Avowed 1.4 Patch Adds Arachnophobia Mode, Unveils 2025 Roadmap

Obsidian Entertainment has unveiled an exciting 2025 post-launch roadmap for Avowed alongside the detailed patch notes for its 1.4 update. These updates promise to enrich the experience of this fantasy RPG, which has already captivated fans with its immersive world and engaging gameplay.

The latest details were shared on the Obsidian website, offering a glimpse into the future of Avowed. The 1.4 update introduces a range of enhancements, including an Arachnophobia mode that transforms menacing spiders into less intimidating faceless blobs, as well as improvements to map exploration. However, it's the roadmap that truly excites, outlining Obsidian's ambitious plans for 2025.

Avowed 2025 Roadmap. Image courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment.

Obsidian has scheduled three major updates for Avowed throughout 2025. The first update, already live with version 1.4, includes not only the Arachnophobia mode but also mouse and keyboard support on Xbox, increased availability of gold and crafting materials, gear adjustments, and a new party camp feature. For those yet to explore Eora, the summer update promises cooking and crafting enhancements, new NPC interactions, additional weapons and armor, and custom map markers, adding even more depth to the gameplay.

The fall update, set to be the most substantial yet, will introduce eagerly awaited features such as new game plus and a photo mode. Alongside these, players can look forward to a new weapon type, the ability to change appearance in-game, more character presets, and enhanced language support. Obsidian has specifically addressed the needs of players in Korea, Japan, and French-speaking regions, committing to localized versions and ongoing improvements.

“We also want to acknowledge our players in Korea, Japan, and French-speaking regions,” Obsidian explained. “We know how important it is to experience a game in your preferred language, and we are actively working on localized versions for Korean and Japanese, along with ongoing improvements for French. We’re committed to delivering these updates as soon as they are ready, and we deeply appreciate your patience and support as we make sure they meet the quality you deserve.”

Note: Potential spoilers have been highlighted in bold.

Avowed Update 1.4 Patch Notes

Greetings Envoys,

We want to take a moment to thank you for your continued reports, feedback, suggestions, and your patience. Your insights are valuable to us, and we appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing your experiences with us.

Without further ado, the 1.4 patch notes are now ready for all to enjoy!

Thank you for being part of our community—we appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more with you in the future!

— The Avowed Team

Features and Improvements!
Arachnophobia Safe Mode
The highly requested Arachnophobia Mode is now available in Avowed! You can enable this option in the Accessibility menu to replace all spiders in the game with little spheres wielding swords. Please note that while their appearance is “friendlier”, they remain just as deadly!

Community Highlights

Once a player has explored nearly all of the accessible areas on a map, the fog of war for the entire map will automatically clear. When entering a city on an overland map (for example, entering Northern Paradis in Dawnshore), the corresponding section of the overland map will now be revealed. The radius for clearing fog while exploring has been significantly increased, allowing players to uncover more of the map as they move. Critters can now be killed and have a chance to drop loot. Players can now wait to pass time (day/night cycle) while in the Party Camp. Soul Pod throwables now dispel illusions, with the exception of Ryngrim’s entrance, which still requires Yatzli’s interaction. Added a settings option to display chests on the minimap. Added a setting option to allow canceling power attacks with the Bow and Arquebus.

World Reactivity Improvements

Arrows will now fall naturally and hit the ground. Water now reacts with splashes and ripples when players enter it or fire weapons into it.

Economy & Loot Adjustments

Critters now drop loot when killed. Added more weapons to loot throughout the game, including many that come pre-upgraded (+1, +2, +3 versions). Increased monetary rewards for main path quests and exploration. Small loot containers, such as backpacks and lockboxes, can now contain larger items like body armor and larger weapons, leading to more fairly distributed drops. Significantly increased the drop rate of Creature Parts (which can now also be used for upgrading grimoires). Increased the drop rate of higher-tier weapons in later regions. Updated loot lists to include slightly more upgrade materials.

UI/UX Improvements

Added a visual effect and UI indicator to help players locate Downed Companions during combat. Enabled the "Talk" interaction prompt for Companions. Added support for Mouse and Keyboard input on Xbox. Updated the loading screen art for the Dawnshore and Fort Northreach maps. Added an ‘Auto Detect’ option to the Graphics menu to find and set the recommended settings for your hardware. Added support for Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation (for RTX 40 and 50 series GPUs). Added a "Read All" button to the Journal; each tab (Quests, Documents, and Tutorials) now has its own dedicated button.

Combat Updates

Enemies now become shocked faster when standing in water. Creature Parts can now be used to upgrade Grimoires.

Companion Improvements

Companions now gain Ability Points every 3 levels instead of every 4 levels, increasing their maximum from 8 to 11. Players will automatically receive the additional points upon updating.

Enemy Behavior

Enemy awareness speed now dynamically adjusts based on their distance from the player — closer enemies detect players faster, while distant enemies react more slowly.

Unique Item Updates

Updated the stats on many Unique Items throughout the game: Thirdborn Brigandine Jacket: Increased regeneration rate. Civilizing Influence: Increased damage reduction against beasts, primordials, and wilders to 10%. Berath's Blessed Ward: Increased damage reduction against vessels to 20%. Chitin Band: Increased damage reduction against beasts to 20%. Nimanna's Ward: Increased damage reduction against spirits to 20%. Wildwalker Ring and Threads of the Faithful: Increased health regeneration from 0.05 to 0.5. Thirdborn Brigandine Jack: Increased health regeneration from 0.05 to 0.8. Faith and Conviction: Increased essence regeneration from 0.05 to 0.1.

Enchantments Rework

Replaced obsolete Carry Capacity enchantments on certain Unique Items with new stat buffs: Boots of the Bricklayer / Porter: +2 Might. Animancer's Swallowtail / Stelgaer-Hide Pouches: +2 Dexterity. The Packmule's Burden / Honorbound Mule: +1 Might, +2 Constitution. Tranton Family Brigandine / Tranton Tenacity: +2 Might. Thirdborn Brigandine Jack / Grim Hope: +3 Resolve. Thirdborn Boots / Explorer's Boon: +3 Constitution, +10% Move Speed.

Key Bug Fixes

Limited CPU utilization during the "Compiling Shaders" screen to improve stability across all CPUs. Fixed an issue where Shadows of the Past waypoints could become stuck at the beginning of the entrance path to Naku Kubel. Totem pieces now correctly go into the player’s inventory instead of the party stash when picked up. Resolved cases where certain totem effects would stop working after a conversation or cutscene. Minoletta’s Conduit now correctly interacts with the Wand Mastery ability. Fixed an issue where companions could be removed from the party, resulting in broken conversations and quests. Enemy vitals UI has been updated to always stay properly positioned above enemies, preventing occasional clipping. The statue in Ryngrim’s Domain now remains interactable even if the player previously interacted with it without fully advancing the quest. An Untimely End quest now correctly triggers the final objective and no longer gets stuck under rare conditions. Completing certain quests on older saves now properly counts toward the Pentiment achievement. Fixed an issue where the Armor Fit for the Wilds quest could get stuck at the "Gather Materials" stage. Re-added the FidelityFX 3 option to Graphics Settings for AMD graphics card users. Binding the scroll wheel to hotbar slots 1–6 now works properly after restarting the game. Binding Ability Slots to keys 7, 8, 9, or 0 no longer casts an unintended additional ability from the radial menu. Players will no longer encounter unkillable Dreamthralls outside of Thirdborn.