Avowed 1.4 Update Introduces Arachnophobia Mode, Unveils 2025 Roadmap

Obsidian Entertainment has shared a 2025 post-launch roadmap for Avowed alongside details of its 1.4 update.

The fantasy RPG’s latest developments were announced on the Obsidian website today. The 1.4 update brings notable enhancements, including an Arachnophobia Mode that transforms menacing spiders into harmless blobs and improves map exploration. However, the roadmap outlines an even more promising future.

Obsidian has planned three significant updates for Avowed in 2025. The first, update 1.4, is live now, introducing the mentioned features, plus mouse and keyboard support on Xbox, increased gold and crafting materials, gear tweaks, a new party camp system, and more. For those yet to explore Eora, the summer update will offer enhanced cooking and crafting, new NPC dialogues, additional weapons and armor, and custom map markers.

Concluding 2025, the fall update will deliver highly anticipated features like New Game Plus and a photo mode. This major release will also include a new weapon type, in-world appearance customization, additional character presets, and more. Obsidian also addressed players eager for expanded language support.

“We recognize the importance of playing in your preferred language for our players in Korea, Japan, and French-speaking regions,” Obsidian stated. “We’re diligently working on localized versions for Korean and Japanese while refining French support. We’re committed to delivering these as soon as they meet our quality standards, and we thank you for your patience.”

Avowed launched on February 18, 2025, and is available on PC, Xbox Series X | S, and Game Pass. Obsidian teases exciting future content, stating they “can’t wait to share what’s next.” For a full breakdown of Avowed’s 1.4 update, including additional features and fixes, see the patch notes below. You can also click here to explore a key hidden side quest.

Note: Potential spoilers are marked in bold.

Avowed Update 1.4 Patch Notes

Greetings, Envoys!

We deeply appreciate your ongoing feedback, bug reports, and patience. Your input shapes our work, and we value the time you invest in sharing your experiences.

Without further delay, here are the 1.4 patch notes for your enjoyment!

Thank you for being part of our community—we’re excited to share more with you soon!

— The Avowed Team

Features and Enhancements!
Arachnophobia Safe Mode
The much-requested Arachnophobia Mode is now live in Avowed! Enable it in the Accessibility menu to replace spiders with sword-wielding spheres. Note: their appearance is friendlier, but their danger remains unchanged!

Community Highlights

Once nearly all accessible map areas are explored, the fog of war clears automatically. Entering a city (e.g., Northern Paradis in Dawnshore) now reveals the corresponding overland map section. The fog-clearing radius during exploration has been expanded, uncovering more of the map. Critters can now be defeated and may drop loot. Players can wait to pass time (day/night cycle) at the Party Camp. Soul Pod throwables now dispel illusions, except at Ryngrim’s entrance, which requires Yatzli’s interaction. A minimap chest display option and a setting to cancel power attacks with Bow and Arquebus have been added.

World Reactivity Enhancements

Arrows now fall naturally to the ground. Water reacts with splashes and ripples when players enter or shoot into it.

Economy & Loot Adjustments

Defeated critters now drop loot. More pre-upgraded weapons (+1, +2, +3) are available in loot pools. Main path quests and exploration yield higher monetary rewards. Small containers like backpacks and lockboxes may now hold larger items, such as body armor and weapons, for balanced drops. Creature Parts drop rates are increased and can be used to upgrade grimoires. Higher-tier weapon drops are more frequent in later regions, with updated loot lists providing more upgrade materials.

UI/UX Enhancements

A visual effect and UI indicator now help locate Downed Companions in combat. The “Talk” prompt for Companions is enabled. Mouse and keyboard input is now supported on Xbox. Loading screen art for Dawnshore and Fort Northreach maps has been updated. An ‘Auto Detect’ graphics option sets recommended settings for your hardware. Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation (for RTX 40/50 series GPUs) and a “Read All” Journal button for Quests, Documents, and Tutorials are added.

Combat Updates

Enemies in water now accumulate shock faster. Creature Parts can upgrade Grimoires.

Companion Enhancements

Companions gain Ability Points every 3 levels (up from 4), raising the maximum from 8 to 11. Additional points are automatically granted upon updating.

Enemy Behavior

Enemy detection speed adjusts dynamically based on distance—closer enemies react faster, distant ones more slowly.

