Divinity: Original Sin 2 allows you to choose from 14 predefined classes and 14 different groups of abilities that can be used during fights. This in turn allows you to create dozens of team combinations that can, with better or worse results, be effective during fights (and outside of them). In this chapter you can learn about a few useful team combinations that can help you in completing the game.
A classic team
This is a classic team that works for most RPGs - a resistant warrior that focuses enemies' attention, an archer that fights from a safe distance and two mages that have access to various spells.
Class | Developed schools | Abilities | Function + explanation |
Fighter | Warfare, Polymorph, Single-Handed | Battle Stomp, Bouncing Shield, Whirlwind, Provoke, Battering Ram, Phoenix Dive, Crippling Blow, Tentacle Lash, Spread Your Wings, Medusa Head, Skin Graft, Onslaught | Function: being a tank and dealing damage at a short distance This character is great for fights at a short distance and is used for dealing damage and receiving them from enemies that focus their attention on that character. Warfare abilities are for breaking enemy physical armor and inflicting various statuses. Polymorph helps in dealing a lot of damage and makes moving around a battlefield easier. The best race for this class: - Dwarf - has a talent that increases vitality and dodges - Human - has a talent that increases Initiative and critical hit chance as well as Encourage ability. |
Ranger | Huntsman, Scoundrel, Ranged | Tactical Retreat, Elemental Arrowheads, Sky Shot, Pin Down, Ricochet, Barrage, First Aid, Ballistic Shot, Marksman's Fang, Arrow Spray, Adrenaline, Cloak and Dagger, Chloroform | Function: dealing damage from a distance This character is 100% focused on dealing damage from a distance. Because of that you should invest a lot of points in Huntsman and Ranged abilities and add a few points (or finding a gear) to Scoundrel. This character can deal with physical armor (by using abilities and regular attacks) as well as magic armor (by using arrows). Has two teleportation abilities and one that allows them to receive 2 additional AP if there is a situation that requires you to finish someone off or escape. The best race for this class: - Dwarf - has a talent that increases vitality and dodges - Elf - Flesh Sacrifice ability gives them additional AP and increases their damage. |
Enchanter | Hydrosophist, Aerotheurge, Necromancer | Rain, Healing Ritual, Restoration, Ice Fan, Winter Blast, Armour of Frost, Global Cooling, Electrical Discharge, Dazing Bolt, Tornado, Teleport, Pressure Spike, Chain Lightning, Raise Bone Widow, Mosquito Swarm | Function: dealing magic damage and support One of the two mages in the team that focuses mainly on Air and Water elements. Their main purpose is to break enemy magic armor (Aerotheurge abilities), inflicting various status effects (Frozen, Stunned) and supporting the team with spells that heal and increase magic armor. Abilities from Necromancer school allow them to deal physical damage, inflict numerous status effects and support teammates in critical situations. Here, the most important spell is Rise Bone Widow that allows you to summon a spider - a few points in Summoning abilities (that can be easily obtained through items) makes this spider more powerful than most of the enemies in the game. The best races for this class: - Undead |
Wizard | Geomancer, Pyrokinetic, Summoning | Fireball, Haste, Fire Whip, Laser Ray, Peace of Mind, Epidemic of Fire, Poison Dart, Poison Wave, Acid Spores, Earthquake, Impalement, Fortify, Fossil Strike, Conjure Incarnate, Elemental Totem, Dominate Mind | Function: dealing magic damage and summoning creatures The second mage, however, this one focuses on Fire, Earth and Poison. Abilities from Pyrokinetic school allow them to deal a lot of Fire damage and support their allies. Geomancer gives access to abilities that inflict status effects (such as Slowed or Crippled) and those, that can regenerate physical armor of their allies. Dominate Mind ability is worth being mentioned - it allows you to control any enemy (when they don't have magic armor) or you can use it to remove this status from a friendly unit that is under enemy's control. The best races for this class: - Lizard - has a talent that increases Poison and Fire resistance and also has Dragon's Blaze ability. |
A few tips for this team lineup:
- You should invest in Stench talent because it lowers a chance that a character can be attacked by enemies. Get this talent for all characters expect for the Fighter - thanks to that all enemies will focus their attention on that character.
- When it comes to Enchanter and Wizard, you should invest a few points in Summoning and Necromancer. Then, you can unlock Raise Bone Widow spell. It allows you to summon a powerful spider that can deal with a few enemies at the same time before it's defeated - it's especially powerful when a caster has a well-developed Summoning school.
- Your Fighter needs a lot of magic and physical armor points (recommended in proportions 40:60). When it comes to the rest of the team, you should focus more on magic armor because they will be more often attacked by spells rather than physical attacks.
- Equip your Fighter with grenades so they can be thrown at enemies that can't be reached by your Fighter. Your Ranger should be equipped with arrows that allow them to inflict various status effects on enemies. Items from these two groups are easy to craft, you can also buy or steal them.
- A Ranger can be replaced with an assassin (Rogue or Shadowblade), however, this requires a completely different play style (attacking enemies from behind).
