Avowed is bringing Obsidian Entertainment’s Pillars of Eternity series to the next level with a first-person adventure in the vein of its RPG contemporaries, and this new adaptation is looking to be the studio’s boldest vision yet. While Avowed’s showcase revealed its modern appeal, the game’s dedication to traditional fantasy tropes allows it to stick out in an industry saturated by subversion and grim tones. With the enemies of an RPG’s world being a major aspect from both a lore and gameplay perspective, it’s no surprise that the diverse creatures inhabiting the world of Avowed appear to be a huge part of the experience.
The Pillars of Eternity franchise is set in the fantasy world of Eora, a mystical planet of several, lore-heavy continents in the vein of The Elder Scrolls’ worldbuilding. For Avowed, Obsidian has gone all in on realizing its vision for the northern continent known as The Living Lands. Previously unseen in the Pillars games, The Living Lands is said to likely be where the light-skinned “Meadow-folk” subrace of humans originates from, despite the still wild nature of the island. As a part of its daunting frontier, The Living Lands was always said to contain hostile, strange wildlife isolated from mortal discovery by the elements. With Avowed finally exploring the mysterious northern continent, players have already begun to see the creatures that inhabit this new section of Eora.
Xaurips
Featured multiple times in Avowed’s recent gameplay trailer, the humanoid lizard race known as Xaurips will return in the upcoming game. Having appeared as enemies in the original, Pillars of Eternity's Xaurips are a dragon-worshiping culture of tribal communities that struggle to get along with other races. Their tribes appearing to be doing well in The Living Lands, with what seems to be a shaman of the Xaurip showing up in the trailer.
Giant Spider
A common sight in the world of Eora, the giant spider fought in the recent trailer should evoke a daunting sense of familiarity from Pillars fans. While enormous, venomous arachnids came in many shapes and sizes in Pillars of Eternity, this new specimen of The Living Lands has an intimidatingly tall frame. With the longest legs of a spider in the series so far, this creature stands above human size and could be a sign of the sort of wildlife that the region has come to support.
Ogre
In a very accurate adaptation from the isometric art style, ogres appear to have made it over from the original games. Facing off against the gun-wielding protagonist of Avowed, the armored ogre in Avowed's gameplay trailer charges with a berserk abandon. A tough enemy for lower level players in Pillars of Eternity, ogre encounters seem to have kept their intimidating impact in first person.
New Insectoid Creature
Among the returning beasts, a previously unseen insectoid creature was shown in an arid-looking environment of The Living Lands getting shield-bashed by the player. With the larger specimen next to what could its young, this is perhaps the mature stage in a life cycle of these massive bugs.
Lich(?)
While adventuring through a cave, the player character wields a flaming sword against what appears to be a lich undead. While differing in appearance from the liches present in Pillars, this skeletal undead is equipped with wizard-like robes as magical energy emanates from its eye sockets. This seemingly more powerful undead even appears to have a normal skeleton backing it up, aligning with the typical lich trait of commanding thralls.
Skeleton Undead
The only creature of Eora to also have appeared in Avowed's initial reveal trailer, the possessed remains of dead warriors are a mainstay of Pillars and the fantasy genre as a whole. In the recent trailer, skeletons are shown to have a lot of diversity, appearing in different caves with varying armor and weapons. They are even shown as a large horde mobbing the player character, indicating many of these undead are likely to be fought throughout The Living Lands of Avowed.
Unknown Armored Undead
In a strange moment from the gameplay trailer, what appeared to be a decayed corpse adorned in a kind of bizarre mechanical armor was shown slumped over a peculiarly carved stone structure. While this figure’s presence is confusing, its inhuman helmet shape and the runes that appear on it could indicate some sort of ritualistic association to the creature. This mysterious figure could possibly even have ties to The Living Lands' Maegfolc, unique lifeforms that were created by Eora's gods with a specific purpose outside a traditional ecosystem.
Plague-infested Bear
The most recognizable enemy of the upcoming game so far, the terrifying plague-infested bear shown in Avowed’s gameplay trailer displays the terrible effects of the mysterious plague ailing The Living Lands. Bears have always been a staple of both settings in the first two Pillars titles, but they have always been wild beasts inhabiting healthy natural habitats. With an unknown plague sweeping across the northern continent, it appears that several creatures in Avowed have been stricken with a fungus-esque infection that takes over the body. With what appears to be many small mushrooms having sprouted from the vicious bear’s body, the plague could be the cause of the creature’s aggression.
Plague-infested Undead
Appearing in stark contrast to the conventional skeleton variety of undead humans, the new undead that appear in the gameplay trailer seem to have been attacked by the fungal-like growths of the plague. Appearing in dark caves with similar infections to the plagued bear, the mysterious ailment is sure to not only affect animals of The Living Lands. If their club weapon is any indicator, it's even possible that one of these undead could be an ogre that has succumbed to the disease and now defies its nature by fighting alongside undead humans. The most important part of these undead is the fact that they still have flesh, albeit decaying. With this feature placing them in such opposition to the designs of the skeletal undead, it's even possible that through Pillar of Eternity's signature Animancy, the plague could be the source of this zombie-like state in the first space.
Avowed releases in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.