Unique Item Updates

Updated stats for several Unique Items: Thirdborn Brigandine Jacket: Higher regeneration rate. Civilizing Influence: 10% damage reduction vs. beasts, primordials, and wilders. Berath’s Blessed Ward: 20% damage reduction vs. vessels. Chitin Band: 20% damage reduction vs. beasts. Nimanna’s Ward: 20% damage reduction vs. spirits. Wildwalker Ring and Threads of the Faithful: Health regeneration increased from 0.05 to 0.5. Thirdborn Brigandine Jack: Health regeneration from 0.05 to 0.8. Faith and Conviction: Essence regeneration from 0.05 to 0.1.

Enchantments Rework

Obsolete Carry Capacity enchantments on Unique Items replaced 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

Reduced CPU usage during the “Compiling Shaders” screen for better stability. Fixed Shadows of the Past waypoint issues at Naku Kubel’s entrance. Totem pieces now correctly enter the player’s inventory, not the party stash. Minoletta’s Conduit now works with Wand Mastery. Fixed companion removal issues breaking conversations and quests. Enemy vitals UI stays properly positioned. Ryngrim’s Domain statue remains interactable if previously used without quest progression. An Untimely End quest now triggers its final objective correctly. Quests on older saves now count toward the Pentiment achievement. Fixed Armor Fit for the Wilds quest stalling at “Gather Materials.” Re-added FidelityFX 3 for AMD graphics users. Scroll wheel bindings to hotbar slots 1–6 now persist after restarting. Binding Ability Slots to keys 7, 8, 9, or 0 no longer triggers unintended radial menu abilities. Unkillable Dreamthralls outside Thirdborn are fixed.

Additional Bug Fixes

Crashes and Stability

Lowered CPU usage during Compiling Shaders for enhanced stability. Fixed rare PC freezes, map transition crashes, audio-related crashes, and radial UI/food item crashes.

Performance and Optimizations

Optimized wand power attacks, ‘Meteor Shower’ ability, and volcano eruption cutscene performance.

Animation

Fixed dwarf animations at Galawain’s Tusks Emergency Camp. Improved conversation gestures, emotions, and lip-sync. Corrected Mestru Varka’s outfit clipping and unarmed idle animations.

Quests & Conversations

Fixed Shadows of the Past waypoint issues at Naku Kubel. Homecoming progresses correctly if Jail Guards are spoken to early. Added failstate for Nature vs. Nurture when the Hermit is killed with electricity after siding with them. One Last Drink advances properly if Kohwa is spoken to first. Fixed Boundaries of Antiquity progression for specific paths, auto-progressing for stuck players. Tira Nui Hajime now appears in one location in Thirdborn. Added clarity for Garden quest’s final step. Ruanga’s conversation no longer ends abruptly. Cistern key in Claviger’s estate now appears at the correct time. An Untimely End triggers its final objective correctly. Nature vs. Nurture no longer breaks if Fior mes Iverno is razed before the final decision. Ryngrim’s Domain statue remains interactable. Fixed infinite rewards from Miteno post-quest. A Relic from Ashes now rewards currency. Broken Farming Equipment conversation no longer triggers randomly post-Fior mes Iverno events. Mapping the Region waypoints fixed. Exploding barrels in Emerald Stair Steel Garrote Camp now trigger hostility. Kai now requires Tama’s badge discussion before opening up at Tama’s memorial stones. Nature vs. Nurture dialogue with farmers no longer repeats. Release Gilyn marker appears after killing the Ogra Grakohr. Galawain’s Tusk bounties point to the correct bounty master. Added beacon for Gabral if Solace Keep becomes uninhabitable. Nandru’s Journal conversation with companions no longer triggers post-main story progression. Sanza now accepts Geirmund’s cartography notes at Northern Paradis docks. Ranger Dorso’s Steel Resolve conversation no longer repeats. Fixed Kai’s statue piece count in Ryngrim’s Domain. Yatzli’s conversation no longer drops unexpectedly. A Home for Outcasts turn-in node is always available. Wardens in Galawain’s Tusks are no longer hostile post-parley with Amalia. Fixed One Last Drink teleport issue when Adra is severed. Corrected companion dialogue in Nature vs. Nurture about xaurip hostility. Fixed Giatta’s animation issues post-conversation. Beetle Matriarch bounty now removes from the board. Emerald Stair map shows two Pargrunen Caches. Fixed Aelfyr disappearance in Northern Paradis. God totem fragment conversation retriggers correctly. Nature vs. Nurture icon disappears post-Fior mes Iverno razed. Heart of Valor no longer awards duplicate trinkets. Players can’t leave Naku Kubel post-decision cutscene without speaking to Ryngrim. Fixed spider spawning under Spider Lair. Sulfur mines in Shatterscarp are inaccessible post-Darle’s explosion agreement. Captain Ngunu no longer appears in two locations. Optimized Emerald Stair farm navigation. Tycg’s Aedyran Embassy conversation no longer ends abruptly. Kai no longer speaks in Dehengen’s conversation if not in the party. Faith and Conviction armor can’t be bought twice. Companions no longer appear mid-conversation during The Siege of Paradis. Improved Naku Tedek Adra Pillar cutscene transition. Fixed empty loot chest outside Naku Tedek. Warden Radut conversation no longer interrupted by NPCs. Camera centers correctly during drug-related conversations. Yatzli’s Living Lands leader conversation no longer repeats. Fixed cliff fall in Delemgan Glade.

