I've (finally) finished Divinity: Original Sin 2, and since I've been talking a bit about the game here for the past few weeks, I thought I'd share my thoughts with you. Comparing this game to BG3 is quite common, and when I started playing DOS, some people said they preferred some elements it had over BG3, and so on, so I'll also be making these comparisons. (Contains some spoilers for DOS2)

First of all, the magic system, which is probably the most divisive element. They are... quite different, that's for sure. If I hadn't played (and played and played...) BG3, I'd most certainly say that DOS magic system sounds more appealing. But, to be very honest with y'all, I can't really choose a favourite. I've grown not only used to the DnD system in BG3, but I've also grown to like it a lot. The limited spell slots don't bother me, and there's pleeeenty of resources to long rest in the game even in the hardest difficulty, so I'm fine (not to mention we kind of should be long resting a lot, despite the false urgency the game inspires on us at first). And I also enjoy Divinity's system a lot, so... yeah, both are great!

One thing I 100% prefer in Divinity is healing. Unlimited spells come very much in handy here, and we also have the sleeping mats and bedrolls (whose utility I only discovered now on my Tactician playthrough...), and finally the potions. I love that!

Since finishing Divinity, I returned to BG3 and realised that I missed the classes of magic Divinity has e.g. pyromancer, hydrophisist, summoner, etc. I'm still unsure if I "prefer" this kind of magical classes because I really like BG3's system as well, buuuut I do miss it.

While I like how levelling up in Divinity works, there are some things that frustrate me. One: opportunity attacks. That's something that everyone should have because literally every enemy you face, from the get-go, has this skill but no, you have to spend a rare talent point if you want your character to have it. Pet pal needing a talent instead of a potion isn't so great, either, especially because the freaking persuasion is a rare civil ability point as well, so if you want to have any chance at all of persuading animals (looking at you, undead cat protecting the demon-infected child), you're forced to have pet pal and persuasion in the same character. That's why I learned to like BG3 dice rolls. Even if your character stats aren't great for a particular skill check, at least you have a chance of succeeding.

One thing that kind of surprised me is that I learned to like the physical/magic armour system. When I went back to BG3, I was like, "Wait, why don't I have any magic—ooooh, right...." I don't necessarily want this in BG3, but it's an interesting mechanic. One that can be frustrating at times, sure, so... 🤷🏻‍♀️

As for the characters, my opinion hasn't changed. While I love Sebille, have a special place in my heart for Lohse and Beast, and can relate to Fane's desire to be left well alone, I connected far more with the cast of BG3 (well, except for Wyll, who's boring, and Halsin, who can go live in the forest and leave me alone). There's that matter I discussed in another post, about how I prefer Divinity's slow-burn romance and how the characters actually take time to reveal their secrets and backstories, but in terms of emotional connection, BG3 is far ahead for me.

I guess part of it may be how the narrative is presented. For me, the more cinematic approach we have in BG3 allowed me to connect much easier with the characters. I know it's a matter of technology and resources, but it is weird to have the narrator describing how your characters did this and that while the 3D model is idle in the game world. I confess I didn't like the narrator's voice that much either, which certainly had an impact as well. It's not bad, but compared to Amelia? Phew, the difference is astronomical!

Speaking of voices, Larian undoubtedly improved there. Sebille, Lohse, Beast, and Ifan have great VAs. The others? Eh... A bit boring. Like, I listen to the Red Prince, and I don't think the voice matches him. Fane is all right, though I think he suffers from the same problem as Wyll's VA in BG3: not bad, but he's not on the same level as the others. The animal voices are, more often than not, not good. But it's not only a matter of voices not fitting, but how they deliver lines. Even the good VAs feel a bit... disconnected, sometimes. Turning moments for the origin characters didn't feel as impactful because the characters themselves didn't seem to feel as much as they should. Compare to BG3 characters at the end of their quests, and the difference is insane. You can close your eyes and feel what they're feeling just by hearing them. In Divinity, this only really happens with Lohse. (Can't say much about the origin characters I didn't play with, of course, but somehow I doubt it will be much different.)

The voices around the world are fine, though I think the supporting cast in BG3, generally speaking, did a much better job. And I have another issue with the supporting cast here, especially with the villains. Adramahlihk is a great example. Though he's technically present for the entire game, he's so anticlimactic. I was expecting something akin to Raphael (with him or the Master, another boring "main" antagonist), but it's far, far from that. When you finally meet them, you battle them, defeat them, and it's over, and not even the dialogue afterwards - again - feels as impactful as it should. Except - again - for Lohse. Her singing her theme is definitely one of the best rewards in the game*! But yeah, I don't think they carry the weight they were supposed to.

*Another point I wanted to bring up here: a while ago, I read someone on Reddit saying how Alfira singing her song right when we first meet here is anticlimatic. And while I agreed with them back then, now I really feel how boring that decision was. I know Alfira has the whole thing with the Dark Urge, but still... why not give her a scene, maybe even a little quest, in Act 3 when she finally gets the lyrics for her song? It would feel much more special.

