Avowed shows off its character creator and the backgrounds that “will shape how the world responds to you”

Avowed will not only let you customise your character’s appearance but also the background “that will shape how the world perceives and responds to you”, too.

In a series of posts on X/Twitter, Obsidian let fans in for an early peek at the fantasy RPG’s Character Creation menu, where players can choose between an Arcade Scholar, Court Augur, Vanguard Scout, War Hero, and Noble Scion, all of which determine what dialogue options and starting weapons you’ll have available to you when you kick off your adventure.

“You hail from the Aedyran Empir, but who exactly are you, Envoy?” Obsidian teased on social media (thanks, TheGamer). “Stranger still, you have never learned which god touched your soul.

“In the Character Creation menu, you’ll have the opportunity to customize your Godlike character and choose a background that will shape how the world perceives and responds to you.”

For Noble Scion, we got to see exactly what’s special about this background, too.

“You were born to a noble house of great influence, middling wealth, and questionable morals,” the description said. “When scandals and succession disputes saw your family cast down, you threw yourself on the emperor’s mercy, and he shielded you.

“Canny yet refined, you have become a formidable force at court and an invaluable ally to the emperor.”

Don’t worry about the character creation locking out any equipment and abilities you find in-game, though – Obsidian reassures us that “all equipment and abilities are available to you regardless of your background.

Avowed will released next month, 18th February, on PC (Steam and Battle.net) and Xbox Series X/S, with day-one access for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Those who pay £90 (or $90) for the game’s Premium Edition, however, can play five days early.

“‘Your worlds, your way’ isn’t just a motto for Obsidian – it’s how they design quests, regions, combat, and more,” Xbox teased after this week’s Developer Direct. “Learn how player freedom is at the heart of Avowed, making it a quintessential ‘Obsidian RPG’.”

“Avowed does a lot of things that I like, and I enjoyed my time with it, more than I ever enjoyed The Outer Worlds,” we wrote in Eurogamer’s Avowed preview. “That said, nothing I saw stood out as wildly original, or that Avowed could entirely call its own.

“That isn’t to say such an element doesn’t exist, or even that Avowed necessarily needs it. But for better or worse, there is still some mystery at the heart of Avowed. The question for when it launches is: will there be a solution?”