Divinity: Original Sin 2 includes a brilliant GM mode, and it's great for storytellers who want a tabletop RPG experience sans the tabletop. It's plenty powerful, and pretty easy to use. If you want to, though, you can dig much deeper. 

Every copy of Original Sin 2 includes a graphical development environment which you can use to mod the main campaign—say, by adding a new weapon or spell—or to make your own original campaign, with custom levels, characters, or anything you want. You can also use the engine to make levels for GM mode, if you want more than the included templates. Essentially, everything used to make the base campaign, which we loved, is available to you for your own mods and adventures. 

If you want to jump in without my help, Larian has already documented the basics on its wiki. Below, I've collected the most vital information from Larian's documents (and my experience) to help anyone get started making a mod for the main campaign, or an entirely new story.

How to set up the mod tools

Larian has put together a simple guide to getting the tools working—it's not hard, but it's understandable if you missed them while focusing on, you know, playing the game.

1. Download the game data

If you own Divinity: Original Sin 2 on Steam, you'll first need to find the game in your Steam library. Right-click it to open the Properties menu. In the DLC tab, check the box next to "Divinity Engine 2 Data." The game should begin updating.

2. Download and set up the tools

Once the data has downloaded, switch to the 'Tools' section of your Steam library. You should have a copy of The Divinity Engine 2. Install it and run it, and it will prompt you for a path to the game data. This is the "Data" folder in your Divinity: Original Sin 2 installation folder, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Divinity Original Sin 2\Data.

If you set this incorrectly, you will not get a warning—the engine will just crash when you try to load a level. It's no big deal, though, as you can fix the setting without causing a crash so long as it's the first thing you do in the engine.

Alternatively: Setting up the tools through GOG

If you bought Divinity: Original Sin 2 on GOG, you just need to download the tools (listed as "Editor" under "Game Goodies"). Extract the "Editor" folder to Divinity: Original Sin 2's 'Data' folder. Run DivinityEngine2.exe, and set the game data path to the Data folder.

How to make a level from scratch

Unless you turned yourself into a fly and lived on the walls of Larian's office for a few months, the mod tools will likely to be a bit daunting at first—it's a system for people who already understand the inner workings of Divinity's engine. But it's actually not too hard to get started, and though documentation is a little lacking at the moment, Larian has a few guides that helped me a lot.

In the video above, you'll learn how to make a level from scratch and use it in GM mode. I suggest watching the whole thing, as it cleared a lot up for me.

How to add a skill to the campaign

Consider this a basic primer for adding a skill and skillbook, but not a comprehensive guide to everything you can or should do when making skills and items. There's a lot of data to explore to make sure your objects work with every system in Original Sin 2, but this will at least get you from launching the mod tools for the first time to testing a new skill in the game quickly.

1. Create a new Add-On

Make a new project, and choose 'Add-on' as the type. Also tell it to load data from Story, and to target Story. This will load all the levels, characters, items, and so on from the campaign, and set your mod to modify the story campaign with your changes.

2. Load a level

After creating your project, you'll be prompted to load a level. Click the 'Show Inherited Levels' button in the top right to see levels from the main campaign. I loaded Fort Joy. (You don't have to load a level to start editing skills, but you'll need one open later.)

3. Create your skill

In the upper-right hand side of the menu bar, you'll see a bunch of different icons for opening editors. We want the Stats Editor. Here, you can see (but not directly modify) all of Divinity: Original Sin 2's items and skills. You'll also see a dropdown for your mod with nothing in it. Anything you add there will be added to the game (or modify something that already exists) if your mod is active.

Under your mod's dropdown, hit the + symbol next to 'Skill Data' and select the type of skill you want to add. I chose to add a new Rain spell. This will create a big blank spreadsheet, which is a bit daunting. Since I was just creating a test skill, I opened up Divinity: Original Sin 2's Rain spreadsheet, and copied all the data from the basic Water spell into my Rain spreadsheet. I then changed the name and display name, and set it to create Lava surfaces instead of Water surfaces because I'm a bad person. Make sure you hit the save icon after you're done, and then close the Stats menu.

4. Create a new Root Template for your skillbook

Root Templates define the base version of all the items (and everything else) you see in the game. In the Root Templates window (by default it's below the level view) search for 'BOOK_SKILL' and you'll find all the skillbooks in the game. Right click on one and choose 'Create new from selected...' This will make a copy of the skillbook that you can use for your new skill. 

You'll be prompted to modify your new Root Template after you create it. At the least, you need to change its name before saving it, otherwise it will conflict with the template you're copying from. Do that, and change the display name. Now scroll to the 'Item State' section and click on 'Use Action.' Hit the little '...' prompt to open a new window: this is where you'll tell your skillbook what spell to teach. Open the SkillBookID dropdown and select your new skill. If you don't see it, you may have to go back into the Stats Editor and resave it—make sure you've given it a new name, as well.

5. Put your skillbook into the world

There are lots of ways to populate the game with your new item, whether through enemy drops or as rewards in chests, but for the purposes of testing and this basic guide, I just dragged an instance of my new book onto the ground in the middle of Fort Joy. When you're done, save everything and publish your mod locally from the Project menu. In-game, select it from the mods menu and then load a save or start a new game (you could drop your item in the very first room, if you wanted to test it with a new character). As you can see above, it worked, horrifically.

Where to get help with modding

You may also want to create an Object entry for your skillbook, or change your skill's icon, or add a new effect to the game—there's a ton you can do, so this is just the first step. I'm learning as I go, mainly by referencing Larian's guides and references on the wiki, and that's where you'll want to start. 

If you have questions that aren't answered there, however, check out the mod troubleshooting forum. I've found everyone to be very helpful so far, and your question may already be answered in a thread.

Yesterday, it emerged one fast-fingered speedrunner had (somehow) bested Divinity: Original Sin 2 in less than 38 minutes. Me? I'm ten hours deep and am still floundering in the game's Fort Joy opening level. 

As such, death has become a semi-constant feature of each of my sessions—which is something Hybrid's Paladin Class mod addresses head on. 

"I started a cleric playthrough and I thought there were not enough healing abilities/cleric type abilities in the Hydrosophist skill tree," says the mod's creator. "So I decided to make a few of my own, and as suggested by the community I have decided to make this more of a class set of skills. 

