As a fan of Obsidian's RPGs, I have been eagerly tracking Avowed since its announcement, but I have also been nervous. The fear was simple: would Avowed repeat the same mistake I saw when Fallout traded its isometric CRPG soul for first-person action? Now that 2026 is here and the dust has settled after Avowed's February 2025 launch, I find myself returning to that worry with more evidence than I had during the preview cycle.
I grew up with isometric CRPGs, and Pillars of Eternity felt like a love letter to that era. So when Obsidian revealed Avowed as a first-person action RPG set in Eora, my heart raced for two reasons. Excitement? Of course. But also dread. Fallout went through this exact transition decades ago, and it was not the smoothest.
Before Bethesda turned Fallout into an action RPG, the first two games were dense, isometric CRPGs packed with dialogue, choice, and consequence. When Fallout 3 arrived, it was still a good game, but the role-playing felt thinner. The main story often felt like following around your digital dad while he acted more like the real hero. That transition taught me that shifting perspective can quietly erode the depth that made a series special. Was I worried Avowed would do the same to Pillars of Eternity? Honestly, yes.
At first I told myself I was being unfair. Obsidian's developers emphasized character relationships and role-playing as major pillars of Avowed, so I tried to relax. But as previews emerged, some reports reawakened my concerns. Fextralife's preview mentioned that the section they played felt light on role-playing elements and meaningful choices. The IGN preview praised the game for letting players be cartoonishly evil, but for me that is often a red flag. Do I really want role-playing reduced to a binary choice between being generically good or unforgivably bad? Not at all.
That said, I have also learned not to judge a role-playing game by a controlled preview slice. Developers sometimes choose sections that emphasize combat and traversal over dialogue to keep the hands-on session lively. Could the full release prove those fears wrong? It is possible.
Here is the twist: the Fallout series is also what gives me hope. Fallout: New Vegas did a much better job with choice, factions, and story than Fallout 3 or 4, and that game was developed by Obsidian. If any studio knows how to balance first-person action with meaningful role-playing, it is the team that gave us the Mojave Wasteland. Avowed also has Carrie Patel as its director. She worked on narrative design for both Pillars of Eternity games and The Outer Worlds. That crossover gives me faith that Eora's storytelling could survive the perspective shift.
Still, I have a second, quieter worry. What happens if Avowed becomes a massive hit? When Fallout successfully transitioned to action RPG, the series never returned to its isometric roots. I understand the business logic, but I do not want Pillars of Eternity to suffer the same fate. The first two Pillars games had to be crowdfunded, and despite producing base games and expansions, a third funded through Kickstarter might feel like more trouble than it is worth if Microsoft is ready to fund another Avowed. In an ideal world I would not have to choose. I would love more Avowed and more Pillars of Eternity. But the industry rarely works that way.
My preference is also personal. I prefer traditional CRPGs over action RPGs. Action RPGs often live in an awkward middle ground: their combat is not as polished as a Soulsborne game, and their role-playing is not as deep as Disco Elysium or Baldur's Gate 3. That means I usually enjoy them, but they rarely crack my all-time favorites list.
One thing that keeps me hopeful is that Josh Sawyer is not directing Avowed. If Obsidian has trusted Carrie Patel with Avowed, then Sawyer could still be free to work on future Pillars of Eternity projects. That is not a guarantee, but it is a signal. Had the entire Pillars creative team jumped over to Avowed, I would be far more anxious about the series' future.
So where does that leave me in 2026? Avowed is out, the reviews are solid but not earth-shattering, and the conversation has focused more on its combat and world than on its role-playing depth. I still want both worlds to thrive. Can a first-person action RPG and a traditional isometric CRPG coexist under the same studio without one cannibalizing the other? I genuinely hope so. Obsidian has proven it can deliver a New Vegas; maybe it can also deliver another Pillars. If Avowed becomes the gateway that brings more players to Eora, then perhaps the series I love will not fade away. But if success means Pillars of Eternity is quietly shelved, I will always wonder what could have been.
