Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - Suggestions and Feedback Trader Friel dead after Doctor's candles snuffed

Trader Friel, the ONLY seller of elemental and polymorph skillbooks in ALL OF ACT 4 dies if you snuff the candles to deal with the Doctor. There is no warning of this at all, and I only noticed a couple hours later right before the end game when I wanted to try and get a couple more skillbooks. Nope! Can't do that now!

Who thought this was a good idea?

I am going to support it as a purely good design choice because your reaction amused me.

This is less of an issue with this specific instance (unintended/unknowable consequences for a powerful decision) and more with how D:OS2 (and the former game) handled shops and skill acquisition.

Skillbooks only being purchasable from a single unmarked individual per act is incredibly frustrating design, especially when it is so easy to upset or engage in combat with them without trying; but having these unmarked, unique vendors for each act be irreplaceable and potentially killing them being tied to some quests or common encounters is downright agonizing (Stingtail is the most immediate example of this once you start the game, followed by the Dwarf in the back of the Inn in Act 2).

Consequences that are reflected in the gameplay and story both are interesting and can lead to a deeper experience; but one wrong move or quest/Origins encounter done too early can completely lock you out of progression for your skillset for the better part of an act, barring RNG loot, and that's just heinous.

IMO the first game did this better. Even if they are dead you can still loot their shop vendors so it feels less frustrating.

So that was why he was dead. I thought it was something else.

This is only an issue if you see the vendor after snuffing out souls, and not before.

I lived fine without getting any further skills, so it wasn't too bad.

The issue in this case being Larian's very, very poor decision to only have one skill vendor in the act who sells Pyro, Geo, Hydro, Aero and Poly skills.

The issue being that since the final fight of the game uses different rules, I wanted to change my skill setup to take advantage of those and use skills I'd otherwise never bother with. Except now I can't unless I'm willing to go back a few hours and redo a bunch of stuff - which I am not.

IIRC Gareth sells geo skills. Though you are probably right that there should be more vendors

On the other hand, you know what to do on your next playthrough.

Having done the final fight recently, I disagree with "Different rules", not even sure what you mean by this. You won't be able to do the strategy you wanted, but you can make do without any of those skills, at least on classic difficulty. I finished with a sub-optimal party with a worse set-up.

Sensechut is right about Geo skills. You may find some other skill books as you play through as well to complete, the only one I had issues with was polymorph, I fnished my elemental books on the nameless isle (Which is why I really don't think it's as drastic as an issue as you claim).

I get it's frustrating from a completionist's standpoint, but you're really not meant to play the game in this way, and more so embrace the RP aspects. Could it be better? Certainly. Move the vendor closer to the area you would travel before going to the demon's house or have it mentioned in dialogue, but if you haven't met him, it won't change anything.

I personally like the consequence, I think it's fantastic, and wouldn't have it changed, just the approach.

Cross-posted from another thread:

I thought the ethical choice worked well even without the death of the merchant. My objection is the deletion of the sole merchant for half the skill schools.


If a visual consequence is important, here's an idea: There are fifteen Pilgrims at the entrance to the cathedral worshipping around the statue. If you snuff out the candles, the next time you pass through there - which you MUST do for the main quest, they're dead. ALL FIFTEEN OF THEM.


I know you might think that doesn't make sense, but it has to be all of them for the visual impact, and to make it clear what the cause was. Then have a conversation between party members:

[Non-Lhose Party Member]: What the? They're all dead... no signs of violence... it's just like they're puppets who had their strings cut.
Lhose: Is... is this because I snuffed out those candle? I... I did this?

That would be a powerful moment, and it's one the player would be almost guaranteed to see unless for some reason, they have a teleporter pyramid or Crypt waypoint and just zap right there, but that's unlikely.

Another instance of Larian undermining the roleplaying that they've otherwise worked so hard to enable. Yeah, it's a brutal choice to literally snuff out a life, but on a first playthrough you're not going to get the heightened effect of having to kill someone you know because you don't find that part out until after the choice is already made, sometimes long after. Thus, you won't have to weigh your options and make that choice in the moment. Also, instead of horror when you're confronted with the results of your choice, your first reaction is more apt to be frustration that you've unknowingly eliminated what may be an indispensable character, depending on your build. I don't think "frustration" is the response the developers were trying to elicit.

On any subsequent playthroughs, the impact is sucked out of the choice because, if you're smart, you'll make sure to purchase everything you need beforehand, thus rendering the character unnecessary and his loss trivial, especially since he's not a character with whom you develop any kind of emotional bond.

Also, to clarify: Almira, if she's on your ship, sells Aero/Hydro/Pyro books, and Gareth sells Geo books, but no other trader--that I've been able to find, at least--sells Poly books.