NO. 5 IN THE INDEX · RPG · TURN-BASED · CO-OP
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Where every surface is a weapon and every NPC has an opinion.
By the editorial desk · Larian Studios, 2017 · Steam version
Ascendant
Tier A · 89/100
THE VERDICT
A tactical masterpiece and a fine second Larian game to play.
The game that taught Larian how to make Baldur's Gate 3. Turn-based fights where fire, oil, poison, water and electricity interact on every square, and a story that lets you play an undead, a lizard noble or a scheming elf.
The ledger
- Developer
- Larian Studios
- Publisher
- Larian Studios
- Released
- 14 September 2017
- Steam builds
- Windows, macOS
- Steam Deck
- Verified
- Modes
- Single-player, Online co-op, Local co-op
- Steam price
- $59.99
- Typical playtime
- ~70 hours
- Cost per hour
- ≈ $0.86
The world
Sourcerers are hunted, the gods are failing and something is pouring through the Veil. You begin on a prison island and end up deciding the fate of divinity itself. The writing is playful and dark in equal measure; origin characters each have their own agenda, and playing as one changes how the story reads.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 key art
The fight
Physical and magic armour split every fight into two puzzles, and surfaces turn the battlefield into a chemistry set. It is some of the most creative turn-based combat ever made, and also some of the hardest to read in the first hours.
The build
Classless: mix any skill school with any other. Source skills, crafting and talents give enormous room for silly, overpowered combinations, which the game happily allows.
The trial
Spiky. Early fights on Fort Joy can be brutal until you learn the armour system. Story mode is genuinely relaxed; Tactician and Honour are for veterans.
The port
Runs well on modest PCs. The Definitive Edition adds controller support, and Valve rates it Verified on Steam Deck. Split-screen and online co-op for up to four.
Worthy
- Surface and elemental combat with endless creative answers
- Classless builds that reward experimentation
- Origin characters with their own stories
- Co-op, including split-screen, for up to four
Unworthy
- Armour system makes some builds feel mandatory
- The final act is rushed compared with the first two
- Early difficulty spike on Fort Joy
Who should enter
Anyone who finished Baldur's Gate 3 and wants more Larian, and co-op groups who like tactical combat. Patience with the first ten hours is required.
How the score was reached
- Combat 25%
- 94
- World & lore 25%
- 88
- Builds & systems 20%
- 95
- Fair challenge 15%
- 84
- PC port 15%
- 88
Joint-best combat systems in the codex, held back by its final act.
Kindred worlds
Chosen for how they feel to play, not just the genre tag.
