Avowed’s main story is full of big choices, including who to side with at Solace Keep, Mihala or Kostya. At first, this appears as though it will be one of the more difficult decisions in the game: Mihala clings stubbornly to tradition to the point that it is hurting her people, but ultimately seems like a more virtuous person. In contrast, Kostya is underhanded and wants to sell his ancestral home to Aedyr and the Steel Garrote, but his stated goal for doing so is to help his starving people.

Avowed‘s important choices can be difficult, but the farther you get into the quest “Our Dreams Divide Us Still,” the clearer your choice between the two options becomes. There seems to be one better answer, both in terms of role-playing, and what it nets you in rewards. While there is a situation where you may want to decide to go a different direction, most players will likely find there is one clearly better decision between Kostya and Mihala’s sides.

What Happens If You Leave Kostya Alone

Siding With Kostya Destroys Solace Keep

If you decide to side with Kostya, he will destroy Solace Keep. His motivation behind doing this is to force his people out of their rut and back into the rest of the Living Lands. While his intentions may seem good, Kostya is making this decision without much input from the other Pargrunen of Solace Keep. As is clear when talking to people in the Keep, some are happy to stay, and forcing them to leave without choice feels somewhat cruel. That’s not to mention how dangerous the Living Lands will be for people who have just lost everything they had.

From a mechanical standpoint, there isn’t much advantage to siding with Kostya here. Once Solace Keep is destroyed, it will no longer be accessible to you, but its merchants will still be accessible in a nearby camp. However, Kostya does not offer any specific reward for siding with him, meaning the only real reason to do this is if you feel strongly that Kostya is in the right, or you simply want to see what happens when the Keep gets destroyed.

What Happens If You Side With Mihala

Siding With Mihala Saves Solace Keep And Gives You Unique Gear

Siding with Mihala will mean saving Solace Keep, and it will also mean having to fight Kostya. As long as you are at the appropriate level for this point in the game (20–25) and have Superb or Legendary weapons, the fight against Kostya and his two Wardens is relatively easy. Once done, you can loot Kostya for the Legendary Unique armor, Councilor’s Garb, and the unique shoes, Councilor’s Shoes.

The Councilor’s Garb gives you +50% Stealth Attack Damage, +5% Damage Reduction, and a +3 Additional Damage Reduction. The armor’s base stats are also relatively good, with 5% Damage Reduction, 70 Additional Damage Reduction, and a penalty of only 20 Stamina and 10 Essence. If you aren’t using Light Armor, or already have a better set for your build, you can also break this down into Dragon Hide and Adra Bán for upgrades. The Councilor’s Shoes provide +15 maximum Essence, +25% Dodge Distance, and add two points to your Dexterity score.

If you decide to take the optional objective of talking to Mihala after saving Solace Keep, she will also give you a Unique Shield, the Bastion of Solace. This is a solid Legendary shield that gives you bonuses to max Health and max Stamina, as well as giving you a 25% chance to inflict Fire Damage on any enemy you block with it. Like the Councilor Garb, this item can also be broken down for valuable Upgrade Material if you choose not to use it.

Choosing to side with Mihala also means she will be present later on during the “Siege of Paradis” quest when meeting with the leaders of the Living Lands. Like all the big main story decisions, what you do here will be one of the main decisions that other characters judge you by. So, with that in mind, which is the right choice?

Which Is The Better Choice

Siding With Mihala Has More Benefits

Choosing to side with Mihala is ultimately the better choice. For one thing, it provides many more advantages from a gameplay standpoint. Siding with Mihala allows you to continue visiting Solace Keep, and gives you some nice items. The Councilor Garb and Shoes are some of Avowed‘s better items for Rangers. Even if you’re just breaking it down, Adra Bán is a rare and valuable resource. Even with the Scavenger Ability discount, you’ll still be paying over 16,000 Skeyts for Adra Bán if you want to buy it from a merchant.

Avowed also sort of shows its hand before you make this decision, basically telling players that siding with Mihara is the morally good option. While Kostya may initially seem like a viable choice from a roleplay standpoint, his willingness to work with the Steel Garrote is a major red flag. He also seems to have little regard for the choices of his people, or the collateral damage that will be caused by destroying the Keep. If you want to side with Lödwyn, then it makes sense to support Kostya, otherwise Mihala is the clear choice.