Here's what Hybrid has come up with so far:

• Holy Blaze: Sets Holy Fire to self, and Regeneration—costs 3 AP, and requires 1 in Hydrosophist, and 1 in Warfare.
• Righteous Step: Teleport to an enemy and set Clear Minded to self—costs 3 AP, and requires 1 in Warfare, and 1 in Pyrokinetic.
• Healing Touch: Heal a target for a large amount, melee range—can be self casted, costs 2 AP, and requires 1 in Hydrosophist.
• Holy Leap: Jump to a nearby location, knocking down and setting enemies on fire—costs 2 AP, and requires 2 in Warfare.
• Divine Cleansing: Cleanse yourself and enemies around you lighting everyone on fire—costs 2 AP, and requires 2 in Hydrosophist, and 2 in Warfare.
• Divine Resusitation: Resurrect target ally at 50% Vitality—costs 6 AP and 2 SP, and requires 4 in Hydrosophist.

Hybrid adds that these skills are incorporated into the Hydrosophist Skills' Treasure List, which have also been added to Zaleskar outside of Fort Joy. Hybrid also hopes to add more skills over time—keep an eye on the mod's page for updates, which is where you'll find installation instructions too. 

While we're talking mods, you might want to check out Fraser's early look at what's available. And you might like to read his glowing review of the base game.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a big, beefy game. It's also one that you can, if you are so inclined, play from start to finish in not much more than a half-hour. And if you don't believe me (which would be an entirely reasonable position to take), then watch this video of a guy named Onin actually making it happen. 

This is probably the worst possible way to play an RPG but it's also very typical for speedrunning, as Onin takes advantages of exploits and his obvious familiarity with the game to get through it very quickly. At around the six-minute mark, for instance, he goes after a group of large crocodiles, but only attacks the one that's carrying a particular pair of gloves he needs. He uses invisibility and manages his action points so he can kill and loot the required croc in a single turn, after which he plays dead to end the combat sequence (he's playing as Fane) and then uses the waypoint system to zap back to Fort Joy.   

It's a terrible way to enjoy the sights and sounds of Rivellon, but if you're looking to check games off of your "must play" list, this is how you get it done. But as fast as this time is, Onin may be able to cut it even further: The run shaves more than ten minutes off the 48:25 mark he set last week. 

For those of you who haven't sunk quite as much time into Original 2 as Onin obviously has, we've got a Beginner's Guide here to help you get started, and a rundown of the best mods currently available—including one that expands the maximum party size, so you don't have to miss out on any NPC personal quests. 

Thanks, Eurogamer.

Though I know I shouldn't, because I haven't finished the game, I've started digging into Divinity: Original Sin 2's mod tools. They're amazing. Right out of the gate, Larian has given us full accesses to a graphical design environment so we can make wholly new RPGs using the Divinity 2 engine. I know this is standard as far as Larian is concerned, but it's otherwise a rarity to get such unfettered access to a game's inner-workings.

The problem is that by learning the tools (here's how to set them up) I'm spoiling Original Sin 2 for myself, and may end up pulling back the curtain too far. If I can will myself away from the campaign and mod tools, I'll use this weekend to get back on the boat and continue teleporting people into fire. I'll just have to stop thinking about all the islands and mountain passes I could be designing.

I also hopped into in some custom Rocket League matches set up by PC Gamer Club member Julez, who had me up half the night playing basketball hockey with plungers and tornadoes—it's some of the most fun I've had in a multiplayer anything in a good while, PUBG included. Rocket League is such a gift, and if you haven't tried a private match with modifiers, I highly recommend it. Plus, we now have transparent goalposts!

I'll be spending more time in the Call of Duty: WWII beta as well, with the hope to have more impressions and criticism for you early next week. If you've been playing it, let us know your feelings on CoD's jaunt back in time in the comments—or tell us about whatever you've been playing lately, this weekend or otherwise. Anyone getting into Cuphead?

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an exceptional RPG, but that doesn’t mean mods can’t make it even better. With its robust editing tools and intuitive Game Master mode, expect to see lots of tweaks, new features and entire campaigns in the  future. We’ll be updating this list over time, but we’ve already found plenty of helpful mods. Here are the best Divinity: Original Sin 2 mods so far.

Free pet pal

Steam Workshop | Nexus

The pet pal talent is objectively and irrefutably the best ability in the game. Giving you the power to talk to critters, it’s an endless source of jokes, hints and hidden quests. By not picking it, you’d be missing out on many of the adventure’s greatest moments. This mod simply makes it a free ability, so you can use it straight away without being forced to pick between it and one of the many other handy talents. You’ll be able to blather away with Rivellon’s chatty animals to your heart’s content. An update to the mod also makes it affect everyone in your party, not just your character.

Expanded party size

Steam Workshop | Nexus

Original Sin 2’s companions are all worth bringing along on your journey, adding elaborate personal quests to your journal that span the game and providing plenty of roleplaying opportunities. Unfortunately, with the maximum party size of four, you’ll have to leave at least two of them behind. The expanded party size mod, not surprisingly, lets you take all of them with you. There are some minor UI and dialogue issues, but nothing game breaking. Combat will be a bit unbalanced, however, so you might want to consider a higher difficulty.

Infinite spirit vision

Steam Workshop

Spirit vision lets you strike up a conversation with ghosts, opening up new ways to solve quests. It’s basically pet pal with spectres. Unlike pet pal, however, it’s an ability you have to cast, and it doesn’t last forever. This makes it easy to forget that there could be several more characters floating about. Infinite spirit vision keeps it on all the time, effectively making it a passive ability. If you’re in an area that’s haunted, there’s no faffing required, and you’ll notice right away. The original mod has vanished from Steam and Nexus, but this newer one comes with an expanded radius so you’ll see ghosts that are further away. 

Origin and racial skill books

Steam Workshop | Nexus

Several skills in Original Sin 2 are exclusive to specific races and character origins. It’s one of the few restrictions in what is an otherwise very flexible, classless system. The origin and racial skill books mod makes these skills unlockable in the same way as all the others by turning them into skill books. This includes pet summons, so you’ll be able to make a custom character that can control Ifan’s wolf and the Red Prince’s dragonling, but it doesn’t include the abilities granted by Fane’s Shapeshifter’s Mask. The skill books can be found in specific book shelves. The mod is no longer being updated as of December 2017.

