Avowed Story Ending Explained Guide

Avowed Story Ending Explained Guide

Alright, adventurers! So you’ve battled your way through the Living Lands, faced down the horrors of the Blight, and reached the climax of Avowed. Congratulations! But wait, the ending might leave you scratching your head a bit. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. This guide will break down everything you need to know about the different endings, the key choices you made that led to them, and what it all means for the future of Eora. We’ll dive deep into the lore, characters, and consequences so you can fully understand the story’s grand finale.

Understanding the Core Conflict: The Blight and the Living Lands

Before we get to the nitty-gritty of the endings, let’s revisit the central problem in Avowed: the Blight. This magical sickness is corrupting the Living Lands, turning its beautiful flora and fauna into grotesque monsters. The Aedyr Empire, with their strict order and rigid beliefs, sees the Blight as a curse, something to be eradicated at all costs. On the other hand, the people of the Living Lands, known as the Living, have a more nuanced view, understanding the Blight as a natural, albeit dangerous, part of their world. The game presents you with difficult questions: Is the Blight an evil that must be destroyed, or is it something that can be managed and perhaps even understood? Your answers to these questions will play a huge role in shaping the ending you receive.

The Aedyran Perspective

The Aedyran Empire, a major force in Eora, has been dealing with the Blight’s spread. They believe it’s a purely destructive force, an aberration that needs to be purged through military strength and magic. Their motivations stem from a place of order and preservation – they desire to restore stability and control. You will find that many Aedyran characters you encounter believe in a very strict way of approaching the blight. This influences the quests and interactions. For example, their solution is often to destroy the source, completely obliterate what the Blight is corrupting. This worldview has its own benefits and drawbacks. It also influences the choices you make along the game.

The Living Perspective

The Living, the native people of the Living Lands, have a complex understanding of the Blight. They view it as an inherent part of their world, something they’ve coexisted with for generations. For them, the Blight isn’t just a monster; it’s also connected to the life cycle. It feeds the land, creating new possibilities even in the face of decay. They strive to find a balance between controlling the Blight’s spread and using its power. They also harbor concerns about how the Aedyr approach will completely disregard the natural balance and cycle. This viewpoint will influence the quests and interactions you have with them, as well. Your own approach, influenced by the game’s choices, will help determine the overall ending.

Key Choices That Shape Your Ending

Throughout your journey in Avowed, you’ll make many important decisions, some of which might seem small at the time, but they have significant consequences on your ending. Here are some of the key choices that matter most:

• Whose Side Do You Take?: Will you side with the Aedyran Empire and attempt to eradicate the Blight, or will you support the Living and seek a way to live with it? Your alliance choices will have a major impact on the narrative.
• How Do You Treat the Living? : Do you see them as just another faction, or do you actively help them maintain their way of life? Do you respect their traditions and beliefs, even if they are different from yours? The relationships you build with the Living can drastically alter the outcomes.
• Your Approach to the Blight: Will you use brute force to destroy it or try to study it and find another method to manage its influence? The methods you use while dealing with the blight will affect how the game ends.
• Trust and Betrayal: Do you stay loyal to the people and factions you have met, or do you betray your trust to achieve your goals? Every relationship you build will be tested. The results of these tests will have consequences at the end of the game.

These choices, seemingly small, create a network of cause and effect that drives the main narrative and leads to a specific ending. It’s also crucial to pay attention to the lore items found in the game as these give additional context to the characters and the world around them.

The Major Endings Explained

Now, let’s get to the real meat of the guide – the actual endings. Avowed has multiple possible endings, each reflecting the choices you’ve made in your playthrough. There isn’t a “good” or “bad” ending, just different outcomes with varying implications for the Living Lands and its people. Each choice leads to different ending, and sometimes the difference between those endings are very subtle. The overall theme remains same but there are changes in details.

The “Aedyran Victory” Ending

If you consistently sided with the Aedyran Empire, focusing on eradicating the Blight, you will most likely unlock the Aedyran Victory ending. This ending usually involves destroying the main source of the blight. This might sound like a happy ending at first, but there are some major drawbacks. The Aedyr, in their zeal to eradicate the Blight, might also have destroyed large parts of the Living Lands, harming the native populations and their way of life. The remaining Living find themselves struggling to rebuild, having lost a lot of their cultural practices and traditional knowledge. The Aedyr also face problems, because their approach might not be the most effective one. The underlying issues may not be resolved, and the blight may return at some point in future.

Key Features of This Ending:

• The Blight is significantly diminished or seemingly eliminated through forceful methods.
• The Aedyran Empire gains a stronger foothold in the Living Lands, imposing their rule and values.
• The Living populations are displaced or struggle to adapt to the new order.
• Nature suffers and may take a long time to recover, if it ever does.

This ending is typically associated with a more militaristic approach to the game, focusing on eliminating the problem at all costs rather than trying to understand it.

The “Living Harmony” Ending

This ending occurs when you consistently support the Living, seeking a balance between controlling the blight and respecting nature. You have actively sought to understand the blight rather than outright destroy it. In this ending, the Blight is not eliminated, but it is brought into check by using the natural energies of the living lands. The Living are able to use the powers of nature to control the Blight and find a new balance. They are able to maintain their culture and traditions. The Aedyran Empire might still be present, but they have a significantly reduced influence and are forced to acknowledge the Living’s way of life. This path often includes choices that favor diplomacy, understanding, and a more holistic approach to the Blight’s presence.

