Avowed: All Backgrounds and Starting Weapons, Explained

Obsidian’s Avowed gives players a chance to choose between five different backgrounds that not only give you different dialogue options throughout the story but also provide them with different starting weapons. These starting weapons cannot be changed between backgrounds in Avowed, so I dove into each one and discovered everything from what weapon the background starts with to your character’s individual stats.

All Arcane Starting Weapons and Backgrounds

There are a total of five different backgrounds that players can choose from in Avowed. These include:

• Arcane Scholar.
• Court Augur.
• Noble Scion.
• Vanguard Scout.
• War Hero.

Below is everything you need to know about each background.

Arcane Scholar

The Arcane Scholar embodies knowledge. In your character’s lore, your character made an enemy of a local lord who had you arrested and recruited into the archives of the imperial courts. As a result, you are a well of infinite knowledge.

• Players start with a Dagger.
• Base Attributes Include:
  • Two Might.
  • Two Dexterity.
  • Two Perception.
  • Three Intellect.
  • One Resolve.

Court Augur

The Court Augur can foresee events, like a fortuneteller. In choosing this background, your character earned the suspicion of his neighbors, forcing you to flee to Highcrown. There, the emperor promoted you to be his personal mystic, which taught you how to navigate in the shadows.

• Players start with a mace.
• Base Attributes include:
  • Two Dexterity.
  • Three Perception.
  • Three Intellect.
  • Two Resolve.

Noble Scion

The Noble Scion is sort of a nepotism baby. Your family was cast down by scandals and succession disputes, and eventually, you fled to the emperor and begged for his mercy. As a result, he appointed you to his court, where you became a formidable force at the emperor’s side.

• Players start with a sword.
• Base Attributes include:
  • Two Might.
  • One Constitution.
  • Two Dexterity.
  • Two Perception.
  • Two Intellect.
  • One Resolve.

Vanguard Scout

The Vanguard Scout is one with the wild. Your character’s more at ease outside of the court, and you rely on your cleverness and observant nature to help the emperor. You are an asset both in and out of the throne room.

• Players start with an axe.
• Base Attributes include:
  • One Might.
  • Two Constitution.
  • Two Dexterity.
  • Three Perception.
  • One Intellect.
  • One Resolve.

War Hero

The War Hero is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. In choosing this background in Avowed, your character fought against a Skaenite uprising, granting you a position among the elite Tall Grass spearmen. You are loyal, have intense grit, and possess incredible martial prowess.

• Players start the game with a spear.
• Base Attributes include:
  • Three Might.
  • Two Constitution.
  • Two Dexterity.
  • One Perception.
  • One Resolve.

Avowed is available to play on PC and Xbox.