LogFAQs > #974149632

A few more details from the extended showcase

https://www.gamesradar.com/obsidians-avowed-is-closer-to-kotor-2-than-fallout-new-vegas/

"It's going to be roughly comparable to something like Knights of the Old Republic 2 or The Outer Worlds," game director Carrie Patel said during the Xbox Games Showcase Extended stream. "It is set up as a series of interconnected open zones that players can explore at their own pace. You can invest in discovering every nook and cranny in the world, discovering every secret, finding every sidequest, meeting every character - or you can have a much more focused experience. It's really up to players and how much time they want to spend in The Living Lands, but I'm hopeful they're going to spend a lot of time with us once Avowed releases."

Seems to me they are doing what they did in KotorR 2 and the pillars games. Hopefully not as sparse as OW though.

Likely will use the lore of the living lands being a range of different valleys/biomes for the various hubs I expect.