Divinity: Original Sin Tips & Tricks: How to Craft and Build Your Party
Are you about to start on the magical mystery tour that is Divinity: Original Sin? Larian Studios' new RPG harkens back to the older days of gaming, when a poorly-chosen build or missed step could lead you into a dead-end. There's a lot of freedom in Divinity: Original Sin, but half of that freedom is the ability to fail hard. Here's a few tips to speed you on your way.
Most Important Tip Ever
Quicksave. Quicksave.Quicksave!QUICKSAVE! It's right there on F5. You'll need it. This also helps with treasure chest since loot is 100 percent randomized each time you open a chest.
Party Composition
Make sure your party compliments each other. You start with two characters of your design, make sure they're polar opposites. You don't need two pickpockets or two characters with high Perception.
The first two party members you'll meet in the first city of Cyseal are Madora, a Knight who uses a two-handed sword and can be a good meatshield, and Jahan, a Wizard with healing and crowd-control. Madora's in the King Crab Tavern and Jahan is on the second level of the Town Hall's library.
If you're going to make another mage, it's good know that Jahan focuses on Air and Water spells.
Original Sin is rather deep in how things interact. Things can't explode if they're wet for example, making Jahan's rain spell rather useful.
Crowd control is king in Original Sin, meaning Rangers and mages are great classes to have on hand. Teleport, for example, can be used on enemies to bring them into range.
You can hire other companions later in the game, so don't feel like you're stuck with the story companions.
Stats, Traits, and Abilities
Focus on two stats per character. One primary and one secondary. Melee uses Strength, rogue types use Dexterity, and mages use Intelligence.
The same goes for your magic users. Focus on two spell schools instead of making a jack of all trades.
Leveling abilities costs more ability points at higher levels. Save ability points to use on the abilities you're focusing on.
Make sure you boost Perception on one character. It's an indispensable stat and good for seeing traps.
The Pet Pal trait, which lets you talk to animals, is a ton of fun and opens up some cool quests.
Charming is very useful in Original Sin and can turn the tide of battle in your favor.
Some crazy spell and ability combos: Midnight Oil + Fire, Midnight Oil + Boulder Bash, or Burning Field + Poison Spore.
Drop a point in Loremaster. This is good for identifying the items you'll find.
Crafting
To craft, you pick up one item and drag it on top of another. You'll need recipes for some items, but many can be found by just jamming stuff together in your inventory. The community has already figured out a bunch of crafting recipes. They're all here.
You need to drag certain items onto furnaces and anvils to create things like weapons. Drag iron ore onto a furnace to create an iron bar. Drag that iron bar onto an anvil to create an axe. Ta-da!
Other quick crafting tips: The whetstone can improve your crafted weapons. Using a knife with a branch creates shafts for arrows. Using a needle and thread with cloth scraps can create cloth armor.
A cooking pot and a campfire will form a mobile kitchen. Useful.
Hire a level 1 henchman as your crafter. He matches your party's level when he joins, so you can allocate his stat points.
Hate ice? Boots and nails can be put together to make slip-resistant boots. Huzzah!
Equipment & General Tips
I wouldn't leave Cyseal until level 3 or 4. Fair warning.
You can pick up locked chests and put them in your inventory if you can't open them then and there.
Repair your stuff. It's annoying, but important.
Every character you can talk to sells or trades something. Click on the red diamond to figure out what they have. Also, their inventories update when you level, so check back!
Buy up any pixie dust you find. It's useful for crafting magical items.
Certain equipment should always be on hand: Shovel, pickaxe, hammer, repair hammer, pickaxe, and identifying glass.
Rot sucks. You'll know when you have it. Want to know what cures Rot? Bloodstones.
Use fast-travel. No reason to back-track.
Use spells or unbreakable weapons to smash locks!
Throwing heavy items out of your inventory can do a lot of damage to enemies.
Steal paintings in houses for money. You can either sneak, or use another party member to distract your mark.
