Huge Avowed update has Fighter and Ranger upgrades but I still want more romance

The launch of Avowed came around as my fascination with Dragon Age was starting to wane. I needed a new, fantastical world to sink my teeth into, an epic quest to undertake, and of course, characters to woo. The RPG held so much promise, and for me, it mostly delivered, with one exception: there wasn't enough romance. While my hopelessly devoted heart continues to pine for Kai and an improved romance update to come along, it looks like there is plenty to keep myself entertained with, as a huge new patch drops for the game.

The latest update for one of the best RPG games currently available dropped yesterday and included several tweaks, fixes, and improvements, including everything from cooking and crafting to new abilities for Rangers and Fighters.

That's right. New abilities and passives have dropped in Avowed for Rangers and Fighters in a bid to address the imbalance between the three main classes. While I've always preferred fighting with spells over brawn, these sick new abilities are almost enough to convince me to try life in the Living Lands as a Ranger.

Rangers can now use the stealthy Shadow Step, so you can slip into the Beyond and strike your enemies from behind. There's also Fan of Daggers, which allows you to throw multiple projectiles at several enemies at once to cause poison accumulation. As a big fan of DnD's Cloud of Daggers, I'm eager to try this one out for size in particular.

For Fighters, there's a Driving Kick, which does pretty much what it says on the tin, breaking through enemy blocks to deal damage and send your enemies flying, as well as a Reviving Exhortation that allows you to revive an ally from a great distance.

There's also some new passives for both, including Deadly Poison for Rangers, which increases the damage the poisoned status does to foes, and Dual Wield Mastery, a more powerful attack you can now unleash on stunned enemies while dual wielding, because it's always more fun to stab twice.

If you're worried these fantastical new abilities may make things too easy, have no fear. Obsidian has also included a bunch of updates for enemies, including giving them player abilities, so be prepared to see your favorite attacks turned against you.

That's only the tip of the iceberg in this huge patch from Obsidian; there are also new unique items spread across all four game regions, a larger amount of map info will now appear around the player, and, most excitingly for hoarders like me, cooking and crafting in your party camp will now use items from your stash. There's a wealth of other bug fixes, tweaks, and performance and technical updates outlined in the patch notes, which you can read in full here.

While I wait for any potential sign of an improved romance update beyond the occasional flirty comment, it looks like there may be plenty to still look forward to for Avowed. Jamie reported previously that the Game Director would "love to see us do more with it", which could mean DLC or new content may not be out of the question.

With the latest update to the game, there really is no better time to immerse yourself into the Living Lands and investigate the mysterious plague spreading across the world. You can check out the game on Steam here.

In the meantime, if the new Ranger and Fighter abilities have peaked your interest, you can read our guide on the best Avowed builds before plunging headfirst into your next adventure. Or if you're like me, and intrigued by the romance options, you check out our latest on how to romance companions in Avowed.

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