Divinity:Original Sin 2

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

Actually, Fextralife have a decent "Beginner's Guide" to those starting out.

Is that saying that you get your spells from vendors then? Like if I suddenly decided I wanted to be a water mage so every fight isnt just my party standing in a big puddle of fire dying I have to go around the island buying those spells? Do new spells appear as you level up? That beginners guide tells you to avoid pyromancy at the start but all I have is Fire spells, if I meet a new character and tell them I want them to be a magic caster when they give you the option then all their spells will be fire based aswell so its nothing to do with the character creation screen, how are you supposed to build a character even if you do decide to just cheat and look up what works?

Thargor wrote: »

Is that saying that you get your spells from vendors then? Like if I suddenly decided I wanted to be a water mage so every fight isnt just my party standing in a big puddle of fire dying I have to go around the island buying those spells? Do new spells appear as you level up? That beginners guide tells you to avoid pyromancy at the start but all I have is Fire spells, if I meet a new character and tell them I want them to be a magic caster when they give you the option then all their spells will be fire based aswell so its nothing to do with the character creation screen, how are you supposed to build a character even if you do decide to just cheat and look up what works?

There's two parts to spells (skills, actually, as spells are just a form of skill).

One is your points in that area. So fire spells are based (unsurprisingly) on your points in Pyromancy. To cast any Pyro spells, you need to have at least 1 point in Pyro. Some spells take more points in Pyro, up to 5 for example. If your character has zero points in Pyro, then they won't be able to cast any Pyro skills (though they can use scrolls - but ignore that for the moment). Water based spells are based on Hydromancy, Air/Electricity on Aerothurge, etc.

The second part is actually knowing the spells. These you learn from spellbooks which can either drop as loot from enemies, appear in chests, or you can buy them from a vendor. You then learn them (right click -> learn skill) and then you can choose to have it usable (memorised) via the skills page (hotkey K, I think offhand). Once you learn a skill, you'll have it available all the time, but your memory determines how many skills you can have memories (available to use via hotbar, etc) at any one time.

There's several types of magic caster available when you're talking to a companion for the first time and choosing what they are. Firstly you choose for them to be focused on the magic area (I forget the particular line, but it's either magic or arcane or something). Then you can choose the preset. Wizard would be fire and geomancy (probably what you chose). Enchanter would be Air/Water, Conjurer is Summoning, if I recall.

For your own character you build it via the character creation screen. For companions, you pick a preset via the dialogue and then add skills/attributes etc to them until you get to the point when you can respec them fully.

If you want to add me on Steam, it's "davsheep". We can fire up a game and walk through it.

Well, that's a pity.

1. It's not only from vendors. Vendors are the easiest, and most realiable way to get skillbooks. However, they can drop, be found in chests and be crafted using a blank spellbook and a scroll (and a few other items, iirc). I did say in my previous post that it's all skills - spells are just another type of skill. As is special archery abilities and healing and all the rest.

2. Your attributes, skill points and talents are the basis for character progression. Gear and spells are just what you use, and they depend on the former. Some armor/weapons can only be used with certain attributes, daggers require high finesse for example and mage armour requires high intelligence.

3. All the statuses in the game have a counter. You're on fire? Restoration (basica heal) removes that, as does Fortify, Armor of Frost and Rain. That's probably not even all. Poisoned? First Aid, Restoration, Fortify. Some combo together, such as fire and poison.

Much like other party RPGs, your party composition matters. My first party I completed on normal was: Archer/Summoner. Tank/2Handed DPS. Rogue. Mage Healer. Fairly vanilla, but did the job.

4. You can carry bedrolls with you, you're encouraged to. There are also healing potions, healing spells (though you don't appear to have figured out how to use them) and food/drink items.

5. I really don't know how you could make a mistake in the character creation screen. You have a dozen presets to choose from, one of which is fire based. As I explained.

I'll leave my replies to you there, since you seem determined to dislike the game and not really take on board what's being said (apologies if that's not the case, but it really seems that way). If you're really finding it tough, lower the difficulty until you get the hang of the mechanics, character creation and development and combat (statuses, damage types etc) and once that's sorted, go back and ramp up the difficulty to your hearts content.

