Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2 thread

[wndrbr]

Seeing peeps all play DOS3 made me want to check out DOS2.

I finished DOS1 on Tactician difficulty with no problems, so i figured that it would be a good pick to play DOS2 on the same difficulty. But then it kicked my *** pretty hard, so now i'm contemplating restarting with a different party composition. Or maybe i should suffer through the first chapter so i could get my hands on an item that allows you to respec your character stats?

[rusty_shackleford]

Or maybe i should suffer through the first chapter so i could get my hands on an item that allows you to respec your character stats?

There's a mirror in Fort Joy you can use to respec.

[The_Mask]

I think that every combination that you can think of, has been thought of, for end game powers. That being said, what I can recommend, mechanically, is that you stay pure as much as possible for any melee characters and that you have at least 1 summoner with Retribution/high VIT.

[wndrbr]

My party is Lohse (main, damage-dealing wizard), Red Prince (support), Beast (melee tank) and Sebille (rogue backstabber). I know it's supposed to be the other way around (Lohse as a support, Red Prince doing the melee fighting, Beast being a damage-dealing battlemage).

The reasons I made this ****** party:
- i wanted to have a normal classic party composition (damage-dealing wizard, healer, melee tank, rogue);
- I picked Lohse as my main because i heard that her and Fane's personal quests are both very good and also cannot be experienced by just recruiting them as companions;
- I didn't want my main to be healer, so i changed Lohse's stats to be an offensive pyromage;
- I asked Beast to act as a fighter because he's a dwarf, and I'm used to dwarves being stocky fighters and not battlemages. Why tf he's a battlemage by default?
- I allowed Sebille to stay as a rogue cuz she looked and acted like a rogue, and I needed to have rogue in my party anyway;
- I needed a healer, and Red Prince was the only one who's left. Well there was also a Muslim guy, but unlike him, Red Prince could dig holes without a shovel.

[wndrbr]

Or maybe i should suffer through the first chapter so i could get my hands on an item that allows you to respec your character stats?

There's a mirror in Fort Joy you can use to respec.

I thought you can only access it after leaving Fort Joy.

[rusty_shackleford]

Or maybe i should suffer through the first chapter so i could get my hands on an item that allows you to respec your character stats?

There's a mirror in Fort Joy you can use to respec.

I thought you can only access it after leaving Fort Joy.

Definitive edition added one to Fort Joy iirc

[wndrbr]

There's a mirror in Fort Joy you can use to respec.

I thought you can only access it after leaving Fort Joy.

Definitive edition added one to Fort Joy iirc

i googled it, and apparently this mirror was added through a gift bag, i.e. it's basically a mod/cheat.

Gonna suffer through with a bad party for now.

[rusty_shackleford]

i.e. it's basically a mod/cheat.

I consider unlimited respeccing itself to be a cheat so…

[Shillitron]

Seeing peeps all play DOS3 made me want to check out DOS2.

I finished DOS1 on Tactician difficulty with no problems, so i figured that it would be a good pick to play DOS2 on the same difficulty. But then it kicked my *** pretty hard, so now i'm contemplating restarting with a different party composition. Or maybe i should suffer through the first chapter so i could get my hands on an item that allows you to respec your character stats?

a few things I dislike about D:OS2

- Lone Wolf is actually a buff, not a nerf. You are stronger lone wolfing it.
- Physical & Magical shields get ridiculous in Act 2 and beyond, you are essentially punished for having a balanced team


These are important things to consider when going for big **** difficulty vs DOS1 which is far more forgiving in build diversity.

[wndrbr]

I walked into some cave with friendly elves. One of them (the blind girl) locked me into a dialogue where all of the options lead to combat except for one persuasion skillcheck which i can't pass -_-

[wndrbr]

So i was just randomly sneaking around the place looting ****, and then all of a sudden i see an achievement popping up.

"Flee Fort Joy for good".

Great security those guys have, you can just escape by sheer accident.

[rusty_shackleford]

So i was just randomly sneaking around the place looting ****, and then all of a sudden i see an achievement popping up.

"Flee Fort Joy for good".

Great security those guys have, you can just escape by sheer accident.

The fort isn't meant be to impossible to escape.
The island is.

[Shillitron]

So i was just randomly sneaking around the place looting ****, and then all of a sudden i see an achievement popping up.

"Flee Fort Joy for good".

Great security those guys have, you can just escape by sheer accident.

Most developers consider you breaking out of their invisible walls as a bug. D:OS relishes in you sequence breaking the game.
If a level 1 spammable teleport spell didn't give that away already - or the fact you can literally genocide entire cities.

[Emphyrio]

Couch coop only works with 2 controllers not 1 controller and m&kb

[General Reign]

Couch coop only works with 2 controllers not 1 controller and m&kb

Because couches were meant for controllers.

[1998]

I couldn't get pass the 20h mark with DOS2. Initiative and armor system killed it. Any reasonable mods out there modifying it?

[Emphyrio]

I am finding DOS2 much less suitable for splitscreen coop than DOS1. The chaotic introduction to the plot and the frontloaded difficulty curve are not great. There's also a lot more clutter around and it's hard to see **** in splitscreen.

[Emphyrio]

I couldn't get pass the 20h mark with DOS2. Initiative and armor system killed it. Any reasonable mods out there modifying it?

Both removed in Divine War.

[Luckmann]

So i was just randomly sneaking around the place looting ****, and then all of a sudden i see an achievement popping up.

"Flee Fort Joy for good".

Great security those guys have, you can just escape by sheer accident.

Same thing happened to me and my gf in our first playthrough. We escaped Fort Joy by pure accident. Twice. It's hilarious because it really takes zero effort to get out of there by sheer accident.

