You Can Now Play Avowed as Small Person With Big Magic Stick
•February 18, 2026
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Why It Matters
The expanded racial roster and magic‑oriented quarterstaff give players fresh role‑playing options, likely boosting engagement and extending Avowed’s lifecycle. The extra modes deepen replay value, supporting longer‑term revenue streams for Obsidian.
Key Takeaways
- •New races: dwarves, orlans, aumaua added.
- •Quarterstaff offers bludgeon + magical stun attacks.
- •Dwarves gain might & constitution; orlans gain perception, resolve.
- •Aumaua receive +2 might, fish‑scale aesthetic.
- •Update also adds game‑plus and photo modes.
Pulse Analysis
The addition of dwarves, orlans, and aumaua marks a strategic push by Obsidian to broaden Avowed’s demographic appeal. Each race arrives with distinct stat tweaks—dwarves receive might and constitution, orlans boost perception and resolve, while aumaua gain raw might—catering to varied playstyles and encouraging players to experiment beyond the default human and elf options. This aligns with a broader industry trend where post‑launch updates deepen character customization to sustain player interest and community discourse.
Equally noteworthy is the quarterstaff, a hybrid weapon that merges traditional melee heft with magical stun capabilities. By positioning the staff as a "bludgeoning weapon with wand‑style finishers," Obsidian invites mages to adopt a more flamboyant, front‑line presence, potentially reshaping the game's combat meta. The design encourages spellcasters to trade the classic wand for a visually striking, high‑impact tool, adding tactical depth for players seeking both damage and crowd‑control in equal measure.
Beyond character and combat enhancements, the anniversary patch rolls out a game‑plus mode and a photo feature, tools that extend Avowed’s replayability and social shareability. Game‑plus offers a fresh difficulty curve and new rewards, incentivizing veterans to revisit earlier content, while the photo mode empowers creators to showcase the game’s vibrant environments. Together, these layers of post‑launch content not only enrich the player experience but also generate ongoing buzz, supporting a longer revenue tail in a competitive RPG market.
You can now play Avowed as Small Person With Big Magic Stick
As opposed to Medium Person With Big Gun
Image credit: Obsidian
Avowed now has a bunch more possibilities when it comes to one of the most important fantasy RPG build archetypes, thanks to the deployment of its anniversary update. Three new character races are on offer alongside the established humans and elves, and you can arm them with a quarterstaff which caters to mages who think puny wands and books aren't quite showy enough.
As you might recall, some of the stuff included in this anniversary update was originally supposed to arrive in Avowed late last year, but ended up being delayed by Obsidian.
The three new races you can pick from once you've installed this latest Avowed update, the full notes for which are on Steam, are dwarves, orlans, and aumaua. I'm going to assume you know what a dwarf is, but for reference orlans are the Pillars of Eternity universe's short, hairy and point‑eyed fellows. Aumaua are the big battlers whose skin sometimes resembles fish scales – Avowed's most memorable companion Kai is one.
If you opt to play as a dwarf, you'll benefit from an additional point to your might and constitution stats, while orlans get boosts to perception and resolve. Aumaua, meanwhile, get plus two to might, because fish Hulk smash. Personally, I think next time I hop into Avowed I'll opt for one of the first two races, because the update's new weapon is perfect for an angry little ball of deadliness.
It's a quarterstaff, which Obsidian describe as a "bludgeoning weapon that comes complete with wand‑style stun finishers", making it ideal for role‑playing as a mage with an ego the size of Eora. Small person, possibly with furry ears. Big magic stick to fuel their big magic ego. The hijinks write themselves.
Avowed's anniversary update also brings the likes of a new game‑plus mode and the ability to snap some photos as your angry little ball of deadliness beats their way through the Living Lands with their big stick of spells.
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