Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - General Too casual for DOS:2?

So here's the thing,

I started playing BG 3 EA a while back and really loved it, my friend recommended me DOS 2, So I gave it a try,
And although I really like some aspects of the game, I really do not like certain critical things and I seem to struggle keeping up the pace,

I'm currently lvl 13 and all the story quests throw mobs at me of lvl's 14-15, like the Jahan quest, Advocate Quests and On the Ropes,
Basically these quests are nothing more than a lengthy TPK, I feel like I'm terribly underleveled and each bossfight I get into, or any fight I need to complete these quests is a TPK, no matter what strategy I try,

Up until now the game has been challenging, and although I'm not a fan of litterally having to do every single important fight at least twice because of some random nonsense (Mordus transforming in Mord Akaim or whatever being a prime example),
I was able to progress, but now it just feels I've hit a wall.
What do I do? I'm not sure if I need to upgrade my equipment, most of my equipment is quite alright, atlough perhaps also underleveled, but how exactly do you get better stuff? It's not like I have the gold to purchase all the stuff.
I really just want to progress the story without having to do a plethora of arbitrary quests just for XP and gear (which I feel is a waste of time, I'm not really the completionist type of gamer), but at this point I feel this might be the only way.

ANd once I get out of act 2, does this become worse? The need to do all kinds of extra stuff to keep up with the mobs, leveling your characters and gear accordingly?

The thing I loved about BG3 is that your gear did not matter that much and if you know the core mechanics you can basically just beat the game with strategy and sometimes a bit of cheese/creativity.
But this is something I find quite lacking, or just completely different in DOS 2, where I feel gear and stats are more important than sheer strategy, especially because most battles cannot be taken at face value because of sudden summons, transformations or other mechanics that quickly stack the odds against you. These somethimes make seemingly challenging battles quite impossible and sometimes unreasonably difficult.

I can understand. In my opinion these are the hardest three encounters in Act 2. I save them for the end when I'm strong enough to face them.


From what I've read, this is not an uncommon experience at Level 13: it can be difficult to find ways to progress. There are a few ways to move forward. For example, XP can be gained through exploration, through non-violent solutions to quests, and by finding the battles you can win. Compared to the three hardest battles mentioned above, most of the others are easier.


If gold is a challenge, you might want to invest more in Lucky Charm and Bartering. (You could respec if needed). Also, as one reviewer wrote, you can pick up just about anything in Rivellon and sell it. Another option is to craft items and then sell them. These ways to earn gold are not required, but they can get you out of a cash crunch.


Another possibility is to adjust the difficulty level of the game, if you feel to, to keep it fun.


I don't think so. It wasn't my experience. Things get easier as you go forward. In some ways, the there battles described above are among the hardest in the game.


You've said it perfectly. I have to say, this exactly describes my experience with DOS2. It's what I love about the game. It's why I've played through it several times. And it's what keeps me coming back for more.

I've found that just about every hard challenge has a solution -- a solution that eludes me at first. So, at first, I spend a bit of time feeling frustrated! But when I find a solution, it's very rewarding. I enjoy the thrill of discovery. And the new solution then can often be applied to other challenges in the game.

I haven't mentioned anything specific to your situation. If you'd like hints or suggestions, I can try (with a spoiler alert). In any case, I hope you find some solutions that are fun for you!

Perhaps indeed your remarks were general, but they did answer some of my questions so thank you! Much appreciated.

I now know that those three battles actually are comsidered hard battles (I assumed they weren;t and should be considered 'casual' as they are standard story-line quests),
It's also relieving to know that these are some of the harder/challenging battles in the game and that not every battle will be like this, I guess I just have been unlucky in picking my fights.
When I just got out of Fort Joy I was lvl 7 and the first encounter I had was the freaking lvl 12 scarecrow...

I think I'll look into some guides on how to get more gold and some better gear, I already have some of the better weapons like the ice dragon sword, Vard Layal bow and Lohar's hammer,
But I'll look for some more.

I might also have to do some party optimalisation and respeccing, I could use some tips on that.
Currently I run;

The Red Prince Geo/Pyro, mainly invested in Pyro, a point in huntsman for traps and one in hydro for restoration and teleport. Build feels solid, nukes like crazy with all sorts of AoE.

Ifan Ranger, most points in huntsman, some in ranged. Build feels solid, perhaps a bit frail, but high focus fire burst damage.

Beast Aero/hydro battlemage, a hybrid fighter with water and air spells and lots of points into warfare. Mostly used for close combat. Does not synnergise well with Geo/Pyro because of this guy usually being in melee and all enemies and surfaces being on fire, although with his high HP and armor it usually isn't a problem. Not sure if to respec.

Fane Necromancer/rogue, by far my worst character, does nothing but cast some necro spells as Infect or Mosquito swarm, has no AoE and terrible action economy, will definetely respec this to a ranged character and look into how to optimise a necromancer.

So for Fane I would like to know where to get some better necro books, and If I can best respec into ranged instead of scoundrel?
For Beast I am contemplating in swapping out some Warfare points into something that enhances his casting ability and let him wield a staff or wands. I don't use his warfare abilities that much.
I was thinking to swap his warfare for summoning to get some extra support perhaps, but I;m not sure if that would work.

Ah, yes. Me too.


As you say, there are many guides out there. And it’s partly a matter of taste.


The better skill books will arrive at the usual vendors (in Deiftwood for example, when you reach a higher level.

As for respeccing, Ranged could be good. You might also consider Warfare, as it increases physical damage, which works well with Necromancer.


This all sounds like a good plan! And you can always change it later if needed — so there’s room to experiment with no pressure.

Enjoy!

Behold the unholy necromancer!

A bit late reply, you probably have finished the game, but for the sake of continuing the disccussion and perhaps for future interested readers, I share my two cents.

To the OP's point, I feel like early game until early-mid act two is probably the hardest, and there are some tough fights late act 2 definetely, but I think act 3 is deceiving, because it's overall too easy, to the point where you progress it too fast and arrive in act 4 underleveled and maybe even badly equipped. Act 4 has mostly only really tough fights, so it doesn't help to be one or two levels below the enemies.

Overall, try not to fight on the enemies' terms, they usually have the positioning advantage. Also, the most obvious route to a fight is usually the 'lol, ur dead' route, so try to find an alternative route and how to use it to your advantage. But this is generally easier once you know what's coming your way, ie. you've played it once through already.