Avowed Elf vs Human Differences Explained
Image Credit: Obsidian Entertainment, Avowed
Choosing between Elf and Human in Avowed might feel like a big decision, but let’s be honest—it’s mostly about looks and lore, not stats or gameplay advantages. Unlike some RPGs where race dictates strength, agility, or magical ability, Avowed keeps things simple.
Your race doesn’t affect gameplay, just how NPCs react to you, a few unique dialogue options, and how many hair choices you get (spoiler: Humans win that one). But if you’re curious about why the game only offers these two races—and what makes them different—let’s break it down.
Why Can You Only Play as a Human or Elf?
If you were hoping to play as a Dwarf, Aumaua, Orlan, or even a Godlike, well… Avowed has bad news. You can’t.
This isn’t just an arbitrary limitation—it’s a combination of story choice and game design.
The Story Reason
Avowed takes place in the Living Lands, where you play as a representative of the Aedyr Empire. In Pillars of Eternity lore, Aedyr is primarily made up of Humans and Elves, so it makes sense that you’re limited to those races. You’re an envoy, not a wandering mercenary or a random adventurer, so your background is predetermined—to a degree.
The Technical Reason
Game Director Carrie Patel explained that adding other Pillars of Eternity races—like the massive Aumaua or the tiny Orlans—would have made first-person gameplay significantly more complicated.
First-person games require consistent player height and weapon positioning.
Adjusting for multiple body sizes would affect hit detection, animations, and perspective.
While not impossible, Patel explained that Obsidian chose to focus resources elsewhere to make the experience smoother and better-paced.
So while it’s a bit disappointing that you can’t play as a hulking Aumaua warrior or a sneaky Orlan rogue, you won’t be seeing much of yourself anyway—aside from your hands.
Elves in Avowed
If you pick Elf, you’re playing as a Wood Elf, because Avowed doesn’t offer the Pale Elf variant. Here’s what that means:
Slightly shorter than Humans, but agelessly pretty enough to make up for it.
Longer lifespan, which has absolutely no impact on gameplay, but makes you sound wise.
Fewer hairstyle options, because apparently, Elves prefer a “less is more” approach.
Elf-only dialogue choices, probably involving mysticism, nature, or how much better Elves are at everything.
Basically, if you want to look elegant, live forever, and have slightly pointier ears, Elf is for you.
Humans in Avowed
Humans are exactly what you’d expect—the most common race in Eora and slightly taller and sturdier than Elves. If you pick a Human, you get:
More hair customization, because Humans actually like variety.
No weird stares from NPCs, since you blend in everywhere.
Human-only dialogue choices, usually about pragmatism, ambition, or how Humans built most of civilization.
A tragically shorter lifespan, which, again, doesn’t matter at all in-game.
If you want more customization and to feel like the default (in a good way), go Human.
Do Race Choices Affect Gameplay?
No. Your stats, abilities, and combat effectiveness remain the same regardless of whether you pick Elf or Human. The only things that change are:
How NPCs react to you
A few unique dialogue options
Your available character customization choices
Aside from that, your Envoy status and Godlike heritage will overshadow any racial differences. NPCs are going to be way more concerned with the fact that you have glowing celestial scars or fungus growing out of your face than whether you have pointy ears.
Final Verdict: Which Should You Pick?
Pick Elf if you want a sleeker, more mystical look and don’t mind limited hairstyles.
Pick Human if you want more customization options and the satisfaction of being slightly taller.
Flip a coin if you’re indecisive, because at the end of the day, it won’t change how you play.
And no, you still can’t be a Dwarf—but at least your hands will look great in first-person.
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