Obsidian was surprised by hate for Avowed’s crafting systems

While most elements of Obsidian Entertainment’s 2025 Xbox RPG Avowed were generally well-received by players, one pillar of the gameplay that grinded many gears was its crafting system, and how critically important it was to engage with since it’s what allows you to make very necessary upgrades for your weapons and armor.

The game often drove you to search for upgrade materials exhaustively. They were far too scarce in the world, but because you’d struggle to progress effectively without upgrades, the grind wasn’t something you could just ignore. That really frustrated many of Avowed’s fans — and Obsidian was completely surprised by the negative feedback.