Avowed, Obsidian's Skyrim-style RPG, will feature two-handed combat and 'multiple class playstyles'

Our colleagues at Windows Central published an article Tuesday with a few bits of fresh information on Avowed, Obsidian's upcoming first-person fantasy RPG. There aren't many new details, but we did learn a few things: Author Jez Corden says that Avowed will feature "multiple class playstyles" with two-handed combat that will enable dual wielding, two-handed weapons or a combination of weapons and wizardy, according to sources familiar with the game's development.

Some spells will also be two-handed, according to the report, which says that the Fireball spell, for instance, will be conjured "using complex-looking hand gestures." Weapons will be enchantable, and it's possible that the musket-style firearms that appeared in the Pillars of Eternity isometric RPGs—Avowed is set in the same world, remember—will also be usable.

Combat seems to be more "loadout-based" than the Elder Scrolls games, with class-specific gameplay styles: Warriors will focus primarily on physical attacks, with abilities like kicks and shield bashes, while spellcasters will have the ability to bind magic to specific buttons. It will also be a more "colorful" game than the latest Elder Scrolls RPG, Skyrim, with a range of different environments—caves, forests, temples—some of which may be destructible. Swimming may also be possible.

These details hint at the ways in which Avowed may differ from The Elder Scrolls, but the game is still early in development, so some of it will likely change between now and release.

There's still no indication as to what Avowed will actually be about or when it will arrive: It takes place in the Pillars of Eternity world, The Living Lands region of Eora, a northern frontier which hasn't been seen in either game. In other words, while we'll doubtless see familiar elements of the world, like spells and enemies (the lizard-like Xaurip will reportedly appear, for instance), Obsidian can do pretty much whatever it wants with the narrative.

Avowed doesn't have a release target at this point, but the report says the game is currently in a "pre-alpha" state.