Board 8 > Did anyone here pick up Divinity: Original Sin 2?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I have the first game on PS4, only played a few hours (4-8 if I had to guess) and never got fully invested since the story just didn't really grab me, and I probably built my characters like garbage. Despite not being crazy about that one... the sequel is being talked about as one of the greatest RPGs of all-time, and it's becoming hard to ignore.

I basically play games for the story and music, so great characters and writing are basically the only thing I care about. I know the battle system is supposed to be great, but it's not something that can keep me playing a game and I wasn't crazy about what I played in the first. I guess I'm just wondering if the story in this game is on a different level, or if it's more of the same. What I played of Original Sin didn't feel too mature and it was hard to stay interested.
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Have it.

First game had high aspirations but fell kinda flat. I know some people love it, but I kept giving up in frustration. D:OS2 really is well put together. I'm not going to proclaim it as being in the GOAT running yet, but I can understand why people like it. I'm 35 hours in now, and most of the way done act 2.

Most people I've heard comments from laud the story. A few think it's shallow and predictable, and I wouldn't say that what I've encountered so far of the grand plot is necessarily all that fascinating, but mostly it's the "main quest in a big game" sort of set-up, so that's excusable.

What makes it noteworthy is the variety. Each quest usually has a couple different outcomes, and the game definitely makes you feel like you just do it however you do it, and then roll with that rather than reloading if it didn't turn out right. Beyond that, many or maybe even most of the NPCs have reactions to your character if they are of a particular race, if you picked one of a few specific tags at the start of the game (like soldier or scholar), or if you chose to play one of the built-in characters that Larian made for the campaign. I wouldn't say that the personal quests of my companions has been any better than the main quest, either, but with the breadth of the world and the sort of overlapping or conflicting motives that come into play in certain places, I think that the story is strong enough to do its job without being intrusive.

If you don't care about the battle system, play on easy. Some folks play this game for the strategic elements, but I personally find a lot of them frustrating and I don't like forcing min/max-ing on myself or micromanaging heavily with mass consumables, so I stick to keeping it simple.

In general, I think the music's even a bit better than the first Original Sin, and D:OS had pretty decent music for the mostpart.
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@iiicon did.

Im waiting, too many good games right now to pickup another RPG epic
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Just bought it because I'm impulsive and I don't think before doing things.

Also remembered Steam offers refunds so I want to download it and read more/hopefully hear from more of you before jumping in.

Huge thanks for the info azuarc, that was exactly the type of comment I was looking for.
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Now I wish I enjoyed western RPGs at all
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CeraSeptem posted...

Now I wish I enjoyed western RPGs at all

Yeah, I used to be all-in on JRPGs and couldn't see anything from another genre ever becoming a favourite, and then Dragon Age happened. I think it was the fact that all the choices were grey and you could never simply play as "the good guy" and make all the right choices and leave everyone happy that made me fall in love with it. That's why I find this game so intriguing, all the reviews hammer home the point that the game is filled with tough choices and you really leave your mark on the world, for better or worse.

I still can't believe some of the reviews when I look at Metacritic, it's so odd to see such unabashed praise of a modern title.
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thundersheep posted...

CeraSeptem posted...

Now I wish I enjoyed western RPGs at all

Yeah, I used to be all-in on JRPGs and couldn't see anything from another genre ever becoming a favourite, and then Dragon Age happened. I think it was the fact that all the choices were grey and you could never simply play as "the good guy" and make all the right choices and leave everyone happy that made me fall in love with it.

Gee, you should try Planescape.
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I got it recently but havent played it yet
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thundersheep posted...

and then Dragon Age happened.

DA:O is probably the best game to compare it to. There are a fair number of similarities. Dragon Age has a stronger story because the game is built around the story, and because its world is broken up into much smaller, discrete chunks. DOS2 just gives you a world to roam, and leaves it to you to decide how to resolve things. However, the actual choices and breadth of options are similar...except that DOS2 probably gives you more tools for arriving at unscripted resolutions.

I had a quest where I was trying to escort a guy out of town without the guards seeing him. The town is built around 3 bridges. The closest one is guarded and the second one is broken. Rather than making my way to the third one, I just cast teleport on the guy and slung him across the broken bridge. The game instantly recognized that he had left town and awarded me the quest.

However, in terms of what made DAO great, I think you'll find that DOS2 doesn't quite measure up. It has its own strengths by comparison, but don't go into it thinking that you're playing another DAO. DOS1's story was pretty atrocious after you got past the whole murder mystery thing at the beginning. The designers have been lauding all the writing and varied outcomes they've created, but I think the people praising the game have been a little extreme in that regard. I find it both impressive and underwhelming at the same time.

One area that I think the game stepped up considerably is in terms of character development. You get more options, more freedom, and there are more "spell schools" to choose between. The one thing you need to consider is that status effects are important for controlling the battles, and those don't work unless you break your opponents' armor first. There's physical armor and there's magical armor, too, so it's not as if your fighter can wallop someone good and then your mage can stun them. As a result, I made my party have four physical attackers and mostly ignored offensive magic. I figured it made sense to go all-in on one or the other. I really like my scoundrel, my two-handed fighter packs a real punch, and the archer has a lot of flexibility. My fourth guy was supposed to be more tanky and kinda support-oriented, but he doesn't really contribute much. No mobility, and seldom has useful things to do, especially since I rarely have health that needs recovering. (Armor, otoh...)
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Yes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t84TnfseiDQ
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JackMan posted...

Yes!

Are you FAHtastic? I didn't realize you were even still around. I miss YAN.
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azuarc posted...

JackMan posted...

Yes!

Are you FAHtastic? I didn't realize you were even still around. I miss YAN.

I am! Or I used to be. But yeah, always here, never went anywhere.
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thundersheep posted...

CeraSeptem posted...

Now I wish I enjoyed western RPGs at all

Yeah, I used to be all-in on JRPGs and couldn't see anything from another genre ever becoming a favourite, and then Dragon Age happened. I think it was the fact that all the choices were grey and you could never simply play as "the good guy" and make all the right choices and leave everyone happy that made me fall in love with it. That's why I find this game so intriguing, all the reviews hammer home the point that the game is filled with tough choices and you really leave your mark on the world, for better or worse.

I still can't believe some of the reviews when I look at Metacritic, it's so odd to see such unabashed praise of a modern title.

Yeah, I like the depth and all that of most western RPGs. The difficulty for me is that they are often not fun, and I have hit a point (maybe it's my age, I dunno) where if it's not fun to play something and just feels like work then fuck it. The battle systems of wRPGs is typically the problem in their case.

That said, after looking at several videos I realize the battle system is more akin to what I am looking for, so this could totally be an option for me as soon as it's not PC only. Sweet!
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CeraSeptem posted...

That said, after looking at several videos I realize the battle system is more akin to what I am looking for, so

Indeed. Most WRPGs have live-action fighting on some level. This is wholly turn-based and strategic. It doesn't even resemble a RTS with optional pausing like DA:O or Pillars of Eternity.
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