Avowed Modding Tutorial — Gameplay/Cheat?

In this article, I will give you an Avowed modding tutorial, focusing on gameplay modifications that you can use to cheat or make the game more challenging.

Avowed is a fantastic game. With satisfying combat, immersive graphics, and intricate lore featuring multiple endings, it is a worthy addition to the Pillars of Eternity universe.

However, its modding capabilities are not as accessible as those of Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire, which allows for extensive gameplay modifications. That said, modding Avowed is not impossible; it is just currently limited—at least at the time of writing this article.

Read Also: Step-by-Step Deadfire Modding Tutorial and Tools

Methods of Avowed Modding

Currently, there are two ways to mod Avowed: the easy way and the harder way.

Before diving in, there are some essential tools you need to gather.

Required Tools

1. Avowed.usmap

This is not a tool per se, but it is necessary for some of the tools we will use. You can download the usmap file for Avowed from the FModel Discord using this link. Keep in mind, you have to join the Discord server first, if you want to see the content. Otherwise, you can’t see the content. Here is the link to join the FModel Discord server.

2. FModel

This tool allows you to explore the game files and understand its structure. You can download it here.

3. Notepad++

This text editor is useful for modifying gameplay parameters. While you can use the standard Notepad included with Windows, Notepad++ is preferable because it provides color coding, making it easier to identify specific lines.

These three tools—the usmap file, FModel, and Notepad++—are all you need to mod Avowed the easy way. We will introduce additional tools later for those who want to explore deeper modding options.

Also Read: Cyberpunk 2077 Save Editor Tutorial — Player and Weapon Stats List Tables

The Easy Way of Avowed Modding Tutorial

If you just want to tweak a few gameplay parameters without extensive modifications, follow these steps.

For those who prefer a quick and easy approach, you can modify certain game settings by editing the game.ini file. Copy and paste the following lines into the file, located at:

C:\Users\(your username)\AppData\Local\Alabama\Saved\Config\Windows

[/Script/Alabama.ProgressionSettings]
TraitPointsPerLevel=1

[/Script/Alabama.MerchantComponent]
PlayerSellValueMultiplier=0.2

[/Script/Alabama.AlabamaGameSettings]
BlockStaminaCostMultiplier_Player=3.000000
ParryWindowTime=0.200000
ParryCooldownTime=0.300000
ParryFollowupWindowTime=1.000000
FallDamageDistanceThreshold=750.000000
FallInstantKillThreshold=1800.000000

[/Script/OEIGameCalendarSystemRuntime.GameCalendarConfig]
SecondsPerMinute=4
MinutesPerHour=60

These lines are self-explanatory, and you can tweak the values to your liking using Notepad++ or any text editor.

Finding More Modifiable Parameters

If you want to discover additional commands, follow these steps:

1. Load the Avowed.usmap file into FModel so the program can read the game’s structure better.
   • Open FModel.
   • Go to Settings.
   • Locate “Local Mapping File” and enable it.
   • Set the Mapping File Path to the Avowed.usmap file location.
2. Once loaded, find Alabama-Windows.pak in Fmodel.
3. Double-click it to open the right-side tab.
4. Navigate through: Alabama → Config
5. Inside the Config folder, you will see “13 Packages”. Look for DefaultGame.ini.
6. You can search this file for various settings affecting gameplay, such as Fall Damage Height, Block Stamina Cost, Parry Window, etc.

Although this method is easy, it is quite limited in what it allows you to change. For those who want to modify even more aspects of the game, we need to go the hard way.

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ALSO READ: Avowed Unique Armor List with Its Enchantments/Effects in One Page

The Hard Way of Avowed Modding Tutorial

If you want deeper modifications, you will need two additional tools:

4. Retoc

This tool is used to unpack the game files and then repack them so the game can recognize the files.

Not all versions of Retoc work with Avowed. From experience, the best version to use is the one provided by Narknon in the Unreal Engine Modding Discord. Again, you have to join the Discord server first, if you want to see the content. This is the tricky part in sharing a link to a Discord server. This is the link to join the Unreal Engine Modding Discord.

5. UassetGUI

This tool is used to edit .uasset files, which contain various in-game parameters. I recommend using the version included in the UE Tools repository on GitHub.

Unpacking the Game Files

1. Open Retoc using Command Prompt (CMD):
   • Navigate to the folder containing retoc.exe.
   • Type cmd in the address bar to open CMD in that directory.
2. Enter the following command to unpack the game files:

retoc.exe to-legacy [path_to_Alabama.pak] [destination_folder]

Example:

retoc.exe to-legacy C:\Games\Avowed\Alabama\Content\Paks C:\AvowedUnpacked

Note: This process requires significant storage space—around 70GB—so ensure you have enough space on your SSD or HDD.

Editing the Game Files

1. Use Windows Explorer to browse the unpacked files.
2. Locate the file you want to modify, such as: Alabama\Content\Data\Characters\ProgressionData\DT_AbilityStatsData.uasset
3. Move the file, along with DT_AbilityStatsData.uexp, to a new folder while maintaining the same directory structure as in the original Alabama.pak. For example, in my case, I move it to: D:\CHEATS\Avowed\UnpackedMaybe\000_Cooldown_P\Alabama\Content\Data\Characters\ProgressionData
4. Open the .uasset file using UassetGUI.
5. If a popup appears saying “Failed to maintain binary equality,” ignore it and proceed.
6. Modify the values as desired.
7. Save the file.

Repacking the Files

Once you’ve made your modifications, you need to repack the files:

retoc.exe to-zen --version UE5_3 [modified_files_folder] [mod_name_p.utoc]

Example:

retoc.exe to-zen --version UE5_3 D:\CHEATS\Avowed\UnpackedMaybe\000_Cooldown_P 000_Cooldown_P.utoc

Applying Your Mod

1. The repacking process will generate three files:
   • 000_Cooldown_P.pak
   • 000_Cooldown_P.ucas
   • 000_Cooldown_P.utoc
2. Copy and paste these files into the ~mods folder inside Avowed.
3. Run the game to check if the mod is working.
4. If it doesn’t work, double-check your file structure and folder names for typos.

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Additional Tips

• If you want to explore more, download mods from Nexus Mods and inspect their structure using Fmodel.
• For texture replacements or other asset modifications, the general approach remains the same, but you might need different tools (e.g., for editing textures or sound files).
• I recommend joining the Unreal Engine Modding Discord to seek advice from experienced modders.

Happy modding!