Replayability... man, what a topic. I don't know how, but Divinity feels ten times bigger than BG3. I laughed out loud when I read a review on Backlogged saying, "Except for the fact that the game refuses to end, it's pretty cool" lol And yeah, I can relate. When I got to Act 3, I had to take a break because I couldn't stand exploring another map. Thankfully, it's a relatively small act. Then Act 4 throws yet another city at you! And both Act 2 and 4 are kind of overwhelming because there are so many places to go, and the way Divinity works, you'll end up stumbling into many fights that are one or more level above you, and hah, you're fucked. This threw me into a rage in Act 4 because everywhere I went I was ambushed by level 20 clowns that decimated my party before I could even walk one centimetre with any character! My luck is that I learned to constantly save the game, but it got to a point where I tossed the controller aside and only didn't break the game because I have a digital copy.

I won't claim the game is poorly designed—though some of those battles, by all the Gods, Larian!—, but I feel like Divinity isn't very friendly to newcomers. I'm enjoying my second playthrough a lot more now that I have at least a notion of where things are, so I don't keep getting into fights I can't win every time. While I lost battles when I first started BG3, this feeling of being lost and frustrated wasn't something I experienced.

Going back to the size of the game, you might say, "But BG3 is huge as well!" And that's true. But the way I see it, BG3 does a much better job of carrying you through the acts, and that's partly because of the side characters. There isn't one SC in Divinity that's as fascinating as Auntie Ethel. There isn't a significant choice like, "Do I get laid by the hottest Drow in existence in the hottest way possible, or do I save some Tieflings who can't defend themselves from said Drow?"

(Speaking of Minthara... is there a "good" vs "evil" alignment in Divinity? 🤔 Like, I know there are dialogue options where you can be more hostile or rude, but you can't like, ally with the God King or do other things that would lead you into an evil path, can you? I mean, I assume you can screw over some of your companions like Sebille and Lohse, but I'm not sure. And the same goes for companions, they're all right with anything you do? It's funny because I see Beast and Lohse as more good aligned, Sebille and Ifan as going either way, and Fane and the Red Prince - especially the Red Prince - as more evil aligned. But I don't think it matters. Strange since I know they had the alignment thing in BG2 as well, so it's probably more of a narrative choice than a limitation they had.)

Another aspect that contributes is the scenarios. To be fair, the three regions in Divinity are quite similar, while the three Acts in BG3 offer very distinct places to explore. And of course, the more limited technology and resources have to be taken into account, but for me, it does contribute to Divinity feeling way more dense and tiresome.

And here's yet another point: the way you level up in those games. Good luck facing the final boss in Divinity if you're below level 20. And to get to level 12, you need to finish pretty much every quest and explore every corner of each map. BG3 isn't like that. You reach max level shortly after arriving in Act 3. Even if you wish to complete everything, you and your party will be at your most powerful, which is very satisfying. In subsequent playthroughs, you can rush to do the quests you feel like, then goodbye. (And Withers knows I've never completed the Dribbles' quest.)

On a more technical level, it took me at least ten more hours to finish Divinity than it took me to finish BG3. Sure, I struggled a lot more with Divinity at first, buuut...

All this to say that I'll definitely not be playing DOS2 nearly as much as I'm still playing BG3. To be fair, I don't even know if I'll finish my Tactician playthrough because that final fight... I'm not ashamed to say I lowered the difficulty to beat it 😬 Maybe I'll be more prepared when I get there, both mentally and physically. (I'm very curious to see how Fane will react to the revelations, though. But this also reminds me of another thought I had: how the women seem a bit disconnected from the main plot. Sebille and Lohse have their quests, and they brush on the main plot, but it never feels as strongly as pretty much every companion in BG3, with the exception of Astarion.)

Oh, speaking of equipments, I wasn't sure how I felt about Divinity's random loot. However, I read someone saying how BG3 would feel fresher if it had a similar system, and I agree. Would be cool to go around the world and be surprised by a random, super good loot. But oh... what a sore disappointment you were, Anathema! Imagine if you reached the final boss in BG3 and realised you didn't need the crown, after all (yes, after making "the sacrifice") 😅 I don't know what you were thinking there, Larian.

All right, I've written too much already. In the end, I'm glad I didn't give up on Divinity. It was an enjoyable experience (much more than Dragon's Dogma 2...), and it allowed me to play an infinitely better version of Ashrah than the shitty MK canon will ever allow me to. and I'd very curious to see what Larian would do in this world with today's technology. Who knows, maybe their next game is DOS3? Whatever it is, I like the idea of a game that combines the best of DOS2 and BG3. Either way, I have a feeling it will easily surpass both those games!

This prototype from Schmidt Workshops looks very atmospheric. I’ve yet to actually play any of their output but I think their last game was quite well received and maybe has a demo…

Part 2 on the behind-the-scenes of Adiel's room is here! What do the photos on his walls depict! Find out here! https://www.tumblr.com/norbezjones/753719184429596672/behind-the-scenes-on-adiels-room-part-2?source=share