Avowed has recently undergone a significant update, addressing a notable disparity that players have observed since its initial release. The previous version favored wizards with their extensive spellbooks and a plethora of elemental attacks, leaving pure ranger and fighter builds feeling somewhat underwhelming in terms of specialization options. However, Obsidian has taken steps to rectify this imbalance by introducing a range of new active and passive skills for both rangers and fighters, some of which are quite innovative.
New Ranger and Fighter Abilities
Among the new abilities for rangers is the intriguing Shadow Step, which allows players to teleport behind an enemy, setting the stage for a stealthy attack. This ability, reminiscent of tactics from Pillars of Eternity, can be upgraded to mark the target, reducing their damage resistance and resetting the cooldown upon landing a killing blow. The days of simply moving into position are behind us.
Additional ranger abilities include:
- Fan of Daggers – Launch a volley of poisoned daggers that can strike multiple foes, causing poison accumulation. Upgrades enhance the number of daggers thrown and introduce a slowing effect that interrupts enemies.
- Smoke Bomb – Deploy a smoke bomb to create a cloud that disrupts enemies while allowing for a tactical retreat. Upgrades increase damage and add elemental effects based on the equipped throwable.
- Chilling Surprise – Set a trap that detonates when triggered by an enemy, inflicting significant frost damage. Upgrades expand the number of traps that can be set simultaneously and lower the essence cost.
Rangers also gain new passive skills:
- Concussive Shot – Hitting an enemy’s weak point temporarily increases the stun they receive from melee attacks.
- Sharpshooter – Increases weak point damage based on consecutive hits within a short timeframe.
- Deadly Poison – Enhances the damage dealt by poisoned enemies, with upgrades boosting poison accumulation.
Fighters, too, have received a host of new abilities:
- Driving Kick – A powerful kick that breaks through enemy defenses, dealing damage and launching foes into the air. Upgrades enhance damage and create an area of effect.
- Barbaric Smash – Deliver a devastating blow that, if it kills the target, allows you to absorb a portion of their stun to unleash on the next enemy.
- Deep Breath – Recover 100% of your stamina instantly while reducing the stamina cost of actions by 50% temporarily. Upgrades further decrease cooldown and enhance stamina recovery capabilities.
- Reviving Exhortation – Revive an ally from a distance while granting them temporary health. Upgrades reduce essence cost and provide healing to nearby allies.
Fighter passives include:
- Dual Wield Mastery – Unlocks a more powerful special attack against stunned enemies while dual-wielding.
- Adrenaline – Increases attack damage significantly when health drops below certain thresholds, with upgrades providing a safety net against lethal blows.
- Bloodlust – Enhances damage dealt to bleeding enemies, with upgrades increasing bleed accumulation and attack damage.
- Vanguard – Offers a chance to negate incoming damage, scaling with the number of enemies targeting you.
New Unique Items
In addition to new abilities, players can look forward to an array of unique items:
- Dawnshore: Includes a new unique mace, spear, two-handed hammer, wand, arquebus, and robe.
- Emerald Stair: Features a unique two-handed axe, pistol, two-handed hammer, bow, and robe.
- Shatterscarp: Offers a new unique two-handed axe, one-handed axe, and robe.
- Galawain’s Tusks: Introduces a unique spear, two-handed sword, and robe.
Further improvements have been made to the game, including graphics adjustments, new FPS options, and various bug fixes. For a comprehensive list of patch notes, players are encouraged to visit Obsidian’s forums.