Artificer and Bard skills

Steam Workshop | Nexus 

This mod adds a whopping 50 new skills to the game. They can be mixed and matched with other skills or used to create Bard and Artificer characters. The Bard skills call to mind its D&D counterpart, revolving around buffing and debuffing, but the cherry on top is the weaponised lute you can get your hands on. Artificer skills are based around messing with items, like duplicating potions and cursing objects, handy both in and out of combat. Both of these skill sets are great for support characters.

Tempest skills

Steam Workshop

Spears are kind of weird in Original Sin 2. They’re finesse weapons, but unlike daggers and bows, they don’t have any skills specifically associated with them . Unless you download the Tempest skill pack, that is. This mod gives spears piercing damage, bypassing armour, and also introduces ten spear-based skills that run the gamut from simple jabs to summoning an intimidating barrage of spears.

Chronicles of Divinity map collection 

Steam Workshop | Nexus

If you’d rather kick off a campaign without building every single map yourself, the Chronicles of Divinity map collection adds 12 new maps for GMs to throw into their games or tweak to their heart’s content. The collection includes a dingy pirate’s cove, an ancient Elven forest and a prison filled with lava. More maps are being added, including an alternate version of Fort Joy. The maps all come from the in-development Chronicles of Divinity mod, an unofficial expansion to the main game that introduces new classes, quests and the ability to sail around in your very own ship. 

Combat sneak

Steam Workshop |Nexus

By reducing the AP cost of sneaking in the middle of a fight down to two, the combat sneak mod makes stealth a viable combat tactic. At 4 AP, it's normally too expensive to make it all that useful. You'll still need to watch out for archers who might spot you, of course, and you'll want to take advantage of cover and stay out of the red view radius while you're sneaking up on your targets or getting out of dangerous situations. This mod is particularly useful if you take the Guerilla perk, which increases damage by 40% when attacking from stealth.

JRavens GM Toolkit

Steam Workshop | Nexus

While the GM mode comes with a mountain of assets—everything from incidental props and window dressing to ships and castles— you can never have too many toys to play with when you're building your very own campaign. This toolkit expansion adds hundreds of items, both entirely new and stuff that Larian created but either didn't finish or left out of the final version. It also makes the maps larger and more customisable, letting you remove previously fixed elements like rocks and trees. Particularly handy are the empty maps that allow you to create custom areas for your campaign without the need to make them on the separate editor. The mod is still in development, but its creator has been fixing bugs. They recommend starting a new campaign rather than using it in a pre-existing one.

Void Knight

Steam Workshop | Nexus

Another new class mod, Void Knight introduces a slew of skills that combine martial and magical attacks that debuff any unfortunate enemies that get in their way. There are skills for strength-based warriors, including knockdowns, charges and leaps, but these are joined by magical abilities that summon shadows and transform the caster into a void dragon. It's a broad set of skills, but the void mark system lends the class some cohesion. Certain attacks apply a void mark on enemies, cursing them and reducing their resistances, and when the number of void marks on a target hits four it empowers that skill. You’ll be able to make a Void Knight in character creation, but you can also pick up the skills from a vendor in Fort Joy and, later, on the Lady Vengeance. 

Crafting overhaul

Steam Workshop| Nexus

If you’ve found the perfect set of armour but hate the colour, or if you desperately need to craft a sword in the middle of the woods, then the crafting overhaul mod has you covered. Along with more than 1600 new crafting recipes and over 550 new items, it introduces armour dyes, unique craftable gear, fancy elemental weapons and extra conveniences like portable crafting stations and bags. And you’ll also be able to get your hands on the grisly corpse harvester: a weapon that lets you harvest parts from the corpses of your fallen enemies. And why would you need body parts? To craft new items, of course. I suspect Fane’s a big fan of this nasty piece of kit.

Tabletop roleplaying is one of my favourite things that I almost never get to do. I struggle to even find the time to play through a single-player RPG outside of work, so arranging an evening of dice rolling and goblin slaying with equally busy people can be a bit of a nightmare. Divinity: Original Sin 2, then, is a blessing. With its co-op and Game Master modes, it’s not just a convenient alternative to a tabletop RPG, it’s occasionally an improvement. 

Co-op is straightforward, on the surface. You can play the entirety of the campaign with up to three other people and the rules are exactly the same as they are in single-player. But that means there are hardly any rules at all. Chaos and player agency reigns, with each individual choosing how to engage with the game. As I said in my review, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the type of Game Master that lets you attempt almost anything. 

That’s why one player might be buying new skill books, while the rest of their party are either following leads or getting into fights. The game sets up all these crises, events and quests, but it’s up to you how you you approach them, if you don’t ignore them entirely. You don’t need to follow everyone else. And you might even end up competing, since you’re all heading towards the same objective.

It’s when you’re reacting to what your fellow adventurers have done where co-op really feels like a tabletop romp, though. When I first arrived in the initial hub, Fort Joy, my co-op pal and I became embroiled in a confrontation between some thugs and their latest victim. My partner in adventuring decided to side with the thugs, and being right next to him, I ended up being dragged into a fight where I was clearly on the wrong side. Morally speaking. So I started attacking the thugs. And even my partner. 

Things didn’t end up going my way, lamentably, but nothing stopped me from trying to save the situation. Later, I got my revenge by trapping us in a fight with a pack of bloodthirsty, teleporting crocodiles. We both died. Twice. But I still felt really good about my decision.

Ultimately, the thing that holds co-op together and makes it a great tabletop facsimile is Larian’s design philosophy. Larian made the game, but it’s the players who are in charge. If you think you can do something, you probably can, and with four players all trying to see how far they can push things, the game becomes a beautiful mess. 

Create a campaign

It’s the Game Master mode, of course, that is the most obvious nod to tabletop roleplaying. Contained within it are myriad tools, from character creators to customisable maps, that allow you to craft your very own campaigns, designed to be run by a GM. These campaigns are made up of small areas—houses, marketplaces, dungeons—connected by a map and custom vignettes that can be filled with story beats and choices for players, complete with assets and art that’s been imported, drawn from Original Sin 2, or created using the accompanying mod tools.