A hybrid team
This team combines various ability schools that may, at a first glance, seem to be not that compatible - an assassin that can heal allies and deal magic damage or a ranger that casts spells based on Earth element.
Class | Developed schools | Abilities | Function + explanation |
Rogue | Hydrosophist, Scoundrel | Adrenaline, Chloroform, Throwing Knife, Rupture Tendons, Backlash, Rain, Restoration, Healing Ritual, Hail Strike, Ice Fan | Function: dealing damage while being hidden and supporting the team with magic This character can deal a lot of damage, especially from behind. When this character is in a situation that puts their life in danger, they can use 2 additional AP to escape. However, this character also has ranged attacks that make them useful even when they are immobilized. In addition to that they also have two healing spells including one that is casted on the entire team which can be helpful during more difficult fights. The best race for this class: - Human - has a talent that increases Initiative and critical hit chance as well as Encourage ability. |
Wayfarer | Huntsman, Geomancer | Sky Shot, First Aid, Pin Down, Elemental Arrowheads, Fortify, Throw Dust, Reactive Armour, Impalement, Encourage (Human), Flesh Sacrifice (Elf) | Function: dealing damage from a distance and supporting the team by using magic This character specializes in ranged attacks that deal a lot of damage. However, when an enemy gets closer they can use their physical armor to attack. They can also use a battlefield to get arrows with various elements and inflict various status effects on enemies. The best race for this class: - Human - has a talent that increases Initiative and critical hit chance as well as Encourage ability. - Elf - Flesh Sacrifice ability gives them additional AP and increases their damage. |
Metamorph | Polymorph, Pyrokinetic | Bleed Fire, Laser Ray, Fireball, Fire Whip, Tentacle Lash, Spread Your Wings, Spider Legs, Flesh Sacrifice (Elf) | Function: fighting at a short distance and weakening enemies The main melee unit. Can move quickly between enemies and immobilize them effectively. They also have ranged attacks that make them useful even when they are immobilized. The best race for this class: - Elf - Flesh Sacrifice ability gives them additional AP and increases their damage. |
Battlemage | Necromancer, Warfare, Aerotheurge Dnd 5e stat block creator 1. | Bouncing Shield, Provoke, Blood Sucker, Death Wish, Living On The Edge, Bone Cage, Vacuum Touch, Infect, Electric Discharge, Closed Circuit | Function: being a tank and dealing damage at a short distance Even though this character is a mage, their main function is to fight at a short distance. Their goal is to distract enemy attention from weaker members of the team. That is why they have abilities that can keep them alive and allow them to deal massive damage at a short distance. Spells from Aerotheurge school are useful for destroying magic armor and abilities from Warfare serve to destroy enemy's physical armor. The best race for this class: - Elf - Flesh Sacrifice ability gives them additional AP and increases their damage. |
A few tips for this team lineup:
- You should invest in Stench talent because it lowers a chance that a character can be attacked by enemies. This talent should be unlocked on Rogue and Wayfarer characters - thanks to that the assassin will have an easier time in attacking enemies from behind while an archer won't need to change their position.
- Use your Rogue to eliminate targets that are at the back of enemy forces - mages and archers. Thanks to Rogue's damage, you will be able to render them unable to fight for one turn.
- Your Battlemage needs a lot of magic and physical armor points (recommended in proportions 40:60) which can help them to survive enemies' attacks.
Last updated on October 21st, 2018
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game is Builds. What Build do I use? What’s a good Build for a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In this Build Guide were going to cover the: Frost Paladin. Let’s jump into this Build and see just how it works.
Frost Paladin – Warrior Build
The Frost Paladin is a durable Warrior that buffs himself to unimaginable heights and then decimates his enemies with powerful physical attacks. Frost Paladins will utilize healing Hydrosophist Skills as well as a few other Frost spells to trap their enemies from moving before punishing them with Warfare Skills. Frost Paladins focus primarily on Strength, which works well here because only one Hydrosophist Skill they use actually scales with Intelligence, and we don’t use it for its damage, but rather its effect. Much like the Juggernaut, this allows us to utilize two Skill lines without splitting our Attributes.
My level 16 Frost Paladin’s Stats. I can clear packs of enemies with this setup WITHOUT LONE WOLF and most of my gear is level 12 or 13. Frost Paladin’s are just flat out hard to kill. Play one of these in PvP and see how it goes ?
Frost Paladin Attributes and Equipment
Frost Paladins focus primarily on Strength which is used to increase the damage of their Warfare Skills. Frost Paladins will then focus on Wits to increase their Critical Chance and Initiative, allowing them to attack more quickly in combat. We use two damaging Hydrosophist Skills for this Build: Global Cooling and Ice Breaker, but Global Cooling is simply used to freeze the ground and Ice Breaker does not scale with Intelligence (or any Attribute), so we can use it here to great effect.
This skill doesn’t scale with Attributes, only Hydrosophist, so we lose minimal damage here. Very good damage in an AoE for 1 AP. Use when you have a lot of targets standing in Ice and you know you can finish 1 or more of them.
