This is probably the longest gap I've had on the blog between posts updating my progress through a game, but here we go: I've returned to Divinity Original Sin after more than a decade, and this time I intend to finish it!
My memory of events is slightly hazy after all these years, but I think what went down was: I was playing the game, really digging it, wrote a post and kept playing. I set it aside when Dragon Age: Inquisition came out. I loved DA:I, played it all the way through, then immediately replayed it in Nightmare Mode to unlock achievements. Somewhere in there, Larian announced and then released the Enhanced Edition to D:OS. This was a significant update, modifying the game engine as well as the contents (somewhat analogous to the changes between Shadowrun Dragonfall and Dragonfall: Director's Cut), and they released it as a separate entry on Steam (though giving it for free to all owners of the original "Classic" D:OS).
Of course, saved games were not compatible between the two versions. Everything I read said that the EE version of the game was a significant improvement over the (already highly-praised) Classic and there was no reason at all to stick with Classic. But by that point, I had sunk dozens of hours into the game and didn't relish the thought of starting over again from scratch. And on the other hand, I was still much less than halfway through the game, and didn't like the idea of spending so much time playing through an "inferior" version. Compounding all this, I loaded in my last save, and had that awkward moment where you come back to an RPG after several months' hiatus: I couldn't quite remember what I was doing, the big-picture story I'd been unfurling or my immediate quests. I decided to just permanently set it aside and focus on the other new games coming down the pike - and replaying DA:I yet again!
In the years since then, I've been repeatedly blown away by the developer Larian's work. I played all the way through Divinity: Original Sin 2, which has the best combat system of any RPG I've ever played. And Baldur's Gate 3 was a huge delight, with fantastic storytelling and an amazing world to explore. I've been feeling that itch since BG3, and wanting to go back and finish D:OS 1 EE. And now I am!
After all these years, my memory is a bit vague, but I think I've been recognizing some major improvements in the EE over Classic. Crafting is a huge one. If I recall correctly, originally you would read recipe books but the recipes wouldn't be recorded anywhere, so you'd need to hold on to the books and refer back to them (or copy them down on paper yourself or memorize them, but there are hundreds of possible recipes). And the recipe books are kind of jokily written, which is great for flavor but not for clarity. In EE, there's a full Crafting window that includes all the recipes you've read about in books, as well as the ones you've discovered yourself through experimentation. The actual crafting is much easier in the new interface, where you can either select from a list of results or free-form drag in potential items; it filters out your whole inventory so you only see craftable ingredients, which is a huge cognitive help.
All that said, crafting in general is still something I feel a bit ambivalent about. It is a very cool system, something I think I admire more than I enjoy. The sheer scope of it is impressive, much richer and wider than in most other RPGs, with lots of intermediate ingredients, items you can source from anywhere, the ability to craft food and potions and other consumables and equipment and upgrades. That said, only a small fraction of the items you can create are actually useful. I mean, everything does something, but (at least on normal difficulty) you're generally finding plenty of stuff just out in the world. In my game there are a couple of item gaps I was able to fill with crafting, particularly amulets; but I needed to look up those recipes online. Overall the D:OS crafting feels kind of midway between a "gamey" crafting system like in Dragon Age and a "realistic", non-game-y system like in Ultima that simulates an entire economic production chain.
Another difference I noticed from my original play-through was how the dual player character conversations played out. One of the signature features of D:OS is that you create two characters at the start of the game, not just one as in most RPGs. Any given conversation will initiate with one character, but the second PC will have an opportunity to chime in at key moments, particularly when making a decision. I recall role-playing both sides of the conversation in my initial playthrough. In the EE, I pick the response for my currently controlled PC, and the other auto-responds. I eventually realized that that's because I assigned each PC a "Personality" at character creation, which I think picks their response. You can change this partway through the game when you unlock an option to redo character appearance. I switched each to "No AI" and now it's back to the original behavior of you (the player) picking each PC's dialogue responses. So that's good. I have noticed that I'm still approaching the dialogues a little differently: I'm being a bit more min-max-y this time around and reloading after discussions if I don't like the Traits that get assigned, whereas I think in my initial playthrough I had a firmer role-playing mindset.
Last change I've noticed from Classic: I remember having major problems dealing with surfaces in the first game. I was constantly walking into poison or into electrified water and Having A Bad Experience. That seems to be happening way less in this EE game. They may have eased up on it, either redesigning combat encounters and the maps to have more forgiving surface layouts, or updating the underlying system to make it harder for your party to activate hazardous surfaces. But it's also possible that I'm just now better at recognizing and avoiding surfaces after the hundreds of hours I've played in D:OS2 and BG2. I do vaguely recall that... hm, I think in D:OS2 the movement cursor would turn red if you hovered over a surface, which definitely doesn't happen in D:OS1 EE, so there are still some times when I think I'm skirting the edge of a surface but I end up accidentally stepping into it and getting in trouble. And I keep forgetting that Bull Rush activates any surfaces you travel through, so if you charge through burning grass and/or a poison cloud you will end up burning and poisoned, even if your start and end positions were clear.
Okay, on to my experience in the new game:
I decided to create all-new PCs instead of redoing my abandoned ones from Classic. I consulted this guide, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants some help. It's spoiler-free, helpfully opinionated without being dogmatic, and written from the ground-up for EE, unlike other information floating around that was based on Classic and never fully updated. In my first playthrough, my cleric Tindali always felt weak; after reading through this guide, I now realize that's because she was splitting between STR for her weapon attacks and INT for her Water magic. You should either go all-in on INT and get multiple schools of magic, or focus on STR and just supplement with utility spells that don't depend on INT. My dagger rogue Sariya felt a lot more powerful, because she was just focusing on DEX, Scoundrel and Dagger, which all went well together.
