Im playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 at last I cant get enough of its terrain-based tactical battles

Date:
Sat, 06 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Description:
Divinity: Original Sin II's unsparing tactical combat and flexible build creation has got me salivating over its upcoming sequel.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Tactical role-playing game
(RPG) Divinity: Original Sin 2 has been in my backlog for a couple of years now. Ever since I completed developer Larians next game, the superlative Baldurs Gate 3 , Ive been looking for something that scratches that same
itch. And when Larian announced its sequel, Divinity , I knew I had to stop dragging my heels and find out what Id been missing. From the Backlog Every gamer has a backlog and thats no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first-plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating
established favorites in new ways. Read the full series here . Having racked up a slightly terrifying 257 hours on my first playthrough of Baldurs Gate 3
, its safe to say that I was going to like Divinity: Original Sin 2 . Its the franchise that helped Larian hone their formula after all. And yet for all
the similarities it shares with the game that followed it, the franchise is its own beast. Far from being the same formula denuded of its D&D dressing, Divinity: Original Sin 2 very much stands apart, hewing closer to the CRPGs
of old than Baldurs Gate 3 s tabletop-imitating trappings. It feels far more tactical and strategically freer than the later game if Larian is able to
add to its solid bones some of the fantastic polish and depth it brought to BG3 , Ill be very excited about the upcoming Divinity . Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Class action (Image credit: Larian Studios) Building a character in Divinity: Original Sin 2 feels incredibly fluid. Nominal classes exist as a starting point, with each focusing largely on two families of combat abilities. And these skill families steer away from CRPG cliches just enough to feel novel yes, you can create standard rogue, cleric, or fighter builds, but others are more of a departure.

Each of the elemental magic schools feels unique and deep, while polymorph allows you to transform your limbs and body parts to suit the situation, and summoning lets you call up totems and demons that match elements on the battlefield, making it super versatile. You may like Best RPGs: unmissable role-playing games for PC and consoles, and we've reviewed them all The 28 best Xbox Series X games to play right now Im finally playing Eastshade, and its turned me into a travelling painter who really cares about artistic composition

But it goes deeper than this. For those who are tired of being railroaded
into specific class combinations, Divinity largely tears down class
boundaries entirely. You can invest points in whichever stats and combat abilities you see fit, then learn any skills you meet the criteria for by using consumable skill books. That allows you to create complicated classes for every character that suit your playstyle or create unworkable builds
that will get pulverized in every battle.

Not every element of its roleplay feels this deep and rewarding, though. The character creator feels limited, even for a game released in 2017, making it feel a little less immersive than it could have. And while the story and
voice acting are perfectly decent, I rarely felt the kind of close connection with my party members and their struggles that I did while playing Baldurs Gate 3 . I engaged with Divinity: Original Sin 2 s lore as much as I could, but often Rivellon felt more like a gauntlet to run with my party than a living, breathing world in its own right. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Fight me, bro (Image credit: Larian Studios) While I have a lot of praise and some reservations over the roleplay
elements, the area where I think Divinity: Original Sin 2 is unimpeachable is when it comes to combat.

Read almost any user comments about the game online, youll see people talking about how they struggled to get to grips with its combat system. Ill happily admit: battles can be gruellingly hard if youve made mistakes with your
build. And if you tangle with enemies above your level, you should expect to be spanked down hard as anyone whose party ended up in the belly of a teleporting crocodile can attest.

Fortunately, once you understand the tactics involved, things start to slam into place like Tetris pieces. First off, enemies and allies have two types
of shield, physical and magical, that soak up damage of each type before it reduces health. As a result, you have to focus on specific damage types for each enemy to ensure youre maximizing the wounds inflicted. Rather than focusing on buffing or defence, this really rewards gung-ho, high-damage playstyles that really appeals to me as someone wholl always opt for a glass cannon over a bard or paladin. What to read next I was worried that the
Gothic remake would water down the unapologetically tricky 2001 original, but seven hours hands-on has put my mind at ease The 17 best Steam Deck games
2025 Crimson Desert review: the open-world epic sandbox lovers have been waiting for (Image credit: Larian Studios) But combat is at its most
rewarding once you learn how to dominate and utilize the battlefield. Abilities like teleport make it easier to kite enemies or group them together to be pulped by an area of effect (AoE) spell. Higher terrain gives you a damage advantage over enemies in ranged attacks, while low terrain gives you
a corresponding penalty.

Even more critical, the battlefield is splattered with a range of surfaces, including blood, poison, ice, and fire. Depending on your resistances and weaknesses, many of these can either heal or harm your allies and enemies, meaning where you stand is often as important as the attacks you choose.

And each surface causes its own effect. For instance, oil slows people down, but its also flammable, making enemies standing there vulnerable to a tossed flame. Water can be frozen into ice to trip characters, evaporated into
steam, or electrified to stun enemies drenched in it. Theres a complicated interplay of these elements and thats before we even get into their blessed or cursed variants

While most CRPG battles come down to the interplay of attacks and status effects, Divinity: Original Sin 2 s battlefields are an ally and an enemy in their own right. That makes every encounter satisfyingly knotty, and its something Im glad Ive mastered for the day that Divinity finally drops. The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

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