Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General New to Beyond Divinity (Please Read, all who see)

Hey, I am new to Beyond Divinity. I tried once when I was younger but the game did not work and the screen was all off kilter. Now I am trying again, and I am not very far, in fact I am restarting.

I have played Divine Divinity, at least 20 times, it is by far one of my most favorite RPGs. As for Beyond Divinity, I can see it has potential, I just do not like the lack of feeling of accomplishment when I drop a skill point in. It's just different. But I will give it a try.


Anyways, on to my main reason for making this thread.

I want some general tips.

For making my character a mage or a warrior or an archer (I have yet to discover other classes possible) which one is generally a bad idea to go with? I dont want to get half way through the game just to come to find out that my character build sucks!!

ie; Which class is over powered? If i want to have a fun time playing what do you suggest I make my character?

I prefer mages, but if mages suck in this game i would prefer not to go with it.


As for my Death Knight, I probably will make him a melee type, just because thats how i feel he should be. I don't think he will automatically attack with magic on his own, maybe a bow if i equippd him but i am just going to make him melee.


Anyways, please try to answer my above questions, as well as give me general tips relating to character building and stat allocation. Thanks

ps:Divine games are the best!!!!!!

Mages do not suck, but the more effective and mana efficient spells only start to become available in act 2 (particularly Shaman magic).

The DeathKnight gains armour based on level, so doesn't need strength for armour requirements. Built as a mage or bow archer, this would allow more focus on intelligence or agility, etc.

An archer as a non-lead character, set to agressive, will auto-attack opponents in range, which makes a nice early warning system (ie if you have the inventory open checking out loot you just got, and opponents just off-screen approach).
The act 1 summoning doll can equip a crossbow, so can provide good support for tough fights. Even if upgraded summing dolls are not that tough, but it would do fine if kept out of melee combat (and at least provide a bit of a distraction).

I put a only couple skill points into weapon damage and accuracy, but maxed Reload Time for my archer (gives a direct Speed boost).

At the beginning of the game the DK has a sword and the hero can get a club, which works well given the number of skeletons at the start of the game. I kept going that way most of the act, switching the DK to 2 handed swords and my hero to a two handed walking stick after awhile (and sometimes using a bow for tough fights). Once I reached the citadel near the end of act 1, I switched my hero to be an archer full time. It would have been more optimal to make the DK a bow archer, but I still did fine.

BTW I collected special arrows, but rarely used any (they were rarer in the original release, and the BF merchant didn't stock them regularly). I mostly used normal arrows (playing again, I'd switch to power arrows much sooner) and splitting arrows came in handy in a couple places (particularly if you can set up a crossfire situation with the act 1 doll, against a group in a confined space). The elemental arrows, etc, would be much more effective against opponents vulnerable to that type of damage, but I rarely found myself in a situation where I needed the extra damage enough to bother swapping arrows around (though you can set hotkeys to select from 3 different arrow slots).


Beyond Divinity Strategy Guide

The walkthrough section contains tips throughout, and of course spoilers. There is a math appendix that gives info (and advice on stat distribution, among other things), plus sections on skills, creatures, equipment, etc.

There is some initial stat distribution advice in the topic Killing Fergus.

Oh wow so i can make the dk auto attack i didnt even know that. I kind of want to restart then cause i made him use slash attack and added str points because it said he cant equip the sword. And for my mage i made a kid and made him use fire magic and i was thinking about making it fire water or something. I havent used a doll yet and i kind of dont want to use a doll this time through because i just wanna get a feel of the game. I am assuming that on my way through if i restart once i understand the mechanics a bit more i can decide what i want to do. I always have trouble starting the game, not knowing which build will work and what one wont.

If you have a tip on a good first time through play build please, let me know cuz im about to go smoke a bowl and immerse myself so if u reply when i get back i might restart. just tell me what i should make my death knight do, and my character do, for a good first playthrough. if mage is one of the more complex builds, let me know. Also let me know what is the easier builds. Maybe some general stat allocation tips for archer mage and warrior, for dk and my character. I dont understand what u mean the dk doesnt need str points for armor cuz he needs them for weapons it says. Idk. Also dolls seem to advanced for my first playthrough

Desperately awaiting replys. I am afraid to begin the game out of fear that my character will suck and or not be fun!!!

It's just different, and i am not use to it.

