News about Avowed 1.4 Patch Adds Arachnophobia Mode, 2025 Roadmap Revealed

Obsidian Entertainment has unveiled its 2025 post-launch roadmap for Avowed, along with detailed patch notes for the game’s 1.4 update. The information was shared directly on the Obsidian website, offering fans a glimpse into both the present state and future direction of this immersive fantasy RPG.

While Avowed’s 1.4 update introduces several quality-of-life enhancements—such as an Arachnophobia Mode (which transforms menacing spiders into less intimidating floating spheres), improved map exploration mechanics, and increased loot drop rates—it's the long-term roadmap that truly excites. Obsidian plans to deliver three major content updates throughout 2025, each packed with meaningful additions aimed at deepening player engagement.

Avowed 2025 Roadmap Highlights

The first of these updates—now live alongside version 1.4—includes notable features like mouse and keyboard support on Xbox, expanded crafting systems, new gear customization options, and the introduction of a Party Camp feature that enhances player convenience during extended play sessions.

Looking ahead, the summer 2025 update promises even more substantial gameplay improvements, including enhanced cooking and crafting systems, deeper NPC interactions, new weapon and armor sets, and the highly requested ability to place custom map markers—making world navigation more intuitive than ever.

Finally, rounding out the year will be the fall 2025 update, which is shaping up to be Obsidian’s most ambitious yet. This update will introduce New Game+ functionality, allowing players to carry over progress into a fresh playthrough, as well as a full-featured photo mode for capturing stunning in-game moments. Additional content includes a brand-new weapon type, real-time character appearance changes, additional character presets, and continued refinement of core gameplay systems.

Localization Efforts Acknowledged

In their latest update, Obsidian also took time to address international players who have been eagerly awaiting localized versions of Avowed:

“We also want to acknowledge our players in Korea, Japan, and French-speaking regions,” Obsidian explained. “We know how important it is to experience a game in your preferred language, and we are actively working on localized versions for Korean and Japanese, along with ongoing improvements for French. We’re committed to delivering these updates as soon as they are ready, and we deeply appreciate your patience and support as we make sure they meet the quality you deserve.”

Launch Recap & Ongoing Development

officially launched on February 18, 2025, and is now available on PC and Xbox Series X | S, including access via Xbox Game Pass. With a steady stream of updates already rolling out and a clear vision for the rest of the year, Obsidian continues to build upon the foundation of what many consider one of the most promising RPGs of the year. The studio has teased that even more exciting developments are on the horizon, encouraging players to stay tuned for what comes next.

For those interested in diving into the full scope of patch 1.4, including all the bug fixes, UI improvements, and gameplay tweaks, the complete patch notes can be found below. Additionally, fans can check out here for insights into one of the game’s hidden but pivotal side quests.

Note: Potential spoilers have been included in bold text throughout the patch notes summary.

Avowed Update 1.4 Patch Notes

Greetings Envoys,

We'd like to extend our gratitude for your continued feedback, reports, and support. Your input plays a crucial role in helping us shape the future of Avowed, and we're excited to share the improvements introduced in this update.

Without further delay, here are the official patch notes for Avowed Update 1.4.

Thank you for being part of our community—we look forward to sharing more adventures with you in the coming months!

— The Avowed Team

Features and Improvements

Arachnophobia Safe Mode – Enable this option in Accessibility settings to transform all spiders into harmless sword-wielding spheres. Please note: while their appearance may be less frightening, their combat effectiveness remains unchanged.

Community Highlights

Map fog clears automatically once nearly all areas have been explored.
Entering cities on overland maps now reveals the corresponding sections of the map.
Fog of war clearing radius significantly increased for smoother exploration.
Critters can now be killed and have a chance to drop loot.
Players can now wait within the Party Camp to advance the day/night cycle.
Soul Pods now dispel illusions (excluding Ryngrim’s entrance puzzle).
Minimap now displays chest locations by default.
Bow and Arquebus power attacks can now be canceled mid-cast.

World Reactivity Improvements

Arrows now fall naturally and land on the ground when shot into the air.
Water reacts realistically with splashes and ripples when interacted with.

Economy & Loot Adjustments

Critters now yield loot upon defeat.
Increased number of upgraded weapons (+1, +2, +3) in loot pools.
Higher monetary rewards from main path quests and exploration.
Larger loot containers can now contain body armor and oversized weapons.
Increased Creature Part drop rate for grimoire upgrades.
Improved loot distribution in later regions.
Enhanced upgrade material availability across loot tables.

UI/UX Improvements

New visual indicators for locating downed companions in combat.
"Talk" prompt now visible for companion interactions.
Mouse and keyboard support added for Xbox players.
Updated loading screen art for Dawnshore and Fort Northreach.
Auto-detect graphics setting now recommends optimal performance settings.
NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation support added for RTX 40 and 50 series GPUs.
“Read All” button added to the Journal for easier quest log navigation.

Combat Updates

Enemies become shocked faster when standing in water hazards.
Creature Parts now used to upgrade Grimoires.

Companion Improvements

Companions gain Ability Points every 3 levels instead of every 4, increasing total AP from 8 to 11.

Enemy Behavior

Enemy awareness speed dynamically adjusts based on proximity to the player.

Unique Item Updates

Thirdborn Brigandine Jacket – Increased regeneration rate.
Civilizing Influence – Boosted beast, primordial, and wilder damage reduction to 10%.
Berath's Blessed Ward – Vessel damage reduction increased to 20%.
Chitin Band – Beast damage reduction increased to 20%.
Nimanna's Ward – Spirit damage reduction increased to 20%.
Wildwalker Ring / Threads of the Faithful – Health regeneration increased from 0.05 to 0.5.
Thirdborn Brigandine Jack – Health regeneration increased from 0.05 to 0.8.
Faith and Conviction – Essence regeneration increased from 0.05 to 0.1.

Enchantments Rework

Obsolete Carry Capacity enchantments replaced with new stat bonuses:
- Boots of the Bricklayer / Porter – +2 Might
- Animancer's Swallowtail / Stelgaer-Hide Pouches – +2 Dexterity