Should you accept or reject the Voice's power in Avowed?

Avowed accept or reject Voice's powers Message from Afar: An upper-body shot of the ambassador in the cave with the adra pillar.
(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment/Microsoft.)

One of your first decisions in Avowed comes from a mysterious voice that barges into your head during the Message From Afar quest. Your disembodied intruder throws an ultimatum at you without much explanation, forcing you to decide whether to accept or reject the Voice’s power.

If you’re anything like me, I sat on this choice for quite some time, weighing up how much I could trust this disembodied voice and whether the power they offered was worth whatever bargain they proposed. Well, I did what any self-respecting RPG player would and saved-scummed to find out which option is best.

Should you accept or reject the Voice’s power?

(Image credit: Obsidian Entertainment/Microsoft.)

The Voice will cryptically offer you the power to “heal and to be healed,” though they demand that you help them in return. The immediate consequence of this choice is which Godlike ability you’ll unlock:

  • If you accept the Voice’s power, you will get the Dream Touch Godlike ability
  • If you reject the Voice’s power, you’ll get the Godlike’s Will ability instead

Dream Touch heals and revives all nearby allies and deals damage over time to nearby Delemgan, Dreamthralls, and Vessels. This comes in very handy when your companions have gone down, letting you quickly get them both back on their feet without requiring the length revive sequence.

Godlike’s Will gives you an additional ability point that you can immediately spend in the Fighter, Ranger, or Wizard skill trees. It’s a simple bonus but can be very useful if you just can’t wait to unlock a particular skill.

This is far from the last time you'll hear from the mysterious voice in your head. The thing spends a huge chunk of Avowed barging in to ask you favours or trade power while you're out on quests or in your dreams at night. You’ll have opportunities later on to improve your relationship or reject them further. It feels a lot like being unsure whether to lean into your tempting Illithid powers in Baldur's Gate 3, never knowing if this thing is ultimately good or bad. Ultimately, how you treat the mysterious voice will play into the Avowed ending you get, so don't think you're off the hook after this first decision.