I am thinking I want my character to be a melee character. How well does that work? Should i be sword n board, 2h, or dual wield?

If my main is a melee, should i make my dk be a archer?? Will he actually be helpful if he is an archer and not a melee??

ps: I beat fergus without adding any stats, and now i am level 10, with no stats allocated playing on normal. I got the gist of combat down i guess, but I just need a little general information on Warrior, Mage, and Archer classes, as well as Death Knight tips.

I guess I am just going to make a second save and continue playing for right now.

Also, big question I need answering. If i remove a skill, does it give it back to me so i can readd it somewhere else? If so that will make the game MUCH simpler, and I wont worry as much. As well as, is there a dupe trick too?? Cause I can just dupe the gold so i can afford it if i need to. (Not big on cheating, but gotta do what ya gotta do lol)

Also should I buy as many things from a teacher as possible? Just to open up my options???

Going to go ahead and start doing that anyways. So far so good!!! Hey, Lol. I am making my main be a sword and i gave him a healing spell my dk is an archer using a bow so far i am whoopin ass so i guess i am pretty happy with my own strategy. took on 6 rats and 3 skeletons at a time with my dk also just learned about dolls! Really cool, i can move all 3 ! plus if he dissapears he keeps his sword but im not going to level him just yet. anyways im stuck and idk where to go i think i have to blow that concrete floor at the top right up with coal or something i read it somewhere i just dont know where to go oh well going back to playing also feel a bit spammy so i am not going to reply for a minute!


HAPPY GAMING

I wouldn't want a warrior to auto-attack (they can rush off towards tough opponents, so there could be a delay before your lead character can catch up), and I don't think mages will auto-cast spells. Most of the time I just had both characters selected, and directed them to move and attack as one (only split them up for tough fights).

If you give the DK a strength based weapon, he will need strength for that. That is why I specified a bow archer as a good fit, since they are agility based. Crossbows tend to do more damage than bows, but are a little slower and have strength and agility requirements.

I almost never play mages in real time games, and have not done so in Beyond Divinity.

You will at least want the summoning doll to use as a mule (summon it, drop all your excess loot in its inventory, unsummon it. when you get to a merchant, summon it again and sell your junk). Summoning dolls can also be used to set off proximity based traps (they can not open containers, so you can not use them for trapped chests, etc).

There is some starting advice in the Killing Fergus topic (even though you are past that point), and more in the strategy guide.

If your starting characters really suck, you'll find out pretty fast. I did my first game (playing on tactical difficulty); it was easy up until Fergus, about 15 minutes into the game, and then not so much. With a restart and some tweaks to my stats and strategy, I did much better.

Melee works fine; some people even played with 2 melee characters. There is no dual wielding, so your choices are one handed, sword and board or two handed. Try whatever you wish. You'll probably have to start off with a one handed weapon, so use that until you find a shield or two handed weapon, and try them out.
When I switched my characters to two handed weapons I left the one handed expertise skills (only put a couple points into them, anyway), in case I wanted to switch back. I had lots of skill points.

I think having a ranged character is helpful, but if you wanted you could keep the DK as melee. The way the game starts you characters are both going to be melee at first, anyway. There is a bow available relatively early, but limited arrows for at least the first hour. You'll be able to get a feel for how it works (and against skeletons it works pretty good). Later, against mages and archers, it helps to have a ranged character yourself (though not essential, and even a warrior can learn a couple spells, even if they don't have the mana to use them frequently).


Yes when you unlearn skills (at a cost related to your character level) you get the skill points back.

There are ways to duplicate gold (hex editing and file swapping), though I have not tried in the latest version, so the procedures may not work, or may be slightly different.

I bought any skills that sounded like they might come in handy, and didn't have any problem with gold. I'm not sure you could train in everything, though.

I had both my character learn the healing spell; it comes in handy. I put 2 points in for each, though probably would have been fine with one.

I didn't level up my summoning doll until almost the very end of the game. Since the purpose of the main characters is to undo the soul forge, it isn't spoiling anything when I say that near the end you can have your DK unlearn all his skills, and have him learn the summoning doll level and skill point upgrades. You may need to scrounge a bit for the gold, depending on how many skills he has then. If you don't want to play in the after game battlefields, though, where it is just your hero and summoning dolls, it doesn't make much difference if get a use from the all the DKs skill points, or not.


