Divinity: Original Sin 2: Definitive Edition

[tonberrian]

One thing that bothered me when starting, is that 1.) you don't get the respec mirror until after the first huge chunk of the game, and 2.) using said respec mirror on an origin character locks them into a different character pick, based off their head features. Which isn't too bad, just jarring. I used a mod that allowed origin characters I picked up to start with nothing spent, so I could spend them at my leisure. Though when I used it, and maybe it still does, not like starting your first character right, so you have to install it after you start but before you recruit anyone.

(You can reset the character portrait for Origin characters with some save file editing, but your main character does not get their special headshot at ALL, and I wasn't able to save edit that away. Of course, you don't get to SEE special headshot at all for your main character, so it's not so bad for them.)

[Keltest]

One thing that bothered me when starting, is that 1.) you don't get the respec mirror until after the first huge chunk of the game, and 2.) using said respec mirror on an origin character locks them into a different character pick, based off their head features. Which isn't too bad, just jarring. I used a mod that allowed origin characters I picked up to start with nothing spent, so I could spend them at my leisure. Though when I used it, and maybe it still does, not like starting your first character right, so you have to install it after you start but before you recruit anyone.

(You can reset the character portrait for Origin characters with some save file editing, but your main character does not get their special headshot at ALL, and I wasn't able to save edit that away. Of course, you don't get to SEE special headshot at all for your main character, so it's not so bad for them.)

Actually, I think a recent patch changed all portraits. Theres no special headshots anymore.

[factotum]

You must have modded your game. You can only have three other characters besides yourself in a party.

Bear in mind that you can pick up as many of the other origin characters as you can fit in your party

Emphasis mine, since it apparently wasn't clear enough first time around...

[Spacewolf]

There are some options that only Fane gets. You might see them as another character, but if he takes them it's going to be very bad for you. That's all I can really say without spoilers. That said, every character is going to have parts of the story that play out differently for them, so ultimately it doesn't matter too much.

Any character can play any build by the way. You get to place your own skillpoints and everything is changable except for the iconic starting skill that each character gets. Of these starting skills Fane's is easily the best. The generic character's skill is also quite good and Ifan's isn't terrible. The rest are almost all completely useless and outclassed by other skills you'll learn along the way.

I also wouldn't really worry about the healing thing. Armor is about a trillion times more important than health. Most of the time if your armor is stripped enough that you're taking HP damage the character is going to end up CCed out of the fight anyway. At least on higher difficulties. If you're playing on normal or casual healing is even less important.

Honestly I've found that armour rarely lasts a single round without being stripped for allies at least, for enemies even with everyone focusing someone down it still takes forever.

[Keltest]

Honestly I've found that armour rarely lasts a single round without being stripped for allies at least, for enemies even with everyone focusing someone down it still takes forever.

In the early game this is true, just because gear is so scarce. By late game, where you have all sorts of moneymaking abilities, plus lots more loot, its a lot easier to have nigh-impenetrable armor.

[Anteros]

Honestly I've found that armour rarely lasts a single round without being stripped for allies at least, for enemies even with everyone focusing someone down it still takes forever.

You just need enough to last one round and for any nasty surprises. After that every enemy should be cced.

[Spacewolf]

You just need enough to last one round and for any nasty surprises. After that every enemy should be cced.

What does CCed mean?

[tonberrian]

What does CCed mean?

I don't know the specifics, but it's when you disable someone with a status ailment.

[Anteros]

What does CCed mean?

CC means crowd control. Basically disabled or unable to participate in the fight for whatever reason.

[Spacewolf]

CC means crowd control. Basically disabled or unable to participate in the fight for whatever reason.

Yea that doesn't really happen.

[Anteros]

Yea that doesn't really happen.

Umm...not only does it actually happen, it's practically mandatory on the higher difficulties.

[Spacewolf]

Umm...not only does it actually happen, it's practically mandatory on the higher difficulties.

Obviously I was talking for my own game.

Edit: and honestly I'm not sure what level my difficulty setting is considering there's like 5 and only Story, and the medium and hard of the other one give much information for what is expected.

[Keltest]

Obviously I was talking for my own game.

Edit: and honestly I'm not sure what level my difficulty setting is considering there's like 5 and only Story, and the medium and hard of the other one give much information for what is expected.

Story and Explorer mode basically trivialize the combat so you can play around with the setting, see all the quests and progress without spending two hours trying to kill the stupid voidlings at the oil platform when you don't have anything to counter all the necrofire. Classic mode is the "standard" difficulty, and Tactician mode basically expects minmaxing.

[Aotrs Commander]

So, just escaped Fort Joy (after deciding I would do that before I massacred all the Magisters...)

Not regrettig the choice of Lohse, being able to crack wise like that is so... Freaking awesome. I thank you for that suggestion, folks.

...

Yeah, okay, Fane is currently getting the sort of favour in gear assignement normally reserved for the main character, but in my defence, as he's harder to heal, I've focussed more on him not getting hurt to start with...!



Had a bit of a nasty tangle with a load of the magisters by the east gate after getting my collar off, as somehow, in the middle of the fight, Ifen went hostile. I eventually ended up running away after killing everything else, but BOY are summoners (because that was what I made him, for variety from my primary four) fricken' tedious to run from. But after that, he forgot all about it...

[huttj509]

I remember when I hit the point where it wasn't "ok, you get this thing I found and, um, pass that tattered shirt down the line."

[Winthur]

Spoiler: DivOS1 question

Show

I might have a co-op of this during Christmas break. My SO is generally a fan of archery. Do I support her by being a tank melee myself, with summons or with some crowd control spells? How good are "hybrid" builds? I'm still considering a Tactician run. We're gonna do Lone Wolf.

[Anteros]

Spoiler: DivOS1 question

Show

I might have a co-op of this during Christmas break. My SO is generally a fan of archery. Do I support her by being a tank melee myself, with summons or with some crowd control spells? How good are "hybrid" builds? I'm still considering a Tactician run. We're gonna do Lone Wolf.

Archery isn't great for most of the game in dos1 but the extra stats from lone wolf should counter its weaknesses and make it solid. Hybrid builds are good as long as you don't go crazy. I would make sure you can front line since they want to play an archer. Honestly anything can work in lone wolf though so don't stress too much.

[Aotrs Commander]

I found that Bairdotr-as-archer was pretty solid, myself; certainly, by the time you got Rain of Arrows, that's quite ridiculous. (I could have never done anything but shoot elemental arrows, but despite very copiously suppling myself via crafting, my, natural "save this for emergancies" hoarding still kicked in, though I was better with it.)

I guess to some extent it depends on what difficulty you intend to play on.

Though yeah, you probably want someone a bit tankier standing between your archer and the enemy.

[Anteros]

I found that Bairdotr-as-archer was pretty solid, myself; certainly, by the time you got Rain of Arrows, that's quite ridiculous. (I could have never done anything but shoot elemental arrows, but despite very copiously suppling myself via crafting, my, natural "save this for emergancies" hoarding still kicked in, though I was better with it.)

I guess to some extent it depends on what difficulty you intend to play on.

Though yeah, you probably want someone a bit tankier standing between your archer and the enemy.

I only used an archer on one playthrough. It was co-op with a friend and it became a running joke how often she missed. The lack of accuracy for archers is just a huge problem in DOS1 in the early game. The extra stats from lone wolf should basically remove that issue though I'd imagine.

[Aotrs Commander]

I only used an archer on one playthrough. It was co-op with a friend and it became a running joke how often she missed. The lack of accuracy for archers is just a huge problem in DOS1 in the early game. The extra stats from lone wolf should basically remove that issue though I'd imagine.

Odd. Don't recall that ever being an issue, myself. Difficulty level, maybe?

[Anteros]

Odd. Don't recall that ever being an issue, myself. Difficulty level, maybe?

Maybe. We always play everything together on the hardest difficulty.

[Aotrs Commander]

So, what is the point of Fane's flesh-mask?

I mean, seriously?

I don't get why the special item forn the Undead character is specifically so that you can burn an item slot to be... Not Undead. Kinda pointless, if you ask me, unless you're so deeply into min-maxing you have to turn him into an elf for the sake of Flesh Sacrifice.

I mean, I wouldn't mind, but it even replaces your portrait with a flesh-y one.

It basically seems to entirely defeat the whole point of being Undead if you are encouraged to... Not be Undead.

So it went on, once, to try it out, and immedialt went off again never to be used again.



I mean, I suppose you could use it to turn someone else into an elf so you could eat all the corpse parts that give you skills, but...

[Keltest]

So, what is the point of Fane's flesh-mask?

I mean, seriously?

I don't get why the special item forn the Undead character is specifically so that you can burn an item slot to be... Not Undead. Kinda pointless, if you ask me, unless you're so deeply into min-maxing you have to turn him into an elf for the sake of Flesh Sacrifice.

I mean, I wouldn't mind, but it even replaces your portrait with a flesh-y one.

It basically seems to entirely defeat the whole point of being Undead if you are encouraged to... Not be Undead.

So it went on, once, to try it out, and immedialt went off again never to be used again.



I mean, I suppose you could use it to turn someone else into an elf so you could eat all the corpse parts that give you skills, but...

It works on living people to. In conversation, it unlocks all the race specific reactions and dialogues. It gives you the racial abilities and feats as well. And yes, it lets you eat bodyparts too.

[Anteros]

There's lots of times in the game when being a certain race is more beneficial than another. It's more of a utility thing since there's no stats on it. Then again, the Elf racial is so much ridiculously better than every other racial in the game that it's almost worth losing the stats to turn your whole party into elves.

[tonberrian]

Still, it takes up your helmet slot, which is a drag. I'd rather have a divine helmet.

[Anteros]

Still, it takes up your helmet slot, which is a drag. I'd rather have a divine helmet.

Sure, the best helmets in the game might barely edge out the elf racial. Depends on your build I guess, but 1 extra AP is just ridiculously better than anything you can get from most helmets without even considering the 10% damage buff. Plus it lets you put blood under your feet for free which is incredibly useful for a bunch of builds.

[Aotrs Commander]

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Lucky charm is shared by the party.

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MOTHERFRACKERS!

Why didn't anything say that EARILER! I could have saved SO MUCH arsing around swapping over to Red Prince to loot containers!

Fragdammit!




See, the problem with changing everyone into elves is the same problem - it changes your portraits. And suddenly, I don't feel like I'm playing the same character any more. I does'na like it, Mr Baggins.

Now, if you could change the whole party into Undead (sod elven superiority mechanically - though it's nice for once in this day and age THEY get to be the OP ones again), I could see the point...

[Keltest]

...

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Lucky charm is shared by the party.

...

...

MOTHERFRACKERS!

Why didn't anything say that EARILER! I could have saved SO MUCH arsing around swapping over to Red Prince to loot containers!

Fragdammit!




See, the problem with changing everyone into elves is the same problem - it changes your portraits. And suddenly, I don't feel like I'm playing the same character any more. I does'na like it, Mr Baggins.

Now, if you could change the whole party into Undead (sod elven superiority mechanically - though it's nice for once in this day and age THEY get to be the OP ones again), I could see the point...

There are enough undead mercenaries to do a full undead party once you hit act 2, if you play as fane.

The novelty wears off fast though.

[Thomas Cardew]

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Why didn't anything say that EARILER! I could have saved SO MUCH arsing around swapping over to Red Prince to loot containers!

Now, if you could change the whole party into Undead (sod elven superiority mechanically - though it's nice for once in this day and age THEY get to be the OP ones again), I could see the point...

Well it didn't used to be, that was a patch change awhile ago. Loremaster is also shared so you only need that on one and you don't have to hand items around in bags.

The masks also let you retry different dialogue options so if you fail a check you can try again as a 'new' character. But mostly its for either RP reason or minmaxing as an elf/lizard/human for damage/persuasion/bartering . And for including a plot relevant device into the game as a mechanic.

There are enough undead mercenaries to do a full undead party once you hit act 2, if you play as fane.

The novelty wears off fast though.

So a full undead party is fun because you can do think like contamination for a giant aoe heal and the PC source spell or if you want to do it for self-RP reasons. But the mercs just pale in comparison to the benefits of the other members. Both in terms of game-play, origin characters give extra XP, items, or bypass checks, and story, the origin characters have stories and actually impact your playthrough.

[Keltest]

So a full undead party is fun because you can do think like contamination for a giant aoe heal and the PC source spell or if you want to do it for self-RP reasons. But the mercs just pale in comparison to the benefits of the other members. Both in terms of game-play, origin characters give extra XP, items, or bypass checks, and story, the origin characters have stories and actually impact your playthrough.

Having a FULL undead party actually swings the gameplay difference back around to normal. All your party heals from the same spells, you just need to be careful of different effects. Physical armor is easy to get a lot of and restored by the same skill that heals you, but its countered by the fact that you also have an extra effect that deals physical damage. Living guys have the same deal with magic armor and poison. Suddenly instead of having to balance two different healing types, youre just using different spells in the same way you would as a living party.