Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - General bad and imbalanced + buggy rant

I don't understand why wouldn't you use summons (for example).
They are there for a reason. The game is balanced when you use the tools it provides you. Nothing is balanced if you don't use the tools and then complain it doesn't work.
It's like no using the gas pedal of a car and then complaining it doesn't move.
When playing 2 lone wolves on hard you need to rethink your tactical approach towards battles.
I play like that (1 mage 1 fighter).
1. Mage is primary a buffer, controller, secondary damage dealer.
2. Fighter is main damage dealer, secondary controller.
3. Get Melee Power Stance, get bless, get the witchcraft damage buffing spell, get fortify. Buff fighter, CC (prepare for CC the battlefield) as much as you can with the mage.
4. Go in with the fighter, wreck havoc. Thanks to lone wolf you can take a hit or two before going down.
5. Use summons when you need time to recover. If you haven't noticed summons are not there to win you the fight directly, they are literally distractions for the enemy. The AI is obviously designed to put them as first priority and they immediately turn fire to them, so your party can use the gap to recover, rebuff, re-CC, eat food, drink potions.
6. Use cover, use teleport to get the enemy range/mage into a place where you want it.

The game is not easy with 2 lone wolves on hard in the beginning, no doubt, especially if you jump head in into big parties that are above your level. But it's challenging hard, it gives you the tools to win, just have to use your mind a bit and improvise. I find that extremely fun, invigorating and refreshing, having in mind what is the common "goo" of games we get these days, DOS is a real gem.