How long does it take to beat Avowed? Whether you’re blazing through the main quest or diving deep into every side mission and secret, this fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment offers a playtime that can range from a brisk 20-25 hours to a sprawling 50+ hours for completionists. With four vast regions to explore, challenging enemies, and a rich storyline influenced by your choices, Avowed promises an adventure that can be tailored to your pace-whether you want a quick heroic journey or an epic saga filled with every hidden treasure and quest.
In this guide we’ll detail how long it took us to beat Avowed and explain why it might take you longer than you expect, alongside details about the point of no return.
How long is Avowed?
Avowed’s length varies significantly based on your playstyle. If you focus solely on the main story, you can expect to complete the game in about 20 to 25 hours. However, engaging with side quests and additional content can extend the playtime to around 35 to 45 hours. For completionists aiming to explore every corner and achieve 100% completion, the game can take over 60 hours, with some players reporting up to 67½ hours or more. This range reflects the game’s rich content and open-world exploration across its four maps, offering a substantial RPG experience depending on how thoroughly you play.
It took me just under 15 hours to get to the credits in Avowed. I ended at level 23, which is past the point where you can unlock the most powerful abilities in the game (level 20), and I completed much but not all of the early side content.
However, in the final third, I ended up knocking the difficulty down so that I could finish without having to totally clean up every optional activity in the last couple of areas. The way Avowed works, if an enemy out-levels the quality of your gear, they’ll receive 35% less damage and deal 35% more damage. There are five quality levels to equipment, and despite constantly searching for upgrade resources, I consistently felt under-prepared. At the end of the game, my tools were between the Exceptional and Superb quality levels – the third and fourth tiers out of five.
To keep up with the game’s enemies, you really need to focus on side quests. One AELGAMES writer finished the main story and completed all optional content in 40 hours, though that number also included a few hours of save-scumming to test various outcomes.
Is there a point of no return in Avowed?
Avowed features three key points of no return that players should be aware of to avoid missing out on side content. The first occurs during the “Ancient Soil” quest, where completing it locks off certain quests in the Emerald Stair and Dawnshore regions. The true point of no return happens in the “Our Dreams Still Divide Us” quest when you enter the Garden; proceeding past this point prevents any further exploration of the Living Lands and locks you out of all side quests until the game’s epilogue. Finally, the last point of no return is during the “Siege of Paradis” quest, which involves the final boss fight and ends the game, requiring a new playthrough to experience the game again. Players are advised to save manually before these points to ensure they can complete any unfinished side content.
There are multiple points in Avowed where decisions you make result in legitimately consequential changes to the world and to its characters. Consult our full Avowed walkthrough to see which moments these branching paths occur.
For the most part, you can dip in and out of the main questline until the very end of Avowed. The true point of no return is only just as you are about to enter the final boss fight. When you see a certain character (no spoilers, but if you pay attention to the main story, you’ll know it when you see them) and are invited to speak to them, you might want to make a hard save.
However, the game should autosave too, and after the closing screens, choosing to “continue” will place you back at this moment, where you’ll be able to double back and complete any side content that you wish to.
How quickly can I finish Avowed if I skip side quests
If you skip side quests and focus solely on the main storyline, you can finish Avowed in approximately 20 to 25 hours. This faster completion time is achievable especially if you also lower the difficulty, allowing enemies to be defeated more quickly. However, be aware that side quests are important for upgrading your gear, which can make progressing through the main story easier; skipping them might increase the challenge despite the shorter playtime.
Can I finish Avowed in under 15 hours if I skip all side quests
Finishing Avowed in under 15 hours by skipping all side quests is possible but quite challenging. Some players report completing the main story in just under 15 hours with minimal side content and reduced difficulty, though this often involves rushing through the game and not fully upgrading gear, which can make combat tougher. More commonly, speedrunning the main story without side quests tends to take about 20 to 25 hours, as the game’s main questline alone is substantial and includes exploration of multiple large regions. Therefore, while a sub-15-hour completion is achievable under optimal conditions, most players should expect closer to 20 hours when focusing only on the main story.
