Larian Studios Forums Divine Divinity (English) General Minimal Hack 'n Slash

Is it possible to play this game with minimal combat and get enough experience from quests that don't involve killing lots of things?

I've recently just finished a play through I started almost a year ago, I got through most of the game in a few weeks but then when I got partway through the Dark Forest I just stopped for a few months. The reason I stopped for so long is I got tired of the constant hack 'n slash. In the end when I went back to it, I just used embrace shadows and fade from sight to just run past everything in the Wastelands, stopping only to kill the Black Ring members and the Demon of Lies. Finished it about level 46.

I started a new playthrough and was wondering, would it be possible to do this with minimal combat? If I don't need to fight I won't, instead of exploring the entire map and killing everything I'll just go on paths and where quests lead me and get most of my experiences from quests. Has this been tried before? Will you get enough experience from quests alone to be able to defeat some bosses?

I began (playing on easy as I'm not interested in hard fights, just role-playing) with a warrior (I considered a survivor but it's probably easier as a warrior for when I do need to fight). Got to level 3 quickly in Aleroth with the only fight in getting the pyramid. Then I went to the Barracks killing any Orc that strayed onto the path. This got me to about level 5. By going to Alix without saving Mardaneus, Lanilor stays in Aleroth. Here I decided maybe I should restore Mardaneus though as I'll need him later so I quickly ran through the catacombs and didn't do much fighting, still got a two level ups though.

After this I went to see Captain Mitox as Alix had said he had a job for me. Once I got to level 8 I was able to get Embrace Shadows so the two missions Mitox gives me are easy enough at night. Perhaps the Dr. Elrath quest also would be quite good as I don't think there's much combat. But if I go to Stormfist Castle at this stage I think I'll have trouble in places like Iona's dungeon and the treasure room. I'll see how I go.

In a game trying for the lowest possible character level finish, Ariana did the blessing ceremony at level 12, so was level 17 at the start of the wastelands. This involved a lot of saving and reloading to get through the required fights (like the succubus), so she quit at that point. She used a survivor, for the sneak ability, though a warrior has the advantage in damage bonus per strength point and hit points per constitution point, and can use shadow potions and Embrace Shadows.

Most of the combat in the wastelands is optional. I cleared the initial area, around the town and went over to Patriarch, but after that got bored with the combat and simply ran past most of the opponents in the rest of the wastelands and Black Ring dungeon.

Iona's dungeon and the treasure room can be done without much combat. In the treasure room area there are 3 shadow potions before the group of opponents, so you can get by, talk to Zandalor, visit the vault and return (though if you are too low you might have a problem with damage from traps there; SpellShield would help). Lower levels in Iona's dungeon are optional, and after you get your equipment back you just need to head west to the exit; there is one door on the way you need to use a lever to open (which would turn you visible), but you can bypass most of the combat.

Reloading to get Frost on a weapon would help with combat, if you wouldn't consider that cheating, or you could use DAD's item editor or the Divine Divinity Item Editor to give a weapon a large damage boost.

Some RPG's are just not designed for a low-level run - particularly ones where a difference in levels affects your chances to hit/be hit or the damage that is done to you/enemies. I think that in Divine Divinity, being too far below an enemy negatively affects your chance to hit it.

Even if Raze had made it to the final dungeon, he'd have faced a lot of enemies in very narrow spaces, and 6 mandatory boss battles against enemies more than 30 levels higher than he is.


I briefly considered trying a low level run of Divinity 2, but I remembered a few things: skills unlock based on your level, so the skills that I could use to avoid combat would possibly be unavailable. I also remembered trying a certain mandatory fight sequence in Ministry when I was 8 levels below the waves of enemies, and I was unable to complete it.

Of course, Monster experience scales based on the difference in levels, so the mandatory fights I got in would probably level me up anyway.

Thanks for the replies. I won't be as low level as Ariana anyway, I was level 13 by the time I did Stormfist Castle, this required helping Captain Mitox and doing the Dr. Elrath quests. Neither required much fighting and I was able to sneak past most enemies or kill individual ones with my bow. Raze was right that getting out of Iona's dungeon was okay. I'm not so much interested in gathering loot and killing everything, just doing quests and some exploration. Some quests don't require killing everything and most NPCs you don't need to fight.

I made the mistake of getting the Thieves Guild to help me get into the castle treasure room next, I should have done some more quests around Verdistis and the Poor Quarter first to get more experience. The traps in the treasure room were a nightmare, I had Evade Trap level 3 by the time I got there and it wasn't anywhere near enough, numerous traps would one hit me, I kept having to reload and use potions but persevered through it eventually. Then the council chamber was also painful. I was level 14 while there and the Succubus or her Death Knight's lightening could sometimes one hit me though usually it took two. Mummy's give a lot of experience here though so by taking them individually I was able to get to level 16, got Aura of Command to steal her Death Knight. Then every time I took a hit I was able to use Zandalor to heal me so was able to take her.

I would expect to get a level up for each of the other 6 council members not so could be between level 22 and 25 before I become the Divine One. But I'm not sure some of the Black Ring will be easily defeated around level 30. Still, my impressions so far is that this game probably could be played without killing everything Diablo style, just do quests and kill when necessary. We'll see though.

Lanilor NOOOOooooo! By getting an escort for the healers before saving Mardaneus he stays in Aleroth and when the orcs come they kill him in his own garden, Mardaneus couldn't get to him in time, damn you Demona, damn you and your orcs to hell.....


Edit: And because I'm so low level I can't even defeat Demona, I slaughtered all the orcs though. Also they left Otto's pigs alone, perhaps I'll go tell him.