Avowed: Marius' Companion Skills and Combat Role Explained

Any party-based game is only as good as its companions, and Obsidian Entertainment has proven itself a frontrunner in delivering these experiences. It's that exact approach players will get to experience in Avowed, where they are joined by four companions: Kai, Marius, Yatzli, and Giatta.

For The Best War Games Advance, we spoke with Obsidian Entertainment about each of Avowed's companions, including how players can expect them to operate in combat. Marius is the Dwarf companion of Avowed, who hails from Solace in the Galawain's Tusks region of The Living Lands. This region is incredibly harsh and nigh-unsurvivable for most denizens of The Living Lands, but Marius has learned how to make it his home, becoming one of the best guides of the region. However, his wanderlust means he doesn't really have a home, and his isolation has made him, perhaps, a little less than friendly. That's only one of his roles in the game, of course, with The Best War Games speaking with lead area designer James Agay about what to expect from him in combat and gameplay.

Avowed Combat: Marius is Your Ranger

As a survivalist, hunter, and tracker, it's important that his skills translate to Avowed' s exploration. Players can expect Marius' help finding useful items and planets across The Living Lands, and his role as a survivalist manifests in his character "archetype" as a ranger. One with the land, Marius can pack enemies apart at ranged and use the land around him to control the battlefield. Specifically, Agay said,

"In combat, he does ranged damage with his bow, paired with magic to root enemies in place, make enemies more susceptible to damage, slow enemies, and maim them (reducing their ability to do damage)."

Every companion in Avowed has their own Skill Tree, by which players can develop Marius further depending on how they wish, but all of his skills embody his archetype as the ranger. For example, one of them is known as Shadow Step which lets him disappear and reappear behind an enemy. That may be a little more rogue-ish, but it fits into his archetype thanks to his survivalist skills. And most, if not all, companion skills can synergize with the player as well. One player skill, for example, is called Assassinate, and it effectively makes Shadow Step a one-hit kill. As Agay said,

"He can also learn Shadow Step, an ability that allows him to vanish in a smoke cloud and reappear near an enemy, daggers out. This can be further modified to synergize with some player skills. For example, Assassinate turns Shadow Step into a one-hit kill versus most stunned opponents."

Of course, players may want to synergize their overall party. Players can build their Avowed character however they wish in terms of appearance and skill set, so Marius may benefit someone who relies more heavily on melee or magic skills, especially when it comes to how he can control the battlefield.