Do you need to play the Pillars of Eternity games before Avowed?

Avowed is set in Eora, an original fantasy setting created by developer Obsidian Entertainment in the Pillars of Eternity duology. With the game going free on the Xbox Game Pass one day-one, many are expected to pick it up on February 18, 2025. Naturally, for a lot of people, Avowed will be the first foray into Eora. So, do you need to familiarize yourself with the Pillars of Eternity games before you get into it? The short answer is no.

However, the long answer is a somewhat complicated maybe, which we will explore in this article.

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Is it necessary to play the Pillars of Eternity duology before Avowed?

Avowed solely takes place in a very remote part of the observable Eora (Image via Xbox Game Studios)

As the third title set in the world of Eora, Avowed has abided by the lore set up by the Pillars of Eternity games. However, it takes place entirely on the Living Lands, which is a part of the world unexplored in either of the two Pillars games. In a sense, this gives it a much-needed fresh start.

Whatever lore tidbits are unfamiliar will be explained here by a handbook feature. This can be used anytime during dialogue to get a summary of what specific in-world terms mean.

Avowed is remarkably simpler with how it sets up its premise, and the main story is easy to follow. At no point will you need foreknowledge of Pillars games to understand the story. So, to be clear, Avowed is a complete experience as a standalone title.

That being said, knowing about the Pillars games will enrich your experience. Avowed takes place a mere three years after the events of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, so the occurrences in this game are referenced multiple times.

The first companion you get is an ex-member of the Rauatai navy, and has been in the Deadfire archipelago during the events of the game, even though he is not a character ever talked about in Pillars of Eternity II.

Obsidian has sprinkled a modest amount of fanservice for Pillars players in Avowed. Without spoiling things, for example, attentive fans will be enthused to find the original mage behind one of Deadfire’s most potent 5th level CC spells – in the flesh.

Now, what we need to address is that there's a big genre-leap between Avowed and its predecessors. If playing real-time-with-pause CRPGs with somewhat obtuse homebrew systems isn't your jam, you can always do with a lore recap of the first two games.

Otherwise, it's important to note that Avowed is a spin-off and not a proper sequel to Pillars of Eternity II. Therefore, it doesn't expect you to know the previous games or be pre-invested in the lore to enjoy it.