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As I settled into my first few hours with Avowed, I was struck by how the game’s combat system subverts expectations—and not always in a good way. I’d come in hoping for fluid, high-impact encounters, but what I found instead was a system that often turns dynamic fights into drawn-out skirmishes. You spend what feels like forever chipping away at enemy health bars, all while knowing a single misstep could leave you flattened by a sudden flurry of attacks. It’s tense, sure, but not always in a rewarding sense. More often than not, it feels like the game is testing your patience as much as your skill. And when you’re facing larger groups, the experience tilts from challenging to downright punishing. I remember one particular skirmish in the Sunken Quarter where just two elite enemies—each a solid three gear levels above my own—completely dictated the pace. While I whittled away at their health, they could erase mine in seconds. That’s the core tension in Avowed: you’re constantly balancing aggression with survival, knowing that even one overpowered foe can turn the tide.

What really stood out to me was how the scaling works. The game seems to expect you to keep up effortlessly with its difficulty curve, but in practice, that’s rarely the case. Waves of enemies flood into combat arenas with startling speed, and with only two companions at your side, you’re quickly overwhelmed. I lost count of how many times my party was wiped because we simply couldn’t output enough damage between crowd control and defense. And when you fail, the checkpoint system offers little comfort. It’s far less forgiving than I expected—sometimes hurling you back not just one encounter, but two or three. I recall a stretch in the Whispering Ruins where I had to replay nearly 15 minutes of gameplay after a tough boss fight. That kind of design doesn’t feel punishing—it feels tedious. And when you’re repeating content you’ve already slogged through, the thrill of exploration gives way to fatigue.

I decided to test whether lowering the difficulty would ease these pain points. Avowed offers five difficulty settings, and after hitting a wall multiple times on Normal, I switched to Easy around the 12-hour mark. The difference was noticeable—my survival odds improved, especially in late-game battles where enemy density spikes. But here’s the thing: it didn’t solve the underlying issue. Even on Easy, I was still spending upwards of 45 seconds to a minute whittling down a single elite enemy with vastly superior gear. The combat lost some of its lethality, but none of its drag. That’s where Avowed’s balance issues really shine through. It doesn’t owe players a straightforward power fantasy—I respect that. But right now, the tuning feels woefully off, to the point where frustration mounts faster than satisfaction. Based on my playthrough, I’d estimate that nearly 60% of my deaths felt less like learning opportunities and more like stat checks.

Part of the problem, I think, lies in how gear progression is handled. Enemies scale aggressively, and if you fall behind even slightly, the game reminds you—often brutally. There were moments where my weapon felt like a toothpick against armored foes, and no amount of clever positioning or ability rotation could compensate. That’s not to say Avowed lacks high points. The world-building is rich, the companion dialogue is sharp, and the art direction is gorgeous. But these strengths are constantly undermined by combat that feels like it’s working against you. I wanted to love my time with Avowed, and there were stretches—especially in quieter, exploration-heavy zones—where I did. But the further I got, the more the friction wore me down. By the final act, I was pushing forward not for the thrill of battle, but despite it.

If you’re looking for a game that rewards persistence and system mastery, Avowed might still be worth your time. But as it stands, maximizing your success requires more patience than skill. You’ll need to grind for gear, replay sections repeatedly, and accept that some encounters will feel unfairly tuned. I’d recommend playing on Easy for your first run—not because it’s “easy,” but because it removes just enough pressure to let you appreciate the world Obsidian has built. Even then, don’t expect a smooth ride. Avowed has the bones of something great, but in its current state, it’s held back by balancing choices that prioritize endurance over enjoyment. Here’s hoping future updates smooth out the rough edges—because beneath the friction, there’s a game I really want to love.