Why Avowed's Killer Outshines New Vegas' Benny

Okay, let's get real about RPG antagonists who shoot us in the head! 🤯 Playing Avowed recently gave me major Fallout: New Vegas flashbacks - both games start with your character taking an early dirt nap 💀. But here's the spicy take: Avowed's assassin Ygwulf makes Benny from New Vegas look like a cartoon villain with zero depth. Like comparing a wildfire to a birthday candle - both burn, but one consumes you with its raw intensity while the other just leaves wax on your carpet.

First off, context matters BIG time. When Benny caps your Courier in New Vegas? Zero explanation. You're just some poor schmuck delivering a poker chip. But Avowed drops you into Paradis where Aedyr's colonial boot is literally on locals' necks 🥾. The Envoy isn't just some mail carrier - we're the Emperor's personal enforcer showing up to oversee occupation. Of COURSE rebels wanna smoke us! I actually caught myself thinking "Damn, fair point" when I saw families living in trash-heap shantytowns outside city walls.

Ygwulf's Tragic Prophecy Twist 🔮

Where Obsidian leveled up was making our would-be killer:

• A reluctant executioner (his logs show they planned surveillance first)

• Driven by divine dread (that Godlike death prophecy hit different)

• Haunted by genuine remorse (those private journal entries? Oof)

His guilt hung in the air like swamp mist - thick, unavoidable, seeping into every interaction. Sparing him actually feels meaningful when you see his rebels disband and become community builders. That's character growth hitting harder than a warhammer critical hit!

Benny's Paper-Thin Villainy 🃏

Meanwhile in New Vegas:

Trait	Ygwulf	Benny
Motivation	Save homeland	Grab power
Remorse	Profound private guilt	Zero (admits killing previous boss)
Post-Sparing Arc	Redeems community	Sends hit-squad after you 💀

Benny's just a shiny suit filled with ambition and snake venom 🐍. Even his voice actor (my forever Chandler Bing crush!) couldn't make me care. Sparing him feels like leaving radioactive waste in a playground - pointless and dangerous.

Nuanced Revenge Mechanics ⚔️

Avowed's genius is making the "find your killer" quest morally muddy:

• Kill him? Understandable

• Arrest him? Fair

• Forgive him? Actually satisfying!

That choice resonates like a perfectly tuned lute string in a tavern song 🎶. New Vegas gives you the same options for Benny but... why bother? He's as redeemable as a broken pip-boy.

So here's my burning question: if Benny had shown even a fraction of Ygwulf's layered humanity in his endings - maybe running an orphanage instead of gambling halls - would we still view RPG vengeance tropes the same way? 🤔