Priests Are The Worst Thing In Avowed

by

In Avowed, the fighting aspect isn’t particularly impressive. Despite the game being generally average (which can be interpreted as ‘less than average’ given its studio’s reputation), there were some positive aspects. For instance, engaging character moments, a feeling of exploration, and the amusing mushroom encounters stand out. However, combat, with stiff animations, painfully slow weapon switching, excessive stamina usage, and lack of lock-on, was not among these highlights. It’s particularly puzzling, then, that one of the most frequently encountered enemies forces you to fight each battle not once, but twice.

In this scenario, a character known as the Priest is introduced. Regardless if they’re fighting against xaurips, Dreamscourge, mushroom people, or human soldiers, groups of significance will always have a Priest among them. The role of the Priest is solely to mend wounded beings. To begin with, I must confess that I’m not fond of this concept. Healing in battle, especially for enemies, seems unfair to me, particularly when it comes to non-boss characters without unique second phase mechanics. However, these Priests seem to be taking the symbol of Christ’s communion.

Avowed’s Combat Is Too Hectic For Healers

In any game I’ve played, the Healers from the Order of Avowed are incredibly potent. With a swift action, they can revive an enemy from the verge of defeat to peak health, showcasing an unyielding, full-healing ability. To test their power, I adjusted the difficulty settings to Easy and then Story Time, hoping it would lessen their impact. However, these Healers remained unfazed. As my strength grew and every other enemy’s attack became harmless, these healers stood firm, demonstrating an unyielding resilience.

You might contend that these Priests are vulnerable, given their feeble nature. They can be easily defeated and don’t possess any formidable attacks apart from healing their comrades. Their strategy is straightforward – they heal their teammates, retreat, and then heal them again. This strategy suggests targeting the Priest first, making it a case of ‘shoot first and let fate decide’, especially if equipped with a powerful arquebus.

However, this approach presents two significant issues. Initially, I highlighted that it lacks a lock-on feature. In the intense battles of Avowed, whether in first- or third-person view, it’s challenging to focus on a single enemy, particularly when an enemy priest in a brown robe blends with the background during combat, making them hard to distinguish. Once they start glowing green and healing, it becomes slightly easier, but then you must navigate through a revitalized mob that cannot be defeated because their health keeps regenerating. The priests are too elusive for an initial takedown strategy to work effectively. Moreover, Avowed’s combat doesn’t promote strategic gameplay as much as it requires gradual management of your resources and summoning a spectral bear to handle the problem.

The Priests Don’t Even Fight Fair

The second problem is that these priests lack punctuality in battles. Frequently, you’ll initiate a fight only to find a Leader, Brutus, or Barbarian (or whatever they call their main combatant) charging towards you. By the time you reach halfway through, which could have left you badly hurt if this was during exploration breaks, the priest will appear from a cave or building and completely heal them. This renders your previous efforts useless, making the enemy significantly stronger and more challenging to defeat in order to tackle the priest.

On a Bounty mission, it’s significantly more challenging due to the presence of multiple tough adversaries, each with unique Bounty objectives. Some missions involve eliminating a specific character, while others require clearing an area of hostile groups. It’s understandable that Priests are part of the latter, given their role. However, I can’t help but dislike their game mechanics overall. What frustrates me the most is encountering random marauders, including Priests, who miraculously heal your targets after you’ve almost defeated them, even though they seem to be strangers in this world.

In the worst-case scenario, your recovery is painstakingly slow. Compared to the Priest, Giatta, your party’s healer, comes close but falls short. Health potions are subpar, and your own healing spells aren’t much better. The traditional RPG method of restoring health by eating food doesn’t work for you; instead, it creates a hypothetical health meter that will eventually fill if you manage to stay alive for the next few minutes. Unfortunately, this mechanism is ineffective as a means of healing. To make matters worse, the toughest enemies in the game can summon a Priest to heal their damage instantly. I’ve been thinking about whether it’s possible to alter your character’s faith to worship the deity that grants power to these strange lizards.

Read More

2025-02-13 22:38