ryngrim’s entrance.
  • New settings to display chests on the minimap and cancel power attacks with Bow and Arquebus.

• World Reactivity Improvements:

  • Arrows now fall naturally and hit the ground.
  • Water now reacts with splashes and ripples.

• Economy & Loot Adjustments:

  • Critters drop loot when killed.
  • Added more pre-upgraded weapons to loot.
  • Increased monetary rewards for main quests and exploration.
  • Small containers can now contain larger items.
  • Increased drop rates for Creature Parts and higher-tier weapons.
  • Updated loot lists with more upgrade materials.

• UI/UX Improvements:

  • Added visual effects and UI indicators to locate Downed Companions during combat.
  • Enabled "Talk" interaction prompt for Companions.
  • Added mouse and keyboard support on Xbox.
  • Updated loading screen art for specific maps.
  • Added 'Auto Detect' graphics option and Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation support.
  • Added a "Read All" button to the Journal.

• Combat Updates:

  • Enemies become shocked faster when standing in water.
  • Creature Parts can now upgrade Grimoires.

• Companion Improvements:

  • Companions gain Ability Points every 3 levels, increasing their maximum from 8 to 11.

• Enemy Behavior:

  • Enemy awareness speed adjusts dynamically based on distance from the player.

• Unique Item Updates:

  • Updated stats on many Unique Items, including increased regeneration rates and damage reductions.

• Enchantments Rework:

  • Replaced obsolete Carry Capacity enchantments with new stat buffs on certain Unique Items.

Key Bug Fixes

• Limited CPU utilization during shader compilation to improve stability.
• Fixed waypoints getting stuck in Shadows of the Past.
• Ensured totem pieces go to player's inventory instead of party stash.
• Resolved issues with certain totem effects and companion interactions.
• Fixed UI clipping and interaction issues with various in-game objects and quests.
• Addressed numerous quest progression issues and crashes across different scenarios.

Additional Bug Fixes

• Crashes and Stability: Addressed various crashes and improved performance across different systems and scenarios.
• Performance and Optimizations: Optimized specific abilities and cutscenes for smoother gameplay.
• Animation: Corrected animations and improved lip-sync and gestures.
• Quests & Conversations: Fixed numerous quest progression and conversation issues.
• UI/UX: Enhanced user interface responsiveness and fixed various display issues.
• Art: Addressed visual bugs and improved environmental interactions.
• Combat/Systems Fixes: Fixed issues with weapon enchantments, companion behaviors, and various combat mechanics.
• Programming Fixes: Resolved issues with item interactions, enemy behaviors, and game mechanics.
• Localization Fixes: Corrected translation errors and ensured proper localization support.

For a deeper dive into all the new features and bug fixes in Avowed update 1.4, please review the full patch notes above.