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Avowed has no fixed character-class selection. Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, and Godlike are ability trees—not exclusive roles—and you can combine their abilities with different weapons to shape your build.
How Avowed’s class system works
Avowed uses what Senior Combat Designer Max Matzenbacher called an “open class system.” Rather than choosing a class that locks your character to particular weapons or abilities, you build around the tools and skills you prefer. The class-like labels are signposts for different combat styles, not binding character roles. Xbox Wire’s developer feature describes the freedom to mix weapons and abilities across trees.
The game’s four named ability trees are Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, and Godlike. The first three represent familiar combat archetypes; Godlike abilities reflect the envoy’s supernatural identity and story. Avowed’s official launch description calls them skill trees, not classes you must choose between.
Can you mix weapons and abilities?
Yes. You can combine abilities from different trees and switch among weapon combinations instead of following one prescribed loadout. At launch, Avowed’s official description highlighted two separate weapon loadouts, with examples including dual pistols and a longbow or an axe and a grimoire. Xbox Wire also described pairing a wizard-style ability with a fighter-oriented one.
#1 Best Overall
- Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way
- Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.
This means “fighter build” or “wizard build” is best understood as shorthand for a preferred approach. You might favor close-range weapons and toughness, ranged attacks, spells, or a mix. Those are useful ways to think about a build, not developer-defined classes or a ranking of the best options.
What character creation choices affect your build?
Species and background now contribute starting stat bonuses. Obsidian added Dwarves, Orlans, and Aumaua alongside Humans and Elves in its February 17, 2026 anniversary update, and introduced bonuses for species and background choices. These starting attributes help shape a character, but they do not assign a fixed class.
Rank #2
- Requires base game, Game Pass Ultimate, or PC Game Pass Membership (Sold Separately)
- Premium Upgrade includes: Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
| Choice | Starting bonuses |
|---|---|
| Human | +1 Might, +1 Resolve |
| Elf | +1 Dexterity, +1 Perception |
| Aumaua | +2 Might |
| Dwarf | +1 Might, +1 Constitution |
| Orlan | +1 Perception, +1 Resolve |
| Arcane Scholar background | +2 Intellect |
| Court Augur background | +2 Resolve |
| Noble Scion background | +2 Perception |
| Vanguard Scout background | +2 Dexterity |
| War Hero background | +2 Constitution |
These are the bonuses listed in Obsidian’s anniversary update. Treat them as starting build considerations rather than a class choice.
Have the ability trees changed since launch?
Yes. Obsidian’s July 2025 patch announcement said it added active and passive abilities to the Fighter and Ranger trees. The February 2026 anniversary update added the quarterstaff weapon type and other additions, but its announcement does not describe a fifth player ability tree. The four named trees remain the ones identified in the official launch description; avoid assuming every launch-era detail reflects the current balance or content.
Rank #3
- Premium Edition includes: Avowed base game, Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for each of your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
- Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.
How to choose a direction without picking a class
Start with the combat experience you want, then use abilities, weapons, attributes, equipment, and loadouts to support it. Consider these questions as build-planning aids, not class restrictions:
- Preferred range: Do you want to fight up close, at a distance, or alternate between both?
- Weapon and spell mix: Would you rather emphasize weapons, magic, or combine them?
- Resources: Which abilities do you want to use often, and what resource demands will that create?
- Survivability: Do you want to withstand pressure at close range, or avoid it through positioning and ranged attacks?
Because the system is flexible, these answers can guide an initial setup without committing you to an exclusive role.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- L'édition Premium SteelBook comprend: le jeu de base Avowed, jusqu'à 5 jours d'accès anticipé, le SteelBook Avowed, la carte des Terres Vivantes, deux packs de skins Premium et l'accès à l'Artbook numérique Avowed et à la bande-son originale
- Vous êtes l'envoyé d'Aedyr, une terre lointaine, missionné pour enquêter sur les rumeurs selon lesquelles une épidémie se propagerait dans les Terres Vivantes, une île pleine de mystères et de secrets, de dangers et d'aventures, de choix et de conséconsés. quences, et d'une nature sauvage
- Explorez une île qui abrite de nombreux environnements et paysages différents, chacun avec son propre écosystème unique
- Mélangez et associez des épées, des sorts, des armes et des boucliers pour vous frayer un chemin
- The compagnons d'un large éventail d'espèces se battront à vos côtés, avec leurs propres capacités uniques
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