One of the big appeals of the mode is that you don’t need any programming skills or the ability to create scripts. If you can come up with or simply run a tabletop campaign, then you’ve probably got everything you need already: imagination and creativity. The tools that let you design areas, set up encounters and create quests are largely intuitive. Larian has provided some area templates that you can customise if making your own seems too daunting, and there’s a lot you can do with them before you even start running a game.

Once you do start the game, more changes can be introduced on the fly. This might be obvious things like possessing an NPC or activating a battle, but there are more than a few subtle ways to bring an area to life. The atmosphere options are especially handy, letting you change the weather, music and sound effects to match the tone you want to convey. And since players will inevitably do things you’d never considered, it’s helpful to have such a robust toolkit to react with.   

Original Sin 2’s combat system is one of the best in the genre, but it’s elaborate and, in my experience, very hard to balance when you’re making your own encounters. That’s not a problem in a game with a GM. If the whole map is covered in fire and it’s stopped being fun for the players, just add some rain to help them out. Alternatively, you could always add a narrative twist—maybe one of the enemies is a turncoat, perhaps another hero hears the sound of battle and jumps in to help. The mode embraces the idea that GMs aren’t adversaries; they’re there to spin an adventure.  

This seems like a great place to start for players who are entirely new to tabletop games. It can be easy to forget that, even though games like D&D have been simplified over the years, there’s still a bit of a knowledge barrier. But in Original Sin 2, there are no complicated rules to remember and no need to refer to a manual. Nothing gets in the way of playing the game, and what’s left are the best parts.

One of the stretch goals for the Divinity 2 Kickstarter was adding undead to the game, and boy am I glad the backers made it happen. I always enjoy playing RPGs as races or characters that shake the game’s systems up a bit, and that’s exactly what being an undead does. There are some downsides, sure. It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise. But here are a few reasons why I think you should ignore them and embrace the void.

You’re a damn skeleton

How many times have you played as a human, an elf, or a dwarf in a fantasy RPG? And how many times have you played as a talking skeleton? Exactly. And this is the first reason to play as an undead in Divinity 2. Frankly, being a skeleton is cool as hell, especially when you can garnish your character with a fetching beard or some sparkling skull jewellry.

Of course, there’s a downside to this. Folk in Rivellon don’t take kindly to the undead, which means showing your face in public will result in people fleeing in terror and the guards aggressively attacking you. So you’ll have to keep that lovely grinning skull, as well as your bony arms and legs, covered up with armour when you’re visiting a town. A small price to pay.

You can steal faces

While a simple cowl or helm will do a good enough job of hiding your skeletal face from suspicious guards and townsfolk, undead characters can take things a step further. A charming device called a faceripper can be found early in the game in Fort Joy, which you can use to harvest people’s faces and—with a little help from a magic mask—shapeshift into them.

Being able to switch races on the fly like this has a few interesting applications. It lets you access race-specific dialogue that would otherwise be blocked off to your character. And you can even take on the skills of the race you’re masquerading as, such as an elf’s ability to relive past events by devouring old body parts. And they say the undead are weird.

You can still choose your race

Being undead doesn’t limit your character creation options. You can choose which variety of skeleton you want to be, and some of them look amazing—particularly the undead lizard. The same rules apply for all of them, but it’s nice that choosing this path doesn’t completely restrict how your character looks.

There’s an undead origin character

Conceived by legendary RPG scribe Chris Avellone, Fane is one of Divinity 2’s origin heroes. These premade characters get their own backstory, quests, and dialogue options, and although you can recruit them all while playing as a custom character, getting to play as one (especially Fane) is pretty cool.

Fane is, of course, undead, and he has an enjoyably cynical view of the fleshy world of the living. His unique dialogue options—combined with those gained from being undead and shapeshifting—mean he’s a great choice for any player chiefly interested in storytelling and talking to people.

You can pick locks with your finger 

When you play as an undead your finger becomes a literal skeleton key, and you can merrily pick locks without worrying about how many lockpicks you have left. Your thievery skill still needs to be high to unlock tougher doors, of course, but that’s one less consumable to worry about.

Poison heals you

Items and spells that would heal a normal character in Divinity 2 will damage an undead one. That isn’t ideal, admittedly. But you can actually heal yourself with poison—further proof that it’s the coolest race in the game. You can drink the stuff as you would a potion or cast something like Contamination, a geomancer skill, and soak up the lovely healing badness.

You get new dialogue options

If you love talking to people in RPGs, then here’s another reason to play as an undead. Your unique perspective on life (and your lack thereof) adds additional dialogue options to conversations that you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Some are profound, like comforting a dying woman by telling her that death isn’t the end. But most are just funny, like warning someone you’re about to shake hands with that there isn’t much there to shake. Divinity is a light-hearted game, and being undead is the source of a lot of great gallows humour.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 doesn't include 'classes,' per se. When you make a character, you can choose a customizable class preset that gives you points in a couple combat abilities, and this determines the spells and special attacks you can start the game with. As you level up, you can continue putting points into those starting abilities, or branch out into any area of magic or fighting you like. 

Before you've found some skill books, it can be hard to know where you want to put points. What if you discover a great skill that requires a point in Huntsman, but you've put all your ability juice into Necromancer? Not knowing what's ahead can stifle early progress with indecision, so this guide will help you plan for multiclass builds that make for a synergistic party. 

Rather than breaking down your decisions by class preset, I've focused on the abilities themselves, as they can be mixed and matched however you want to build your own class. For each, I've given a brief preview of the sorts of skills you'll find, and suggestions for what to pair them with in the same character or others in your party. At the end of this article, I discuss weapon types and summarize the decisions you need to make as you progress.

Warfare

Effect: Increases all Physical Damage you deal.Class presets it's included in: Battlemage, Fighter, Inquisitor, KnightPrimary attribute: Strength (Intelligence for staves)Primary damage type: Physical (Magic with staves)

A point or two in Warfare will help out anyone who deals Physical Damage, which mostly happens through weaponry (see the weapon types section near the bottom of this article if you're using a magic staff). The related skills center around melee combat and shields, though, so while it's useful for archers, high Warfare levels are best for tanky brawlers. You'll get skills such as Battle Stomp, which knocks down opponents, and Phoenix Dive, which lets you leap into battle and create a fire surface beneath you. High level abilities such as Guardian Angel, which reflects 50% of nearby allied damage to you, expect you to be heavily armored.

