Obsidian's Avowed Gets a Tidy-Up: More Fixes, Fewer Respawning Gribblies, and a Bit of Console Head-Scratching
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Obsidian's *Avowed* gets its 2.1 update, refining the experience after the big first-anniversary 2.0 patch, notably adding a toggle to disable respawning enemies and squashing a host of pesky bugs, though its PS5 Pro enhancements remain a bit of a head-scratcher.
Right, so Obsidian's *Avowed* has been out in the wild for a full year now – can you believe it? Feels like just yesterday we were all wondering if it would scratch that *Pillars of Eternity* itch in glorious 3D. And speaking of which, it's just landed itself another little digital tune-up, Update 2.1, hot on the heels of its massive first-anniversary celebration.
Now, for those who, like me, occasionally lose track of time while chasing digital dragons or, you know, just trying to figure out which spell slot I *actually* put 'Fireball' in, let's cast our minds back a smidge. February 2026 marked a year since *Avowed* first burst onto Xbox and PC. And fair dinkum, Obsidian celebrated that milestone with a bang – Update 2.0 was a chunky beast, packed with features the community had been practically screaming for. We're talking proper Photo Mode, the ability to tweak your character's mug halfway through a playthrough (because who hasn't regretted a haircut?), the mighty Quarterstaff for smacking foes, *new playable classes* (bloody hell, that's a big one!), and the holy grail for many: a proper New Game Plus. Starting again with all your hard-earned attributes and abilities? Yes please, mate, sign me up.
Obsidian, it seems, isn't just making games; they're actually listening to us lot, which, let's be honest, feels like a rare and wondrous spell sometimes. You know that feeling when you whisper an incantation, and it actually *works*? That's what it felt like with Update 2.0.
But a wizard's work is never done, eh? So, barely a month later, here we are with Update 2.1. Now, don't go expecting another reality-bending overhaul; this one's a bit more of a focused clean-up, a gentle tweak rather than a full system reboot. But even in its smaller stature, it still shows Obsidian keeping an ear to the ground.
The big highlight, the one that made me chuckle like a goblin with a shiny new toy, addresses something introduced in that previous big update. See, Update 2.0 brought in these delightful respawning enemy encounters in each region, great for farming and keeping the Living Lands... well, *lively*. But, as always, some players – bless their hearts – found themselves a tad overwhelmed, or perhaps just wanting a bit of peace and quiet after a particularly arduous dungeon crawl. So, in true Obsidian fashion, they've now added a toggle in the Combat settings to *disable* those respawning enemies. It's like they give you a super-powerful artifact, and then immediately give you a 'mute' button for it. Gotta appreciate the irony, and the responsiveness!
Beyond that rather amusing community-requested 'un-feature', Update 2.1 is mostly a parade of bug fixes. And some of them are quite specific, mind. Ever had your companions stare blankly into the middle distance during a crucial inter-region camp chat? Fixed. Or, and this one sounds like a particularly awkward magical mishap, found yourself perpetually stuck leaning to the right in third-person mode? My condolences, but that's been sorted now too. Even the Premium Edition folk who didn't get their fancy Yatzli's Obsidian Collection outfit – which, fair play, if you paid for it, you should get it – are now properly kitted out. Plus, Photo Mode got a few touch-ups, making sure you can actually *browse* your glorious in-game selfies and not crash near an angry Xaurip Elder. Phew. For console players, those grainy color filters on Xbox Series X and PS5 should now be a thing of the past too. No more impressionistic landscapes when you're aiming for realism, eh?
Speaking of the PlayStation 5, the big 2.0 update also heralded *Avowed*'s arrival on Sony's console, which is fantastic for bringing in a whole new crowd of adventurers. However, this is where a smidgen of my gentle skepticism kicks in, like a rogue spell fizzling at the last moment. While it's great for PS5 players to finally get their hands on it, some folks, including the eagle-eyed wizards over at Digital Foundry, noted that *Avowed*'s PS5 Pro enhancements were, shall we say, a bit... understated. Apparently, it mostly boils down to a slightly more consistent target resolution rather than harnessing the Pro's extra hardware for mind-blowing PSSR or other graphical wizardry.
It's a common tale in the realm of console mid-gen upgrades, isn't it? The 'Pro' tag sometimes conjures images of revolutionary leaps, but often it's more about stability and minor polish. When you see other former Xbox exclusives like *Forza Horizon 5* launching with some unique PS5 Pro features, it makes you wonder if *Avowed* just didn't quite get the same magical boost. Still, a smoother, more consistent experience is never a bad thing, even if it doesn't make your jaw hit the floor.
All told, what we're seeing here isn't just a couple of patches; it's a pattern. Obsidian is clearly in it for the long haul with *Avowed*, tweaking, refining, and actually listening to the collective hum of its player base. They're making a good case for continued support, fixing the bits that bug us, and even letting us turn off the bits *they* thought we'd like. Now that, mate, is what I call responsive game development. Keep the spells coming, Obsidian!
Tags: Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment, Game Updates, Action RPG, Xbox Game Studios
Original article: Game Rant