In the twilight hush of the Living Lands, where mushroom forests glow and forgotten ruins whisper of empires crumbled, a wanderer soon learns that the shiniest treasures rarely sit upon the main road. Obsidian's Avowed arrived like a bolt from the blue in 2025, and even now, a full year later, its philosophy remains a masterclass: side quests that don't just fill a quest log, but fill a soul. They ain't just breadcrumbs—they're the whole loaf, buttered and still warm.

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With every whispered rumor and every campfire plea, the game sidesteps the dreaded open-world bloat that turns so many RPGs into an endless treadmill. Instead, it roams as a series of handcrafted terrains, each packed tighter than a miser's coin purse. The result? Side quests that actually mean something—not busywork, but blood-and-bone storytelling where every diversion feels like a necessary chapter, not a footnote.

So why, exactly, is the juice so worth the squeeze? Let's follow the glimmer and see.

💰 Money Talks, and It's Got a Lot to Say

Let’s cut to the chase: coin is king. In Avowed, a full purse isn't just bragging rights—it’s the difference between a dull blade and a legendary edge. The economy bites hard, especially when you're knee-deep in the late game, staring at upgrade costs that could make a dragon weep. Crafting that next tier of armor or enchanting a Unique weapon can drain coffers faster than a taproom brawl. Side quests are the golden goose here, regularly tossing sacks of skeyt right into your lap. Each completed errand pumps fresh coin into your adventure, allowing you to buy that sumptuous new grimoire, stockpile healing draughts, or snag rare upgrade materials from a vendor who knows their worth.

Quick Comparison: Main Path vs. Side Path Earnings

| Activity Type | Avg. Skeyt Reward (Early Game) | Bonus Materials |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Main Story Beat | ~200 | Minimal |

| Small Side Quest | 150–300 | Often includes Adra or herbs |

| Major Side Quest | 500–1,200 | Unique items, rare components |

It's simple math with a poetic twist: the more you stray, the richer your journey grows. A wanderer flush with coin can afford to experiment, to forge five different weapon sets just to watch the sparks fly. And in a land this dangerous, versatility is the truest armor. So yes, chase that mysterious note pinned to a tree—it might just pay for your next breakthrough.

⚔️ Unique Weapons and Armor: One-of-a-Kind, Money Can't Buy

Now, while the coin is lovely, Avowed saves its real heart-stoppers for those who go the extra mile. Scattered throughout side quests are Unique weapons and armor pieces that aren't just stat sticks—they're narrative artifacts. Take the Last Light of Dawn, a mace that hums with the sorrow of a betrayed saint, or the Stelgaer's Hide cuirass that still carries the scent of the wild hunt. These beauties can't be crafted. They can't be bought with all the gold in Eora. They exist only for the curious, the helper, the fool who said yes to a ghost's plea on a rainy cliffside.

These aren't mere upgrades; they are identity. A Unique wand might turn a scholarly wizard into a storm-caller who makes the very air taste of ozone. A shield earned from a debt-collection gone wrong might whisper advice when death looms close. The game’s design ensures that side quest completion becomes a treasure hunt of the highest order. Players who obsess over collecting every last unique—known affectionately as "magpies" in the community—will soon realize the main road is a barren shelf. The real armory sits along the tangled brambles of the Living Lands' secret sorrows.

And here’s the kicker: some of these armaments change their behavior based on choices made during their acquisition quests. Oh, Obsidian played a clever hand here. The blade remembers.

🌱 World-Building That Actually Builds a World

Many RPGs treat side content like a checklist: kill ten beetles, fetch a lost ring, move on. In Avowed, that ring has a name. The beetles were once a farmer's livelihood. Nothing is static. The Living Lands earn that title not through area size, but through consequence. This is where the game’s soul sings the loudest.

Completing a side quest rarely ends at the turn-in. The ripples spread like a pebble dropped in a moonlit pond. Perhaps you helped a pair of hapless smugglers named Lyra and Torvin escape a colony of overgrown spores. Harmless enough? Days later, as you’re bleeding out in a forgotten temple, who should appear with a rare elixir and a "We owed you one, didn’t we?"—it’s them, and suddenly that little detour feels like the best decision you ever made. Conversely, betray a faction for a quick profit, and watch a helpful merchant vanish from every market, their stall replaced by a cold, knowing silence.

These narrative callbacks turn side quests into an emotional investment portfolio. You’re not just earning XP; you’re sewing threads into a tapestry that will later warm you or strangle you. The world feels alive because it remembers. In a genre so often plagued by meaningless filler, this is the good stuff. This is Avowed putting its money where its mouth is—and the payoff is a story that feels uniquely, irreducibly yours.

🎭 The Sweet Spot: Why It Works in 2026

Looking back from this vantage point in 2026, amidst a sea of live-service looter-shooters and procedurally generated same-quest-again nonsense, Avowed still stands like a lighthouse. It rejected the open-world sprawl and instead embraced density. That design choice, which might have seemed risky at first, has aged like fine wine. The side quests aren’t distractions from the main plot—they are the plot’s connective tissue, the marrow in the bones. They validate exploration not with a golden breadcrumb trail, but with the sheer joy of discovery, the weight of choice, and the gleam of a Unique item hanging on the wall of a humble homestead.

The community has a saying: "In the Living Lands, the beaten path is for caravans. An Envoy walks through the thorns." It’s true. Every cliffside tomb, every sobbing merchant, every cryptic riddle carved into a druid stone—they’re all gateways to greater depth. So to the latecomers just now picking up the game in 2026, you lucky devils: take the long way round. Not because you have to, but because Avowed makes every side path feel like coming home to a story you didn’t know you were already a part of.

🗝️ Final Verdict: Worth Every Sore Foot

At the end of the day, the question isn't "Should I do Avowed’s side quests?" but rather "What kind of Envoy do I want to be?" The pragmatic mercenaries chasing that sweet, sweet skeyt will find coffers overflowing. The collectors, those gorgeous magpies, will fill their stash with stories-forged steel and enchanted silk. And the story-lovers, the ones who ache for a world that pushes back with consequences, will find a narrative ecosystem that blossoms for years.

So go on. Let that main quest gather dust for an hour or ten. Talk to every stranger, poke into every cranny, and for goodness' sake, help that weird couple with the mushroom problem. Your wallet, your armory, and your very legend will thank you—and Avowed will show you what it means when a game truly goes the extra mile.