Key Features of This Ending:

• The Blight is managed through understanding and cooperation between the Living.
• The Living maintain their culture and traditions, adapting them as required.
• There is a new harmony established between the Living and nature, using the natural energies to control the blight.
• The Aedyran Empire’s influence is reduced, they have to adapt to the changes.

This is often considered the “best” ending by players who favor a more empathetic and nature-focused playstyle. It requires the player to pay close attention to the lore and understand that it is not always a simple problem of “good” versus “evil”.

The “Balance Disrupted” Ending

This ending typically comes about when your decisions are inconsistent. Sometimes you support the Living, and sometimes you support the Aedyr. The game is very subtle, but it records your choices over the duration of the game, even choices that seem minor at first. This ending often shows a world where neither side is completely victorious. The blight is still present and dangerous. The Living have their traditions, but they are struggling to keep them intact. The Aedyr have not been completely pushed out, but they also haven’t been successful at eradicating the blight. This ending can be chaotic and messy, because neither side gets the full control over the blight. This can be seen as an unstable ending where any small change can influence the delicate balance.

Key Features of This Ending:

• Neither the Aedyr nor the Living truly overcome the Blight.
• The Living Lands remain unstable and affected by the Blight, with both factions at odds.
• A fragile balance exists between the Aedyran and the Living, leading to ongoing conflict and instability.
• There is a sense of unease and the future looks uncertain.

This ending emphasizes the importance of consistency in your decisions and shows the consequences of being indecisive. It highlights that sometimes it is not possible to please everyone, and trying to do so can lead to undesirable consequences.

The “Sacrifice” Ending

This ending is achieved through a specific set of choices and often involves a significant sacrifice on your part. The sacrifice usually involves the player sacrificing something personal to stop the spread of the blight. This might involve sacrificing yourself, or a close friend, or even some part of your own power. The result of this ending is often a bittersweet victory where you have achieved your goal, but at the cost of something valuable. The blight is contained, but the world remains in a state of recovery. The long-term impacts are unknown, but the overall feeling is one of relief mixed with sadness.

Key Features of This Ending:

• The Blight is contained but not necessarily eliminated.
• A major sacrifice is made by the player or a major character.
• The Living Lands achieve a state of uneasy peace, but the shadow of sacrifice looms.
• The world begins a long recovery process after the sacrifices.

This ending is a test of the player’s morals. It emphasizes that sometimes there is a great cost for victory, and it forces the player to reconsider the path they have taken so far.

Delving Deeper: Character Fates and Lore Implications

The endings of Avowed aren’t just about the fate of the Blight, but also about the fates of the characters you’ve met along the way. Your interactions, alliances, and betrayals will influence how their stories conclude. Let’s consider some common examples:

Companion Fates

Your companions, who are with you throughout your journey, will also have their fates affected. Some will leave or may die, depending on your choices. The characters who stayed with you might go with you on your journey to establish new places. You may have started with an Aedyr companion but depending on the choices, their allegiances may change and you might end up seeing them support the Living Lands.

Faction Dynamics

The balance of power between the Aedyr and the Living changes dramatically depending on your choices. The Aedyr might have increased their control and influence, or they might have lost a lot of their power. The living might come together and rebuild their traditions and find a balance. Or they might be struggling to stay afloat because of some of your choices. The endings show the power dynamic between different factions and how your decisions influenced them.

Lore Revelations

The ending sequences often provide more context to the history of Eora and the Blight. Many secrets about the world and the creatures that inhabit it might be revealed. You’ll also learn some secrets of the previous games that may not have been previously known. The ending provides a lot of the world building in its ending sequences. These revelations provide hints to the future of the game, and might set up the sequel for Avowed. The secrets revealed often depend on the actions you have taken during the game.

Replaying for Different Outcomes

One of the great things about Avowed is that it encourages replayability. You can make different choices on a second, third, or even fourth playthrough to see how those decisions influence the ending. Each playthrough can have a very different result based on even the smallest of choices. These different results can bring a great level of replayability, allowing you to explore the game in different ways. You may even decide to pick a completely different faction to align with, which may have drastically different results.

Experimenting with Choices

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different dialogue options and quests. Try choosing completely different answers than you would normally pick and see how they affect your gameplay and your ending. This allows players to understand the complexities of the story and explore all the different narrative options that the game has to offer. It also lets you see the consequences of each of your decision, and helps you make better choices in your future playthroughs.

Focusing on Different Factions

Try focusing on different factions. If you sided with the Aedyr in the first run, try siding with the Living in your second run. This changes a large number of quests, side quests, and changes the overall tone of the game. It allows you to experience the game from a different perspective and provides a new look into the world and lore of Avowed.

Playing a Different Build

This may also encourage you to play a different build. If you played a melee character in the first run, try picking a magic-based character in the second. This will give you a new style of combat and a different way of interacting with the world and the inhabitants of the Living Lands. Sometimes a certain build may be more inclined to favor a certain faction. Your playstyle also shapes your overall gaming experience.

By playing through the game multiple times, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of its complex characters and the world around you. You’ll also be able to experience the many different endings and possibilities that the game offers.