Pairs well with: Hydrosophist, Necromancer, Polymorph, weapon abilities

If you want to whack things in the head, but also use magic, Warfare pairs fine with any other ability—hence why it's included in four class presets. 

For a warrior-healer Paladin type, Hydrosophist is a good pairing. With Warfare and Hydrosophist, you can focus on equipping physical armor, and use water spells to buff your magic armor when needed. You'll also be able to heal vitality, and freeze enemies for crowd control. The abilities Cleanse Wounds and Mass Cleanse Wounds, which restore vitality and remove many negative statuses, require points in both Warfare and Hydrosophist. If you want to avoid splitting your attribute points between Strength and Intelligence, use a water staff.

The Inquisitor preset pairs Warfare with Necromancer. Necromancer abilities deal Physical Damage, making Warfare immediately useful. The morbid arts also include healing abilities and a physical armor buff. Plus, tanky Necromancers can use Shackles of Pain to deal all damage they take to a target, and Last Rites to sacrifice themselves by taking damage to resurrect a target character. Buff Necromancers get the job done.

Another good pairing, Polymorph, includes several abilities that require you to get in close, as well as one that regenerates physical armor, so it works well with strong sword and shield characters. Its skills also deal Physical Damage, which Warfare boosts, and some rely on Strength, so it'll become more powerful at the same time as your Strength-based weapons. And who doesn't want to be a fighter who can turn their hair into snakes?

Huntsman

Effect: Increases the damage bonus when attacking from high ground.Class presets it's included in: Ranger, WayfarerPrimary attribute: FinessePrimary damage type:  Depends on class 

This is your classic ranger archetype, with skills that center around bow and arrow trick shots and staying the hell away from melee enemies. It includes one close-range healing ability, First Aid, arrow attacks such as Pin Down, a crippling shot, and Reactive Shot, which works like overwatch in XCOM, letting you take shots at moving enemies between turns. Two points in Huntsman is the prerequisite for a skill that's useful for any ranged character, Tactical Retreat, which applies haste and teleports you out of harm's way.

Pairs well with: Geomancer, Pyrokinetic, Aeurotheurge, Summoning, Ranged

If you're dropping points into Huntsman, you must be an archer, so you'll benefit from other ranged abilities. The two existing preset classes make for good combos. Wayfarer pairs Huntsman with Geomancer, giving you abilities such as Fossil Strike, which creates an oil puddle that slows enemies and can be lit with fire arrows. If you have points in both Huntsman and Geomancer, you can also learn Throw Dust, which blinds enemies. The Ranger class preset instead pairs Huntsman with Pyrokinetic for some ranged fire spells, as well as the ability to toss out explosive traps if you've put points into both.

If someone else in your party has Aeurotheurge, they can learn Teleportation (there's also a certain set of gloves that grants this ability) which is useful for getting ranged characters to high ground (unlike Tactical Retreat, it can't be used on yourself which is why it's best to equip a non-archer with it).

Scoundrel

Effect: Increases movement speed and boosts your Critical Modifier. Class presets it's included in: Rogue, Shadowblade, WitchPrimary attribute: FinessePrimary damage type:  Depends on class 

These are your roguish skills, and they require a dagger. Backlash leaps over enemies to backstab, Cloak and Dagger teleports you while sneaking, and various knife throwing abilities give you ranged attacks. If you're primarily using Scoundrel, you're using a dagger and sneaking to avoid too much damage from warrior-types.

Pairs well with: Polymorph, Necromancer, Aerotheurge, Dual Wielding

The Rogue class preset pairs Scoundrel with Sneaking and Dual Wielding, forgoing a second combat ability for a weapon ability. It's a fine choice if you want to start out as a classic rogue, though eventually you may want to invest points into a complementary set of abilities.  

The other two presets, Shadowblade and Witch, pair the Scoundrel skillset with Polymorph and Necromancer respectively. Both are good choices. Polymorph gives you close-quarters transformation magic that keeps you moving around the battlefield (plus you can turn people into chickens) and Necromancer keeps your health topped off while dealing Physical Damage, which compliments the  Physical Damage from your daggers. You don't have to, but focusing on one type of damage helps you get through one type of armor, rather than distributing your damage between Physical and Magic Armor, which will clear the way for you to apply negative status effects like bleeding more quickly.

For a non-default combo, you might try snagging a point or two of Aerotheurge. It includes abilities such as Evasive Aura, which increases your dodging chance and movement speed, and having points in both Scoundrel and Aerotheurge will allow you to learn Smoke Cover to help you hide from ranged attackers.

Pyrokinetic

Effect: Increases all fire damage you deal.Class presets it's included in: Ranger, WizardPrimary attribute: IntelligencePrimary damage type: Magic (fire)

Pyrokinetic abilities include Searing Daggers, which fires three flaming daggers (you can choose where each one goes) at range, dealing fire damage and creating fire surfaces. Later on, you'll get stuff like Corpse Explosion, which does what it says it does, Laser Ray, a beam of heat, and some close-quarters attacks such as Supernova, which causes you to explode in a burst of flame.

Pairs well with: Huntsman, Geomancer, Polymorph

The Wayfarer default pairs Pyrokinetic with Huntsman, which works well as mentioned in the Huntsman entry. Wizard pairs it with Geomancer, which is also a good choice, as many Geomancer abilities leave oil surfaces behind, ripe for exploding.

Polymorph is an interesting choice, if not perfectly complementary since it relies on Strength and deals Physical Damage instead of Intelligence and Magic Damage. But with two points in both Pyrokinetic and Polymorph, you'll be able to learn Flaming Skin, which gives you immunity to fire, meaning you can go nuts without worrying about standing in your own flames (the equivalent exists for ice, poison, and electricity, so it's not unique). Other Polymorph abilities such as Summon Oily Blob and Terrain Transmutation could help you create the surfaces you need to burn, however, if you haven't focused on Geomancer.

