Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition has finally arrived, and with it comes a wave of new players who will face the same early-game struggles that veterans once did. This guide is designed to ease that transition, providing key insights into character creation, armor management, and essential skills to help you go from a novice to a competent adventurer. The opening hours of the game are widely regarded as some of the toughest, as success is highly gear-dependent, and useful equipment is scarce—unless you know where to look. Let’s dive in.

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Character Creation: Laying a Strong Foundation

One of the biggest hurdles for new players is character creation. Many agonize over race selection, but in reality, race plays a relatively minor role in your overall build. However, if you are undecided, Elf and Human are generally considered the best choices due to their racial abilities.

What truly matters is your skill selection. Regardless of whether you’re building a Ranger, Melee Fighter, or Mage, prioritizing crowd control (CC) skills is crucial. These skills prevent enemies from attacking or moving, reducing incoming damage significantly. Without the right skills, even a strong build can struggle in the early game.

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Understanding Armor: The Key to Combat Mastery

Divinity: Original Sin 2 features an armor-based combat system, which determines how damage and crowd control effects interact with characters:

• Physical Damage is blocked by Physical Armor.
• Magic Damage (earth, poison, fire, water, and air) is blocked by Magic Armor.
• While armor remains, status effects such as Knockdown, Freeze, and Stun cannot be applied.

To control fights effectively, you need to strip enemy armor while maintaining your own. Prioritize equipment that offers high armor values over secondary bonuses—except for jewelry, which can provide valuable skill boosts. Additionally, early-game enemies deal more physical damage than magical damage, so favoring physical armor slightly is a good strategy.

Shielding Up: For melee fighters and mages, consider using a shield in the early game. The difference in damage between one-handed and two-handed weapons is minimal early on, while the extra armor a shield provides can make a significant difference in survivability.

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Essential Early-Game Skills: What to Prioritize

Once you reach Fort Joy, acquiring key skills can drastically improve your combat performance. Below are recommended skills by class archetype that can be obtained early in the game:

Warrior Skills

• Battle Stomp – Clears surfaces and knocks down enemies lacking physical armor.
• Battering Ram – Provides mobility and knockdown but should be used strategically.
• Tentacle Lash – Deals strong damage and applies Atrophy, preventing weapon-based attacks.

Rogue Skills

• Chloroform – Breaks magic armor and puts enemies to sleep, denying them a turn.
• Chameleon Cloak – Grants invisibility, useful for avoiding damage or repositioning.

Ranger Skills

• Pin Down – Inflicts Cripple to prevent enemy movement.
• First Aid – Heals and removes negative status effects like Knockdown.
• Tactical Retreat – Allows teleportation to higher ground for a damage boost.

Summoner Skills

• Conjure Incarnate – Summons a powerful creature that scales exceptionally well with Summoning level.
• Power Infusion – Enhances the Incarnate’s damage and grants AoE and CC abilities.

Mage Skills by School

• Aerotheurge: Blinding Radiance, Teleportation, Electric Discharge (high utility and CC potential).
• Hydrosophist: Armor of Frost, Hail Strike, Winter Blast (defensive and CC options).
• Geomancer: Fortify, Fossil Strike (physical defense and slowing effects).
• Pyromancer: Lacks early CC skills, making it a difficult starting choice.
• Necromancer: Damage scales with Warfare, allowing for CC through Battle Stomp and Battering Ram.

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Acquiring Skill Books and Vendors: A Crucial Note

Skill books can be obtained from vendors, but they only refresh their stock at Level 4. Since many vendors are tied to quests and can die before you level up, it’s vital to track their locations and progress their quests cautiously. Missing out on crucial skills can make the game significantly harder.

Additionally, companion questlines often overlap, meaning choices can impact multiple characters. Save before letting companions speak to NPCs and investigate dialogues thoroughly.

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General Tips for a Smoother Early Game

1. Get a Bedroll ASAP – Found aboard the ship or in Fort Joy, a bedroll allows instant full healing between fights.
2. Delay Combat When Possible – On higher difficulties, exploring and questing until Level 3 before engaging in tougher fights is a safer approach.
3. Use the Gloves of Teleportation – This item unlocks many hidden gear locations and is crucial for exploration.
4. Manage Your Gold Wisely – Equipment for four characters is expensive. Avoid unnecessary purchases and reload if you make selling/buying mistakes.
5. Steal from Vendors – If funds are tight, assign one character to Thievery to pickpocket merchants.
6. Utilize Fast Travel – You can teleport to any Waypoint from anywhere on the map; no need to run to a teleportation shrine first.
7. Be Cautious About Removing Your Collar – Magisters will become hostile once you do, so ensure you’re well-equipped for battle beforehand.

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Final Thoughts

Mastering Divinity: Original Sin 2’s early game requires a combination of smart skill selection, armor management, and effective use of in-game mechanics. By following these guidelines, you’ll set yourself up for success and enjoy a smoother journey through Fort Joy and beyond.

For more Divinity guides, stay tuned, and feel free to check out our other resources to enhance your gameplay experience!