Should You Give The Adra To Bardatto Or Sapiento In Avowed?

One of Avowed’s earlier quests, “Precious Light,” presents you with two options for delivering the Luminous Adra you find. You can choose to return it to the company it was stolen from, or you can bring it to Sapiento, the man who asked you to track it down in the first place. Although that might seem like an easy choice on its face, it isn’t so simple.

While this isn't one of Avowed's major choices, it can still be complicated. Sapiento wants the Luminous Adra because he thinks he can use it to create a potion that will protect people against the Dreamscourge. Captain Bardatto, the representative of the Vailian Trading Company, sees the Adra simply as an asset and is also planning to kill the smugglers who originally stole it. Ethics aside, there are also some compelling gameplay reasons why you should choose one side over the other.

What Happens If You Give The Adra to Bardatto?

You Will Get A Small Amount Of XP

Speaking to Captain Bardatto is a completely optional part of the “Precious Light” quest, but if you choose to do it, you can give her back the Adra instead of delivering it to Sapiento. Doing so will reward you with 500 gold and a bit of XP, though you can earn some extra XP if you choose to help Sapiento instead and complete some extra objectives. At this point, the quest is basically over, and you can return to Sapiento to finish up.

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Additionally, there is an implication that the smugglers who took the Adra in the first place will be killed once the Vailian Trading Company crew finds them. The smuggler’s concern for their safety sends you to confront Bardatto in the first place. Once there, Bardatto seems pretty stuck on this course of action, even if you try to bargain with her for the Adra’s return. This means that if you want to protect the sailors, you’ll need to keep the Adra and decide to fight Bardatto.

What Happens If You Give The Adra To Sapiento?

You’ll Earn XP And Get Some Unique Loot

Instead of bringing the Adra to Bardatto, you can go straight back to Sapiento and give it to him. You’ll get some XP for finishing the quest, as well as 300 gold and one of Avowed's unique accessories, The Fantastic Alembic. When equipped, this rry will clear all your Accumulations when you drink a potion.

The Fantastic Alembic can be a handy way to eliminate status effects, even if you don’t have the right potion for that specific effect.

Alternatively, you can choose to confront Bardatto before returning to Sapiento. Telling her that you plan to keep the Adra will initiate a fight with her, her crew, and a bear (because this is Avowed). This will get you more XP and keep the smugglers safe, and you’ll also get a Bloodstone worth 180 gold off Bardatto, which isn’t bad for some early-game loot. This also brings your total net earnings up to 480 gold, or 630, if you include the 150 the trinket is worth. That means you’re getting more for this choice than helping Bardatto.

Why You Should Give The Adra To Sapiento

Choosing Sapiento Has More Positive Results

Although the law would say you should side with Bardatto, there are better reasons to give the Adra to Sapiento. From a role-playing perspective, Sapiento might help people with the Adra, whereas the Vailian Trading Company simply wants their assets back. Additionally, giving the Adra back to Bardatto is essentially condemning the smugglers to death. I’m not a big fan of capital punishment in general, and even less so as a punishment for theft. This quest and other early quests like “A Lady Never Tells” establish the running theme of morality vs. law and order in Avowed.

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Saving Sapiento also opens up another method of peacefully resolving an issue later in the game. During the main story quest, “An Untimely End,” you will meet a woman named Elowe who is helping hide Ygwulf, the man who tried to kill you earlier in Avowed. She will tell you where Ygwulf is and give you a key to his hideout if you tell her how you helped Sapiento, proving that you are willing to act outside the confines of the law to help people.

From a mechanical perspective, Sapiento was the clear choice for me over Bardatto because of the rewards I got. Not only did I get more XP from this method, but I also got some extra loot after defeating Bardatto. Even if gameplay rewards matter more to you than role-playing choices in Avowed, you’ll still be making the same call during this quest. There are multiple instances of the game giving better rewards for siding against the interests of Aedyr and the law, which makes me think a run-through of the game where you strictly follow the law is discouraged.