It's been quite some time since Microsoft and Obsidian Entertainment revealed Avowed. Indeed, the only real things known about the game are that it's years away probably, that its trailer was highly reminiscent of Skyrim, and that it shares a setting with Pillars of Eternity, Eora. Obsidian fans are likely waiting for more information, but the setting gleans a lot of information already.
Of course, nothing is set in stone, but a shared setting means similar traits. As such, fans know that Eora's dragons are a more complicated breed than most depictions of dragons. This means that it's entirely possible that some of Skyrim's most outstanding moments, such as the encounters(s) with Paarthurnax, may just be more commonplace.
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Skyrim's dragons have a deep lore to them, such as how their shouts are basically ancient language debates. Still, most of them are just enemies that occur frequently. Fighting them early on can be exciting, but eventually, they're just another enemy to be encountered. This does go a long way in helping other dragon encounters stand out, especially the big-good Paarthurnax and the big-bad Alduin. Paarthurnax assists the players in understanding their role in Skyrim, but during the course of the game, they also learn he was Alduin's lieutenant.
What this means is that Paarthurnax had a role in some of mankind's darkest days, committing many atrocities in his time. He eventually betrayed Alduin, however, for believing to be a god, and he would go on to teach the Thu'um to the humans of Tamriel. It was at this time that Paarthurnax hid away at the Throat of the World, meditating and attempting to find peace through the Way of the Voice. Paarthurnax's story is one of a bad past turning to an almost Monk-like way of live. Such a choice empowers his beliefs, even in regret that Alduin had to be killed, and adds a lot of wisdom to his dialogue: "What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"
Despite overcoming what he believes to be his own "evil nature," Paarthurnax has not made friends with the Blades. For his past crimes, the Blades will ask the Dragonborn to kill him. Sparing or killing Skyrim's Paarthurnax is the ultimate litmus test, as it would seem that Paarthurnax is a far better dragon than many players will encounter. In fact, Paarthurnax is also just a much better character than some fans come across.
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The Avowed lore behind Eora's dragons is just as deep, if not more so, but it seems unavoidable given its exact nature that the game's dragons are just mindless enemies. That's not to say there won't be dragons to fight and kill in the game, but that there's a lot of avenues to recreate this Paarthurnax situation. Really, the description of these dragons makes even killing them a more moral quandary than most in Skyrim.
They have a life cycle lasting hundreds, if not thousands, of years, from egg to Wurm to Drake to Dragon. They can only reproduce once they hit the Dragon stage, which is where they first become engendered. Dragons are capable of changing their gender at their stage in order to procreate, but since they take so long, their survival becomes paramount. In other words, if Avowed players kill a Wurm or a Drake, they're enabling the extinction of dragonkind. While Skyrim's dragons are said to be intelligent, they often act like mindless pawns of Alduin, fighting the Dragonborn to their death.
On other hand, dragons are supposed to be incredibly large and intelligent, eclipsing most of mankind. This is one aspect that can be said, but it also seems that they find their territory and effectively nest there. They do not seek conflict or go out of their way to hurt others, meaning that players who find, fight, and kill a dragon would essentially be breaking into their homes to do so. As Paarthurnax took refuge to meditate, it seems most Avowed dragons are more likely to prefer isolation as well.
In such a way, one could argue that an Avowed player killing dragons could basically be Alduin; instead of committing atrocities against humankind, it would be atrocities against a peaceful dragonkind. Now, whether that happens that way or what is up in the air; dragons, assuming they appear, will likely be enemies. But they, by and large, will be peaceful and intelligent creatures. That, in and of itself and ludonarrative dissonance not withstanding, means killing them becomes a question of ethics.
Unlike Skyrim, Avowed's dragons won't likely descend from the sky looking for a fight. Avowed's dragons won't go out of their way to engage in combat. This is just speculation, of course, but based on the lore, these dragons want to live and let live—a Monk-like school of thought not unlike Paarthurnax. In that becomes every chance to replicate these decisions time and again. That's not necessarily unique to dragon-related games or stories, but it's much more likely players will be tasked with hunting them for some rarity than it is to fight them out of necessity, an act itself which is morally questionable at best. If Avowed manages to nail this aspect, it's possible its dragons stand far and above other games, including Skyrim in this regard.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.
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