Some games just aren't for everyone though, that's cool.

**** it, I'll go again.

Thargor wrote: »

But where do you get those spells? If you dont get lucky and start with them you're fcuked, it takes too long to level up aswell so if you dont start with the right points in the right skills to use them you'll never be able to gain enough XP to progress.

You start with those spells. Your character will start with those spells, or your companion character will, depending on your choice. It's not a question of getting lucky. You choose the class for yourself (and you have more freedom here) or you choose the class of your (three) companions.

Let's assume you don't even choose a hydrosophy specialist as one of your four characters (though why you would if you're finding it hard, is beyond me). You level up to level 2 or 3 and you can put a point into Hydro. You get level 3 maybe forty five minutes to an hours in. Then you stroll down to the blue lizard down in the merchant area of the starting area, and you buy a rain spell, or a healing spell off him.

Tadaa.

I did this yesterday. In fact, I chose a party composition that had no healer: Death Knight (Necro Warfare), Mage (Pyro, Geo, Aero), Ranger (Huntsman,Summoner) and Duellist (Rogue, Dual Wield). I only got a heal spell at level 3. I was playing on one below the hardest.

I'm level 4 now, but at level 3, I put a point into Hydro on my Death Knight (not even my mage) and he got a rain and heal spell, but even if he didn't, I was doing OK. Because I took the time to understand the mechanics and played at an easier difficulty to figure it all out.

You should not be able to play at the highest difficulty first time out in a game, otherwise it's too easy.

Thargor wrote: »

I really couldnt be bothered playing another 8 hours over again just because the devs didnt include a warning that if you cant make it rain or party heal then you cant win even the basic starting fights...

You don't have to replay 8 hours. Not even 1 hour if you decide not to. You can finish the first act (without even trying) well within 8 hours.

Thargor wrote: »

I dont play games on easy, especially RPGs, Ive completed pretty much all of the well known ones since the Ultima/Daggerfall days usually on hard and Ive never seen one that makes you despise it from the beginning like this one. If a game requires you to lower the difficulty to progress theres something wrong with it. If a game requires you to view Youtube videos of what build to work towards from the instant you start in order to be able to finish the late game then its broken, if its so unforgiving that choosing to give fire spells to a mage character prevents you from progressing then again, its broken.

This game, on hard, is hard, it's unforgiving and it requires you to understand it's mechanics. You, quite clearly, don't. So expecting to be able to dive right into hard isn't a condemnation of the game, it's a condemnation of either one of two things. Your ability, or the ease of the other games you mentioned. I suspect it's not the latter.

Thargor wrote: »

Theres a horrible feeling when you're playing that everything you're doing is wrong, the camera angle is hideous aswell, this is one of the worst attempts at an RPG Ive ever experienced tbh, actually with the requirement to buy your upgrades to progress instead of finding them on your travels Id say it probably is the worst.

You can change the camera angle at will, with your mouse.

As I explained, and again it appears that has been ignored, you don't buy your upgrades in progression. You earn them through XP, and through that XP you earn the right to wear better gear, and to get better skills.

To others: please tell me I'm not going insane here?

ballyargus wrote: »

"formation menu"? Enlighten me

In the pause menu(Esc on PC) there is a formation option underneath waypoints, which btw, is also a quick way to jump to any waypoint you have already discovered.

Your not going insane Dave, remarkable the response to your initial post, which is probably one of the most comprehensive i've read.

Sometimes some people just don't "get it" which is fine, there are plenty of games out there, it just so happens this has been cited as the best RPG's released in recent years and most RPG players tend to agree.

I cheesed it first time around a LOT. Teleported one of the mobs miles back and pulled other npcs into the fight.

On this playthrough I found it quite easy overall.

What were you playing on?

Anyone who played the original just over a year ago (like me), do you find the definitive edition worth playing now? Is there enough in it to make it worthwhile?