Obsidian snuck goodies and secrets around every corner to make exploring Avowed feel worthwhile: 'If you have a lot of dead ends that lead nowhere, you learn the lesson as a player: This game doesn't have much to offer me'

When I had the chance to talk to Avowed region director Berto Ritger recently, I had one thing on my mind: How every nook, cranny, dead end, rooftop, and pond in the game had something hidden in it that was worth my time. Even a bit of vendor trash or upgrade materials in the right place seemed to say, "Hey, we knew you'd look here, we see you."

The towns and countryside of the Living Lands may not have had the simulationist "real place" vibe of a Deus Ex or even an Elder Scrolls game, but...