5 Avowed tips that will help you survive the Living Lands

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In the Living Lands, you’ll find everything from menacing ogres and ruthless bandits to strange creatures like fish monsters and intelligent mushrooms. It’s a dangerous place, and unfortunately for you, you’ve been dispatched there on imperial business. This means you can’t escape and, to make matters worse, the residents of this lawless island hold a grudge against you. Being a god-touched individual certainly comes with its challenges!

After spending significantly more than 40 hours on Avowed, I’ve discovered some strategies that have noticeably improved my survival in the Living Lands. Interestingly enough, one of these tips becomes apparent from the get-go.

Background checks

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In recent times, there has been an increasing trend among RPGs to reinstate the full skill check system in dialogues, with these checks frequently linked to decisions made during character setup. The game Avowed follows suit, allowing you to choose from several character backgrounds that provide exclusive dialogue choices. These backgrounds not only influence your initial stats but also offer additional conversation options.

If you’re similar to me in any way, you might spend an excessively long time pondering the perfect background and traits for this task. However, it’s not as crucial as it may seem, so feel free to make a decision and move on.

In most conversations, there are usually multiple layers of context or character traits to consider, and sometimes several at once. However, unlike in Baldur’s Gate 3 where choices significantly impact the game’s storyline, these attributes mainly serve for additional information and backstory, not for excluding parts of the narrative based on your character’s stats or class. Essentially, you’ll often find yourself referencing your character’s past, but it won’t restrict access to certain areas due to low Resolve or being a Court Augur instead of a Vanguard Scout. I opted for the Arcane Scholar because I wanted to play a pompous, intellectually superior academic character.

In the gameplay, the backdrops influence only your initial attribute distribution. For instance, an Arcane Scholar starts off with higher Intellect, whereas a War Hero has more Might. However, these differences don’t have much impact since you can reset your attributes at any moment. In my case, I took advantage of this feature and transformed my Arcane Scholar into a barbarian wielding a greatsword, having more muscle than intellect.

Steal everything

Among the fascinating findings I uncovered is that the idea of stealing doesn’t resonate in the Land of Life. Could it be as lawless as rumored? Given the immersive crime-and-punishment system of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, I anticipated a stern reprimand for swiping a merchant’s goods or entering a peasant’s dwelling and pilfering their food. However, to my surprise, it seemed that such actions were of no concern to anyone there.

In the Living Lands, anything goes – it’s a place where seizing opportunities is key. I wandered into a store and grabbed all the grenades carelessly strewn about; I helped myself to free grub at the tavern; and even snatched weapons from the garrison. After all, I am an envoy, and my job isn’t exactly a walk in the park!

Check merchants

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In some shops, you can get various items without paying, but others will require payment. The grenades were free, but the cabbage definitely isn’t. Avowed has a challenging progression system that moves at a slower pace when it comes to gaining experience and advancing gear, with each upgrade requiring more and more materials. Scavenging and disassembling every item you come across is helpful, but eventually, you may need to visit a merchant.

In various shops, merchants offer an assortment of items ranging from lock picks, magical concoctions, to essential adra for enhancing your equipment to superior levels. To match the strength of the adversaries you’ll encounter while exploring new areas, it’s crucial that you acquire these items and more.

Find the totem fragments

Upon your secure arrival at Dawnshore, one of your initial tasks should be to examine the map thoroughly in order to locate the Woedica god totem and its shattered fragments. This incomplete artifact can be mended with six pieces hidden throughout Dawnshore, each piece bestowing a permanent passive boost that significantly enhances your ability to survive. Not only does this provide an intriguing quest, but it also offers a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper into the wonders of Dawnshore and marvel at its breathtaking sights.

For each upcoming region, there’s a specific spirit or symbol representing its deity, which serves as a guide for your future exploration.

Enchant weapons!

As a gamer, I found myself inundated with guides and explanations when I first dived into Avowed. From upgrading gear to understanding various game systems, it all seemed helpful at first glance. However, I soon realized that some of these tips only added to the confusion rather than clearing it up. Enchanting weapons turned out to be one of the most perplexing aspects. The tooltip mentioned I could alter the enchantment of unique weapons, but with a permanent consequence. Hearing that I could change them made me think “Nah, I don’t need to do that! I adore my AoE frost axe just the way it is.

Time passed before my natural curiosity led me to explore possible enchantments for the item. Shockingly, I realized that I had unknowingly made my life more difficult.

As a gamer, I often find that enchantments serve as an additional level-up for my arsenal of destructive tools. However, there’s always a decision to be made. Usually, one-of-a-kind weapons come with an enhanced version of their standard effect and another slightly varied one. That’s where the frustration kicks in, thinking about the times I could have boosted the power of my frost axe just by pressing a button in the menu. So, don’t make the same mistake as me – remember to check the enchanting table every time you get a new unique weapon!

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2025-02-13 21:18