Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity Original Sin - Help/Tips/Tricks [DOS: EE] Questions on: Class set-up(s) & Leveling

Hi guys,

This is my first "classic" RPG. I've very lost and a bit intimidated. For starters, I'm having trouble setting up the right group.

My first character is a Wayfarer & my second one is a Cleric.

Now I know that you can go about this game literally anyway you want when it comes to character customization and your party. But that's my problem. Haha. I don't know how to go about building a "balanced" party.

Secondly is Leveling. I don't exactly understand how to go about putting my skill, attribution, etc points where they go. If there is something that I end up not liking am I able to "fix" my character later on?

I apologize for being vague or confusing. I'm not to sure about this myself. All I know is that the game looks immensely fun and the story good.

I don't know what the class names mean, because in this game what's really defining is the skills you pick
(INT magical skillset: air earth water fire wicthery, DEX skillsets: scoundrel and marksman, STR skillset: man at arms).

Anyway, at some point in the game, you will be able to redo your characters if you want (full respec, including for companions), so no worries there.

If you want to build a balanced group, well typically there's one magic user with all INT school invested at 1 or 2 minimum, one STR man at arms who's tanking (not necessarily with shield, dualwield or two-handed is fine) and one DEX marksman. The last slot (if you don't have any lonewolf) is either another mage which is built complementary with the first one, or a scoundrel.
Each of them can invest spare points in a non-combat skillset or leadership (it gives bonus to the group but not the wearer).
Leadership is best invested on a mage, Charisma is best invested on one of the two main characters (preferably the one with petpal if you took it), Crafting on whomever but preferentially the one who took scientist as talent, Lucky Charm/Telekinesis on the character you use to loot containers.
Currently Barter, Sneaking, Stealing and Lockpicking aren't worth investing in.

To know if you have spare points in a skillset, just know that it's generally useless to go above your level/3 (not useful to go above 1 before level 3, not useful to go above 2 before level 6 etc...).
But skillsets other than mage are usually paired with a weapon ability.

For classic party-combat CRPGs, a "well balanced" party generally included members who specialize particular functions that will optimize the group's efficiency in battle. The specialization is due to the limited number of available points you can invest in talents, skills, and attributes. It's impossible to have one character who is brilliant at everything, and although you can have characters who are "jack of all trades but masters of none", a combination of different characters who specialize in a small number of different skills that cover each other's gaps obviously make the party more efficient because it allows all of them to eventually become masters of those skills. A well-rounded party generally include members who can perform the following functions:

1) tank: someone who can soak up damage and shrug it off, basically to act as the focus of enemy attacks and preoccupy them while the other party members do their thing. Warrior type classes generally fulfill this role, but in DOS, it is also possible to skip having to level a character as a "tank" and use summons for that function.

2) healer: pretty self explanatory. This is (usually) a caster who uses healing spells to keep party members healed and buffed with spells that will enhance their stats and skills during combat to optimize their "survivibility." In DOS, this will typically be a caster who specialize in the water school of magic or, if you have a party where every member has the zombie talent (where you are healed by poison rather than normal healing method), earth school of magic.

3) damage dealer: this character's job is to inflict as much damage as possible against the enemy. They may or may not be able to take much punishment from the enemy AI, so sometimes you need to keep them out of harm's way and use a variety of strategies to distract the enemy AI from focusing on them during the battle. A lot of classes can fulfill this role in DOS, everything from two-handed melee warriors, spell casters, sneak attack rogues, archery rangers, etc.

4) since DOS has a crafting system, you may want to have a character that have at least a couple of points in non-combat utility skills like crafting or blacksmithing.

5) I typically prefer my main two characters to be mages, one acting as the healer who also doubles as the caster for crowd control (CC) spells and "set up" spells (water and earth are both very good schools of magic for that) that help facilitate the other mage, who is a dedicated damage dealer who specializes in offensive spells (fire and air). I then recruit NPCs like Madora (melee tank) or Bairdotr to fill the skill and role gaps in the party. I also like to have Jahan in the party as a "miscellaneous mage"/summoner (3 mages is really OP...). When playing lonewolf (where you can not recruit NPCs and only has 2 characters in the party, but get more points every time you level the characters), I usually have a hybrid mage/rogue and a hybrid mage/warrior, and rely entirely on summons to tank for the party.

Anyway, these are just the basics. And yes, you will be able to respec your characters' skills starting at a certain point in the game (it will cost 1000 gold).

Chrest, you have pretty sum-it-all.
Althou I think Barter is worth it (1-2 points)
Respect is in the game but you will not use it. It destroys ALL the skills and spells. So its VERY expensive and tiresome to get those books back.

Important point when building party is splashing. e.g. add 1 point to a spell school gives you 3 spells. There are spells who has NO requirement for Inteligence. So casting those has pretty similar effect to dedicated mage. It is very good to give 1 Geomancy skill - spider, oil, boulder ; 1 Hydro - heal !!!, rain; 1 Air - teleport, wind of change, thunder jump ; 1Witchcraft - undead warrior, vapiric touch.

Add at least one of these spells cllases to every of your characters. is very effective. Enhanced edition made a little mess in the classic clases so curently all are sort of mage.

e.g. yes, any of your character would have 3-12 spells. A warrior would use warrior skills and spells. Use of regular weapon attack is quite seldom.

Also. keep in mid, heading to max skill = 5 is not worth it. Except Man-at-arms and aerotheurg for Lightning Rod talent. generaly - Best skills are on the level 2.