Like many RPGs, Avowed’s story changes based on what quests players complete and the choices they make. Although players typically consider completing all available quests to get the “best” story from a game, Avowed may have a stronger narrative if players fail one quest. This isn’t to say that things get better for the characters in the game; they get decidedly worse. However, it also adds some important dramatic beats to the story that feel somewhat lessened if players follow through with every side quest.

The quest in question is Steel Resolve in Avowed’s Emerald Stair region. Completing the quest and making the right choices allows the Envoy to minimize damage when the Steel Garrote attacks Fior mes Ivèrno. If the quest isn’t completed, Fior is burned to the ground. While preventing Fior’s destruction is the better outcome in the world of Avowed, from the perspective of an audience member, the game’s story improves if Fior is allowed to burn. This failure gives the game’s narrative beats going forward a bit more weight.

Fior Mes Inverno Being Destroyed Is The Envoy’s First Great Failure

Earlier Parts Of The Game Don’t Have Any Major Disasters Like This

Although the Envoy is sent to the Living Lands on a quest of great importance, Avowed’s main story quests start off a bit more personal. First, the Envoy is focused on getting to Paradis, and once they finally enter the city, they are then tasked with finding the person who tried to kill them. It isn’t until the Emerald Stair that the main quest of Avowed starts to widen its scope and focus on the impact the Envoy’s actions have on the Living Lands as a whole. This also makes the burning of Fior a perfect turning point.

Up until Fior, there is little major harm the Envoy can do. Some decisions will come back later in the game, but for the moment, the consequences of the Envoy’s actions seem small. It’s also rare that things don’t go in the Envoy’s favor during the opening hours of Avowed, with even their own assassination being a minor hurdle. This makes the burning of Fior the Envoy’s first major experience with failure in the Living Lands, and it’s a wake-up call to the reality of their situation.

Saving Fior from being entirely destroyed also lessens the event’s emotional impact on the Envoy as a character. Not only is the city in better shape, but the Envoy can feel confident in knowing they did all they could to prevent the damage. This confidence may be rewarding in gameplay, but it is less impactful than the Envoy experiencing their first major failure from a narrative sense.

While Fior is attacked regardless of whether the Envoy completes Steel Resolve, it isn’t as devastating when the city is left standing after. Seeing an entire city razed on their watch is much more of an emotional gut punch for players than seeing it sort of damaged. Not only does seeing Fior getting destroyed create a stronger dramatic beat, but it also works better for characterizing the Steel Garrote.

If Fior Is Destroyed, The Steel Garrote Seem Like More Intimidating Villains

Foiling The Villains’ Plots Too Early Makes Them Seem Weak

While Avowed strays away from directly establishing a “good” and “bad” side – instead allowing the player to choose a side for themselves – it’s pretty clear that the Steel Garrote are the game’s villains. They don’t just enact violence on the people of the Living Lands, but they seem to revel in it. This isn’t just reserved for Avowed‘s big bad Inquisitor Lödwyn. Lower-raking Garrote officers like Captain Aelfyr and Captain Carnet also seem to enjoy killing anyone who stands in their way.

The more successful the Steel Garrote are in their attack on Fior, the more effective they seem as an antagonistic force in Avowed’s narrative. Apart from a short meeting with Lödwyn earlier in the game, the Emerald Stair is the first place players will actually come face to face with the Steel Garrote. If players first encounter them while burning down Fior, that leaves a much stronger impression than if their first experience is foiling their plans.

Since the end result is largely similar regardless of the player’s actions, the story works better when the Steel Garrote is even more successful in their attack.

While the Steel Resolve quest won’t fully let players stop the Steel Garrote, it still lessens the impact of their actions – both in-universe and in the eyes of the audience. Since the end result is largely similar regardless of the player’s actions, the story works better when the Steel Garrote is even more successful in their attack. Not only does it make the Steel Garrote seem scarier, but it also makes the story more dramatic for some of the Envoy’s supporting characters.

Fior’s Destruction Is A Stronger Motivator For Giatta

Giatta And Other NPCs Are Deeply Affected By The Events In Fior

Giatta – one of the Envoy’s companions – has strong ties to Fior. Not only is it her home, but her parents are also (sort of) still there when the city burns down. Regardless of whether the city fully burns or is partially damaged, Giatta is understandably upset with the Steel Garrote, but there is extra weight behind her motivation when the city is completely destroyed. “They destroyed my home and I can never go back,” is a much stronger motivating force than, “they burned parts of the city I lived in and now there will need to be some repairs.”

What happened to Fior comes up in many future conversations with Giatta and other NPCs. Characters invoking Fior’s memory hit a lot harder when the city is gone, and it’s partially the Envoy’s fault for not stopping it. In general, the burning of Fior creates more dramatic tension in the later parts of the game.

The Stakes Are Higher In Avowed If Fior Is Destroyed

Fior’s Destruction Sets A Tone For The Rest Of Avowed

Watching a city burn and feeling partially responsible for it is a great way to raise the stakes for the protagonist in a story. After Fior’s destruction, there is a real sense of danger about what might happen next. Yes, the stakes are still somewhat raised if Fior is only partially destroyed, but seeing a worst-case scenario is a good way to establish the stakes of a story. The climax of Star Wars would likely be less exciting if Alderaan just suffered some superficial damage earlier in the story instead of getting blown to pieces.

It can be a little more challenging to view the story of a choice-based game like Avowed as an objective audience member. Players take on the role of the story’s main character and will likely want the best outcome for that character. This means that unless they are siding with the Steel Garrote, most players will likely want to save Fior. However, taking a step back and looking at the events of Avowed strictly as a story shows that it works better if players make major mistakes.