Avowed Patch 1.4 Adds Arachnophobia Mode, Roadmap

Obsidian Entertainment has officially revealed its post-launch plans for Avowed through 2025, accompanied by comprehensive patch notes for version 1.4. The studio shared these developments today on its official website, detailing both current improvements and future content pipelines.

Update 1.4 introduces significant quality-of-life improvements including an accessibility-focused Arachnophobia Mode that transforms spiders into harmless-looking spheres, alongside enhanced map exploration mechanics. However, the most exciting revelations come from the roadmap outlining Avowed's evolution throughout 2025.

Obsidian has planned three major updates for 2025. The current 1.4 patch delivers immediate improvements including Xbox mouse/keyboard support, enhanced loot distribution, gear balancing adjustments, and a new party camp feature. The summer update promises cooking/crafting enhancements, enriched NPC interactions, additional gear options, and customizable map markers.

The final update scheduled for fall will introduce highly anticipated features including New Game+ and a photo mode, along with a new weapon type, expanded character customization, and additional presets. The developers also addressed localization efforts, confirming ongoing work on Korean and Japanese translations plus French localization improvements.

Comprehensive 1.4 Update Overview

Avowed's 1.4 update represents a substantial refinement of the RPG experience:

• Accessibility: Arachnophobia Mode transforms spiders into non-threatening spheres while maintaining gameplay challenge
• Exploration: Fog of war clears completely upon near-full map exploration with increased discovery radius
• Economy: Enhanced loot distribution with more high-tier weapons in late-game areas and increased monetary rewards
• Combat: Water conducts electricity more effectively, while shock status interactions between companions have been fixed
• UI/UX: New visual indicators for downed companions, mouse/keyboard support on Xbox, and optimized performance settings

The update also resolves numerous quest-breaking issues across all game regions, including edge cases in major storylines like "Nature vs. Nurture" and "An Untimely End." Companion interactions have been refined to prevent broken dialogue sequences, while numerous visual and animation glitches have been addressed.

Quality-of-Life and Technical Improvements

Obsidian has implemented extensive technical refinements:

• Optimized performance for ability effects like Meteor Shower
• Fixed rare crashes related to audio systems and UI interactions
• Improved navigation meshes across key locations
• Enhanced water interaction physics and visual effects
• Corrected numerous clipping and animation issues

The update also brings balance adjustments to unique items and enchantments, with obsolete carry capacity bonuses replaced by meaningful stat buffs. Enemy AI has been refined to provide more dynamic combat encounters, while companion progression now offers more ability points over the leveling curve.

Avowed launched on February 18, 2025, and is available across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass. The developers have promised more content reveals in the coming months, building on this foundation of continuous improvements.