Avowed by no means makes the Pillars of Eternity games not worth playing, but playing the Pillars franchise after it will highlight some harsh realities. These harsh realities go both ways: Some make it harder to get into Pillars after starting with Avowed, while others may make players retroactively disappointed about some aspects of Avowed. None of these are deal-breakers, and it’s still worth playing all three games, but it’s probably best to be prepared for some of these realities.

As an action RPG, combat and Pillars games are narrative prequels to Avowed, they are a different genre of game (CRPGs). One of the best comparisons would be the jump from Fallout 1 and 2 to Fallout 3, though Avowed does a better job preserving the appeal of the original Pillars games. Still, Avowed does create a bit of friction for players trying out the previous titles in the franchise for the first time.

10 Avowed Spoils Some Plot Details From Pillars Of Eternity 2

Avowed Mentions Eothas’ Actions In Deadfire

Although players may not realize it during their first Avowed playthrough, they will be getting some spoilers about plot details in Pillars of Eternity 2. Several NPCs will mention events that recently took place in the Deadfire archipelago, the location for Pillars 2, and the actions taken by the god Eothas. It is possible players might forget these details, as they aren’t necessarily essential to the main plot of Avowed, but anyone paying extra attention to all the dialogue and lore explainers will realize they know what happens when they boot up Pillars 2.

This type of spoiler represents a tough decision for designers when creating a game like Avowed. Not mentioning the events of the Pillars games might make them feel inconsequential to the larger world of Eora, which would be a bummer for fans of the original games. On the flip side, mentioning them does require giving away some plot details, so players can see their effect on the rest of the world.

9 Some Of Your New Pillars Friends Are Likely Dead By The Time Of Avowed

Many Of Eora’s Godlike Have Disappeared In Avowed

Multiple NPCs in Avowed remark about how rare it is to see a Godlike when they meet the Envoy. This is because, by the time of Avowed, a large percentage of the Godlike have disappeared from the world. This might not mean much to players who are jumping into the series with Avowed, and it may even make them feel a little special since they are a rare type of person in the world of Eora. However, jumping into the Pillars games, they will realize that this likely bodes ill for some of their new companions.

Pillars of Eternity companions Pallegina mes Rèi, Tekēhu, and Vatnir are all Godlike. As players get to know these characters, they will have to accept the reality that they are likely not all alive by the time Avowed takes place. While death is not exactly absent from the Pillars games, it is still a bit sad to realize some likable characters may have been killed off-screen.

8 Fights In Pillars Of Eternity May Be Harder Than In Avowed

Avowed Allows Skill To Play A Larger Role In Fights

Combat in a CRPG like Pillars of Eternity is a lot different from combat in an action RPG like Avowed. While both genres are a blend of stats and skills, action RPGs allow a player’s skill to have a bigger impact on a fight than a CRPG which is a bit more reliant on the numbers. This means players who are used to punching up at tough enemies in Avowed may be in for a rude awakening if they try the same thing in the Pillars games.

Managing combat in Pillars of Eternity also requires players to split their attention between their different party . Players also don’t have to worry about their party permanently dying in Avowed like they do in Pillars games. Rangers and Wizards in Avowed who are used to using Kai as a meat shield will therefore have to learn to ensure all their companions survive an encounter, or else risk losing them forever.

7 The Pillars Games Highlight Avowed’s Lack Of Enemy Variety

Avowed’s Enemy Variety Issues Aren’t As Noticeable Until Compared To The Pillars Games

Avowed’s enemy variety isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t the best for a fantasy RPG. While it isn’t an immediate problem, once Envoys reach Shatterscarp they might start to wonder why there are bears in every biome of the Living Lands, and whether they should feel guilty about killing Xaurips, since they seem to have settlements all over the island and have more of a right to be there than Aedyrans do. It’s also clear that a lot of enemy types like beetles and spiders just get reskinned and some power upgrades in later parts of the game.

These issues with enemy variety are only highlighted when players jump into the Pillars of Eternity franchise. Players will face just about everything they do in Avowed, plus many other types of enemies and creatures between Pillars 1 and 2. Avowed’s boss fights in particular will feel disappointing after facing the Mega Bosses in Pillars of Eternity 2.

6 The World Of Pillars 1 Feels Drab After Avowed

Avowed’s Colorful And Unique Landscapes Stand Out More Than Pillars 1’s

After exploring the vibrant wilds of the Living Lands in Avowed, players may be in for a bit of a shock when they boot up Pillars of Eternity for the first time. It’s not that the parts of Eora in Pillars of Eternity aren’t interesting, but they lack the same exotic flair as the Living Lands. While the Deadfire archipelago in Pillars 2 will offer some more exciting environments, Pillars 1 feels a bit more like a generic fantasy world, especially when contrasted with Avowed.

