Stunning 101: How to Absolutely Wreck Enemies in Avowed

Alright, folks, let’s have a real talk. Avowed has been out for a while now — well over a year — and I still see so many adventurers ignoring the stun mechanic like it’s some dusty side quest. Big mistake. Huge. Since the game’s launch, I’ve dabbled in everything from pure spell-slinging to sneaky archery, but nothing, and I mean nothing, gives me that sweet dopamine hit quite like smacking an enemy so hard they just stand there, slack-jawed, waiting for a coup de grâce. So grab your biggest hammer, your tankard of grog, and let’s dive into the glorious world of stunning in Avowed.

First things first — under every enemy’s health bar, there’s this delightful little secondary meter. That, my friends, is the stun bar. Think of it as their “Oh crap, I’m about to have a really bad day” gauge. You fill it up, and bam — the poor sap becomes Stunned. They freeze in place for a few precious seconds, totally immobile and ripe for a devastating special attack. It’s like setting up a piñata, except the piñata is a hulking Xaurip and the candy is the sweet, sweet sound of critical damage.

Now, what actually fills this magical meter? Physical attacks, baby. But not all whacks are created equal. From my extensive, totally scientific testing (read: dying a lot on Path of the Damned), I can confirm the golden rule: the slower and chunkier the weapon, the more stun it pumps out per hit. Maces, two-handed hammers, and rifles are the undisputed champions of concussion. You bring a mace to a sword fight, and you’ll have that enemy seeing stars faster than a Khajiit after a skooma binge. On the flip side, swords, daggers, and pistols are more about death by a thousand cuts — they’ll still build stun eventually, but it’s like trying to fill a bathtub with a teaspoon. As for axes, spears, and bows? They sit in that comfy middle ground, reliable but not spectacular.

Here’s a quick-and-dirty reference for you visual learners out there, based on my own feel after countless hours:

Weapon Type	Stun Damage (Relative)	Why It’s Fun
🔨 Two-Handed Hammer	Extremely High	Pancaking a kith never gets old. Full stun in two swings on most mooks.
🏏 Mace	Very High	Excellent one-handed option if you still want a shield or grimoire for bash magic.
💥 Rifle	High	The “boom” followed by a stagger is (chef’s kiss) from a distance.
🪓 Axe (any)	Medium	Good balance; the charged attack stun is nothing to scoff at.
🏹 Bow / Spear	Medium-Low	Bow’s Power Shot adds a bit more oomph, but standard shots are just pokes.
⚔️ Sword / Dagger	Low	Speedy, but you’ll need combos or parry enchants to make stun viable.
🔫 Pistol	Low	Great for quick bursts, but don’t rely on it to stun anything bigger than a skeleton.

Now, a pro tip from yours truly: always upgrade your gear. I know, I know, it sounds like basic RPG drivel, but in Avowed, weapon upgrades don’t just boost damage — they crank up all the stats, including Stun damage. That rusty mace you fished out of a river? Upgrade it to Fine quality, and suddenly it’s sending enemies into next week. The materials are all over the place if you’re a diligent hoarder (and if you’re not, what are you even doing?). Break down every unwanted item you find, scour every nook for Paradisan Ladder, and throw those resources at your favorite skull-cracker. Higher-level enemies practically demand you have high-quality gear unless you enjoy tickling them for ten minutes.

But wait, there’s more! The stun game isn’t just about swinging a big stick. Abilities from the Fighter tree are your bread and butter. Charge lets you plow into a group and fill a stun bar almost instantly — it’s my personal “I’m not dealing with you” button. Barbaric Shout? Not only do you roar like a lunatic, but your next few attacks get a massive stun buff, and you can pair it with a heavy weapon for instant stupor. Don’t sleep on Shield Bash, either. It’s a quick defensive move that delivers a surprising amount of stun, perfect for brawls where you’re outnumbered. I’ve literally seen an enemy’s stun bar go from zero to “nighty-night” from a single well-timed bash. It’s glorious.

If you’re more of a Ranger or Wizard, don’t worry — the game loves you too. Staggering Shot adds a hefty stun component to your arrow, turning your bow into a long-range stun machine if you’re good at aiming. And Wizards’ Blast can send shockwaves that rattle multiple enemies at once. Nothing says “stay down” like blowing up a group of spiders and watching them all wobble simultaneously.

And let’s give a standing ovation to the real MVP: your companions. Kai, that glorious blue himbo, is an absolute menace when it comes to crowd control. His Fire and Ire ability not only stuns targets like they’ve been hit by a thunderclap, but it also taunts them away from your squishy mage butt. Leap of Daring does double duty — massive AoE stun plus a taunt. I cannot count how many times Kai has saved my sorry hide by diving into a mob and leaving them all dazed while I chugged a health potion. If you’re running a stun-focused build, Kai should basically be superglued to your party. I occasionally swap in Giatta for healing, but honestly, dead enemies deal no damage, right?

Now, for the cherry on top: unique weapons. Oh boy, does Avowed have some delectable toys for stun enthusiasts. The Horsecutter greatsword is my current obsession. You can find it in a cove along the southern coast of the Emerald Stair — bring some climbing gear or just stumble around like I did. What makes it special? The final hit of its combo deals increased Stun damage. So if you can land that three-hit chain, the last swing will practically detach an enemy’s soul from its body. Pair that with Barbaric Shout, and you’ve got a boss-melting setup.

Beyond named weapons, keep an eye out for enchanting options. Many melee weapons can be enchanted to boost Stun damage on a parry. This creates a delicious risk-reward playstyle: you parry an attack, time slows for a second (thank you, Avowed’s generous parry window), and your next swing lands like a freight train. It rewards skill and makes even a simple sword-and-board loadout feel like a powerhouse. I’ve spent hours perfecting parry-stun combos against ogres, and let me tell you, the dopamine flow is real.

Okay, but why bother? Why not just spam fireballs and call it a day? On normal difficulty, you absolutely can. But on Path of the Damned — or if you’re just a chaos gremlin like me — stun is the great equalizer. A stunned enemy isn’t attacking, isn’t dodging, and is taking extra damage from your special attack (that cinematic finisher, anyone?). It lets you lock down priority targets like healers or those insufferable mushroom spellcasters. Plus, building around stun opens up incredible team synergy. Imagine: Kai leaps in and taunts/stuns a pack, you Charge through the center, splintering their formation, and then drop Barbaric Shout to clean up. It’s a ballet of violence, and you’re the choreographer.

I’ve even experimented with a “stunlock mage” setup — using Blast and a grimoire of force spells, plus a mace in the offhand for close encounters. The flexibility is wild. The game never forces you into a single archetype, so go ahead and mix Fighter stun skills with Ranger passives for even more ridiculous results.

In closing, if you haven’t given the stun mechanic a serious try, you’re missing out on one of the most satisfying combat loops in modern RPGs. It’s crunchy, it’s visceral, and it turns every encounter into an opportunity to style on enemies. So dust off that two-handed hammer, enchant your favorite blade, and let Kai be the noisy distraction he was born to be. I’ll see you in the Living Lands, grinning like a maniac next to a pile of dazed and confused monsters.

Happy stunning, you glorious maniacs. 🍻