Should you liberate Ilora from the Fort Northreach Jail in Avowed? This is the first significant decision you’ll face in the game, and it carries both immediate and long-term implications. Ilora is clearly not fond of the Aedyran colonizers, and she knows about a boat that could ferry you off the fortress island. Therefore, she might be your only chance to escape to the Living Lands. With that in mind, let’s explore what happens if you choose to free Ilora versus leaving her behind in the jail, along with our thoughts on the best choice.
Initially, you can either agree to help Ilora or threaten to abandon her in Fort Northreach Jail. If you choose the latter, she’ll understandably get upset, but you’ll still have a chance to reconsider. Regardless of what you say, you will still need to locate the key to unlock her cell.
While the immediate results of your decision may not be clear, they do become apparent fairly quickly. If you do decide to free Ilora, she will keep her promise and guide you to her ship, allowing you to escape to Paradis together. Additionally, she will lend you a hand during the boss battle against Steadman Ralke before you reach the boat, and you’ll encounter her again in the later side quest called ‘Escape Plan.’
On the other hand, if you choose to leave Ilora in her cell, she will break free on her own and show up during the Steadman Ralke boss fight as an enemy, attacking you with her pistol. You’ll need to defeat her, but you can loot her body for her Common Pistol, a standard one-handed ranged weapon that isn’t particularly rare. You can still find the boat without her, but this means Ilora won’t appear in any subsequent quests.
To summarize:
Free Ilora:
- She helps you during the Steadman Ralke boss battle.
- She reappears later in the ‘Escape Plan’ side quest.
Leave Ilora:
- She escapes and becomes an enemy during the Steadman Ralke boss fight.
- Defeating her yields a Common Pistol.
How to Free Ilora in Avowed
To rescue Ilora, navigate to the wooden crates in the corner of Fort Northreach Jail to reach the rafters. Go through the opening in the wall and turn right to find a breakable floor near an Aedyran Soldier’s body. Breaking through will lead you down into a previously locked room.
In this room, you’ll find the Fort Northreach Jail Key on a shelf—pick it up and unbar the door nearby to return to the main area. You can then approach Ilora’s cell and unlock it. Personally, I recommend freeing her to reduce the number of foes you’ll face, but ultimately, the choice is yours.
