The latest action RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, Avowed, is off to a solid start, with generally positive reviews pouring in. The game has much to offer players looking for a new open-world fantasy adventure, but one feature could easily fly under the radar despite its immense impact on the game’s quality of life. Every gamer is familiar with the information overload stage of a new game, usually a trademark of open-world RPGs as they are usually bursting with lore. The games often start off with players having to piece together what’s being said to them, NPCs using words they don’t know the meaning of, knowing that they’ll eventually find out.

Well, Avowed decided to spare its players this trademark stage and implement a tool that allows players to know what’s going on from the get-go. No more googling and potentially spoiling the story simply because a player wants to be in the loop on the unfamiliar words an NPC is using. The information is accessible the moment the word is used. It’s a major quality-of-life boost, and one more RPGs should use as a precedent instead of peppering their new players with nonsense words.

How Does This Avowed Feature Work?

Avowed Players Are Essentially Provided a Glossary and Log During All Dialogue Scenes

Depending on what platform a player is using, the feature will be bound to a different button, but on Xbox Series X/S, Avowed players will find themselves frequently using “Y” during dialogue. The way the feature works is simple, and a true godsend: within the subtitles, a keyword will be highlighted, letting a player know that once this particular chunk of dialogue is complete, they can press Y and access the dialogue history log and a glossary-type feature called Lore Tooltips. The log will show all the dialogue that’s just taken place, much like in Baldur’s Gate 3, but doesn’t also include actions, and is much easier to parse through as it just contains those last few minutes of conversation.

Placed to the right of the log, is the shining star: the Lore Tooltips. One of the first words players will be introduced to is “Paradis.” During the introduction, the Emperor narrates a brief backstory, which leads up to where the player will begin the story. While his narration is detailed, plenty of players will still find it to be an information overload, and even though he explains what Paradis is, maybe they’d like a reminder. Well, now that Paradis has been spoken by an NPC, players can find it in the Lore Tooltips on-screen.

Players don’t actually have to exit the dialogue scene, either; this entire information panel appears as an overlay, allowing players to take their time before moving on to the next bit of dialogue. As each keyword is mentioned, it’s added to the Lore Tooltips glossary and will stay there for the duration of the conversation. When players find that word in the glossary, they’re provided a detailed lore overview – but not so detailed that it becomes a slog to read – that allows them to remain in the loop.

More RPGs Should Include Features Like Avowed’s Lore Tooltips

The Tooltips In Avowed Are an Amazing Quality-of-Life Feature

Avowed’s Lore Tooltips are a clean, thoughtful, and immensely helpful feature and are the kind of QOL feature that every future RPG should look towards as the new standard. Why continue bombarding players with information they can’t process yet when the transition into a new world full of life and lore can be easier and more appreciated?

It’s the type of feature that takes into consideration players who have to step away from a game for a while and need reminders, the players who are forgetful and have trouble keeping all that information in their head at once, and even the players who simply just zone out during dialogue. Press Y, and suddenly all the spoken dialogue is there for them to read, including some lore on keywords spoken within the dialogue.

A glossary isn’t unheard of in RPGs; look at The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it literally has a menu panel called “Glossary.” But it’s extremely overwhelming; while it’s helpful in keeping track of what’s going on and remembering who’s who, it’s walls of text and information to parse through. Essentially, Avowed has taken this common feature found in RPGs and turned it into a Cliffsnotes version, without compromising the necessary information that a player needs. Suddenly, entering a new, beautifully-crafted world doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience for the player. They can learn as they go, elevating the RPG experience for players.

Regardless of a player’s individual experience with Avowed and their own personal opinion, it’s undeniable that this feature is a stellar achievement all on its own. Obsidian has just cracked the code on how to make all the necessary information delivered to a player in an RPG more digestible, and hopefully players will see it more often in the future.