Hydrosophist

Effect: Increases all water damage you deal, and any vitality healing or magic armor restoration you cause.Class presets it's included in: Cleric, EnchanterPrimary attribute: IntelligencePrimary damage type: Magic (water), healing

Water, ice, and healing are the Hydrosophist's tools. Use it to remove status effects, heal vitality, restore magic armor, freeze enemies, and negate fire attacks. Later on, you'll unlock abilities like Global Cooling, which chills all enemies around you while dealing water damage.

Pairs well with: Aerotheurge, Huntsman, Warfare, Necromancer, Summoning

The obvious pairing, which is the default pairing in the Enchanter class, is Aerotheurge, which deals in air and lightning attacks. Focus on both, and your Rain spell can both freeze chilled characters or stun electrified characters. That obvious synergy aside, putting points into Hydrosophist will increase any vitality healing skill, including the Huntsman's First Aid, so consider dropping a point or two in if you're healing a lot (or using healing abilities to target the undead). And if you're going to be blasting enemies with ice from a distance, gaining the high ground damage bonus from Huntsman isn't a bad deal, either.

As I mention under Warfare, Hydrosophist can be used in a fighter-healer combo who strikes a balance between Physical and Magic Damage. For a more complicated combo, if your Hydrosophist or another character in your party has one point in both Geomancer and Polymorph, they can learn Turn to Oil, which turns water surfaces into oil. Combined with Rain, you can have all the oil you want for your pyro character to play with. 

Alternatively, or at the same time, a point in Hydrosophist and Necromancer will let you learn Raining Blood—roughly the same as rain, but with blood, which Turn to Oil also affects. Blood can be absorbed for vitality with the Necromancer's Blood Sucker ability, too, and can be frozen. So if you want to make the ultimate healer, with Magic and Physical Damage—this is the default Cleric class—consider a bit of a contradiction with Hydrosophist's gentle healing and Necromancer's gory life stealing.

Aerotheurge

Effect: Increases all air damage you deal.Class presets it's included in: Battlemage, EnchanterPrimary attribute: IntelligencePrimary damage type: Magic (air)

Aerotheurge is about all things air, including lightning. Your basic Electric Discharge attack fires a bolt of lightning which deals air damage and shocks characters—do it to a wet character and you may stun them. Later on, you'll find skills such as Vacuum Touch, which can suffocate and silence enemies, Nether Swap which causes two characters to switch places, and the RPG classic, Chain Lightning. One of our favorite skills, Teleportation, is also an Aerotheurge skill.

Pairs well with: Hydrosophist, Scoundrel, Necromancer, Huntsman

As previously mentioned, Scoundrel makes for a good pairing because of Aerothurge's evasion, movement speed, teleportation, and hiding abilities. And, of course, it works well with Hydrosophist if you want to be an elemental master, electrifying water puddles, or Necromancer if you want to do the same with blood. Huntsman isn't a bad choice either if you plan to attack from above, and a point in both Aerothurge and Huntsman will let you learn one of Original Sin 2's weirder abilities, Erratic Wisp, which will teleport a target character in a random direction every time they're attacked. In short, it's a pretty good bet that you aren't going wrong by dropping a point in Aerothurge, though it won't help you deal Physical Damage.

Geomancer

Effect: Increases all earth and poison damage you deal, and any physical armor restoration you cause.Class presets it's included in: Fighter, Wayfarer, WizardPrimary attribute: IntelligencePrimary damage type: Magic (earth, poison)

Rocks, oil, and poison are the Geomancer's tools. Contamination poisons surrounding enemies (while healing undead allies) and turns water, blood, and clouds toxic. Fossil Strike drops a big rock on your enemies and leaves an oil puddle. More advanced skills like Worm Tremor and Earthquake deal area damage.

Pairs well with: Warfare, Pyrokinetic, Scoundrel, Huntsman, Necromancer

Geomancers are the healers of the undead world, so if you've got Fane in your party or are undead yourself, it's good to have someone around who can poison you at will. There's not much Geomancer doesn't work well with. Since it's good for forming oil puddles, Pyrokinetic abilities are useful for lighting them. Huntsman-using archers will also appreciate the slowing effect of the oil, Scoundrel pairs thematically with poison attacks, and because it doesn't include any healing (except for undead), Necromancer abilities can fill that gap.

Necromancer

Effect: Heals you whenever you deal damage directly to vitality.Class presets it's included in: Cleric, Inquisitor, WitchPrimary attribute: IntelligencePrimary damage type: Physical

A favorite among Original Sin 2 players, Necromancers are powerful healers, summoners, and Physical Damage dealers. Early on, Mosquito Swarm deals damage while healing you, Blood Sucker heals anyone its cast on so long as there's blood nearby for them to soak up, and Raise Bloated Corpse turns a body into a gruesome ally. A couple of the advanced abilities are great for combos: Shackles of Pain causes a target to receive all the damage you receive, and Living on the Edge prevents a target's vitality from dropping below 1 for two turns. You can see the potential.

Pairs well with: Polymorph, Warfare, Aerothurge, Geomancer, Scoundrel, Hydrosophist, Summoning

The dead just go with everything, don't they? Because Necromancer provides some healing abilities as well as reliable Physical Damage, it's not unwise to grab a point. The focus on causing bleeding means it can pair nicely with any ability that deals with elements: Aerothurge can electrify blood, Hydrosophist can freeze it, and Geomancer (combined with Polymorph) can turn it into oil. The Cleric preset combines Necromancer and Hydrosophist, which makes for a good dedicated healer who can do serious damage to the undead.

Summoning allows you to use Soul Mate, which heals a target character for half of what you receive, which makes it a good pair for any healing skill (within the party, but not necessarily in the same character). 

Scoundrel and Warfare both benefit from the healing magic, and because Necromancer is one of the rare magics that deal Physical Damage instead of Magic Damage, you can pair Necromancer with a Strength or Finesse-based weapon to focus in on depleting Physical Armor. Get it out of the way, and Necromancers can start applying negative status effects sooner.

Summoning

Effect: Increases vitality, damage, physical and magic armor of your summons and totems.Class presets it's included in: ConjurerPrimary attribute: Ability points in Summoning increase the power of summonsPrimary damage type: Depends on summon abilities

You'll start by summoning elementals and totems to fight for you, and you'll want to put lots of points into Summoning to make them stronger. Later on, many Summoning abilities deal with giving these familiars skills from other disciplines, so that they can attack with water, fire, and other spells, heal and use invisibility. A well-kitted Summoner has an answer for everything, then.

