Intro
As far as RPGs go Larian Studios seems to have this genre on lock. Given the success of their recent game Baldur’s Gate 3 it’s no surprise that the popularity of their other titles. An example of this lies in another of their games Divinity Original Sin 2.
Released in the fall of 2017 Divinity Original Sin 2 Larian added their more refined installment to the Divinity series. Packed with turn-based combat, interesting characters, and an open world to explore, it’s clear to see how Larian Studios has made its mark on the gaming industry thus far.
Many of the elements that have made their newest installment of the Baldur’s Gate franchise amazing are present in DOS2. This article is here to help you decide if the newest game in the Divinity series right for you. Let’s get into the article and see whether you should play Divinity Original Sin 2.
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Story
Waking up on a pirate ship strapped to a laboratory table with a magic suppressing collar around your neck is not a common experience for many people. But it is how Larian decided to open your character’s story in DOS2. You discover that your character has been captured by a group known as the magistrates of the Divine Order. This group of people are hell bent on “curing” users of what is known as “Source” as they believe their use of magic attracts monsters known as the Voidwoken.
Anyone who can use any level of magic must be taken down. And, guess what, any class you choose in the character creator section uses magic. So, in short, your situation is bad. However, after your ship is attacked you wake up on the shores of Fort Joy and are left to pick through the wreckage to find survivors like yourself.
As you meet survivors of the wreckage some will volunteer to travel with you. But don’t worry. All of the companions have amazing levels of resourcefulness and trauma. At their core all companions are useful and well written characters that will leave you wanting to either hug them or kill them.
This aspect of the game is interesting and is all narrated in real time by a disembodied narrator. As you work your way through Fort Joy you solve quests and help (or hinder) those in need. After escaping from Fort Joy, you will begin your quest of ending the Divine Order and becoming the god that the world needs.
Romance
In this game you can romance your companions as well as NPCs. Romancing an NPC is different than romancing a companion character and it can be difficult to know what to say, do, and when. Dialogue options are always your best friend in any situation but what will go far with romancing companions is helping them with their individual quests. This will keep up their attitude with you and boost your relationship.
Regardless, whether you are romancing a companion character or not it’s good to keep their attitude up. If it goes down too much, they may leave your party. Clicking on the character and hitting “Examine” allows you to scroll down to their attitude levels to see how they like you. Keep this aspect of the game in mind when you are interacting with your companions as it could affect your party composition.
Something to keep in mind is that you can swap out companions during the initial beginning of the game, but once you get on the ship to leave Fort Joy your party composition is locked in. This is considered the point of no return so make sure that once you get to this point you have tested out all possible party compositions before moving on.
Gameplay
As far as gameplay is concerned, the gameplay mechanics are very similar to other RPG turn based games on the market. In the character creation mode, you have five races and fourteen classes to choose from, all of which, to some degree, use magic. You can choose to create your own custom character or play one of the premade origin characters that are recruitable party members within the custom story.
The area where your character first wakes up is the tutorial part of the game and is very good about getting the player acquainted with the controls. While you will still have to look up aspects of the game sometimes DOS2 is extremely helpful about pointing out controls and aspects of the game to new players. You can always look up tutorials in the main menu as well as certain controls if you are feeling lost about how to open your inventory or shift your screen view from left to right.
The main aspects that you will probably need to research are the magic/combat aspects, character composition, and quest aspects of the game. While DOS2 is a fun open world RPG as with many titles of the genre it can be difficult to know where you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do. Don’t be afraid to look up guides and other aspects of the game for help in case you get stuck.
Hardcore vs. Casual
As for character composition, be prepared to do some serious research if you want to min max the game to its limits. There’s a lot of ways to squeeze the most out of your playthrough and the different character/companion compositions are near limitless. If you want to play this game more causally you can but it is recommended that you do at least a small amount of research to know how survive within the world of Rivellon.
DOS2 has a slightly different magic system than most RPGs and it’s worth looking into how that works. For example, some skills you must earn to complete certain tasks and some characters are more suited for some skills than others. This is a mandatory mechanic of the game and can lead to some snags if you’re not careful. At the end of the day, it’s up to you how you want to play the game but just remember that knowing what pitfalls to avoid will remove a lot of frustration from your initial playthrough.
Combat
This is turn-based combat so you will have to implement some strategy when trying to take down enemies. When in combat there are two aspects to look out for which are physical damage and magic damage. Physical damage and magical damage are both deflected by quality armor. Armor quality in this game is HUGE and you will need to craft/enhance your threads as you level before progressing to bigger and badder enemies.
Higher spells and levels are not the only aspect in this game to look out for as how good your armor is could mean the difference between feeling a warm breeze after being hit with a fireball spell from an enemy and from becoming ashes. Learning crafting recipes and how to enhance armor is a big game changer and will help you in getting far during your playthrough. If crafting is not an aspect that tickles your gaming fancy, then you might want to rethink playing DOS2, or at least give it a lot of thought.
Pros
- Open world RPG.
- Interesting characters.
- Great story
- Build the story as you go along.
Cons
- Can be overwhelming for new players.
- Crafting is a key element in the game.
- Not as immersive as other titles.
Conclusion
Divinity Original Sin 2 is a fun open world RPG that will leave you breathless with its story telling capabilities. While the game can be overwhelming and feel a bit dated compared to newer titles it still holds its own as one of the top RPGs currently in existence. The many possibilities and open world content can overwhelm newer players but is still considered a revolutionary title within the RPG genre for a reason.
If an open world RPG is something you’re not used to you might want to consider giving another game in the genre a try before starting this one. However, if a jam-packed story with nearly endless possibilities, and interesting characters sounds like your style consider purchasing Divinity Original Sin 2.
Where to find Divinity Original Sin 2:
Switch: Humble Bundle
PC: Steam
Console: Amazon
