What to Expect From Avowed’s Third-Person Mode

One of Microsoft’s most anticipated games of next year is Avowed. Created by Obsidian Entertainment — the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Wilds — Avowed is a fantasy RPG in the Pillars of Eternity universe that places heavy emphasis on both player decisions and combat. While the game bears a resemblance to Obsidian’s previous RPG titles, one highly requested feature will allow players to view the Living Lands from multiple perspectives.

The Outer Worlds was met with positive reviews from critics and players alike, but there was a notable absence from the game when compared to many other Bethesda-style RPGs: the ability to toggle to a third-person view. Many fans complained about this omission. Some wondered why they had devoted time to customizing a character that they would never get to see outside of menus, while others who suffer from motion sickness were frustrated about not having the option to change perspectives. After all, the feature made its way into the gameplay of Fallout: New Vegas, which was released in 2010. Though Avowed has primarily shown off first-person gameplay, Obsidian has confirmed that players will have the option to play the game in third-person.

Everything Known About Third-Person Mode in Avowed

Game director Carrie Patel revealed that Avowed would have a third-person mode during a deep dive interview on Xbox’s YouTube channel this past June. Patel stated that, “A lot of the footage we’re going to see today is in first-person, but we do have a third-person option for players who prefer it.” This could only be seen once throughout the entire presentation as a player character switched from first-person to third-person while exploring the party camp in Avowed. As of now, the game still hasn’t shown off any combat or open-world exploration using the third-person perspective.

One could assume that Obsidian’s heavy emphasis on first-person mode during the marketing for the game — including in the Avowed story trailer — means that this is the mode that the studio has focused on the most. If it follows in the footsteps of other RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas that allow for this toggle, third-person mode will likely have unique animations. Since the only animations that can be compared at this point are walk cycles, it’s unknown how polished the rest of the third-person animations will be when compared to those in the default first-person perspective.

The Pros of Third-Person in Games Like Avowed

Still, having third-person mode as an option can only benefit the game. The mode will not only be a plus for those already planning to play the game, but it has the potential to draw in players who might have skipped out on the game if it only offered a first-person experience. Being able to view the protagonist while exploring the world or switch to third-person during a climactic boss fight to show off the many combat options in Avowed can make the game much more cinematic. In RPGs that allow for in-depth character customization, people love toggling into third-person to inspect and appreciate the character they meticulously crafted or the armor set they spent hours collecting.

When to Play Avowed’s Third-Person Mode

Despite originally being slotted for a Fall 2024 release, Avowed was delayed and will now come out on February 18, 2025. Microsoft clarified that this decision wasn’t made due to a lack of confidence in the game. The move was instead made to prevent any competition between Avowed and the many other Microsoft games still scheduled for 2024, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Avowed will be playable on Xbox Series X and PC, and it will also be available on Xbox Game Pass upon release.

Avowed

Systems

Released

2024-00-00

Publisher(s)

Xbox Game Studios