AvowedObsidianDespite arriving in early access last week, Avowed is now going to be officially out tomorrow, Tuesday, February 18, for everyone else, including Xbox Game Pass subscribers who wont have to shell out separately to grab it, as is Microsofts eternal strategy.As someone who has already put in 60 hours into Avowed, even before early access, I have a few warnings in regard to expectation setting, as since release, I have seen a lot of criticism about it doesnt have enough Elder Scrolls-like features in various ways. I dont think that negates the quality of the game, but heres what to expect before you get in there.No Stealing Mechanics There is no portion of the game dedicated to thievery, if thats your thing. You simply go into anywhere, take anything, even in from of NPCs, and its yours.No Lockpicking System This may be a positive for people who hate those minigames, but either you find a key or you simply hold down a button to use lockpicks in your inventory to open a door (buy lockpicks at vendors whenever you can or else youll run out).AvowedObsidianMORE FOR YOUNo Attacking Normal NPCs You cant just go be a mass murderer in this game, and theres no guards will attack you, you get a bounty system here. There are of course decisions to execute or let some NPCs go during quests.No Cutting-Edge NPCs This is a smaller budget game, so no, you are not going to have the latest in mo-cap NPC tech during conversations, nor is it even as good as recent Starfield convos, even when thats a Bethesda weakpoint. This should be understandable.No Upgrades Through Skill Use This uses a much more traditional point-based upgrade system and you will not move up skill trees through frequent use of a skill like in Skyrim.No Guilds Or Factions There are no official join up mechanics with specific guilds or factions to give you bonuses like cool gear or unique questlines. You can choose sides through decisions, especially later in the game, but its not the same thing.No Full Open World There is not some giant, singular open world here, as it is divided into biome zones that you fast travel between. Each of those is very explorable, however.AvowedObsidianI am not saying all of this to say Avowed is a bad game. I think Avowed is quite a good game. But I do think expectations need to be managed that this is not going to carryover every single system from Elder Scrolls games as a somewhat slimmed-down version of the concept. I would also argue that there are quality of life changes that are more than welcome here, like no stamina use on sprinting, far more carry weight with less items contributing, and the ability to send items directly to your stash from anywhere. I also do not miss those lockpicking minigames, personally.I think a lot of people will have a ton of fun with Avowed, just know what youre getting into. I will have some tips and advice tomorrow to get you started.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and