Divinity Original Sin 2: Best Abilities for a Beginner

Divinity Original Sin 2 is an isometric RPG that offers an enormous amount of customization options. Find out what are the best abilities for players to build a formidable party.

Larian Studios funded the development of Divinity Original Sin 2 through a Kickstarter and hit their funding goals within 12 hours of the crowdfunding campaign's launch. After an early access period, the game launched to PC in 2017. It was later released to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and then to the Nintendo Switch. The game received mostly positive reviews and was nominated for numerous awards.

Related: Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition Review - A Fantastic Console Conversion

Rivellon is the world in which Divinity Original Sin 2 takes place. In this realm, Source is the energy from which all living beings are made. Some of these individuals can use Source to cast spells or improve upon their fighting abilities. An organization that is known as the Divine Order is persecuting these users of Source.

The player's character is a Sourcerer who has been captured by this organization and on a ship traveling to the island prison, Fort Joy. A humongous Voidwoken Kraken attacks, and then sinks the ship. The player survives and must now discover what destiny has in store for them by seeking out the Divine Order.

The sheer number of options can be daunting to any new player of Divinity Original Sin 2. For this guide, the term "abilities" will cover Attributes, Combat, Civil Abilities, and Skills. Here is an overview of abilities for beginners.

Upon starting the game, players may choose to select pre-built characters with their own story in Divinity Original Sin 2, or they can build a custom character. If the player chooses the latter, they may select from Human, Lizard, Elf, Dwarf, or Undead as a race. Race selection has unique combat benefits in the form of Talents and Skills, and also affects conversions with NPCs. All custom characters' races come with Dome of Protection.

Humans have the Talent Ingenious, which gives a +5% chance of a critical hit and a +10% chance for critical damage. Thrifty gives them +1 to Bartering. The Skill inherent to the race is Encourage. Elves have the Talent Corpse Eater, which allows them to gain the memories of the dead by eating body parts. They may also gain +1 to Loremaster through Ancestral Knowledge. Petrifying Touch is the Skill innate to this race.

Dwarves have the Talent Sturdy, which gives a +5% to Dodging and a +10% max Vitality. Dwarven Guile gives players +1 in Sneaking. The Skill innate to this race is Petrifying Touch. Lizards have the Talent called Sophisticated, which gives them +10% Poison Resistance and +10% Fire Resistance. Spellsong gives dwarves +1 to Persuasion. The Skill built into this race of beings is Dragon's Blaze. The Undead are the living-challenged version of the four races. They will have the Talents of whichever Undead race they choose. In addition, they have the Play Dead Skills. The Undead can also heal from poison and will take damage from standard healing.

Players are given points at the beginning of building their custom characters. They are automatically assigned to specific Attributes or Skills depending on what Preset was selected, but the player may reassign them. There are three points available for Attributes, and two for the Combat Abilities section, which also includes Weapon and Defense Abilities. There is one point open to assignment for Civil Abilities. Based on points assigned to the player's Combat Abilities, the player will have different Skills available to them. They may choose three of those available Skills to start.

Attributes are the primary stats players can put points into when they level up. Primary stats influence secondary stats. Attributes include:

• Strength - Determines how much weight the player can lift and how much strength-based damage they can deal
• Finesse - How much finesse-based damage the player deals
• Intelligence - Controls magic damage
• Constitution - Affects the amount of the player's Vitality
• Memory - Determines the number of skills the player can remember at one time
• Wits - Allows for the detection of the unusual

Points spent on Combat Abilities increase the damage done in the skill schools invested. Here's a breakdown of the different Combat Abilities the player may put points into:

