The highly anticipated RPG Avowed has received its first major update, just a day after its successful launch on Xbox and PC.  The game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, quickly climbed to the top of the Steam sales charts, fueled by pre-release hype comparing its gameplay to Skyrim and its lore to Baldur's Gate.

Patch 1.2.2, released on February 18th, addresses several key issues identified by players and critics. One notable fix revolves around the game's merchants.  Originally, players could sell upgrade materials, inadvertently creating difficulty spikes by hindering equipment progression. Obsidian has temporarily disabled this feature, promising a more robust and balanced system in future updates.

Combat has also been tweaked.  While Avowed's combat was already praised for its depth compared to titles like Elder Scrolls, companions are now more resilient, with increased starting health and improved revival capabilities.  This addresses concerns about companion effectiveness in challenging encounters.

Obsidian has prioritized addressing bugs related to NPCs.  Dialogue frequency regarding player equipment has been reduced, and a temporary fix for disappearing NPCs has been implemented, requiring players to save and reload the game.  A permanent solution is currently under development.

Beyond these core improvements, Patch 1.2.2 addresses a range of graphical, audio, and gameplay bugs.  These fixes aim to enhance the overall player experience and solidify Avowed's positive initial reception. The substantial size of the patch, approximately 2.5GB, reflects the breadth of these improvements.

The full patch notes detail extensive fixes across various categories, including quest and exploration, companion improvements, merchants and economy, crashes and major issues, quest and area design, systems and gameplay improvements, audio enhancements, visual and art fixes, and user interface (UI) and controls.