oops I forgot the Part 6 graphic... let's pretend it's there!

I would definitely recommend Pillars Of Eternity 1 and especially 2 for more morally grey writing, though the isometric camera angle might pout you off. And if you want a really interesting Skyrim challenger, I would recommend Tainted Grail: Fall Of Avalon.

I love your videos. There are a lot of people talking about RPGs on YouTube, but I feel like you're one of the few who does it so thoughtfully and generously. It's like you can see the best version of a game lurking beneath what we actually got, and all your suggestions are meant to bring that forward.

You are honestly carrying the YouTube RPG scene on your back, another excellent video!

As someone who's dipped their toes into the world of Eora beforehand, one of the things that disappointed me the most was the huge lack of weapon and spell variety found in Pillars of Eternity. Though I understand that projects often need to focus to avoid scope creep, I was still disappointed to not find rapiers, morningstars, and blunderbusses, to name a few.
Also, as someone who loves playing as wizards/mages in any game I can, what is available feels slim. I even managed to master the Wizard skill tree halfway though the game, which effectively meant there were no new spells to discover...which meant that, for me personally, levelling up became way less exciting and rewarding.
If it weren't for Avowed's awesome companions and rich lore, which nicely compliment that of the Pillars franchise, the game would have scored much lower in my personal estimation.

Tying companion ability strength to their approval of you wouldn't just be a softer way of reinforcing their personality, it would also be completely in line with Pillars's magic system! Magic in this setting comes from the soul, and literally EVERYONE uses it. Fighters and barbarians keep fighting for hours because that energy is pumping them up. Monks are weird pain fetishists who spend damage to deal damage. Wizards use their spellbooks like a circuit board, shaping soul energy into more complicated and effective forms. Rangers and ciphers create bonds with other souls.
And, most importantly for your point, priests and paladins do not get spells from a god. They just believe in their cause so hard that it lets them heal the injured or light their sword on fire. I see no reason why that couldn't be applied to interpersonal relationships too.

YOOOOOOO A MORROWIND MENTIONED??? Ash, you are a person of culture.

As someone who is just getting towards the end of an avowed playthrough, I loved this video very much and agree with it wholeheartedly!

Having entered the last zone of the game, I remember looking at the map and thinking 'ok so we had four big unique zones. On the world map, there are like, three more areas that look like they SHOULD also contain their own zones. If they are not there, WHY did they include them on the map like this?'

Which very much speaks to you putting it into the exact right words

45:48 how is this so adorable

Great video! You always seem to have the same opinions I do but with more depth and better thought out lol.

Some small details, mainly about Aedyr:

There was originally an Aedyran companion! You can see him in some cut content videos, he made it somewhat far into development but was ultimately cut, probably because of budgets constrains. Actually a lot of things got cut; the final game really feels like an early access or some sort of proof of concept (mainly the writing, most of the game seems written in the last two years of development at best). It's a shame the development took so many turns and the final product feels so rushed and unfinished. Which sucks! But truth is, we got a half-finished product for a full-finished price, which... Yeah.

Also, there's a big piece of lore at the end of Deadfire (I won't spoil it) that explains the real interest of Aedyr in the Living Lands, which recontextualizes a LOT. It's not mentioned in Avowed since it's a big spoiler, which also means new players are missing a really important piece of information (which the Envoy should definitely know): the only thing that makes Aedyr's actions make sense and be understandable is just missing. I guess when they decided to not include this information in the game they realized there was just no way to really justify Aedyr's motivations, so they dropped the ball and just made Aedyr pretty irredeemable and assumed players wouldn't side with them, which means they just didn't add many choices that do that.

Anyway, let's hope Obsidian and Microsoft learn from this experience. And I'd really like another video about the game! Tho I'd enjoy any other video lol. Thanks for posting! I've found myself waiting for your next video when you don't post for too long lol

The worst part of Marius' bad writing are the uncanny traces of solid writing that seeps through in a few moments towards the end, or perhaps just accidental recognition? I guess we'll never know.

I found the musket/firearm gameplay a pretty novel addition to Swords, Bows, and Magic which is largely why I completed the game. I'm not sure the "mushroom tumor" aesthetic is really my thing, but it was clear a lot of talent and effort went into the world and art style. It was also nice to have my boy Garrus back at my side.

As someone who adores Avowed while ackknowledging its falws I like listening to negative opinions about it that have actual nuance and depth. And while i personaly didnt found some issues you bring up as big of a deal i agree that they are there and there is room for improvment. If rumors of "Avowed 2" are real i do hope that they will take the solid foundation that is Avowed and polish it into something truly special.

I went into Avowed knowing that Obsidian explicitly said there were no romances in the game, but me being who I am, I got attached to Kai anyway.
I kept him as close to my Envoy as the game would allow, yearning for more, as I grew to love him, and so when I got those dialogue options, I was surprised and very happy.
Of course I didn't expect anything to come from it, but seeing that ending slide, it made me really happy, I'm glad it was there, even if it wasn't a fully fleshed out romance. It felt enough for me.

As a huge fan of the Pillars games, the moment that stuck out the most to me was having made a decision on how I was going to handle one of the major NPCs in the game. I felt it might be for the best only to be reached out to by Woedica who agreed with me that it was the best choice. This then made me do a 180 on how I felt about the NPC and as I vow to undermine Woedica whenever I can lol

Another thing I found interesting especially with the anniversary update is how being a godlike supersedes your species when it comes to how characters interact with you. You could be an orlan godlike or a human godlike and you'd be treated exactly the same; as a godlike. And while I always enjoy more reactivity to choices made at character creation, I do appreciate this game being consistent in that regards.

Really great video! I hope you give Pillars 1 and 2 a try so I can see your thoughts on the companions.

Can't believe it's been a year. Your work is so insightful and I enjoy hearing your thoughts and how you put things together 🌹

I did think it was interesting that you can complete side quest objectives without getting the quest first.

I found the cave with the Inquisitor’s troops in the Animancer story section by chance, then wiped them out. Apparently they were a part of the Missing Ranger quest line where you have to sniff out a traitor.
I found the traitor, they explained their plan and I reveal the hidden troops are already dead. The traitor’s response, “So I betrayed my friends for nothing?” Then I think they attacked me or maybe I let em go to live with their failure, can’t remember what I chose.

Random I know but I just love your hair styles! And definitely wanna try this game been thinking about it

You deserve so many more subs and views! I found your channel, and this video specifically, while I was in the middle of my 3rd playthrough of Avowed, trying to figure out why I had such mixed feelings about this game. I simultaneously had this itch to play that I couldn't help but scratch, while also feeling there was just something missing. You explained exactly that!

dying to read the branching dialogue you mentioned having written! great video!