This time I created Rion, who is mostly a pure ranged Archer/Ranger (DEX and Marksman, so far no points in weapons and alternating between Bows and Crossbows, but I plan to specialize in Bows), and has some small splashes in Pyrokinetic, Witchcraft and Scoundrel for utility. Rion is generally my face, although he doesn't have much Charisma that doesn't really seem to matter much; he does have decent Bartering so he handles all buying and selling, and he has Loremaster to identify items. My second PC Noor will be a generalist all-schools Mage, but for now she's mostly focusing on Pyrokinetic and Geomancy, since I've also recruited the NPC Jahan who starts with Aerothurge and Hydrosophist. I haven't put any points into Dirty Deeds, but Noor will swap into Lockpicking and Pickpocket gear in the rare occasions we need it. Jahan, in addition to his magical combat also handles crafting and repairs. Rounding out the party is Madora, a two-handed warrior. Currently she's laser-focused on Man-at-arms but I plan to give her some utility as well.
I also had Jahan and Madora in my first game, and briefly contemplated using different folks, but I like their personalities and builds so I'm mostly sticking with them. There are another two recruitable NPCs available: Wulfrum, an archer thief, and Bairdotr, a dagger rogue. I've recruited them and immediately dismissed them, as apparently they gain experience along with you whether they're in your party or not. I have no memory at all of either character; it's possible I didn't run into either one the first time, but it's more likely that I didn't realize that they were recruitable: if you have a full party, the game doesn't make clear that they are potential companions, and it's also possible to lose the recruitment opportunity through rock-paper-scissors dialogue. I'm planning to do their personal quests but haven't traveled with either NPC yet.
I'm taking the Pet Pal talent this time. I think I intentionally skipped it in my first game; I don't exactly remember why, but I may have read an article noting that the animal dialogue adds a more comedic element to the game, and I might have decided that I didn't want that. It does add more of a sense of humor, which I enjoy a lot: I've had more than enough Dark Fantasy in my life, I'll enjoy a few puns and silly voices, thank you very much. More importantly though, talking with animals can help you solve quests, and even more importantly, GET new quests you wouldn't otherwise be able to pick up. There's limited XP in this game, so that's a very precious commodity!
As with D:OS2, there's effectively a soft level cap from the limited amount of experience available in the game. You can earn exploration XP by entering a new area for the first time - this might be as minor as a hidden cellar or a locked shed. You earn combat XP by defeating enemies. From peeking at online games, a lot of people will intentionally attack otherwise friendly or neutral characters in order to get their precious XP; I'm more likely to take an optional fight in this game than I would otherwise do, but so far haven't felt comfortable fighting friendlies. Finally, you can get XP from completing quests. These can take a long time, as there is usually a decent story involved that unfolds after multiple hours of encounters, but it's a significant amount that can often lead to a new level. Overall all three sources feel well-balanced and worth pursuing.
Even a decade after release, this game is still ridiculously fun, almost dangerously so. No: definitely dangerously so! I'd play it all day long if I could. When I'm not playing it, I'm hearing the battle music in my head (any one of many catchy themes) and thinking about what I want to do next. It isn't QUITE as finely tuned as D:OS2, but is definitely scratching that itch, in ways that even BG3 didn't manage (as much as I love that game).
I think I'm bringing to this play-through the epiphany I received in D:OS2. In most RPGs, combat is the chore I need to get through in order to experience the story, which is the reward I actually want. In D:OS, combat is the addictive and fun reward that keeps me coming back, and I find myself clicking through story, eager to get back to fights. Not at all to say that there's anything wrong with the story - it's a fine fantasy tale, and I do appreciate the different tone it has from many other RPGs. It's more a testament to how darn good their combat is.
MINI SPOILERS
Plot-wise, I think I'm more or less caught up to where I stopped playing originally. I think I'm past the first big "Zone", having revealed the whole map around Cyseal and I think wrapped up all the quests I can in that area (though I may have missed a few small things). The big storyline here deals with the epidemic of undead who have besieged Cyseal for two years. You uncover a pretty complex conspiracy, with several mysteries and turns and identity revelations. Lots of people aren't what they seem like. You eventually learn that a cult has been trying to acquire some knowledge held by the long-dead sourcerer-king Braccus Rex. They recruited Thelyron, the medic in Cyseal, to locate Braccus and raise him from the dead. To accomplish this he created (or raised?) several other powerful beings, but those beings then began raising undead of their own, and the whole thing spiraled out of control. Nobody was happy, not even the cult since he couldn't find Braccus. You take down all the lieutenants and eventually the reborn Braccus himself.
I'm now early in the second section, around the smaller village of Silverglen. I do like how each town has its own economy - Cyseal is a harbor town built primarily around fishing, while Silverglen is a mining town deep in the woods by a mine. There's more cult business here, and some fun quest chains around a bunch of troll toll collectors (Larian really loves wordplay). I also need to find a witch who is the sister to a villain. I'm at level 9, it sounds like the soft cap is around level 21-23 or so.
END SPOILERS
So far there really haven't been any major branching plot lines like you'd get in a BioWare or CD Projekt Red RPG. But it also doesn't feel like it's been running on rails. There is almost total freedom in where to go and what to do, feeling much more like an Ultima than a modern RPG. There's some soft gating in the form of difficult enemies blocking the path, but you don't need to pass story beats to access later parts of the game. You also have a ton of opportunities to advise other NPCs in how to act or to express your reactions to events, and can have your PCs speak with a unified voice or convey diverging views. All that to say that so far I'm not missing the lack of Virmire-style choices. This game is doing something else, and on its terms doing it well.
I'm looking forward to jumping back into it. I think that from here on out the content should be all-new to me, but set in a system I'm quickly coming to adore.
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