So, you've just finished your epic journey through the Living Lands in Avowed and now you're thinking about diving into the classic Pillars of Eternity games. Hold up, fam! While both games share the incredible world of Eora, jumping from the first-person action of Avowed to the isometric, party-based CRPG of Pillars is a whole different ball game. It's kinda like going from Fallout 3 back to Fallout 1—the vibe is familiar, but the gameplay? Totally different. This switch can create some serious friction, and not all of it is bad. Let's break down how playing Avowed first reshapes your experience with the legendary Pillars series.
1. Major Spoilers for Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Are Inevitable 😬
Right off the bat, Avowed low-key drops some major lore bombs about Pillars 2. NPCs in the Living Lands casually chat about the god Eothas's wild actions in the Deadfire Archipelago. If you're paying attention to all the dialogue and lore entries (and let's be real, in an Obsidian game, who isn't?), you'll piece together the climax of Deadfire before you even start it. It's a tough spot for the devs—ignore the past games and the world feels disconnected, mention them and... spoilers! For new players, it means the big Pillars 2 reveals might land with a bit less oomph.
2. Your New Pillars BFFs Might Be... Gone in Avowed 💀
Here's a feels-bad moment. In Avowed, NPCs constantly remark on how rare it is to see a Godlike (that's you, Envoy!). This is because, by the 1820s AI (After Immortality, the in-game timeline), a huge chunk of the Godlike population has mysteriously vanished. Cue the sad music. Beloved Pillars companions like Pallegina, Tekēhu, and Vatnir are all Godlike. Putting two and two together means these fan-favorite characters likely didn't make it to the time of Avowed. It's a bummer to get attached to characters knowing their probable fate.
3. Combat Gets a LOT Less Forgiving 🎮➡️📊
Get ready for a skill check, and we don't mean the stat. Avowed's action RPG combat lets your personal reflexes and tactics carry you through tough fights. Pillars, as a CRPG, is a different beast. It's all about the numbers—your character's stats, builds, and party composition. That epic move where you solo'd a boss in Avowed? Yeah, that's probably not gonna fly here. You also have to micromanage an entire party, and permadeath is a real threat. No more using Kai as an immortal meat shield!
4. Avowed's Enemy Variety... Kinda Lacks in Comparison 🐻❓
Let's keep it 100. Avowed has a solid roster of foes, but after a while, you might wonder why there are bears in every single biome of the Living Lands. Also, you'll fight a lot of reskinned beetles and spiders with bigger health bars. Playing Pillars right after really highlights this. The Pillars games throw a massive bestiary at you—everything from Avowed, plus dragons, fampyrs, ogres, and way more. The epic Mega Boss fights in Pillars 2 will make Avowed's boss encounters feel a bit tame by comparison.
5. Pillars 1's World Might Feel a Bit... Drab 🎨➡️🌫️
The Living Lands in Avowed are vibrant, weird, and bursting with color. Boot up the original Pillars of Eternity, and you're in the Dyrwood—a cool place, but it leans heavily into a more traditional, gloomy fantasy aesthetic. It lacks the exotic flair of Avowed's setting. Pillars 2: Deadfire brings back the visual punch with its tropical islands, but that first game can feel like a step down in spectacle. Plus, if you already know Eora's deep lore from Avowed, that sense of discovery in Pillars 1 is gone, making the environments feel even more plain.
6. Character Creation Freedom Goes Through the Roof 👤✨
Avowed lets you choose from two races and three flexible skill trees. It's sleek and modern. Pillars of Eternity? Buckle up. You get:
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5 Races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orlan, Aumaua)
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4 Subtypes of Godlike (which can be any of the above races)
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11 Distinct Classes (from Cipher to Chanter)
The options are vastly more extensive. You might start wishing the Envoy had even a fraction of this customization. On the flip side, Avowed wins points for separating body type from gender and letting you decide your class later.
7. Exploration Loses Its First-Person Immersion 👁️🗨️➡️🖱️
This is the big one. Avowed's first-person view makes you feel in the world. Stumbling upon a hidden cave or accidentally triggering a trap is a heart-pounding moment. In Pillars, you're a disembodied cursor guiding units from above. You might find yourself wishing you could explore these amazing environments up close. Scouting mode highlights traps easily, and you can pause time to issue commands, which is strategic but loses that raw, immersive thrill.
8. Loot Hunting Becomes a Chore 📦🔍
One of Avowed's best QoL features? It highlights every lootable container by default. No pixel-hunting required. Pillars of Eternity doesn't hold your hand like that. You need to mouse over every chest, barrel, and corpse to see if it's interactive. There's an Area Loot feature, but you still have to find the loot first. After Avowed's streamlined system, this can feel tedious and slow, pulling you out of the adventure.
9. Companions Need WAY More Management 👥⚙️
In Avowed, your companions, Kai and others, are largely autonomous. You can't change their gear. In Pillars, you have full control. You equip their weapons, armor, and spells, and direct every move in combat. For some players, this deep customization is a dream. For others, especially those coming from Avowed, it's a management nightmare. Watching your poorly-geared companion do pea-shooter damage while you're doing mega crits can be frustrating until you learn the system.
10. Avowed Suddenly Feels... Short ⏳
Avowed is a solid 25-30 hour game for the main story, maybe 40-50 for completionists. That's nothing to sneeze at. But the Pillars games? They're marathon sessions. The main story of each is 10-20 hours longer than Avowed's. And if you're a completionist? We're talking 100+ hours for Pillars 1 and nearly 200 for Pillars 2. After sinking into the massive, dense worlds of Pillars, you might look back at your Avowed save and think, "I wish there was more."
Final Verdict: Two Sides of the Same Awesome Coin 🪙
Playing Avowed before the Pillars of Eternity games is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get spoiled on plot, miss the immersion of first-person, and might struggle with the complex CRPG mechanics. On the other hand, you step into Eora with a foundational understanding of its deep lore, appreciating the connections and history that make the world so rich.
Ultimately, Avowed serves as a fantastic, action-packed gateway into one of the best fantasy settings in gaming. It just prepares you for a very different, deeper, and more demanding kind of adventure. So, if you're making the jump, embrace the change. Manage your expectations, enjoy the incredible storytelling Obsidian is famous for, and get ready to lose hundreds of hours in the legendary world of Eora. It's totally worth it. GG, gamers!
