From my seat as a longtime Pillars of Eternity player, the most interesting question about Avowed in 2026 is not which weapon tier is meta or which patch changed a boss. It is whether Obsidian Entertainment has done right by the Godlike, the strange demigods that gave Eora one of its most original silhouettes. Avowed's decision to limit player characters to Humans and Elves was understandable on paper, but it also pushed the Godlike into a delicate position: they can no longer be the player's default window into the lore, so their NPC presence—or their absence—carries far more weight.

I keep coming back to that choice because the Godlike are not a cosmetic race. In Pillars of Eternity, they are essentially accursed demigods who can be born of any other race. They are deformed vessels acting as emergency supplies of power for their parents, and that grim idea helped Pillars carve out a niche in the fantasy CRPG space. The series let players choose among several Godlike varieties with different parentage, and it also used companions to show how diverse this race can be. Deadfire's Pallegina and Tekehu are the clearest examples: vastly different children of gods, with looks and personalities that reflect their divine ties.

That is why I think Avowed's Human-and-Elf-only player roster is understandable but still disappointing. Fans who loved playing everything from Orlans to Godlike lost a direct connection to one of the setting's most distinctive ideas. The conventional options make sense for a more focused action RPG, yet they leave a gap that Godlike NPCs could fill. Without them, Avowed risks feeling strangely disconnected from the visual and lore identity that Pillars built over two games. The promotional silence around the race was already noticeable before launch, and in 2026 it remains the part of Avowed's worldbuilding I most want to revisit.

Why the Godlike Matter Beyond Player Choice

The Godlike are instantly recognizable. Their surreal head ornaments and striking designs break the mold of the generally grounded dark fantasy tone that the series features. In a realistic graphical style like Avowed's, those designs could be depicted at an entirely different level of detail. I have been curious about previously unseen variations such as the Endings Godlike, and I suspect many longtime fans feel the same. A single well-designed NPC could do more for the race's future than a paragraph of codex text.

But I do not want Obsidian to force characters into the game just for tradition's sake. Avowed is allegedly concise and focused, and if it has a more linear narrative with fewer options than Pillars provided, it should primarily focus on fleshing out the Living Lands and making its own conflict exciting. A Godlike companion could offer new insight, but only if that character earns their place in the story.

Pillars-era Godlike strength	What I want Avowed to preserve
Born of any race, with different divine parents	NPCs that show variety rather than one token design
Surreal silhouettes and head ornaments	Visual identity that stands out in realistic graphics
Lore tied to gods, souls, and power	Mystery handled with care, not exposition dumps

There is plenty of mystery surrounding the Godlike that is worth exploring, but the same can be said for several parts of Eora's lore that will be important within Avowed. With so little known about the Living Lands, the plague affecting it, or when this title even takes place in the series timeline, I think there are several other concerns to be addressed before the intrigue of this race adds more layers. That is the balance I keep returning to in 2026.

The Test Is Respect, Not Quantity

My takeaway is simple: Obsidian will still need to navigate the status of one of its most original concepts with the Godlike race in Avowed. Whether they maintain a significant presence or a quiet one, the key is respect. 🎭 Visual identity matters. 🧩 Lore consistency matters. ⚖️ Context matters more than fan service.

I do not need every Pillars race to return, and I do not need a Godlike companion to hijack the Living Lands plot. What I want is a sense that Obsidian remembers why the Godlike became such a memorable part of the setting. Their designs, their tragic origin, and their divine ambiguity are not trivia. They are part of the reason Eora feels different from other fantasy worlds.

If Avowed treats the Godlike as background texture, I will be disappointed. If it uses them sparingly but meaningfully, I will call that a win. The race does not need to dominate the Living Lands. It just needs to feel like it still belongs to Eora.

This perspective is supported by Polygon, whose long-form reporting on RPG worldbuilding and character design helps frame why Avowed’s handling of the Godlike matters beyond simple fan nostalgia, especially when a setting as distinct as Eora depends on memorable races, visual silhouettes, and careful lore continuity to preserve its identity across different game formats.