Frost Paladins will utilize Strength-based Armour, which is exactly what this Build needs, because Frost Paladins can buff their Magic Armour quite well, but will have some difficulty buffing their Physical Armour as effectively. The concept behind the Frost Paladin is that you don’t need to Stealth during combat because you have so much Armour that you can just withstand attacks while you take down enemies. For this reason having the highest Armour you can is imperative. You will also utilize Ice to prevent melee units from hitting you, giving you some relief.
I recommend that Frost Paladins use Single-Handed and Shield, but you can also use a Two-Handed Weapon if you have high enough Armour. Using a Shield will also give you access to Deflective Barrier, which not only buffs your Physical Armour, but also reflects projectiles back at enemies for 3 turns. You can also get a Shield with a Rune slot that will allow you to increase your Shield’s Physical or Magic Armour even higher. Make sure your Weapon is Strength-based and has a Rune slot that you can use to increase physical damage (if you can). I like to use a Weapon that has both physical and water damage for my Frost Paladin, but the damage type on it isn’t super important.
My Two-Hander with a bit of Water Damage. Also glows blue, which is epic!
Frost Paladin Talents and Abilities
One of the hardest parts about making a Build in Divinity: Original Sin 2 is getting your Abilities distribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain from Abilities in this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at what Abilities and Talents you need for a Frost Paladin.
Frost Paladins will focus on a mix of Warfare and Hydrosophist. I like to prioritize them in a 2:1 ratio, meaning for every 2 points I put into Warfare I put one into Hydrosophist. This will ensure that you deal relatively good damage, while at the same time improving your heals, buffs and the damage of Ice Breaker (when you get it). You’ll also want 2 points into Necromancer, 1 into Polymorph, and 2 into Scoundrel to unlock a few Skills that work well with this Build.
As far as Talents go I’d recommend the following:
Opportunist – As with all melee Builds, this one Talent drastically increases your damage output, so take this one first.
Executioner– This Talent is just wicked good, especially later on in the game. Take this 2nd or 3rd to increase your AP by 2 per round if you get a kill.
Living Armour – Because this Build focuses very heavily on Armour this Talent is a natural fit, especially because you have access to powerful heals.
Hothead – This Talent works well here because you should rarely be below full health, having so much Armour. Take this 3rd or 4th.
Picture of Health – This Talent is always good for a Build that focuses on Warfare, but if you find you aren’t taking any direct Vitality damage, consider taking something else.
Elemental Affinity – Worth considering for this Build because you will be standing in water or Ice quite often. However, most Hydrosophist Skills already cost 1 AP that we use, so you won’t really feel the effectiveness of it like you would in some other Builds.
Frost Paladin Skills
Now that you’ve decided which Talents and Abilities you want, you’ll need to identify just which Skills work best with this kind of setup. Frost Paladins will use a mix of Warfare Skills, Hydrosophist Skills, and miscellaneous Skills. This allows them to maintain decent physical damage while being able to buff up, heal and use Ice to control the battlefield. Since Builds evolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put the Skills in order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Warfare Skills
Battle Stomp – A great AoE with a Knockdown. Very effective at taking 1 or more opponents out of the fight for a turn, and should only be used when you can do just that.
Bouncing Shield – If you’re using a Shield this is a must-have skill. Does tremendous damage and can hit up to 2 targets. A huge benefit of being a Shield user.
Battering Ram – Very good for mobility (especially across Ice) and comes with a Knockdown to boot. Get this one early and use it to hit targets not in the Ice you’ve created if possible.
Blitz Attack – Another great gap closer that can be used to maneuver across Ice and other surfaces. Save this for after you have used Global Cooling if possible and try to position yourself to land a Battle Stomp or Whirlwind after.
Whirlwind – A tremendous AoE that deals full damage to each target struck. Try to make sure you hit at least 3 targets when using this or save it for a moment when you can.
Phoenix Dive – This should be your opener to get to your target. For 1 AP this will get you where you need to go and then hopefully a follow up Attack of Opportunity on that target’s turn.
Deflective Barrier – This skill isn’t quite a must-have for this Build, but it’s close. Not only does it buff your Armour, but the reflect is REALLY GOOD for 3 turns. I like to use first thing turn 1.
Guardian Angel – Probably one of the few Builds around that I’d actually recommend this skill for. If you’re playing 2 player Lone Wolf this skill can be a lifesaver.
Challenge – As of February 1st, 2018 this Skill now only costs 1 AP, making it viable for nearly every Warfare oriented Build. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 15% for 1 turn.
Hydrosophist Skills
Armour of Frost – The best way to buff your Magic Armour and also removes a variety of Status Effects. Use this turn one to buff up, and reapply when as soon as it is off cooldown.
Rain – Use this skill or Raining Blood to create wet surfaces to freeze with Global Cooling. This will help you prevent melee from getting to you, and often cause a few Knock Downs.
Restoration – A good early game heal that can remove a couple of Status Effects. Can also be used on Undead to mess them up pretty good (deals damage to their Physical Armour).
Cleanse Wounds – Another early game heal that can remove a wide variety of Status Effects and damage Undead. Probably not used outside of this Build. Very good for damaging Undead.
