The Outer Worlds 2's Skill Updates Have Me Excited For A Potential Avowed 2 -

As a fan of the original game, I was already looking forward to The Outer Worlds 2. However, recent updates about the game has made me excited, not just for the game itself, but for the potential future of another Obsidian RPG: Avowed. More specifically, the gameplay changes coming in The Outer Worlds 2 that expand character options have me excited that an Avowed 2 could follow suit.

I had a lot of fun with Avowed, and the game did offer a decent number of builds. However, one of the items on my wishlist for Avowed 2 was expanded character creation options, including more classes and Perks. I was therefore excited to see that The Outer Worlds 2 will be doing just that, by adding a lot of new character creation options that weren’t present in the first game. My hope is that a potential Avowed 2 would do the same, and add in some of the character-building options from the Pillars of Eternity franchise.

The Outer Worlds 2 Is Expanding Its Character Customization

The Outer Worlds 2 Is More Than Doubling Its Perks

A character in The Outer Worlds 2 looks at the sunset on a rocky planet

In an exclusive interview with IGN, design director Matt Singh and lead systems designer Kyle Koenig discussed some of the changes coming to The Outer Worlds 2. One of the key elements they focused on was the expansion of the game’s Perks, of which there are now over 90. This is more than double the 42 Perks available in The Outer Worlds. Koenig noted in the interview that a major reason behind this change was that characters in The Outer Worlds were too often good at everything, which didn’t make them feel like unique individuals.

Xbox Sets Date For Summer Showcase And Closer Look At The Outer Worlds 2

Microsoft has announced the date and time for the 2025 Xbox Summer Showcase, and The Outer Worlds 2 will get its own Direct stream after the event.

The Outer Worlds 2 seems to be putting more emphasis on allowing you to craft a character that perfectly fits your playstyle, and who has a unique personality to match it. The limits of this sound like they expand pretty far, with there even being dedicated Perks for a “serial killer” build if you are the type of player who likes to murder NPCs indiscriminately. The Outer Worlds 2 is also reworking how skills work, making certain skill levels a prerequisite for choosing certain Perks. This also furthers the developers’ goal of making characters more specialized.

Another thing noted in the interview was that The Outer Worlds 2 embraces complexity in characters over a more streamlined method. This caught my attention, because if I had one word to describe much of Avowed‘s gameplay, it would be streamlined. I didn’t necessarily dislike this, and I actually really enjoyed how Avowed sacrificed some immersion for smoother gameplay. However, I wouldn’t mind a bit more complexity in its builds, similar to what The Outer Worlds 2 is promising.

Avowed Streamlined Like The Outer Worlds

Avowed And The First Outer Worlds Game Have Similarities In Character Creation

Similar to The Outer Worlds, Avowed‘s Abilities (its equivalent to Perks) can be easily mixed and matched. While some Abilities require others as a prerequisite, many of them can be taken regardless of your build or skills. You could have spent the entire game building the Wizard skill tree, and still grab the level 20 Ranger ability, Flurry of Blows, with a single skill point. Although this makes character-building decisions relatively easy, it also takes away a bit from the narrative aspect of building an RPG character.

A character from Outer Worlds 2 next to a godlike from Avowed

Outer Worlds 2 Is Fixing My Biggest Problem With Avowed’s Gameplay

I loved most of Avowed’s gameplay, but something was missing. Luckily, The Outer Worlds 2 seems like it will fix my one big problem with Avowed.

It feels a little strange that my Envoy in Avowed could just pick up some top-level magic, or suddenly gain martial prowess, despite never having trained in that discipline. The game breaks immersion even further by allowing you to respec at any time and completely rearrange your Abilities into a completely new configuration. While Baldur’s Gate 3 does this too, it at least uses the narrative excuse that Withers is using powerful magic to make it happen. Although I do think this is an interesting way to handle skills, I think I like The Outer Worlds 2‘s model better.

A Potential Avowed 2 Could Follow The Outer Worlds 2 Model

Avowed 2 Could Add More Abilities And Create Unique Builds

The Envoy in Avowed wearing Lava-Forged Plate Armor in front of Solace Keep

Unlike Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2 won’t allow players to pick up any Perk they want, nor will it allow for easy respecs. According to the developers, this is to make your character’s growth part of the story, and allow them to feel more unique. Although I was happy that Avowed had a relatively simple way of handling character growth, as it was the first game in the series, I would love to see a sequel build on its foundation and make things more complicated the same way The Outer Worlds 2 is doing.

An astronaut from Starfield next to a top hat wearing character from The Outer Worlds 2.

The New Outer Worlds 2 Footage Has Me Worried It’s Making The Same Mistakes As Starfield

The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian Entertainment’s next game, has received new footage, and it has me concerned it is making the same mistakes as Starfield.

Even if a potential Avowed 2 wanted to keep easy respecs and flexible Abilities, I would at least like to see it expand its options. Like The Outer Worlds 2 has done, I would love to see Avowed 2 give us double the number of Abilities available in the first game, and allow for a wider range of niche builds. Luckily, Avowed originates from the Pillars of Eternity games, so there is already an existing pool of character options that Avowed 2 could draw from. Of course, this only matters if Avowed 2 is a realistic possibility.

How Likely Is An Avowed Sequel?

Avowed Has Reportedly Met Its Sales Goal Which Is A Good Sign

Avowed Izmalt's Meteoric Apparatus Arquebus on a character's back

I would absolutely love to see a sequel to Avowed, and seemingly so would Avowed‘s game director Carrie Patel. In an interview with Bloomberg, Patel said she would “love to see [Obsidian] do more” with the foundation laid by the first game. My hope would be that others at Obsidian feel the same way, and we will get a follow-up to the first game, though of course it isn’t all up to the development team. Finances play a big role in game development, so Avowed needs to have been a commercial success for the company to justify making a sequel.

This Rare Achievement Proves Avowed Understands How Players Think

I earned an Avowed achievement that not many other Steam players have, and it showed me that the game’s developers understood their players well.

Reportedly, Avowed has met its sales expectations, which hopefully is good enough for it to get a sequel. While perhaps not as likely, there is also the chance it could be crowdfunded, the same way Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was. With nothing being officially announced one way or the other, I am optimistic that Avowed 2 is a realistic possibility. If the game does happen, I hope it takes some cues from The Outer Worlds 2, though I wouldn’t mind it changing things up a bit to retain its unique identity.

Sources: IGN, Bloomberg