There are two ways to exit the first act. Making explosives will give you experience points, so that is the better option. Keep exploring, and you will eventually get to the exit, as well (which will not give experience). There is a hint for the items you need in a book somewhere about gunpowder.

Yea I was bummed to find out that a sword and shield slasher is different then a one handed sword, two seperate things. But thats okay i dont mind spending the points for switching when the time comes. Thanks for all of those other tips, very enlightening. Yeah there was one part where i had to fight like 6 skeletons at once, my main, being a melee child, and my dk being an archer, i couldnt beat it unless i switched to my dk with archery. Archery is very fun i would say so far

i dont really know what the battle fields are.

How effective is adding to Luck, and also

Why do the items, like leather leggins, or gloves, say things like -7% speed, they are actually taking away my speed? speed of what? moving around? Swinging my sword? anyways what does the survival stat do also.

lol i spend like a half hour trying to get that one prisoner water couldnt figure it out

The battlefields are areas with randomly generated dungeons, as well as several merchants. The dungeons are entirely optional (I skipped them), but having handy access to merchants whenever you wish is nice. Merchants can hang on to some stuff you sell them, which stay at the top of their list, so I tried to sell most of my stuff to the potion dealer, since I rarely wanted to check out her inventory, anyway. Other than that, their inventories reset each time you enter, so if you want to look for equipment upgrades, you can quicksave, enter the BF, check merchants and quickload if they done have anything. I wouldn't waste too much time on that, unless you really start having trouble.

Have you found large keys, that when clicked on, say you access to battlefields level x (1-3 in the first act)? There was one in a mostly hidden locked chest on the first level, with a key hidden near the end of that level. The second (level 1) key you would have passed after the second maze level, before getting back to the first level and access to the citadel. The level 2 key can be found in the citadel, in a side room in the area with the DK patrols. If you get the level 2 key, it will open dungeons 1 and 2, so there is no need to backtrack to get the level 1 keys. You can even wait until after you confront the demon Samuel near the end of the act, after which you can find the level 3 key.

If you have clicked on a BF key in the current act, when you click on the secondary skill button beside either characters' portrait, there should be an 'Enter Battlefields' icon at the bottom of the list. The first time you enter in an act the dungeons are generated, so it can take awhile to load.


Speed helps determines your evasion and initiative. Survival helps determine initiative, luck, regeneration, accuracy and elemental resistances (see the strategy guide, math appendix for details).
Speed effects your reaction time in combat (the Reload Time bow subskill is a straight Speed boost, for example). Heavier armour will make you slightly slower (not sure it would be noticeable visually), but the better protection more than makes up for that. You can also find jewelry, and sometimes armour, with +X% speed bonuses.


The prisoner wants a specific bottle of water (it updates the quest log when you pick it up) from the kitchen south of there.

No I have not found a key yet. But thats ok I will get to that when it comes along I suppose. I havent played yet lol my gf wants to play the sims so im letting her go on the computer today. What is initiative???

So far my character is alot of fun!!! I like switching between dk and my main. And yeah i am not going back to get him water, i just hope i didnt miss out on much.

Does anyone elsse really come to these forums???

Initiative helps determine who gores first in battle, and influences each 'round' of the fight (it you get hit, your opponent moves, or you otherwise are interrupted).

The prisoner just warns you about a trap, gives a hint on blocking the cogwheel in the arena (though it is better to fight the spiders, IMO) and a detect traps skill book (I never bothered learning that skill).

The DD and BD forums have been pretty quiet for awhile. There is sporadic activity, though (here and in the GOG Divinity forum and Steam discussion page for DD).

I picked a child, does that matter? I know male or female wont matter but i didnt know about the child i am assuming not!! I am bout to toke up n play man i love this game so much i love larian studios and there games. Lol i remember the 911 tribute in dd i remember i took the piano and put it in my house lol i loved the customization it was so old school and childish but always alot of fun. I think after I beat bd i will try and play div 2 but my computer sucks. I had a better computer but it crapped out on me (motherboard broke) Idk if i could put the parts into this computer. Lol I just like socializing on forums!!! Idk how your forum works here i know some forums keep it strictly business and tend to not wanna reply all the time and eventually stop the threads, but if this is a place where people like to reply, i will reply to you n it gives us something to do!!!!