Cryotherapy – This skill can restore a shit ton of Magic Armour, but doesn’t add to your total. If you use after you’ve cast Armour of Frost it will replenish more Magic Armour. Requires 1 point in Huntsman.
Global Cooling – This skill doesn’t do a whole lot of damage no matter what you do in this game, and it’s primary function is to freeze surfaces, which is what we use it for. For 1 AP you can block whole areas that are wet or use the Ice to gain Armour.
Healing Ritual – A great heal that will hit multiple targets. If you’re playing Lone Wolf it becomes less valuable, but it can still be used to damage Undead. Lack of Status Effect removal hurts it a lot.
Mass Cleanse Wounds – A great AoE heal that removes a ton of Status Effects and heals for a good amount. Again not as useful in Lone Wolf, but great in a party and better when there is another melee character.
Ice Breaker – This skill doesn’t gain any benefit from Intelligence or Strength, only Hydrosophist seems to increase its (non-critical) damage. We use it here because for 1 AP it can deal quite a bit of water damage if you need to.
Miscellaneous Skills
Adrenaline – A must have skill for just about any Build. You never know when you might just need one more attack or buff to save you from a really bad situation. Don’t leave home without it.
Divinity Original Sin Action Points
Cloak and Dagger – A great mobility skill for 1 AP. Since you’ll have 1 point invested into Scoundrel already, 1 more won’t hurt you too much. Scoundrel increases Critical Multiplier anyway.
Tentacle Lash – Does extremely good damage and sets Atrophy which prevents the target from attacking next turn. Get this one early and use it often. Fairly decent range as well.
Bone Cage – A great way to replenish Physical Armour, that only grows in effectiveness the more corpses on the ground. Wait until you’ve killed at least one target before using.
Bless – What would a Paladin Build be without this Skill? Not only removes Cursed surfaces, but the bonuses it provides are vastly underrated. You can also turn fire into holy fire, which heals teammates!
Final Tips
I strongly recommend this Build to new and first time players because it will ease the learning curve of the early areas of the game just a bit. As you learn the ropes and get more familiar with combat you will realize that you shouldn’t need much healing or you’re doing it wrong. That doesn’t mean however, this Build can’t be effective in harder difficulties or more advanced situations, you just need to learn how to use it. Healing can be used to damage Undead very effectively and Ice is very good at controlling the battle.
If you’re playing a Lone WolfFrost Paladin a recommend taking the Enrage skill because it will drastically increase your damage with this Build. When you have 6 AP a turn it becomes much more effective than when you have 4 or I would have put it in the Skills section above. It will prevent you from using non-weapon attacks though, so be sure you don’t need to cast anything first. I suggest using it when you are already in range of your target, when you are likely to get an Attack of Opportunity during the enemy’s turn.
This will last the turn you cast it and the turn after. I don’t recommend it when you only have 4 AP per turn, but when you play Lone Wolf or Glass Cannon it really shines.
Combine the Boots you are wearing with Nails to prevent yourself from slipping on Ice. You should have enough maneuverability Skills to make this not required, but it doesn’t hurt anything to add them, so be sure you do. It’s also a good idea to do the same for any other melee type characters that may need to move through the Ice to attack as well.
Instead of using Bone Cage you could drop a point into Geomancer and and take the Fortify skill. The upside is that it requires one less point into Geomancer than you would need in Necromancer and you cannot be Teleported. The downside is that having points into Necromancer actually returns Magic Armour when you deal damage (with Living Armour). It’s really up to you, so try it out and see what works best.
You can also play a variant of this Build where you don’t put as many points into Hydrosophist, but instead put them into Retribution to reflect damage. This works very nicely with this Build because you get hit quite a bit, and it can be a good way to soften up your targets before you close for the kill. If you decide to go this route, I recommend splitting your points between Hydrosophist and Retribution 1:1.
As of Feb 1st, Provoke now goes through Physical Armour and will allow you to Taunt nearby enemies. Consider adding this to this Build if you wish to fulfill the “tank” role. You have tons and tons of Armour as a Frost Paladin so this would be a natural fit. If you decide to do this, I would suggest taking a couple points of Summoning to get the Soul Mate skill.
Lastly, you can actually make a Ranger version of this Build that may work as well if not better. The benefit of using a Bow, is that when you create Ice around you, you can still shoot at enemies without needing to move which is great. If you go down the Ranger route, you’ll have less Armour, so you’ll have to take care to make sure you have the best you can find/purchase.
Be sure to check out our other Build Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
Some aspects of Divinity: Original Sin are either not explained, explained poorly, or simply hidden. This page is a living page seeking to provide a litany of tips to get the most out of your experience. Feel free to submit your own that are not covered elsewhere on the wiki!
The tips presented here may be limited in usefulness, depending on what kind of party you have. However, they're all something to keep in mind when playing.
Early Gameplay[edit]
Restarting is Natural[edit]
You will most likely screw up your first two characters. This is not a bad thing.
