8 beginner's tips to know before starting Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of Larian Studio's ambitious RPGs, where you take the role of a group of Sorcerers to face a world where the divine walks among the common folk. Cast out by society, the Sorcerers are seen as responsible for summoning the Voidwoken, otherworldly creatures who bring destruction wherever they appear.

The journey is magical but long, and there's much to learn in order to overcome the challenges that await. Although discovering the game's secrets and tricks is part of the adventure, we prepared a list of eight Divinity Original Sin 2 beginner's tips to help you from the moment you start the game to when you begin accepting your first quests.

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If you are a true beginner, don't underestimate the Explorer difficulty

The Divinity: Original Sin 2 experience involves a great deal of narrative, but also a lot of combat. While following the main story is a matter of exploring and completing quests, the many battles you face in this game can be quite brutal depending on the difficulty mode you pick. If you're ready for a challenge, you can start in Classic mode. However, Explorer mode might be a better choice if you want to ensure your experience won't be ruined by frustrating combat situations. In this difficulty, you face the same fights as you would in the other modes, but they won't be as punishing, while still being more challenging than the Story mode.

Memory is as important an attribute as any other

Whether Divinity: Original Sin 2 is your first RPG or you are coming from another game where leveling up characters and raising their attributes is a thing, it's common to focus on more common attributes such as Strength when allocating attribute points. However, in DOS2 you should reserve a point every so often to raise a character's Memory. This attribute determines the number of memory slots you have and you need those to equip skills and spells you unlock. Some of these may require anywhere from one to three, so constantly raising a character's memory level ensures a stronger list of skills and spells at your disposal.

Understand the defenses to master the attacks

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, every character in the game, friend or foe, can have two types of shields: physical or magical. You can only deal direct damage to an enemy after depleting their shield. This is where the types of shields matter. Physical shields only take damage from physical-type attacks, while magical shields deplete if hit by magic. Following this logic, the best strategy in combat is to position and manage your party based on the types of damage they cause. Some players prefer to adopt a more direct strategy and have all four party members causing the same type of damage. Both ideas work, you just need to pick the one that suits you best.

Moving is expensive so thrust forward

Combat in Divinity: Original Sin 2 is governed by Action Points, a simple but extremely important resource. Every action you perform costs AP, from attacking with your basic weapon to using a potion or a magical scroll. However, the most frustrating part of combat is that walking also requires AP, so there will be situations where you could kill an enemy, if you had two extra AP... but you don't, because you have to walk to them. That's where gap-closing skills — like "Backstabbing" or "Bull Rush" — shine. With one of these skills, you can move and attack while spending fewer AP.

Don't forget to collect the most important item right at the beginning

The magical land of Sourcerers, Voidwokens, immortals, and gods is filled with wonders and powerful weapons to find, but no magical sword or enchanted armor is better than a bed roll — I'm serious! I mean, you can't fight with a bed roll, but you can heal all party members for free outside of battle by using it. Unlike potions, a bed roll is not consumable, so when you get one, it just stays with you — forever. So you can always pop it after battle to make everyone healthy for the next encounter. And the good news is that you can get more than one bed roll right at the beginning, while you are still inside the ship. So don't lose this opportunity and make sure you will have the mighty bed roll to start your journey.

Trade — with everyone

You begin the game as a prisoner without anything of value with you, but once you arrive at Fort Joy, you can start building your empire by trading items for gold or other goods. Although trading is an important system in the game, it's never fully explained, so it may take some time for you to learn that you can sell or buy items from most of the characters you interact with. When you talk to another character, in the top-left corner of the dialogue box, a purse icon will appear if that character can trade with you. Some characters may invite you to check their goods as part of their dialogue options, but this isn't necessary. Just talk to them and open the trade menu.

When playing an elf, eating someone's arm or leg might be a good idea

Elves are magical beings with one or two quirks that make them special. If living hundreds of years was not enough, the elves in Divinity: Original Sin 2 have another feature. They can revisit someone's memory by eating their flesh. It doesn't sound very appetizing, I know, but it's extremely useful. You can either obtain key information to progress in a quest or even learn a skill by eating a body part — but this only works if the character is an elf. That is why recruiting Sebille is a good idea, ensuring that you have at least one elf in your party.

Take Gawin's quest while in Fort Joy

There's no problem if you want to focus on the main quest and get out of Fort Joy, but you should at least consider completing Gawin's side quest. He is a Sorcerer who will approach you downstairs on the west side of the Square entrance. He will tell you about a teleporter, an item that can help you escape, but there's a problem — you must defeat a few monsters to retrieve it. Facing these creatures while undergeared and underleveled is tough, but if you prepare your party, it's possible to defeat them. Once you have the teleporter, you can actually use it to move your character during battle or exploration, reaching places they couldn't by regular means.