No, the character model doesn't make a difference.

If the subject gets too far off topic, it should be moved to the chat forums, but a little bit of meandering is not uncommon for longer topics.

Yea i feel ya. I am in the battle ground because i cant beat the gargoyle and earth troll, so i am just doing quests and all that stuff trying to level up a little bit.

Are there any skills that you would think would be worth getting but are actually completely useless? Like sharpen, or armor use?

What about like convert arrow, or arrow proficiency?

Can you give me a general summary of some of the more useful skill??

What gargoyle and earth troll?

I tried Sharpen a bit; it can give a nice damage bonus to certain types of weapons, but also adds an agility requirement (ie save before using it).

I didn't learn Armour Usage or Arrow Proficiency. I did learn the Convert Arrow skill for Power Arrows, near the end of the game, but I think I found or bought all the power arrows I actually used. Playing again I wouldn't keep using normal arrows for so long, so the convert skill might be more useful (but it should be pretty easy to build up a decent supply of arrows from loot, or bought in the BF, if need be).

I really didn't learn that many skills, weapon expertise and the healing spell for both characters, my hero learned Identify Equipment, and my DK learned Sharpen and Repair. Almost at the end of the game I found some holy water for sale in the BF, so learned Alchemy so I could make some permanent agility potions for my hero (who had recently found a very nice bow, so switched to that rather than a crossbow). There were lots of spells I could have tried, and I saved trap material to eventually try out traps, but never got around to it (though it was a good thing I saved alchemy plants).
Lockpick would probably be useful (the skill was broken when I played through the disk version, so the only things locked were those with a key or lever to open).

Idk you remember the part where you pull like 6 levers and each lever sends a gargoyle at you?? then on the last lever it sends a gargoyle and a earth elemental at you. Sorry not troll, elemental, i can see my mistake. Anyways I have a question.

How do I stack items? Because I have one stack of 20 fire arrows and another stack of like 17 arrows, how can I put them together? Also how do i give my dk items without giving him the entire stack? Forexample, if my main character has too many health potions and its becoming a weight problem i would like to give my dk half of them. How??

Anyways I am level 9 now, i killed a boss spider in the first dungeon, i cant figure ut how to unlock the next dungeon idk what to do. Maybe i need a higher level bf?? Idk. Monsters dont respawn either do they? if they do, how do i make them respawn because I need to level up some more. My guy isnt over powered i dont like it lol. I still do good tho

I found a room in the area where I have to sneak past the dk's and stuff, which i didnt sneak i just killed everyone but anyways the armory room has like a wall in front of a bunch of items, with a ranaar cross bow and an elven bow and a bunch of other weapons i want!!! How can I get them? There must be a glitch or something I can use to get them. I am going to go afk for a while and wait for a reply to this post!!! Btw, found a bf 2 key so now i understand how to unlock more dungeons.

I killed the merchent and took his items to sell for gold. I hope that wasnt a mistake because I dont know how long I will be around him for.

I am suprised at how long this game has been out, and there doesnt seem to be a vast amount of information on the game on google :\ oh well i guess

Yes, I remember that part, but I thought you were past there, and I couldn't remember another gargoyle and earth elemental combination (I knew you meant elemental; that part wasn't confusing me).

Just before the room with the pentagram, there is a books that reads "In a row, like the water flow, six is thrown, one is not shown, look around on the ground, watch your back or you'll be hacked".
Water flows from high to low, so if you start with the highest lever (top right) and go around in a circle clockwise pulling the next lowest lever, no gargoyles will appear, and the earth elemental will remain a statue when the stairs are revealed.


There are a couple of variations of some arrow types, which can not be stacked. Otherwise, it should be automatic when you pick them up.

Drag a stack into/out of/between inventories, and hold the Ctrl key down before dropping, and you will get a 'split stack' window to determine how many to transfer.

No, there is no monster respawn. In the after-game battlefields you can respawn entire battlefields, but that's not much help now.

Originally the DK Patrols were intended to be much harder, but the difficulty was scaled back. The dialog warning wasn't changed, though.

The game was designed so you couldn't get those weapons, but there is in fact a glitch which will let you do so: armory trick in act 1.

Which merchant did you kill? There are quests in the citadel section, which you may want to do before killing any NPCs that are friendly (or at least are friendly if you are wearing the citadel armour disguise).