At its core, Divinity: Original Sin is a bit of a sandbox that encourages experimentation to see what the engine is capable of. As such, while you might start off with a particular game plan, it's likely that you'll back yourself into a corner pretty early. Don't hesitate to restart if you think a different set of Source Hunters would better serve you.
Of note, you'll be fighting a lot of undead in the first few hours. Zombies are strong against all melee, and skeletons are strong against bladed melee. If one (or both) of your first characters prefers swords, you will be at a disadvantage from the outset, and the game will feel more difficult as a result. However, once the undead threat is over with, the game is a bit more balanced, and your swordsmen will start to feel their true power. You should roll up your first two characters with that in mind: do you want to slaughter the undead really easily, or will you go for a more long-term solution while understanding that the game will be pretty tough to start as a result?
Strapped For Cash[edit]
There is very, very little money to be had early on in the game. This is not indicative of Divinity: Original Sin as a whole. Eventually, you'll pretty much be bleeding treasure, especially if you do all the quests and explore everywhere.
Those early hours will be pretty tough however. Most players generally take a dark side approach: it's ridiculously easy to steal in this game, and you can even sell stolen items back to their original owners without penalty. There is no morality meter, so stealing and fencing your goods is only profitable for you, assuming you're not caught in the act.
It is possible to get away with not stealing, and playing the game as a metaphorical white knight. Many players do it just for the challenge, while others do it to role-play. Whatever you reason, it's perfectly fine to avoid stealing and just play the game “straight.” However, you will also make things far more challenging for yourself.
If you do decide to steal, note that paintings of all kinds are incredibly valuable, and there are a ton of them in Cyseal.
General Gameplay[edit]
Save Early, Save Often[edit]
It's a motto that gamers have been familiar with for decades, and Divinity: Original Sin really makes you work with it. Depending on your options in the menu, you can have rolling quick saves (default is five), rather than being limited to just one. Quick loading loads your most recent quick save, but the others stay on call for manual loading.
As a result, this is the best tip we can give, so important that we'll bold it:
Quick save the instant every single battle starts, no matter how minor it seems; quick save immediately after every battle where you like the results no matter how minor it seems.
Battles can occur anywhere, sometimes when you least expect them too. It's entirely too common to have a simple fight, let your guard down, and suddenly get destroyed a moment later. If you run through the tutorial dungeon in Part 1, you might feel a false sense of security in how the battles generally go. It's never that easy again.
Further, battles don't always go the same way. There is a rather liberal random number generator at work, and quick loading a lost cause of a battle will sometimes be enough to give you a different edge. If nothing else, getting obliterated in a fight might lead you to see openings in the environment you didn't see before.
Attributes and Abilities Level Up Differently[edit]
One of the most confusing aspects of Divinity: Original Sin is how to level up properly. There is no information in-game on it; it's just trial and error. We're here to minimize your error.
The most blatantly oddity in the rules of the game come from leveling up. When you gain a level, you gain one point each to put into Attributes and Abilities. Your Attributes are things like Strength and Dexterity, which determine the base damage or defense you do. Every level of each Attribute costs exactly one point.
Abilities are things like how good you are at using a particular weapon. Leveling up Abilities make you do more damage with a particular thing, and it makes advanced Skills in that category cost fewer action points, making them more efficient. However, leveling up Abilities is far more expensive than leveling up Attributes: it costs as many points to level as that level represents.
That means in order to go from 0 to 1 in any ability, it costs 1 Ability Point. To go from 1 to 2 in an ability, it costs 2 more Ability Points, for a total of 3. To go from 2 to 3, it costs 3 Ability Points, for a total of 6.
You don't have to spend any points when you level. (You don't even have to spend your Attribute Point right away, although there is no reason to hold off.) That means there will be many times where you'll want to save up your Ability Point for the next level up. If you make a front-line swordsman (like if you're using the Knight Preset Class), and you're making him a tank, you'll want to save up his first few Ability Points so you can spend them on making him an Armor Specialist. Putting those points elsewhere is just a waste unless you have a specific plan.
Always think ahead when leveling up. At the end-game, specialists will be more valuable than jacks-of-all-trades.
Enemy Strength Is Static[edit]
All enemies in Divinity: Original Sin have a specific level and specific strength. This means that it's possible for your party to advance a little too quickly and run into enemies that are too strong, thus telling you that you shouldn't be at that area yet. Conversely, it's possible that if you missed a dungeon once and find it later, you'll be able to run through it with impunity.
As such, the game isn't exactly open world. It's designed that you take certain objectives in a relatively specific order. There is some wiggle room, but if an area just seems too strong for you, it's likely that you shouldn't be there yet. Explore elsewhere first.
For the most part, if you are on the same level as the enemies, you should be able to defeat them. If you're even one level down, you'll be in for a serious challenge. If you're more than one level down, you'll probably get destroyed no matter what tactics you try.
Immediately Win Any RPS Game[edit]
When characters need to debate, they will trigger a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Generally winning either gives better rewards, or allows you to complete a quest a different way.
Your character's negotiation skill depends on his Abilities, Traits, and bonuses. However, there's a way to completely cheat the system and “win” the debate without any effort. When the window comes up to play, press right bracket ( ] ) to change to your next character, then press left bracket ( [ ) to change back. That instantly wins the RPS game with no repercussions.
