I have spent the better part of a decade wandering the bruised, beautiful metaphysics of Eora, and for years one question gnawed at me like a rat in the walls of my imagination: when exactly does Avowed take place relative to Pillars of Eternity? After four years of waiting since its initial reveal, Obsidian Entertainment finally gave Avowed a firm release date of February 18, 2025. Now, in 2026, with the game fully in our hands and its post-launch conversations settled, I can look back at the moment the answer arrived—not in a grand trailer, but in a quiet Gamescom 2024 walkthrough of an early quest called 'Dawntreader.' That preview was a tuning fork struck against the spine of the setting, and the note it produced has echoed through every discussion since.

The Quest That Cracked the Timeline Open

In the 'Dawntreader' deep dive, I watched the player character encounter Sargamis, one of Eora's Godlikes. Sargamis explains that his patron is Eothas, and the quest revolves around finding a sacred relic tied to that god. He has constructed a crude effigy of Eothas and wants to power it with the relic, hoping to reawaken Eothas so the god can answer for his actions. That conversation is brief, but it lands like a locksmith finally hearing the tumblers fall into place after years of jiggling the handle. Sargamis is not just a quest giver; he is a living post-it note stuck to the aftermath of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

For anyone who missed the sequel's finale, Deadfire ends with Eothas achieving his goal. After players discover the secret behind the nature of Eora's gods and the mystical 'wheel of souls' that acts as its reincarnation cycle, they track Eothas as he embarks on breaking that cycle. In the end, he upends a process that had existed for centuries. That act affected the very core of the setting. Before this Avowed preview, it was unclear whether the new game would take Deadfire's ending into account. Now, thanks to Sargamis, I know it does. Avowed is set in the wake of Deadfire, and that single line of dialogue changes everything.

Why Deadfire's Ending Matters More Than Ever

At the end of Deadfire, Eothas breaks the Wheel of Souls. That is not a small plot point; it is the metaphysical equivalent of pulling the keystone out of an arch. Eora's reincarnation cycle had existed for centuries, and Eothas upended it. For years, I wondered whether Avowed would tiptoe around that revelation or dive into it. The Sargamis dialogue confirms the latter. Avowed does not ignore Deadfire; it inhales its consequences. The timeline question is settled: Avowed takes place after Deadfire's finale.

Question	Answer
When is Avowed set?	After the ending of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Who confirms this?	Sargamis, a Godlike whose patron is Eothas
What is the relic for?	To power a crude effigy and reawaken Eothas
Do I need to play Pillars first?	No, but veterans will catch major connections
What region does Avowed explore?	A previously mentioned but never seen region

Obsidian has a longstanding reputation for building interesting and intricate settings, with narrative threads to match. The studio's work on the two Pillars of Eternity entries laid much of the groundwork for Avowed. Over the course of both titles, players are presented with a darker fantasy world populated by a range of diverse characters and cultures, all with complex motivations, and an often morally gray approach to dealing with their various machinations. That was true in the first game, but for the sequel, the studio pulled out all the stops for its dramatic conclusion. Avowed now has to live in the crater that conclusion left behind.

A New Region, Old Wounds

Obsidian has previously stated it will not be required for players to be familiar with Pillars of Eternity to enjoy Avowed, as it is set in a new region previously mentioned but never seen. Still, I assumed there would be important connections to some degree. The latest information that explicitly outlines how Avowed fits within established PoE elements comes from Sargamis. He is a Godlike, and his patron is Eothas. The quest is centered around finding a sacred relic related to him. Sargamis has constructed a crude effigy of Eothas and is seeking to power it via the relic in the hopes of reawakening Eothas to answer for his actions.

That is a lot of lore packed into one early quest. It tells me that Avowed is not a soft reboot or a disconnected spin-off. It is a direct continuation of Eora's timeline, and it is willing to ask hard questions about what happens when a god breaks the cosmos and then disappears. Sargamis is like a cartographer discovering that a blank space on the map was actually a crater. He is trying to summon the one who made the crater, not to worship him, but to demand an explanation.

What This Means for Eora's Future

In 2026, after the release and its updates, I see Avowed as a hinge rather than a side story. It anchors itself in the wake of Deadfire and sets up further intrigue. The preview definitively anchors Avowed's place in the overall timeline, which sets up further questions about how Deadfire's events will be incorporated into the greater tale, and what the future might hold for both series. For me, the answer is a gift. It means Eora is not frozen in the amber of its old CRPGs. It is a living setting, and Avowed is proof that Obsidian is willing to let the past have consequences.

The studio has a reputation for narrative threads that reward attention. I have followed those threads from the first Pillars of Eternity through Deadfire, and now into Avowed. The fact that a single NPC conversation can confirm a timeline, honor a previous game's ending, and open a dozen new mysteries is exactly why I keep returning to this world. Eora's metaphysical clockwork had been smashed, and Avowed is the sound of gears still rattling in the dark. I cannot wait to hear where they roll next.