This issue will be compounded by the knowledge of Eora that players bring into Pillars of Eternity after playing Avowed. While the environments in the first Pillars game might feel generic, the world of Eora has a lot of unique mechanics and lore that make the game stand out. However, players who already know a lot about Eora from their time in Avowed won’t have the sense of discovery as first-time Pillars players, which may make them focus more on the physical environment than how unique Eora is in general.

5 Avowed’s Character Creator Doesn’t Offer As Much Freedom

Pillars Of Eternity Has More Character And Class Options

Probably the first thing players will realize when booting up Pillars of Eternity is that the character creator is a lot more extensive than it is in Avowed. Instead of having the option of just two races, there are five. Players can also choose to be one of four types of Godlike, which in turn can be any of the five races. Pillars of Eternity also has 11 different classes to choose from, instead of Avowed’s three main skill trees.

Although this will make some players wish that Avowed offers a bit more freedom in creating their character, it’s worth mentioning that Avowed has made some nice changes. This includes not conflating body type with gender, allowing players to decide their class on the fly instead of before they start playing, and more extensive options for appearance. Still, players may start to realize how narrow a scope the Envoy has to choose from when compared to the Watcher.

4 Exploration In Avowed Is Much More Immersive

Exploring In First Person Puts Players More In The World

One major advantage a first-person action RPG like Avowed has over CRPGs is their sense of immersion. A first-person perspective makes the Avowed experience feel a lot more personal than hovering over game characters from a safe distance. Players jumping into Pillars of Eternity may find themselves wishing they could explore the game’s environments from a more immersive perspective than is offered to them.

First-person exploration can also create more exciting gameplay moments. Accidentally triggering a trap in Avowed can be an exciting moment, forcing players to think on their feet to avoid the incoming danger. In Pillars of Eternity, falling for a trap is a lot less common, since scouting mode will just highlight them. Even if players accidentally trigger one, they can just pause time, and order the rest of their party not to make the same mistake. This can avoid some frustrating deaths but still feels a lot more cold and calculating than exciting.

3 Pillars Of Eternity Makes Finding Loot More Difficult

Avowed’s Highlighting Of Lootable Objects Makes Things Quicker And Easier

One of the nicest aspects of Avowed is that the game doesn’t force players to waste time opening drawers and checking every corner of a room for loot. The game’s default settings highlight chests, lock boxes, and other lootable containers. This means less time wasted scouring every inch of a room in the hopes of finding something good and more time actually playing the game. While not as bad as in some action RPGs, Pillars of Eternity still doesn’t have as nice of a system for highlighting loot.

Players will need to scroll over objects like chests and boxes to see if they can interact with them in Pillars of Eternity. While the game does offer a handy Area Loot feature, players still need to know when something is lootable to decide to use it. On its own, Pillars of Eternity’s loot system isn’t any worse than any other CRPG, and it’s better than some. Still, it can feel slightly more tedious after how streamlined Avowed has made looking for loot.

2 Companions In Pillars Of Eternity Are More Customizable

Players Can’t Equip Their Companions With Gear In Avowed

Companions in Pillars of Eternity can be mechanically interacted with in many more ways than Avowed. Not only can players fully control them during combat, but companion gear can be changed. In contrast, Avowed’s companions can’t have their loadouts changed and, while they can be given some orders in combat, they are largely autonomous during fights.

This can be a different type of harsh reality, depending on player preferences. Some will find it frustrating that Avowed simplified companions and doesn’t allow them to be kitted with the best gear. This can be especially frustrating when watching Kai slash an enemy for nine damage while averaging about 600 more than that.

There will likely be some growing pains when switching between the two styles of handling companions.

Alternatively, some players will find managing companions in Pillars of Eternity to be somewhat tedious. Having to ensure they have good gear also means having to spread loot more thinly than in Avowed. Whichever way is preferred, there will likely be some growing pains when switching between the two styles of handling companions.

1 Avowed Feels Short Compared To The Pillars Games

Avowed Is Significantly Shorter Than The Pillars Games

Although it might seem silly to call a 25+ hour game “short,” Avowed does feel like a short game compared to the Pillars of Eternity games. Looking at just the main stories, the Pillars games clock in around 10-20 hours longer than Avowed. While part of this is because exploration in Pillars of Eternity is less fluid than in Avowed, it probably doesn’t for the entire jump in run time.

The difference in length between the series gets even more apparent when considering all the side content. Fully completing either Pillars of Eternity game will take over 100 hours, with Pillars 2 being slightly closer to 200. In contrast, Avowed reportedly takes closer to 40-50 hours to fully complete. After getting into the Pillars of Eternity games, players might find themselves wishing there was more content in Avowed.