Stay Well Fed[edit]
Food is cheap, and good meals will increase your Attributes. Sure, food effects are temporary, but any boost is a good boost, especially given the difficulty level of the battles.
All characters can cook without any additional Abilities. Consult the Food Recipes page to see some of the available meals you can make!
Quest Confusion[edit]
It's possible to take a quest that does not have a solution until much later. Our Walkthrough will attempt to mitigate confusion as much as possible, but it is a work in progress. Sometimes, a quest will simply be impossible to complete for a while, and there is never a guarantee that you'll be able to finish it in your current area.
Unlike other role-playing games, quest items are not necessarily out in the open or signaled overtly. Some may be in bookshelves or in chests, others may be in an otherwise innocuous place. (In the tutorial dungeon, you'll find a locked chest, and the key for it is in a nearby vase that just looks like all the other vases in the level.) When on a quest, the journal will give you a general idea where to look, but you may need to search through every container in the area to find it.
Being Bad for Fun and Profit[edit]
Murdering an NPC allows you to take all of his possessions, even if you had bartered with him previously. You can attack anyone by holding CTRL and left-clicking your target, though attacking a friendly in the middle of town is ill-advised. Also, it's possible to kill a quest-giver and shut down the quest entirely.
A middle solution if you don't mind being a little bad is to steal. Characters are generally aware of everything that's going on their homes unless they are speaking. A common tactic is to have one Source Hunter start a conversation with a mark, then take control of the other Source Hunter. Have the second one start sneaking, and you'll see most of the world go grayscale, except for a cone of color in the eyesight of the target. See the screenshot below.
Have the second Source Hunter loot the house or perform a pickpocket. As long as you stay in the area with washed out colors, you will not be caught!
NPCs cannot detect stolen items. It's entirely possible to steal an item and sell it right back to the person you stole it from. Paintings are especially useful early in the game, especially considering their value-to-weight ratio.
Ice Walk
[edit]
Characters slip often on ice, which becomes a real pain when you discover an ice-themed area. To avoid slipping out of combat, you'll need to walk. There is no dedicated button to do so, but if you move by holding the left mouse button while the cursor is near your character, he or she will walk rather than run.
In combat, if a character (whether that's you or the enemy) walks on ice, there is always a chance he will slip and fall, making himself vulnerable (with a 100% chance of being hit until he gets back up), and forfeiting the rest of his turn. You can create ice by finding water (or creating it), then casting a Chill spell on the puddle.
If you're forced to deal with the ice, you can always cast a fire spell of some kind to melt it.
bring a stack of candles
[edit]
Especially in the early game, you will encounter many flammable substances, like the poison splashes that zombies spread. To conserve your fire arrows, loot candles by clicking and dragging them in your inventory. Be mindful that each candle will weigh a pound, so they can easily stack up to a lot of weight.
Before each fight with a zombie, place a battery of candles on the ground (make sure to seperate the stacks) and light them. Each time a zombie gets injured, a spray of poison will exit it's body. Click and drag the burning candles into the poison cloud or splash to throw them; this costs only 2 action points and the candles are never destroyed. Because the candles have the quality 'Burning', they trigger the poison to explode.
Before each fight with a zombie, place a battery of candles on the ground (make sure to seperate the stacks) and light them. Each time a zombie gets injured, a spray of poison will exit it's body. Click and drag the burning candles into the poison cloud or splash to throw them; this costs only 2 action points and the candles are never destroyed. Because the candles have the quality 'Burning', they trigger the poison to explode.
Sheathe Weapons
[edit]
By pressing Tab, you can draw or sheathe your weapon. Generally, only the character under your direct control have have his weapon out outside of combat. Be sure to sheathe your weapon when you want to talk to someone, or you'll take a hit to their disposition to you.
Interface Tips[edit]
Character Inventory Management[edit]
Right-clicking a party member portrait brings up his or her inventory screen. These screens can be dragged around, and multiple inventories can be open at once. This can be useful when you need to give items from one member to another, because click-dragging an item out of an inventory onto the character himself on the game world usually results in a “There's no room” message. This is referring to the fact that the game thinks you're trying to place the item on the ground, rather than giving it away, and it can't finish that command since there is a person standing there.
Instead, either drag the item from one inventory window to another, or drag the item from an inventory window onto the portrait of whoever you want to receive it.
Also note that during the bartering process, only one character will receive the items being bartered, and only the character who initiated it gets to compare gear stats. If a vendor has equipment that different characters may benefit from (say, he carries a Bow that works for one character and a Sword for another), you may want to barter twice (once with each character) just to make sure the characters will benefit from the trade.
Items Aplenty[edit]
Holding down the ALT key will create tool tip boxes for every item that is on the ground. You'll want to use this often to make sure you pick up every piece of loot, especially in a crowded area.
