Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - Enhanced Edition Don't know how to start... Help!

Hi all, this is my first post. I've just registered to the forum, and I need a hand from you fellow Divinity players. I'm a roleplayer myself in p&p games such as D&D and thus, I like to roleplay even in videogames. Now.. that said.. My favourite class in DOS is the ranger. I know how to build him, but I don't know how to build my 2nd main char. I'd like my party to be like "tank, ranged/rogue, mage, cleric" or something like it, but I really don't know how to do it.. Jahan is a must... don't know about Madora... Wolgroff is nice but maybe unnecessary... don't like Bairdotr... who can help me build this party?

P.s. No min-max, I play normal, so want to focus on roleplay and completeness. Thank you! ;)

Sorry for double posting but... I've just read a comment in another 3d about 2weapon wands... is this really that awsome?

The good thing about this game is that character builds have a lot of flexibility. Your presumably dexterous Ranger can add some lock picking skills and maybe some sneaks while you can compliment with a battlemage or even just a knight or fighter with an added spell capability. Resurrect scrolls and healing potions can serve most of the purpose of a cleric/healer so that leaves you with all your bases covered and free to choose henchmen based solely on role-playing preference. One thing I recommend is to grab the talent early riser for all your characters so when you are resurrected, you come back at full Hp.

Yes, flexibility is undoubtedly a major point in Larian productions so far. Thing is... I'm kind of a traditional guy and would like to have all roles fulfilled... The second mage kinda inspires me, but I haven't tried so far...

I'm pretty knew to the game too. I don't even know all the henchmen that are available to round out a party, but if you are fairly familiar, perhaps you can work backwards from there. Have in mind the two you want to bring along then build your characters to fit the missing roles.

I know 'em for sure.. Problem is... REAL companions are just 4 and 2 are IMHO not viable... Rogues are useless and ranger is my main... so that Leaves me with Madora and Jahan, who are both very good at what they do. I don't like the idea of taking henchmen beacuse they don't interact with you in any way, while companions have their opinion...which adds to roleplaying! ;)

Madora really got on my nerves for the brief amount of time I used her. I sort of agree about rogues, but I just like Wolgraff, so I have been taking him around. Have you considered taking lone wolf for one character and only using one companion? I think I prefer that over a party of four, especially when it comes to dispersing or selling equipment which can get tedious at times.

Mmmm I must say that I agree with you about your sympathies... Madora can be frustrating at times with all that Sourcerers here and Sourcerers there...hehe and I like the fact that Wolgroff doesn't speak and writes... but I must also admit that Madora is a real powerhouse in combat while Wolgroff is kinda squishy... Making a party of three would require me to only take Jahan and change my second char to melee or I wouldn't have a tank out there... mmmmm you got me mumbling...

Since you've not yet replied to my previous post, I'll take the opportunity to describe my build idea: I'm a ranger focused on arrows (huh?!) and dialogues mostly. I treat my ranger as the team leader, so he has charisma to be successful in conversations. I also have lore to identify items and to get to know enemies' weaknesses in order to choose the right elemental arrow to fire. I didn't take any crafting and/or blacksmithing due to Jahan already being proficient with that. Main abilities are: Marksman of course, a dip in Scoundrel (just 1point) to get speed and hide in shadows to steal something.. and I chose to add Geomancer to complete the proficiencies of the party, as it fits in nicely lore-wise. Can someone suggest me if I'm doing it right? Just keep in mind, I don't want to min-max in any way, I want the Char to be plausible and to be respectful of general lore about rangers.
Awaiting your ideas! Also on the 2nd char of course! :D

Since your first character is going to be handling conversation, speed/stealth/ranged responsibilities and a little bit of magic, it sounds like the best compliment would be a big, dumb, powerful character to take and dish damage toe to toe. One thing you don't want to do is to spread your abilities too thin. There comes a point pretty early where you get more powerful by bumping getting their levels up. I don't think you've done that and they all look like they compliment each other, so I have to say I like what you're doing.

So... you wouldn't stick only with Madora, but get another swordman into the fray? What's the "class" (let's call it this way) you'd dish in?

I'm personally liking what Knight has to offer a bit over fighter because they start out using two handed weapons which I personally prefer over a weapon and shield. You don't need a shield if they are dead faster, right?
Oh yeah, about Madora. I just don't like her, but if you do, she can fill the tank role for you and maybe make a witch or wizard with your other main character. I'm definitely having a witch with my next play through.

By witch you mean a mage with only witchcraft? If so, I could have her wield 2 wands at once, and see if it works ok.... I don't like Madora all that much, but must admit she dishes out solid pain in battle... bit of annoying that Sourcerer-mania if you ask me... but still...

Hey Uncle, you disappeared?

I am a roleplayer too. I am against witchcraft, so I don't allow witches in my party and no one has witchcraft.

I use Madora as tank, which she's good at. Plus, she never has to do much tanking as the goal of my party is to neutralize all enemies before they get within striking distance.

I use Jahan, and one of my mains is almost a carbon copy of him, with healing, lightning stun, freezing capability, earth magic, and fire, which is very effective against lots of things.

The other main was going to be a backstabbing rogue, but I found out after creation that that class is not as good as it was pre-EE. So, I modified her to be a ranger with bow, as there are so many special arrows it would be a waste not to use them, plus special arrows are very effective. She has saved the party multiple times with static cloud arrows, which provide an AoE stun.

Regarding roleplaying, Jahan and Madora have a lot to say, especially Jahan, so you can have fun roleplaying conversations with him.

I play my female main as a rigid kind of person who doesn't suffer fools and frequently gives tongue lashings to the male main, who is a happy-go-lucky type who is a bit of a romantic. This provides a nice contrast in personalities.

Hey fire, thanks for replying. Why all this hate against witchcraft? You find it weak? If I get it correctly you created a Mage with all elements? So it's your second main, right? I too wanted to make a rogue, but then found out it was not nearly as good as before, so went ranger... Sorta. So ranger and 2 wanded Mage with all elements?

I am very much against witchcraft in real life, so I am not going to partake of it in a game. It has to do with my Christian beliefs.

Yes, my second main is a mage with all elements. He uses a two-handed staff. I know everyone will say that 2 wands is better, and perhaps it is, but I like long-ranged attacks with Staff of Magus.

The other main is a Ranger and I'm enjoying the build. Hitting enemies with poison cloud arrow, then explosive arrow is lots of fun!

Ok, now last question for you... how do you prioritize the elements? which school(s) of magic will be the favourite(s)? And... do you play your ranger with geomancer or just marksman? Maybe scoundrel?

Dude, did you pay money to play this thing, or to be told what to do from people you don't even know?
You can respecc ingame; just ..go and have fun already.

I made sure my 2nd main (mage) had earth and fire early, so he could oil then flare enemies. You fight a lot of undead in Cyceal. Another useful skill to have is Teleportation from the Aero school.

My ranger has scoundrel, since they started as a rogue, and marksman. She is the trap detector and scout, so she makes heavy use of Fast Track and Invisibility. Perhaps later I'll give her other magics, but right now she's fine.

Something else I'd like to point out is concerning grenades. They are very useful, but if you don't have the Pinpoint Talent, they will often times backfire in your face and land where you don't want them. To get Pinpoint, you need Scoundrel 1, so keep that in mind.