Speak with Animals or Disguise Self

[Closer of Doors]

Speak with Dead and Detect Thoughts can be obtained via items, but these two, not so much (apart from consumables).

One lets the player talk to animals, the other lets players talk to dead enemies they killed (among other things, but I'm not concerned with those).

Which one is more useful to learn?

[KashanCzechs]

Yes

[Kernest]

I'd say animals, because I found veeeery few situations where to use Disguise Self.

Unless of course you have a Wildheart Barbarian in your party, they get to cast Speak with Animals as a ritual, so just have them do your animal talking and pick Disguise Self.

[skill issue]

speak with animals is super cheap bottle
disguise self in shape shape shift mask from divinity

[TamTroll]

disguise self helps when speaking with dead. the dead don't like to talk to those who killed them.

[Quacksalber]

I don't find disguise self very useful. Basically never needed it.

[Closer of Doors]

Originally posted by Kernest:

I'd say animals, because I found veeeery few situations where to use Disguise Self.

Unless of course you have a Wildheart Barbarian in your party, they get to cast that as a ritual, so just have them do your animal talking and pick Disguise Self.

I was asking from the perspective of a single player playthrough (you can't have Karlach cast speak with animals and then talk to the animals, right? Only your character can talk to npcs), but that is a good point.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Reaper:

Speak with Animals or Disguise Self
Speak with Dead and Detect Thoughts can be obtained via items, but these two, not so much (apart from consumables).

One lets the player talk to animals, the other lets players talk to dead enemies they killed (among other things, but I'm not concerned with those).

Which one is more useful to learn?

Speak with Animals.

That put aisde, you can easily learn some Ritual Spells and use them again and again without spending spell slots.

You could even have a hireling whose purpose is only to cast those Ritual Spells on you and your party members you want to take along after a long rest in camp.

That way you can get some essentials for "cheap" such as

Speak with Dead and Animals and Longstrider

[⇧⇨⇩⇩⇩]

Originally posted by Kernest:

I'd say animals, because I found veeeery few situations where to use Disguise Self.

Unless of course you have a Wildheart Barbarian in your party, they get to cast that as a ritual, so just have them do your animal talking and pick Disguise Self.

disguise self is very usefull for theiving. It can also be used to meet racial requirements of certain gear. For example there are gith weapons that deal bonus damage if wielded by a gith (or just someone disguised as one).

Also there is a very good ring that works by being disguised.
On top of those reasons its also common to find potions of speak with animals,so just keep an eye out for those and you wont need the spell

[Amereth]

!000% Disguise.

The things you can do...

[Kernest]

Originally posted by Reaper:

I was asking from the perspective of a single player playthrough (you can't have Karlach cast speak with animals and then talk to the animals, right? Only your character can talk to npcs), but that is a good point.

No, you absolutely can choose Karlach and talk to an NPC. And you'll talk to them as Karlach. And your PC stands by looking pretty just like companions do when you're talking.

All companions even have Inspiration they can use to reroll skill checks in conversations (or when lockpicking or whatever).

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Reaper:

Originally posted by Kernest:

I'd say animals, because I found veeeery few situations where to use Disguise Self.

Unless of course you have a Wildheart Barbarian in your party, they get to cast that as a ritual, so just have them do your animal talking and pick Disguise Self.

I was asking from the perspective of a single player playthrough (you can't have Karlach cast speak with animals and then talk to the animals, right? Only your character can talk to npcs), but that is a good point.

If you like to share your savegame I could take a look on your party composition and help you out with that.

[Closer of Doors]

Originally posted by Kernest:

Originally posted by Reaper:

I was asking from the perspective of a single player playthrough (you can't have Karlach cast speak with animals and then talk to the animals, right? Only your character can talk to npcs), but that is a good point.

No, you absolutely can choose Karlach and talk to an NPC. And you'll talk to them as Karlach. And your PC stands by looking pretty just like companions do when you're talking.

All companions even have Inspiration they can use to reroll skill checks in conversations (or when lockpicking or whatever).

And just before I read this I found out the deluxe edition comes with a disguise self item. Turns out I didn't need to learn either spell. Longstrider it is then.