Crafting[edit]
Generally in order to craft an item, open your inventory, then just drag one ingredient onto another. Some simple recipes include:
- Empty Potion Bottle + Penny Bun Mushroom = Healing Potion
- Empty Potion Bottle + Fly Agaric Mushroom = Poison
- Branch + Knife = Arrow Shaft
- Arrow Shaft + Poison = Poison Arrow
- Nine Inch Nails + Hammer = Lockpick
As the Poison Arrow above shows, it's common for crafted ingredients to be further crafted into more useful items. Arrow shafts can be combined with a wide variety of elemental items to create elemental arrows.
For more information on crafting, please see our Crafting & Blacksmithing page.
Tactical Camera[edit]
By default, the Tactical Camera is toggled by pressing the B key. This moves the camera to a top-down perspective, essentially turning the game into two dimensions. This is incredibly helpful when you need to carefully walk around poison or fire, or even out of combat when you can't quite grasp the perspective of a cluttered room.
Map Notes[edit]
Pressing M brings up your map. You can then set a map note (denoted by a red flag) by double-clicking any area of the map, allowing you to mark areas for whatever reason you wish. Useful if you're just randomly exploring, but encounter an area too strong for you, allowing you to quickly find it later once you've leveled up sufficiently.
This is incredibly useful for buildings especially. Most buildings get automatic marks on your map only after you walk inside them. Some don't, and others you might want to mark before you can enter them. You can make as many map notes as you want.
Hot Bars[edit]
Characters have multiple hot bars that can be swapped with small arrow buttons near them, or hot keyed with F and R.
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Last updated on October 21st, 2018
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game is Builds. What Build do I use? What’s a good Build for a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is extremely difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In this Build Guide were going to cover the hybrid: Ranger. Let’s jump into this Build and see just how it works.
Ranger – Archer/Summoner Build
The Ranger is a hybrid Build that focuses on ranged damage with a Bow or Crossbow and Summoning some form of “Pet”. The reason it is advised that you use a ranged character when Summoning is because Summoning tends to take up the bulk of your character’s AP per turn, which doesn’t leave much for Movement. Taking a ranged approach will allow you to both summon and attack in the same turn. Note: you can also make a magical version of this Build called a Druid, which I will get into in another Build Guide. For the purposes of the Ranger, Ifan ben-Mezd works the best as he comes with a pet Wolf, which works great with this Build because Summoning will increase its effectiveness. However, players can really use any Race or Origin for this Build if they wish.
The stats of a level 14 Ranger (mid game) that is about 50/50 into Ranged and Summoning. Your character sheet will look lower than a pure Archer, but you have a summon that will also shell out a good bit of damage.
Ranger Attributes and Equipment
Ranger’s are going to focus on Finesse and Wits as their primary Attributes with a bit of Constitution. Finesse will increase your damage with Bows and Crossbows. Wits will increase your Critical Chance and Initiative. Constitution will help keep you alive. There is not an Attribute that increases the damage of “Pets” so there is no need to focus on that here. I would distribute points on a 2:1:1 ratio here.
Finesse is your go to for damage, with Wits following up for Critical and Initiative. There is not Attribute that improves Summoning, so you are free to determine what sort of Summoner you will play.
As a Ranger you’ll be using Armour that requires Finesse, which gives a balance of Magic and Physical Armour. That’s great for this type of play because you won’t have really any way to buff your Armour unless you place points into other Abilities. Because you’ll have rather high Wits, you should get to go close to first in combat often, which will allow you to use Skills to position yourself high and away from melee enemies, making your only real danger other archers and casters.
When it comes to Weapons you’ll want either a Bow or Crossbow. The difference between the two, is that Crossbows deal more damage at the same level, but reduces Movement by 1. Since you won’t be moving much, a Crossbow is recommended here, but be sure to take whatever does the most damage from what is available.
You can see the damage difference on Bow and Crossbow here. Both level 13 rare. Crossbows will always do slightly more damage, but they will always reduce Movement.
Ranger Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making a Build in Divinity: Original Sin 2 is getting your Abilities distribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain from Abilities in this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at what Abilities and Talents you need for a Ranger.
For a Ranger Build you will be focusing on Ranged and Summoning. You’ll want to get both Ranged and Summoning to 10, Huntsman at 3 and then dump any leftover points into Warfare to increase your physical damage. However, I do recommend placing one point into Warfare early on, so that you can take the Executioner Talent. The order in which you place points into Ranged and Summoning will really depend on how you like to play. Do you want to deal more damage with your Crossbow with sort of a pet as and after thought? Do you want to split the points evenly? Or do you want a really powerful pet while you use your Crossbow to not be completely useless? It’s all really up to you, and you can always respec if you don’t like the decision you have made after Act 1. If you’re not sure, I’d recommend splitting them until you get a feel for it.
As far as Talents go I’d recommend the following:
Far Out Man – This will increase the range of your attacks by 2 meters (basic attacks included). Since you won’t be moving a lot, being able to hit from as far away as possible is excellent.
Elemental Ranger – This Talent will add 40% damage to your attacks of the element that your target is standing in. This is additional damage, on top of your normal damage.