I am finding DOS2 much less suitable for splitscreen coop than DOS1. The chaotic introduction to the plot and the frontloaded difficulty curve are not great. There's also a lot more clutter around and it's hard to see **** in splitscreen.

DOS2 is worse for coop than DOS1, period. In DOS1 (especially pre-EE) it feels like you're adventuring together. In DOS2 you're not adventuring together, you're adventuring side-by-side and the game keep trying to force competition between you. DOS2 is a downgrade to DOS1 in many small ways, but one of the big ways is the "feel" of the coop.

[Emphyrio]

In DOS1 (especially pre-EE) it feels like you're adventuring together. I

What did they change in EE to affect coop? I only remember them adding a dragon bad guy, changing the plot in the first area around a lot, and putting in more voices (some of which were downgrades to what they already had)

[Luckmann]

In DOS1 (especially pre-EE) it feels like you're adventuring together. I

What did they change in EE to affect coop? I only remember them adding a dragon bad guy, changing the plot in the first area around a lot, and putting in more voices (some of which were downgrades to what they already had)

In regards to the coop alone, it was very minor. I honestly can't remember the specifics, because we had a long break between playing DOS1, playing DOS1:EE, and then actually playing and finishing DOS1:EE. They absolutely toned down the "the player characters were lovers in the previous incarnation", though. The difference is subtle, but if you've played both versions you end up noticing it.

There's far worse changes between DOS1 and DOS1:EE, like having moved the abilities/skills around nonsensically (many of which were then reversed again in DOS2), the ruination of the cheese vendor, and just straight-up blurting out the plot-twist in the town far earlier; or how you're just given the scroll at the Witch's Hut whether you can do the riddle or not. Many small downgrades, but it is also the only version that ended up getting patched, so you don't really have any choice in the matter.

It's very frustrating.

[Fitz]

One thread for both games? I know we are 10 years too late for the party, but these are some of the more talked current crpg's.
They should have their own separate threads imho.

Anyway, I've been playing OS1 EE. It's been fun. The combat is much more simple than OS2 and doesn't have the annoying armour system too.
Might play it past act 1 or might drop it right after act 1. Who knows? Game is fun so far. I like how I am counting on consumables to get the job done when things get tough. Oddly I am interested in the crafting system/blacksmithing system here, but not sure I want to spend points on my main toons for that. Seeing how respecing works battering should be really high in value. Any thoughts on any of this?

My party comp so far is warr, aero/hydro, marksman/loremaster, scoundrel/nasty deeds. Had two mages in the party for some time too and that worked pretty well. Lots of CC, lots of answers to everything. Figured I would manage even without the second mage with my other toons picking up some cc/support spells as the levels piled on. Haven't finished both divnity's so no spoilerinos.

[rusty_shackleford]

They should have their own separate threads imho.

(You're allowed to make new threads)

Oddly I am interested in the crafting system/blacksmithing system here, but not sure I want to spend points on my main toons for that. Seeing how respecing works battering should be really high in value. Any thoughts on any of this?

You can use non-main characters for crafting iirc, just swap them into your party when you want to do it I think?

[Fitz]

Might make a thread later on if I stick long enough with the game.
Swapping characters would be ideal. Just not sure if you get rid of companions mid-campaign like in OS2.

[rusty_shackleford]

Just not sure if you get rid of companions mid-campaign in OS2.

Nop, you're stuck with whoever you choose in the first act.

[Fitz]

I meant like in OS2, but backspaced the word by mistake.
Looks like you get to keep all of your companions in OS1 throughout the entire game.

[rusty_shackleford]

Looks like you get to keep all of your companions in OS1 throughout the entire game.

Correct

[rusty_shackleford]

I recall my main issue with DOS1 being that crowd control is just too RNG, and you can effectively ignore it with high enough rank in the one skill. My warrior was eventually a juggernaut because he couldn't be controlled. It made me appreciate the DOS2 armor system more tbh

[Fitz]

Could be my main issue too. Could be something I realise after I've finished the game too.
So far I am enjoying having to CC at least 1 target in the encounter - combine this with Bully (+50% non-magical attacks vs opponents that are slowed, crippled or knocked down) and ccing becomes really fun. In OS2 you are forced to spend a few turns to down the enemies ph/ma armor which felt tedious. Surfaces worked better in OS2 that's for sure.

The verticality of OS2 is noticeably missing but I'm also enjoying the simplicity of the encounters in OS1. OS2 feels like they've perfected the systems and added a few more, yet OS1 still manages to hold its own.

[Fitz]

Small updated on how my run is going - defeated Braccus Rex, have some optional **** to finalize in Act 1, major stuff has now been completed, my party is a mage/rogue/tank/hunter. Everything has been pretty much okey. I think I just need to stock up on consumables and everything would be really smooth sailing onwards. Burning surfaces seem to work inconsistently and are unnecessarily dangerous. Story seems fine so far, waiting for Act 2 to unfold to see if Larian fucks it up or not. So far it feels fun to explore the world - can't really tell what's coming next. Spent the weekend outside of town so my desire to progress in the campaign has diminished a bit, not sure how that's going to play out.

I have also been watching some russian streamer play os2 on iron man mode (lone wolf + tactician). The guy is a machine. He clocks in over 4-6hrs almost everyday. His last run ended because some giant bug destroyed a barrel full of that one-shotting-blue-flame ****. He took it like a champ and started a new run the same day. I never thought there are people that are so much into divinity. In my head I considered Pillars 1 and 2 to have a bigger cultural impact than Larian, but I am starting to doubt that.