Avowed’s new patch, updating it to version 1.4, includes a much-needed arachnophobia mode, potentially making the game more accessible to more than a billion new people. Obsidian Entertainment’s latest RPG launched earlier this year,earning positive reviews, but that doesn’t mean the developer has moved on from the game entirely.
According to the patch notes onObsidian’s website (viaIGN),Avowednow has an arachnophobia safe mode, which turns its many spider-like enemies into amorphous blobs wielding swords. TheCleveland Clinicestimates that as much as 15% of the world’s population qualifies as having arachnophobia, a fear of arachnids, or spiders. There are roughly 8 billion people on Earth (give or take about 60 million), 15% of which equals about 1.2 billion, a staggering number of people who could now playAvowedwithout fear.
Of course, the actual number of arachnophobes could be much lower. A more conservative estimate is 3% of the population, or a measly 240 million people. Arachnophobia mode isn’t the only new addition toAvowedeither. It comes as part of the game’s spring update, withsubsequent patches expected in summer and fall 2025, bringing a wide range of new and improved features, like custom map markers, new game plus, and photo mode.
Avowed Update Adds Arachnophobia Mode, M&K Support For Xbox, & More
Biggest Changes In Avowed Patch 1.4
Avowed’s update to version 1.4 was rather hefty, even aside from the addition of arachnophobia mode. Hiding down in the patch notes is a significant development for Xbox users: mouse and keyboard support. The patch also brings a great quality of life feature regarding the map, where thoroughly exploring a region will eventually remove all the fog of war. Other significant changes include better loot distribution, higher frequency of pre-upgraded loot, better rewards forfollowingAvowed’s quests, and a greater number of crafting materials to find, which should make scaling equipment into the endgame easier.
More sweeping changes will come toAvowedlater this year. The roadmap shows that the following are on the docket for the summer and fall updates:
Avowed’s spring patch is live now, but there is no word on when to expect the summer and fall updates, aside from their respective seasons.
Avowed Really, Really Needed An Arachnophobia Mode
So Many Spiders
It was a bit surprising to seeAvowedrelease without an arachnophobia mode. Such accessibility options are continuously rising in prominence, andAvowedwas a prime candidate for the option.Avowedhas a tremendous number of spider enemies throughout the game, with variants appearing in every single region, often in decently large numbers and of hulking sizes. I wouldn’t call myself an arachnophobe, and I got used to the spiders inAvowedquickly, but I still don’t like the things.
Arachnophobia is one of the more common fears, and with gaming’s recent push toward being more inclusive, it’s nice to see such a feature prominently promoted by Obsidian months after release. Part of the problem is thatAvoweddoesn’t have exceptional enemy variety, which is likely too large of a problem to address now. Regardless, congratulations to the potentially 1.2 billion people who can now playAvowedwithout fear of being confronted by a spider-like abomination.
Sources:Obsidian(viaIGN),Cleveland Clinic,Obsidian/Bluesky
Avowed
Avowed is an upcoming RPG release from Obsidian Entertainment, the creative minds behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Avowed will reportedly take place in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity.