Executioner – Archers have some the best long range damage in the game, and as a result they frequently get kills. Taking this Talent will give you 2 more AP if you get a kill, however, it doesn’t trigger more than once per turn.
Arrow Recovery – Gives you a 33% chance to recover special arrows you fire at enemies. You won’t be using these as much as the first game, and that’s why it is prioritized less here. Still more useful than most Talents for a Ranger though.
Pet Pal – What kind of Ranger would you be without being able to converse with animals? If chose Ifan ben-Mezd during Character Creation, then you will come with this Talent already.
Hothead – An excellent way to increase your Critical Chance and Accuracy, which are both important to a Ranger. Since you will have high Initiative, you should be able to get some good use out of this Talent.
Ranger Skills
Now that you’ve decided which Talents and Abilities you want, you’ll need to identify just which Skills work best with this kind of setup. Rangers are one of the more simple Builds to play, and you can really use just about any Skills from Huntsman or Summoning you want, but we’ll cover the important ones here. Since Builds evolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put the Skills in order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Huntsman Skills
First Aid – This skill is just frankly wicked good. Heals you or a party member and removes many different Status Effects. All Rangers should have this skill, regardless of what sort they play.
Ricochet – Not the greatest Huntsman skill, but you should learn it early in order to have some attack other than just your basic one. Consider unslotting it later in the game when you have more access to Skills.
Tactical Retreat – This is another must have skill for any Ranger, as it will allow you to move much further than you possibly could for 1 AP. Use this skill to get up high, get bonus damage from elevation and get out of harm’s way.
Sky Shot – This skill is good for getting extra damage when you can’t be elevated. It’s got a quick cooldown, and it only costs 2 AP. You might find this skill less useful later on when you find you are more tactical than at the beginning.
Ballistic Shot – Better than Sky Shot because you can be elevated and still get extra damage from this skill. Get up high using Tactical Retreat and then launch this for massive damage.
Marksman’s Fang – Great for penetrating Armour and hitting multiple targets. Even better when used in conjunction with Ifan’s Soul Wolf, because it’s special attack Vicious Bite pierces Armour as well.
Arrow Spray – This skill deals amazing damage if you are close enough to hit your target with all 16 arrows and will essentially deal 6.5x the damage of a basic attack. A great boss killer!
Summoning Skills
Conjure Incarnate – This is your go-to summon for the better part of the game. Can be infused with elements to change damage types and Skills. Get this one early and always cast at the beginning of combat.
Farsight Infusion – Grants your Incarnate Magic Armour and a ranged attack. A great skill to use if you’re facing a lot of mage type enemies, or if the battlefield is a shit show and your Incarnate can’t really move without dying.
Power Infusion – Grants your Incarnate Physical Armour and an AoE as well as a knockdown. Just a great all around skill, that can help you take one turn away from the opponent.
Soul Mate – This skill clears many Status Effects and creates a connection that gives half of your healing and Armour restoration to the target. This is a great way to help keep your pet alive.
Dominate Mind – Control target enemy for 2 turns. This is resisted by Magic Armour, which isn’t the greatest for this sort of Build. However, this skill is too good not to slot, as you can always cast on targets damaged by your Mage.
Final Tips
Consider adding some points into Necromancer and taking the talent Living Armour if you find yourself using Soul Mate often. This will ensure you get the most from this skill and having a few points into Necromancer is always good for any character anyway. This will also provide you access to the summons of the Necromancer line as well, though you shouldn’t need them.
The only way to buff damage of summoned characters, besides putting points into Summoning, is by increasing the actual Attributes of the summoned character with buffs. Encourage can give your “Pets” around a 10% damage increase, which isn’t a lot, but Encourage hits multiple targets so it’s very useful. Make sure at least one member in your party has this skill.
Since Rangers often need to spend a lot of AP on the first turn to get out their summons and get into position, consider putting 1 point into Scoundrel to get the Adrenaline skill. This will give you 2 extra AP to get what you need done at the cost of some AP next turn. Also, if you don’t want to pick Ifan ben-Mezd, I strongly suggest picking an Elf for the Flesh Sacrifice skill, which will also give you 1 additional AP to get you going. Flesh Sacrifice also has great synergy with Elemental Arrowheads, as you will gain a physical damage bonus from the blood you will create, so be sure to slot this if you play as an Elf.
You can get the skill Summon Cat Familiar if the Black Cat chooses your character, and you help it escape Fort Joy. You can get Summon Condor from Featherfall in Stonegarden (Act 2). You will need Pet Pal and some Persuasion in order to get this skill. You can get the skill Summon Dragonling much later in the game in the Dream Portal in Arx if you have The Red Prince in your party. None of these are required for this Build, but if you’d like to try out some different summons, these are some you could choose from. Note: you can only have one active summons at a time per character.
Lastly, if you don’t mind putting a point into Pyrokinetic, Haste is a really good skill for a Ranger. You can either use it on yourself or on your “Pet”, but the Movement won’t do you a lot of good. Your Incarnate, Wolf, Condor or what have you can make good use of it though getting where they need to go without spending much AP. It also only costs 1 AP, which isn’t much.
Check out our other Build Guides and good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!