UI/UX

Fixed flickering Lore UI with large text. Adjusted Map Legend to prevent text overlap. Dream Touch status effect icon displays correctly. Updated controller button icons. Sword/Greatsword tutorial videos updated. Consistent ‘Corroded Key’ icon color. Smoother Ancient Memory conversation fade-outs. Limited food effect stacking. Fixed HUD opacity affecting Companion icons. Added auto-detect graphics button. Party camp god totem dialog forwards analog input. Companion abilities auto-fill empty hotbar slots. Fixed Xbox cursor disappearance on map screen. Subtitle text size updates correctly. Kai’s “New Companion” pop-up scrolls with large text. Companion “Want to talk” icons hide post-story progression. Xbox Character Creation supports mouse preset selection. Grimoire cooldown animation no longer freezes. Graphics reset uses last benchmark results. DLSS Frame Generation description updates for RTX 50 series. HUD Shake can be disabled. Re-added FidelityFX 3 for AMD users. Fixed Xbox map icon interactivity. Point of Interest names fit text backgrounds. Fixed lingering “XP Gained” notifications. Radial menu responds with mouse. “Unspent points” reminders tied to “Show Reminders” setting. Left Trigger sprint binding no longer triggers Off Hand. Custom controller presets undo properly. “Don’t Show Again” on input bindings works. Separated keyboard/gamepad map panning/zoom speed. Frame limit disabled with frame generation. Scroll wheel hotbar bindings persist. R key binding to Next Subtab no longer equips items. Fixed Chinese “survivalist” translation. Portuguese tutorials no longer flicker. Grimoire Mastery no longer shows as a prerequisite for Minor Missiles. Quest Tracker joins HUD shake. Unbinding hotbar actions enabled. Full radial menu accessible on Xbox with mouse. Controller mapping shows bindings correctly. Difficulty description scrolls with large UI text. Treasure Maps no longer flicker. Character Creation preset highlight fixed. Companion UI skill page navigation sound added. Removed unused Accessibility setting. Fixed quest item quality pips. Upscale setting no longer shows DLSS 3 on unsupported GPUs. Added 10k resolution support. Grimoire displays unaffected by Show HUD toggle. HUD Opacity slider affects Compass. Added Elemental Resistance to Stat page. Fixed Traits/Grimoire Spells on Upgrade screen. Health/Essence potion tutorial fixed. Percentage symbol localized. Fixed flickering breakdown prompt. Right-click potion consumption prevented. Fixed Shadowing Beyond/grass hidden indicator. Controller dialog history list controls fixed. Hotbar updates correctly when switching input.

Art

Fixed Obsidian Order armor shoulder plates in first-person. Water splashes now consistent with rivers. Fixed Amalia’s camp navigation. Blocked Thirdborn pipeline entry. Fixed Thicket’s floating roots. Paradis Militia no longer falls through Emerald Stair Gatehouse floor. Blocked Xaurip rock climbing in Prologue. Improved glass visuals on low Global Illumination. Smoothed Kumitru’s shirt skinning during conversation. Added offscreen Downed Companion indicators. Arrows now splash water. Fixed distant Meteor Shower visibility. Corrected Lodestone’s scratch decal placement. Fixed opaque smoke/steam in Mermaid’s Den on low settings. Re-added offscreen Downed Companion indicators.