Pairs well with: Aerothurge, Necromancer, Hydrosophist, Huntsman

If you're investing a lot of points in Summoning to buff your elementals, you probably aren't focusing too much on a weapon ability, though it's certainly possible to be a summoner and a fighter. Most Summoning skills rely on your Summoning level, not Intelligence, so you're free to focus on Strength and Constitution to make yourself hearty. That said, points you invest in increasing your Physical Damage won't affect your summons, which have their own stats, so the disciplines aren't quite complimentary.

If you're a slightly weaker summoner who likes to stay in the back while your creatures do all the work, you'll want a party member who has Aerothurge, as they can teleport you out of danger, or two points in Huntsman so you can use the Tactical Retreat ability. 

As for Necromancer and Hydrosophist, they both include healing abilities which pair with summoners' Soul Mate ability, which gives half the healing you receive to another character. Though, again, the summoner doesn't necessarily need to focus on these abilities, as they'll eventually be able to summon creatures with the abilities the moment calls for.

Polymorph

Effect: Provides one free attribute point per point invested.Class presets it's included in: Metamorph, ShadowbladePrimary attribute: StrengthPrimary damage type: Physical

This is the weirdest skillset, and my personal favorite. Starting abilities include a mid-range tentacle attack, the ability to grow bull horns and charge at enemies, and the power to turn your foes into chickens. Later, you can learn to fly, grow snakes out of your head, turn invisible, and gain immunities to elements. At high levels, you'll get momentum shifting powers like Forced Exchange, which swaps vitality percentages with a target character. 

Pairs well with: Warfare, Scoundrel, Necromancer

Most Polymorph abilities require getting in close, and attacks like Tentacle Lash deal Physical Damage and get bonuses from Strength, so Warfare is a strong complimentary choice. Scoundrel also helps you get face to face (or face to back) with enemies so that you can turn them into chickens, though its reliance on Finesse means it's not as synergistic. Necromancer also deals Physical Damage, and offers some healing skills to help make for a well-rounded character who can eat through physical armor and then apply status effects.

The importance of weapon types

Spells always deal the type of damage associated with the school of magic they're in, and always receive a bonus from Intelligence. For example, Aerothurge spells will always deal Air Damage and Necromancer spells will always deal Physical Damage, and both get bonuses from Intelligence. Skills from the Warfare, Scoundrel, and Huntsman abilities, however, vary in damage type and attribute bonuses depending on your equipped weapon.

For instance, if you've equipped a regular old sword, the Warfare skill Crippling Blow will deal Physical Damage and get a bonus from Strength. If, however, you've equipped an air staff, it will deal Air Damage and get a bonus from Intelligence. In general, you'll find the following damage types and attribute bonuses:

Swords, maces, clubs, and axes deal Physical Damage (with possible extra Magic Damage) and get a bonus from Strength.Wands and magic staves deal Magic Damage (type varies) and get a bonus from Intelligence. Staves count as melee weapons, but wands do not.Daggers, bows, and spears deal Physical Damage (with possible extra Magic Damage) and get a bonus from Finesse. Daggers can backstab.

There are exceptions and magic weapons come in all varieties. Some deal magic and physical damage, though in that case your skills typically still get a bonus from Strength or Finesse, not Intelligence. In the character creation screen, the Inquisitor is wielding a two-handed mace that deals Physical Damage but receives a bonus from Intelligence. I've never found a weapon like that, but apparently it's out there, so check each weapon to see what it's doing.

Staves are a somewhat special case, in that they can be used like melee weapons with Warfare skills, but deal only Magic Damage and get their bonus from Intelligence. If you're a magic user who's dumped a ton of points into Intelligence, using a staff means you can throw out melee attacks like Battle Stomp and Battering Ram without having to buff your Strength. However, note that adding points to the Warfare skill buffs Physical Damage, not Magic Damage, so after you've learned the skills you want, you're better off adding points to the school of magic your spells and staff belong to.

It's also worth mentioning that Warfare, Scoundrel, and Huntsman skills require specific weapons. For Warfare skills, you'll need a melee weapon, Huntsman skills require a bow, and Scoundrel requires one or more daggers. This is just to use these abilities' skills. You'll still get Warfare's bonus to Physical Damage, Huntsman's high ground bonus, and Scoundrel's critical chance and movement speed bonuses even if you aren't specifically using their skills.

Wherever possible, try to equip weapons that work in tandem with your favored abilities. For example, if you've dumped a bunch of points into Geomancer, which increases poison damage, you'll want a poison staff or wand. If you're a conjurer who specializes in Aerothurge but also has a few Warfare skills, you'll want an air staff. Fighters who are focused on Strength should of course avoid staves and wands altogether, as should Finesse-based characters who are better off with bows, daggers, and spears. In short, the thing to remember is that melee skills don't determine the damage type and attribute bonus, the weapon does.

And, of course, if you're focused on dealing damage with a weapon, you'll want to drop some points into Single-Handed, Two-Handed, Ranged, or Dual-Wielding depending on your preference. The Defense abilities are also strong, but for the purposes of this guide, I've only broken down the abilities that are going to allow you to learn new skills, as that's going to play the biggest role in your decision making.

Summary and reference

There's a lot here to process, but it can all be reduced to some short pieces of advice. For instance, decide if you want your character to deal one type of damage to take down one kind of armor, or if you'd prefer a balanced fighter who can handle fighters and mages alike.

Physical Damage: Warfare (except with staves), Necromancer, Huntsman, Scoundrel, Polymorph, and physical weapons (swords, maces, bows, etc)Magic Damage: Warfare (with staves), Geomancer, Aerothurge, Hydrosophist, Pyrokinetic, and magical weapons (staves and wands)

Of course there's some crossover—a Huntsman using a magic bow may be dealing Magic Damage, too. You also want to consider what attributes these abilities rely on. If you focus on abilities that are boosted by the same stat, you can improve both at the expense of losing balance between Physical and Magic Damage.

