Before you embark on your epic journey in Avowed, a crucial heads-up: once you finalize your character’s appearance in the creator, it’s set in stone for the entire game. No face tweaks or body changes later on-your look is locked in. However, don’t despair; you can still express your style by transmogrifying your armor and clothing to change how you present yourself in the Living Lands. So, make that initial character creation count, because your hero’s visage is forever!
That said, there are some ways in which can exert control over your appearance. Below, we explain all the ways you can’t and can (well, technically) change your appearance in Avowed.
What you can’t change about your appearance in Avowed
In Avowed, once you complete the initial character creation, you cannot change your character’s fundamental appearance throughout the game. This includes permanent choices such as body type, skin color and tone, voice, name, gender identity, hairstyle (cut, color, and facial hair), facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, ears), cosmetic details like makeup and scars, and any unique godlike traits. The game explicitly warns players that these appearance choices are final and cannot be modified later on. While you cannot alter your character’s face or body after creation, you do have the option to change the appearance of your clothing and armor using the transmogrify feature, which allows you to apply the look of one item onto another without affecting stats. However, weapon appearances cannot be changed, and if you remove or sell the item used for transmogrification, the appearance will revert to the original gear look.
As mentioned, you can’t change your appearance in Avowed. That means, once you commit to the following, you’re stuck with them:
- Body type
- Skin tone
- Voice
- Name
- Gender identifier
- Hair (cut, color, and facial hair)
- Facial features (eyes, ears, nose, mouth)
- Cosmetic details (makeup, scars, that sort of thing)
- Godlike features (those are the Last of Us-ish fungal growths coming out of your head)
You also can’t change your background once it’s selected, but you can respec your attribute points at any time for a fee that scales based on your level.
What you can change about your appearance in Avowed
In Avowed, you can extensively customize your character’s appearance during the initial character creation. This includes selecting gender, body type, skin color and tone, hairstyle and facial hair with color adjustments, and detailed facial features such as eyes, brows, nose, mouth, and ears. You can also add cosmetic elements like scars, makeup, and unique Godlike traits. However, once you finalize your character and start the game, these appearance choices are permanent and cannot be changed. The only way to alter your character’s look afterward is through the transmog system, which allows you to change the appearance of your clothing and armor without affecting stats, but your face and body remain fixed throughout the game.
While you can’t change your base appearance, you do have a lot of leeway over your clothing. Avowed fully supports a transmog feature for all armor from the get-go.
That means you can change the appearance of one armor piece such that it looks like another armor piece, as long as you have both of them in your inventory. You can change the following:
- Body armor
- Boots
- Gloves
To do so, simply select the piece of gear you want your character to “wear,” then press the left trigger (on controller). Once you’ve successfully applied transmog effects, the piece of gear you’re now “wearing” will have an eye symbol next to it, as shown in the image above.
So there’s a certain logic to carting around a handful of armor sets with appealing aesthetics, stats be damned, for the explicit purpose of wearing them. If you start to push the limits of your carrying capacity, you can always send gear back to the stash in your party camp by selecting an item in your inventory and pressing “X” (on controller). Note, however, that if you send an armor set back to your stash, you can’t transmog it.
Why did the developers decide that appearance in Avowed is permanent
The developers of Avowed decided to make character appearance permanent to emphasize the importance of initial character creation and to align with the game’s focus on mastering combat skills and character progression rather than cosmetic changes. This design choice reflects a philosophy where your character’s identity is fixed, and growth is shown through gameplay abilities and equipment rather than altering looks mid-game. While explicit developer statements on this decision are scarce, community discussions suggest that the permanence is intended to encourage players to commit to their character’s design from the start, enhancing immersion and consistency throughout the adventure.
Why do the developers consider your appearance in Avowed to be permanent during gameplay
The developers consider your appearance in Avowed to be permanent during gameplay because the game locks in all character appearance choices made during the initial creation process, with no in-game options to alter body type, facial features, hair, skin tone, voice, or gender afterward. This design choice emphasizes commitment to your initial character design and aligns with the game’s focus on progression through skills and equipment rather than cosmetic changes. Although you cannot change your character’s look, Avowed compensates by allowing extensive customization of armor appearance through a transmog system, letting players alter their outfit aesthetics without affecting their locked-in character model. This approach maintains immersion and narrative consistency, as the protagonist’s identity, including unique Godlike features, remains fixed throughout the adventure.
