Divinity: Original Sin II FAQ/Strategy Guide by DarknessOfMyth Version 0.65, Last Updated 2017-10-29 Table of Contents Introduction About the Game & the Author Color-Coded Terms and Common Phrase Definitions Game Settings & Mechanics Difficulty Level Turn-Based Combat System Item, Object, and Character Manipulation Spell & Effect Combos Armor "Shield" System Conversation & Tags Character Stats & Information Origin Story and Followers Race Levels and Experience Attributes Abilities (and Skills) Talents Action Points Defense Stats Status Effects Initiative Attitude Preset Classes Character Builds World Information Waypoints Loot Items & Equipment Hidden Secrets Quests NPCs Stealth Traders Crime Environmental Effects (Fields) Death & Resurrection General Strategies Getting through the (Early) Difficulty Making Gold Skill Book Vendors Party Building List of Builds Combat Strategies Basic Combat Strategy Advanced Combat Strategy Introduction It's finally here. Not many people knew about this series let alone this title despite success of the first game. But the activity levels seen on Steam from launch till this date really shows how many fans, new fans, and people it has really reached. Long story short it's been a heck of a ride so far, and definitely, definitely, worth the wait. If you want to know more about what I think about the game thus far and my history on the series and role playing games to this point, check the this section. Either way it's recommended you check out the section immediately following this, "About the Guide". It will give you some idea on how to get the most out of this compilation of tips, info, and strategies I've created for you all. Most importantly, enjoy the game. Don't give up because of the difficulty, though I will help with that if that's the case. You will quick realise the masterpiece that Larian Studios has forged from the depths of their development studio. About the Guide The guide's goal is to explain all the in-depth mechanics of the game and it's features. This is not a walkthrough on the quests and stories, and so in terms of story there are essentially no spoilers in the entire guide. What you will learn is everything you can use to help you complete quests, beat tough enemies, improve your characters and party composition, and more. This is a tactical and extremely complex role playing game at it's core, and the world has often forgotten about these games till the past couple years. So I took it upon myself to help you guys out, instead of repeating the same thing in multiple message posts on the official and Steam forums, I decided this guide was the answer. The sections of the guide are split into different aspects of the game. The second chapter covers important mechanics of the game that is important for newcomers to read up on because these things are often unique and foreign concepts if this is your first Divinity: Original Sin experience. The chapter following that focuses on all things character related- your stats, your skills, your talents, race choices, and so on. Everything outside of your character that is out in the world is explained in the subsequent chapter, from where to buy certain skill books to in-depth explanations on environmental effects. The final chapter focuses on the basic and complex strategies of combat, especially useful for getting down those tough fights. I'm considering adding a "character build" section but that has to wait, I love making both effective builds for even Tactician difficulty and also unique builds and figuring out a composition and set up that makes them work - but that will take time. I'll get there though. One final thing to keep in mind is to make sure to use both the table of contents and Ctrl+F to search for what you're looking when using the guide. Do this before emailing me - you may find an answer faster that way. But of course do not hesitate in asking me questions even if you don't think it's something needed to be put in the guide, I'm always glad to help out you folks. I'd appreciate it if it weren't about your girlfriend problems though. Also as the game is still relatively new, I suggest checking the general strategies for some consolidated tips on getting through the difficulty early game, as well as some tactics that work mid-late game too. Current Guide Version Right now the guide is out with only what I deem the core beginner-intermediate stuff out, so that you guys can start using it. I will complete it as a write it up, a lot of the strategies I have in-depth notes for already and just have to get it down into a readable form then place it in the guide. Some others sections I'm still testing and learning in-game, and will be completed when I feel I can deliver good explanations on them. The sections are there for you to look forward to - as I've already dictated that this will be an important feature to explain about. There might also be more sections that you don't see in the index at the moment added in the future, such as one on character builds as I explained earlier. Updates 0.6: Fixed a lot of typos, errors, and finished making gold section, environmental effects section, and expanded getting through early game difficulty. 0.65: Fixed some more errors, expanded and added a few sections such as action points and character builds. Small update but a large one is incoming - I omitted a lot of the half done sections in this update as they don't look complete and hence unprofessional. But as I once said to my girlfriend, stay tuned, it's coming! (That joke sheesh.. speaking of being unprofessional..). Author's Note: The current version of the guide is 0.65, as the core building blocks of the guide is done but there are a the in-depth content and a couple bonus chapters I would like to add to give it more depth and give you guys more help with character creating and party / combat management. As the game is extremely new at this point in time I decided to release it early to help out those still struggling with certain early content or concepts and mechanics. Please revisit the guide at a later date if you wish to see the new chapters as I will be updating them very soon.