Combat/Systems Fixes

Increased arrow drop for bow attacks. Fixed Stamina Drain Aura duration on Ghost enemies. Added critter loot drops. Fixed Crackling Bolt shock accumulation. Prevented bear fodder clipping through Kai. Fixed companion shock loop in water. Improved lightning accumulation in water hazards. Raised Ghost unit health/stun UI for better aiming. Corrected ‘Ring of the Founder’ typo. Synced Giatta’s parry animation with enemy attacks. Fixed Totem of Defiance journal typo. Reduced Grimoire upgrade material costs, adjusted per-tier values. Fixed Minoletta’s Conduit with Wand Mastery. Updated Chitin Band description. Halma’s Fancy trinket now grants +20 Maximum Essence, +3 Perception. Adjusted Aedyran Supply Cache for easier discovery. Companions stay closer to players. Fixed Dawnshore Graveyard epitaph typo. Added Vailian/Rauataian coin loot.

Programming Fixes

Fixed weapon enchantment loss during map transitions. Ensured Bristling Frost creates ice platforms on water. Companions exit combat state correctly. Fixed Pentiment achievement tracking. Resolved Armor Fit for the Wilds quest stall. Ensured Proxy actors reach destination points. Dead encounter characters without loot no longer respawn. Fixed HUD fade-out for end slides. Optimized essence wisp spawning. Improved hair/beard/fur with low-quality FSR. Fixed empty inventory slot on dual-click equip. Prevented white flash in world lighting post-loading. Essence no longer reduces fully with active Woedica totem. Fixed grimoire spell/quick-slot input conflicts. Enemies no longer delay appearing in Inner Complex. Fixed first-person camera snapping while swimming. Damaged Maegfolc now attacks at range. First-person camera no longer snaps with Power Jump. Ilora uses ranged weapon consistently. Fixed prolonged slow-motion. Added hit reactions for failed blocks. Fixed companion ragdoll in cutscenes. Fixed missing poison VFX on companions. Giatta’s Essence Pressure no longer affects non-living enemies. Ranged NPCs now reposition to hit players. Fixed Freezing Pillar visibility. Corrected Skaen Totem piece pickup. Fixed ‘Fair Play’ pistol critical hits. Cities’ fog of war clears after visits. Essence Cost Reduction modifiers now add correctly. Game version displays on main menu. Fixed totem effect pauses post-conversation/cutscene. High attack speed no longer doubles stamina drain. Ranged beetles no longer mantle cliffs. Fixed Seven Strivings hammer critical chance. Removed water’s jagged edge artifact. The Garden traps stay deactivated post-reload. Corrected death sequence for out-of-bounds falls. Xaurip Bounty in Emerald Stair marks as failed post-Fior mes Iverno razed. Fixed summoned character outliving summoner. Unclaimed loot remains post-story enemy disappearance. Enemy vitals UI stays above anchor. Totem pieces go to player inventory. Max attribute level raised to 30, purchase limit at 15. Fixed underground skeleton minion spawns. Added water interaction VFX for swimming. Fixed Dreamthrall Elder Brown Bear near Hylgard. Summoned blight bodies disappear correctly. Fixed low-framerate conversation visuals on Xbox Series X. Prevented hit reactions on dead summoned enemies. Music fades naturally in end slides. Fixed companion model morphing. Enemies switch to companions when player is invisible. Loot bags use Loot Shimmer for item type. Fixed dungeon music after loading. Improved Minor Missiles performance. Prevented grimoire trait removal on ability bar casts. Fixed menu soft-locks during cutscene transitions. Corrected ‘Divine Thorn’ VFX with trinket. Fixed bow aim hitch post-save. Reset poison duration on load. Fixed stretched Freezing Pillar VFX. Prevented Pull of Eora insta-killing Maegfolc. Fixed ladder exit issue in Paradis. Ensured breakable objects break on impact. Improved flamethrower trap performance at Naku Kubel. Corrected Xaurip Camp wall break detection. Missile Salvo glow dissipates correctly. Fixed permanent Sapadal’s Fury glow on ability cancel. Ranged enemies detect players behind partial cover. Added ladder interaction settings (Auto, Mixed, Manual). Smoothed ladder top entry.

Localization Fixes

Fixed unlocalized ‘Sound Mix’ strings in Polish. Corrected Polish fast travel beacon translation at Delemgan Glade. The Voice acknowledges pronouns in Polish during The Beyond. Fixed ‘Vindictive Band’ Polish translation. Corrected DLSS description translation.