Intelligence: Warfare (staff), Geomancer, Aerothurge, Hydrosophist, Pyrokinetic, staves, wandsStrength: Warfare (non-magic melee weapon), Polymorph, swords, axes, maces, etcFinesse: Warfare (dagger or spear), Huntsman (bow), Scoundrel (daggers)

And then there's the odd one out: Summoning. Because Summoning mostly relies on your Summoning ability level, you can focus your attribute points wherever you like, so long as you keep plugging ability points into Summoning. Though as Xenzoku pointed out in the comments, you don't have to go all in on any one ability, Summoning included. There are plenty of utility skills it's worth having even if they lie outside of your focus.

Finally, you want to consider how your abilities interact with elements. Geomancers deal with oil and poison, which Pyrokinetic abilities can ignite. Water and blood can be frozen or electrified by Hydrosophists and Aerotheurges. Also, don't forget that healing abilities harm the undead: your cleric build isn't just a healer, but can cause serious damage to bony enemies.

It takes some experimentation to get builds you like, and if you're playing alone, you have four characters to worry about—so don't feel bad if you spend some ability points you regret. There'll be plenty of time to build and rebuild the characters you want. 

After restarting a couple times because I'm indecisive, my main character is a Warfare, Necromancer, Polymorph hybrid who fights with an axe and shield, and I have few complaints. All three disciplines deal Physical Damage, which my Warfare level buffs. My weapon and some Polymorph skills rely on Strength, and secondarily I'm focusing on Intelligence to improve my Necromancer skills.

The synergies pointed out here aren't the only interesting combos, of course, so let us know in the comments how you're dividing up your attribute and ability points.

Divinity: Original Sin is a game known for it's extremely flexible (and ridiculous) combat. After all, speedrunners routinely beat the final boss by filling a box with barrels until it's so heavy that simply dropping it on the beast instantly kills it. Fortunately, Original Sin 2 players are already finding equally absurd ways to kill enemies thanks to its much more refined combat. Sure, you could approach Original Sin 2's tough-as-nails fights in a serious manner, or you could turn your enemies into chickens and watch them murder themselves.

Right now, two popular methods involve a skill called Rupture Tendons. It's a Scoundrel skill purchased from Hilde in Fort Joy once you reach level four. Once an enemy is hit with Rupture Tendons, every step they take causes additional piercing damage. Normally you'd use it on an enemy and hope they'll take a step or two after, but some clever players have found a way to make Rupture Tendons deal incredible amounts of damage.

The first method is called the Chicken Combo. While you have to wait until level four to get Rupture Tendons, characters who specialize in Polymorph skills can pick up Chicken Claw from Doctor Leste in Fort Joy at any time (Shadowblade and Metamorph classes start with Chicken Claw, and can pick up Rupture Tendons later with two points in Scoundrel). This spell turns foes into squabbling chickens that run around aimlessly for two turns. Get the idea?

Reduce any physical armor an enemy has to zero, hit them with Rupture Tendons, follow up by turning them into a chicken, and let natural selection do its job. As the chicken flees (feel free to cast Haste to give your chicken foe a boost), it'll accrue massive amounts of piercing damage that will kill weaker characters almost instantly. The best part is that Rupture Tendons scales with your basic attack and Finesse values, so the higher level you are the more damage the chicken takes with each step.

This video shows exactly how it works (potential spoilers):

The Chicken Combo has quickly become a community favorite, but redditor Ulminati has taken the idea in a bizarre direction: What if you cast Rupture Tendons on yourself?

You'll need a character with Necromancer skills Shackles of Pain (sold by Mona in Fort Joy Ghetto at level four) and Living on the Edge (drops randomly around level 11 or is a starter skill for Witch mercenaries hired in act two). Shackles of Pain forges a link between the caster and a target enemy so that any damage the caster receives is transferred to the victim. Living on the Edge prevents a character's health from dropping below 1 HP for two rounds.

See where this is going?

Reduce the boss's armor points and have one character cast Shackles of Pain on it, then have your Scoundrel attack that character with Rupture Tendons and your Necromancer cast Living on the Edge so that they'll stay alive. Now, every step that character takes will do damage that is channeled directly to the boss.

When it's your turn again, have your character with Shackles of Pain run around like a headless chicken (preferably through fire and poison to transfer even more damage). If you can run them past other enemies, that'll provoke opportunity attacks that, again, will transfer to the boss. As Ulminati explains, "Your guy won't die, but it'll transfer an absolutely hideous amount of damage through Shackles of Pain, and probably kill the boss."

Again, you can cast Haste (sold by Stingtail in Fort Joy Ghetto) to give your shackled character some extra space to run around. The only thing is this combo will leave your character with just 1 HP, so be sure to have some healing ready to go once Shackles of Pain and Living on the Edge wears off.

It's a trickier combo to pull off, but Ulminati promises you can fell bosses in just a turn if done properly. And, better yet, this doesn't appear to be an exploit like the previous combo we wrote about that Larian is already planning on patching out.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 has only been out for a week, so I can't wait to see what other kooky ideas people come up with. If you've discovered your own deadly combos (bonus points if they're as ridiculous as these ones) let us know in the comments. And be sure to check out our beginner's guide if you're having a little trouble getting started.

I was surprised yesterday when Divinity: Original Sin 2 producer David Walgrave told me that the damage loop seen in the video above would not be removed. "It appears that it is not a never-ending loop and you're not doing anything else while you're doing it," he wrote. 

As you can see in the video, however, the trick cycles through a feedback loop that drains a troll's entire health bar. (Head to yesterday's story for an explanation of how it works.) So even if it is within the confines of Original Sin 2's spell logic, it's just a tad OP.

I followed up with Larian, and today the developer informed me that after looking into the trick further, "the team determined that this is in fact an unintended bug, for which a patch will be issued ASAP."

Despite this particular instance of clever spell synergies being identified as a bug, Larian reiterated what it told me yesterday, saying that it "applauds creative approaches to the game" and only 'fixes' one if it "really breaks the fun of the game or something goes wrong at some point."

So while there are many, many allowable—and possibly very powerful—spell synergies accounted for, this was apparently one that slipped through testing undetected, and wasn't intentional. Personally, I didn't plan to pursue the trick, as wiping 6000 HP with a few spells doesn't feel quite like it's in the spirit of the tactical turn-based combat I've been enjoying so far. Though if you were enjoying the trick, I'm sorry to say it's on its way out.

With or without the Soul Mate loop trick, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of my favorite games of the year. Fraser digs in to why in his review.