Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed is a success, but its future depends on it not repeating the same blunders as Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC.

avowed and starfield shattered space

Avowed was announced all the way back in 2020 during the Xbox Games Showcase and has finally hit the shelves. While there might be some issues, the RPG has received positive reviews from both fans and critics alike.

In-game image from StarfieldAvowed is one of the biggest success stories of the year. (Image via Microsoft)

Currently, it’s unclear where Avowed will head from here as Obsidian Entertainment still hasn’t clarified upon a DLC or expansion. However, if it does end up happening, Obsidian needs to make it a point not to repeat the same mistakes as Bethesda did with the Shattered Space DLC.

Avowed must learn from Starfield‘s Shattered Space nightmare

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Bethesda treated Starfield with it’s very first DLC called the Shattered Space on September 30th, 2024 – just a year after the base game’s initial launch. Todd Howard and his team promised that the DLC would breathe new life into the game. It would unravel the mysteries of House Va’ruun and bring new weapons, armor, and whatnot.

Despite Bethesda’s attempts to hype the expansion, it didn’t go down well among gamers. Right on the arrival of Shattered Space DLC, it was bombarded with negative reviews. Seriously, it sits at Mostly Negative with over 3,000 reviews, and that’s the second lowest rating a Steam game can achieve.

So, why did Shattered Space DLC fail so hard? Well, it’s due to a number of reasons. Firstly, Bethesda promised that it would fix all of the core issues that plagued the base game, but that didn’t end up happening. What’s worse is that all the new content, and its short length, was also boring and simply wasn’t worth the year-long wait and the $30 price tag.

If Avowed ends up receiving a DLC down the line, Obsidian shouldn’t make the same mistakes as Starfield. The developer must bring DLC that features substantial and engaging content. Given the fact that the game has already faced criticism over its visuals and has departed from the Pillars of Eternity experience, Avowed can’t afford a weak DLC.

It would only make matters worse for the game and could end up damaging its long-term reception. The DLC should expand the in-game world, address player concerns, bring new quests, and alter the experience to justify its price tag.

Avowed must bring this one crucial feature

In-game image from AvowedCharacter customization needs some upgrades in the RPG. (Image via Microsoft)

As we’ve said before, it’s still up in the air if Obsidian will ever make a DLC or expansion for Avowed. However, if the developer decides to develop one, it should consider adding the ability to change appearances after the character creation.

The problem with Avowed is that players can’t choose outside elves and humans in the game. Once they’re done with that, there are a number of tattoos, hair, and else to choose from. It could be difficult for players to decide on their appearance, and they might want to change it after they are well into their adventure.

That’s not all, though; many in the community have also noted that the lighting within the character creator seems too dark, and the characters’ appearance can differ in the game-in-game world.

Let’s hope that with the upcoming updates and patches, Obsidian will consider bringing these changes to character creation in the game.

With that said, would you like to see an Avowed DLC in the future? Let us know in the comments.