• Warfare - Increases Physical damage done to enemies. Warfare scales with Special Weapon (Melee), the bonus comes from Strength/Finesse/Intelligence.
• Huntsman - When attacking from high ground, the damage increases. Huntsman scales with Weapon (Ranged), the bonus comes from Finesse.
• Scoundrel - Boosts the player's Critical Modifier and increases movement speed. Scoundrel scales with Weapon (Dagger), the bonus comes from Finesse.
• Pyrokinetic - All Fire damage increases. Pyrokinetic scales with level, the bonus comes from Intelligence.
• Hydrosophist - All Water damage increases, as well as any Magic Armour restoration caused and Vitality healing that is done. Hydrosophist scales with level, the bonus comes from Intelligence.
• Aerotheurge - All Air damage increases. Aerotheurge scales with level, the bonus comes from Intelligence.
• Geomancer - All Earth and Poison damage increases, as well as Physical Armour restoration caused by the player. Geomancer scales with level, the bonus comes from Intelligence.
• Necromancer - Heals the player whenever damage is done to Vitality. Necromancer scales with level, the bonus comes from Intelligence.
• Summoning - Increases Damage, Vitality, Physical Armour, and Magic Armour of the player's summons and totems. Summoning scales with level, the bonus comes from Summoning ability.
• Polymorph - Provides one free Attribute Point per point invested. Polymorph scales with level, the bonus comes from Strength.

Civil Abilities are non-combat abilities. They are used when situations resolved without resorting to conflict. Here are the skills into which players may put points:

• Craftsmanship - Telekinesis (Move items telepathically, regardless of weight), and Loremaster (Identifies enemies and allows the player to identify items)
• Nasty Deeds - Sneaking (Determines how well the player can sneak without being caught) and Thievery (Improves pickpocketing and lockpicking skills)
• Personality - Bartering (Haggling skills are improved), Persuasion (Increases how much characters like the player. Helps the player convince characters to do their bidding.), and Lucky Charm (The likelihood of finding treasure is increased wherever loot is stashed)

Weapon Abilities include Single-Handed, Two-Handed, Ranged, and Dual Wielding. Defense Abilities include Retribution (Damage is reflected back at the attacker), Leadership (Increasing Bonuses are granted to the party), and Perseverance (Grants Physical and Magical Armour when certain conditions are met). Players may put points into these as well.

Once the player becomes comfortable with the game, they should experiment with different hybrid builds and see what works best for them. There is no perfect way to make a party. There are, however, various combinations of character builds that work better together as a party.

It would make sense that the player may want to build out a party that is balanced all the way through. If the player has a character that performs ranged area attacks, then they might want to have fewer melee characters that could be hit with friendly-fire. Summoners can help fill the gap created by having fewer melee players. Players will also want to avoid party member builds that cancel each other out, such as a one Air magic and another with Earth, or one with Water magic and the other with Fire.

Perhaps players want to throw caution to the wind and create a team that consists entirely of melee or ranged characters, even though each of those will present unique challenges. Some players prefer to go all-in on one damage type, whether it be physical or magic. It can make some battles harder, but the overall experience more enjoyable. Some prefer to min/max their characters and party. If the player is unhappy with their builds, they can change the specs of the characters later on in Divinity Original Sin 2.

Going with a physical damage party will have the best outcome for the player. An example of a party built for physical damage could start with a Cleric. Put points into the Attributes of Constitution and Wits, and then the Combat Abilities Hydrosophist and Geomancer. Take skills like Armour of Frost, Restoration, and Fortify. Pick a Knight as the next character in the party. Make sure there are points put into Warfare. Select Battle Stomp, Battering Ram, and Crippling Blow as Skills.

Next, go with a Ranger. Put a point into Warfare. Then, select First Aid, Ricochet, and Pin Down as Skills. Finally, the player might want to go with a Shadowblade with points in Polymorph and Scoundrel, with Chameleon Cloak, Backlash, and another Skill of the player's choice selected. Some players enjoy using Chicken Claw while others swear against it.

A party built for mixed physical and magic damage could consist of a Cleric, Ranger, Conjurer, and Enchanter, or two other types of magic users. A group built for magic damage might have two characters with points in Pyrokinetic and Geomancer Combat Abilities, one Support character, and one Summoner.

Divinity Original Sin 2 offers many different choices in selecting abilities and creating builds for characters and parties. It can be overwhelming for beginners. While players who want to get down to business should go with a physical damage party, they should remember to have fun experimenting with different abilities and skills to find out what results in the most fun for them.

Next: Baldur's Gate 3 Teased By Developers of Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity Original Sin 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch.