The GWJ CRPG Club - Game 10: Divinity: Original Sin 2

Congrats Sorbicol! Bonus points for completing it on Tactician as well. That's earning your level the hard way, for sure.

Making my way through Arx now. I'm appreciating the plot a bit more as the main character arcs are getting resolved and there have been a few unexpected twists.

One thing I've been struck by with this game (and D:OS1) is how sparse the world-building seems to me. We don't even get an overland map of the world as far as I know. I have mixed feelings about this. I really enjoy learning about the detailed settings of Dragon Age or the Witcher series, for example. On the other hand, reading about the world in Pillars of Eternity, whether through dialogue or the codex, felt like a slog and contributed to some of my underwhelming opinion of that game. There may be something to be said for keeping the background as streamlined as possible.

Now if only Larian kept inventory streamlined by not populating the game with things like cutting boards and sheep shears that I feel compelled to pick up just in case I need them for a quest.

So as Lohse whenever I get transported to the the realm of Gods or whatever to level up source powers I end up chatting to my demon. I'm curious, those of you playing non possessed characters do you end up meeting anyone?

strangederby wrote:

So as Lohse whenever I get transported to the the realm of Gods or whatever to level up source powers I end up chatting to my demon. I'm curious, those of you playing non possessed characters do you end up meeting anyone?

Spoiler:

Each character meets their respective God basically.

Spoilered because it's a fairly major plotline spoiler really.

Sorbicol wrote:
strangederby wrote:

So as Lohse whenever I get transported to the the realm of Gods or whatever to level up source powers I end up chatting to my demon. I'm curious, those of you playing non possessed characters do you end up meeting anyone?

Spoiler:

Each character meets their respective God basically.

Spoilered because it's a fairly major plotline spoiler really.

Woah! That's....fascinating actually. Puts a whole new perspective on the game for me. I guess my main has been going through the game pretty heedless of the

Spoiler:

Gods.

Lohse’s plot line is actually one of the better ones in the game I think. There is a endgame to her situation that has multiple outcomes.

Arx at last.

Should have done a couple more quests to get to level 18 before arriving. But I’ll get there if I can survive one fight. Thought I was doing OK with one encounter, Took down some voidwoken, leveled up .. then the rest of the party arrived.

(Mild Lohse spoiler)

Godzilla Blitz wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:

I had a similar experience around level 11. I eventually managed to find the right order of operations to get over the hump and find some smooth sailing... now I'm at level 14, still have to get a ton of XP before 15 and am struggling to find a fight that I can handle. It just seems there are plateaus where the going gets awfully tough, and I find myself struggling to stay driven to carry on in those situations.

I'm in the same place, Level 10. Willpower. Fading. Must. Keep. Going.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Bmq1QHO.gif)

Schweet, I powered through and made it to the Nameless Isle!

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/1RZsNaKC4li1y/giphy-downsized-large.gif)

I made it to Arx!
Man, this game is long. Super fun and cool and all that, but loooong.

Steam says 95 hours so far. A handful of those were probably idling.

Well into act 4 and have reached a battle that makes me nostalgic for the good old days when cursed necro fire was the worst thing. Now when these creatures die they

Spoiler:

explode in a cloud of death fog!?

I've met my match. A deamon that automatically possesses the last party member that attacks it. Think I'll skip this fight and move on.

strangederby wrote:

I've met my match. A deamon that automatically possesses the last party member that attacks it. Think I'll skip this fight and move on.

'

Edit ....I just took a glance at a walkthrough. Is it on Bloodmoon island? I actually appear to have missed that one. But if so based on the description I suspect 'living on the edge' to keep the character alive and 'forced exchange' to swap HP percentages could come in handy.

imbiginjapan wrote:
strangederby wrote:

I've met my match. A deamon that automatically possesses the last party member that attacks it. Think I'll skip this fight and move on.

'

Edit ....I just took a glance at a walkthrough. Is it on Bloodmoon island? I actually appear to have missed that one. But if so based on the description I suspect 'living on the edge' to keep the character alive and 'forced exchange' to swap HP percentages could come in handy.

That does sound like I good tactic but for the time being I'm happy not to try and go full completion of every quest so I don't burn out on the game.

Ok I'm stumped. I can't work out how to get to Arx. The only travel option I have is the nameless isle and I'm assuming that's the end game?

You have to go to the Nameless Isle before you can go to Arx.

Mario_Alba wrote:

You have to go to the Nameless Isle before you can go to Arx.

Hu. I honestly wouldn't have worked that out myself.

Haha. No worries. And be ready to explore, because it is not a tiny place. Well, it is compared to the previous locations, but there is plenty to do.

strangederby wrote:

I've met my match. A deamon that automatically possesses the last party member that attacks it. Think I'll skip this fight and move on.

If I recall, you can

Spoiler:

keep everybody out of the room and use summons to kill it

This game definitely lends itself to coming up with what to me feels like cheesy ways to get through certain battles. Things like

Spoiler:

Teleporting a mob half-way accross the map when they are talking to your main character
Shortcutting a fight by knocking down your ally so he doesn't use any source spells
Avoiding much of a boss fight by bringing one of the mobs to 0 health before you hit the the threshold that triggers the next phase

I find teleport and flight powers great for exploring and reaching chests also.

It is done. I finished late last night. Fane has fulfilled his destiny. Things really picked up for me in Act 4 as I was getting a bit bored during the third act.

Spoiler:

The final battle was something else. And there were a couple of big twists. I laughed a bit when the reverse-Empire Strikes Back reveal came out of nowhere from Dallis: "Fane, you are my father!" Haha. What the hell? OK, I'll roll with it.

I reloaded a few times to try the different ending choices. Some of them were obviously evil (release the God King), but some of them seemed good but had unforeseen negative consequences (distribute source evenly to everyone). It seemed like maybe the happiest ending overall was where you just ascend to Divinity as planned. I guess.

Anyway, I already mentioned how much I like the combat system and variety of encounters, and I look forward to more of it in BG3, especially with some toned down elemental effects.

In terms of the plot and characters, I found this to be very solid- a clear upgrade over DOS1. If they can keep the upward trajectory, BG3 should be great. For me the story is still middle of the pack compared to other isometric, party-based RPG's I've played in the last 10 years or so. Ahead of Pillars of Eternity, DOS1 and Shadowrun Returns. Behind Dragon Age: Origins and the other two Shadowrun games.

gewy wrote:

It is done. I finished late last night. Fane has fulfilled his destiny. Things really picked up for me in Act 4 as I was getting a bit bored during the third act.

Spoiler:

The final battle was something else. And there were a couple of big twists. I laughed a bit when the reverse-Empire Strikes Back reveal came out of nowhere from Dallis: "Fane, you are my father!" Haha. What the hell? OK, I'll roll with it.

I reloaded a few times to try the different ending choices. Some of them were obviously evil (release the God King), but some of them seemed good but had unforeseen negative consequences (distribute source evenly to everyone). It seemed like maybe the happiest ending overall was where you just ascend to Divinity as planned. I guess.

Anyway, I already mentioned how much I like the combat system and variety of encounters, and I look forward to more of it in BG3, especially with some toned down elemental effects.

In terms of the plot and characters, I found this to be very solid- a clear upgrade over DOS1. If they can keep the upward trajectory, BG3 should be great. For me the story is still middle of the pack compared to other isometric, party-based RPG's I've played in the last 10 years or so. Ahead of Pillars of Eternity, DOS1 and Shadowrun Returns. Behind Dragon Age: Origins and the other two Shadowrun games.

Spoiler:

The ending I went with - repair the veil using all the source (which is supposed to render everyone a silent monk) you get a ‘get out of jail free pass’ from as Malady rescues you all and figures out a way to bring back your souls. You aren’t a Sourcerer any more but that’s OK because neither is anyone else and the God King and the void are safely locked away. Lucian rules ‘for good’ and tries to make reparations for his genocide against the elves, Malady is very cross because you can no longer fix her half elf half demon issues. Still she seems to get over it fairly quickly. The only downer is Jahan complaining that now there is no source in Rivallon the demon realm, Nemesis, is ‘much closer’ than it was before.

On other thing that worth doing during the end game is having a little chat with Tarquin.

Spoiler:

After complaining that no-one is singing his praises for ‘the greatest act of necromancy the world has ever seen’ - bringing back Braccus Rex for a second time - he then talks about discovering a language spoken by a dimension hopping race of beings that survive by eating brains, and using their portals to travel there and find out what he can about them. That could be construed as a massive pointer to the mindflayers in Baldur’s Gate 3, and it’s widely expected that Tarquin will have a cameo in BG3 somewhere.

You're right Sorbicol:

Spoiler:

Sacrificing your source to seal the void is the happiest ending overall. I initially didn't pick it since Dallis was being very mean and Lucian seemed awfully smug. Becoming a silent monk sounded no fun, and all of my companions chimed in and said, "Don't do it."

Having Malady ultimately save you from that fate seems like a bit of a copout to be honest though.

gewy wrote:

You're right Sorbicol:

Spoiler:

Sacrificing your source to seal the void is the happiest ending overall. I initially didn't pick it since Dallis was being very mean and Lucian seemed awfully smug. Becoming a silent monk sounded no fun, and all of my companions chimed in and said, "Don't do it."

Having Malady ultimately save you from that fate seems like a bit of a copout to be honest though.

Spoiler:

Yes it is a total copout to be honest, but insofar as there is a "canon" ending for the game, it's the one most people go for I think. As much as a dick Lucian is at least he figures out what he has to do to break the hold of the Gods on Source and the population(s) of Rivallon. The thing that gets me most is that Dallis has this huge reveal right at the end there, which if you play as Fane you don't really respond to all that well. It's a bit too inconsequential. After all, he didn't know what her fate was so all the bitterness and anger, while fully understandable is never resolved and it leaves a very unsatisfactory aftermath. They don't even mention it in the epilog.

Well. Level 18 and have arrived in Arx.

Useful thing I just discovered. I charmed an enemy and was able to steal multiple source point from it.

Ok, so the battles in and around Arx are getting brutal. I’ve adopted the habit of buying up all stock of resurrection scrolls.

Must be getting close to the end now. I’ve run out of companion side quests and everything seems to be pointing to a big showdown.

I didn't think I'd have a use for the

Spoiler:

Swornbreaker

as I don't have any two-handers in my party. Glad I held onto it though because I was able to give it to

Spoiler:

Wendigo

the fourth time I met her and got a sweet reward.

Yes I wondered about that. Kept it just in case.
Did you find it or is it the crafted one? I’ve given two away now.