Character build guides

[CTHOMP]

Any links to any good guides?

There aren't many on steam guides and the couple I found on YouTube were pre-nerfs (one was a ranger build using Quickdraw, for example).

I'm just curious how I should be assigning attribute points. Do I need to go over base 15 on magic users, 15 dexter for ranger, 15 str for fighter or should I go higher before putting into secondary skills?

Also want to know if there are any updated talent guides?

[briarroot]

Try this site

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/672174-divinity-original-sin/faqs

I don't know if those guides pertain to the Extended Edition or not and I wouldn't advise following any guide to the letter anyway, but there's a lot of interesting and useful information contained there.

[CTHOMP]

Originally posted by briarroot:

Try this site

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/672174-divinity-original-sin/faqs

I don't know if those guides pertain to the Extended Edition or not and I wouldn't advise following any guide to the letter anyway, but there's a lot of interesting and useful information contained there.

Ah, didn't think of checking the classic gamefaqs site. I used to use that site all the time back in the day.

While not exactly what I was hoping for, it gave good enough info. At least I can respec my starting characters in the event I mess them up too much.

[Wovan]

For attributes, the main stats Str/Dex/Int only gives accuracy and cooldown. It barely affects damage outputs. The most important stats in this game are speed and constitution.

https://divinity.fandom.com/wiki/Character_Progression_(Divinity:_Original_Sin)

As you can see, you only get around 15 points by the time you reach end game, so I recommend not putting everything into str/int/dex. To be most efficient, you should put only as much as you needed for equipment requirements (sword & armor = str, bow & light armor = dex).

[gregfromthepeg]

Here is possibly the best build I have seen and not something someone new to the game would likely ever end up with (also incredibly fun because of the heavy grenade use):

https://www.tihie.com/divinity-original-sin-ee/2-power-build-dual-wielding-grenade-wizard

Basically, the game allows for very powerful hybrids. His other builds are all good, too.

The main reason you can do hybrids is that you don't need to max out DEX and STR, so you can spare some for INT, making them a fighter/mage or archer/mage. There are lots of equipment bonuses closer to the end of the game so you can easily have 6 or 7 points in any attribute from gear (plus tormented souls to add bonuses to weapons).

Magic users are a bit different - their damage keeps going up with INT, so a dedicated mage becomes super powerful as the game goes on. They'll just be a bit squishy early on and a mix of cc/damage/support.

STR - increases hit chance and reduces cooldowns
DEX - increases hit chance and defence and reduces cooldowns
INT - increases damage 5% for each INT point above the minimum for that spell, up to a maximum of 150% for the spell. A dedicated mage should get this up to 22/23.

As long as your attribute is above 15 (including gear bonuses), you're good for cooldowns. For chance to hit, there are stances that increase that, and blessing characters also helps here. As well, for archers, elemental arrows don't miss so you can use those a lot early in the game when your accuracy might be annoyingly low.

An example hybrid fighter I might do:

STR 11
DEX 5
INT 10
CON 7
SPD 7
PER 5

I put the extra point in STR mainly to equip gear. But if you want it in INT for more magic damage instead, that works, too.

[Highrule -1]

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

Here is possibly the best build I have seen and not something someone new to the game would likely ever end up with (also incredibly fun because of the heavy grenade use):

https://www.tihie.com/divinity-original-sin-ee/2-power-build-dual-wielding-grenade-wizard

Basically, the game allows for very powerful hybrids. His other builds are all good, too.

....that's just a grenadier with random garbage tagged alongside it. Try using that build without nades; it'll be incredibly weak, borderline useless for most of early levels (up till ~10 at least). It is entirely reliant on nades, not on any sort of "hybrid" property it has.

Thing about nades is that they make anything look great. If you want, you can even play a pure mage while putting all your Attribute points to STR, and you'll still carry an otherwise weak party to an easy victory by throwing nades all game long....

[gregfromthepeg]

Grenades make every build look good......early. That is kind of the point of grenades in any build - to give the build help in the first part of the game. Same thing with rogues - they are kinda meh until level 7 or 8. Grenades are great early on but I never use them much past lvl 11ish. Past then, it is good to have some grenades for cc, like the thunder grenades and charm grenades but that is about it. I usually respec out of grenades at some point, and this build is not weak at all then.

The build is a hybrid because it is a decent mage who can also do scoundrel and man at arms damage and cc. It can complement pretty much any party and adapt to whatever fight happens. It just needs perfect gear with the right bonuses so all 3 stats can get up high enough. Or just split between two - dex/str and int.

[Highrule -1]

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

Grenades make every build look good......early.

...

Grenades are great early on but I never use them much past lvl 11ish. Past then, it is good to have some grenades for cc, like the thunder grenades and charm grenades but that is about it. I usually respec out of grenades at some point, and this build is not weak at all then.

Skill-wise, the endgame for a build comes at level 12 or 15, depending on which Master-tier skills one takes. If a build needs a boost from nades till level 11'ish, over halfway to a build's completion in terms of functionality, that's a pretty bad build then.

A second drastic change happens when Divine items start appearing in shops (level 15 iirc, might be 14 or 16). At that point, Attribute requirements become a non-issue, as finding and crafting a weapon into 10 or more Attribute-granting one is not that difficult. A tri-Attribute build becomes actually viable, but because it has no specialization (like the build you linked) it'll perform worse than any build specially crafted to fit to a party. In addition, with one having to focus on getting all the main Attributes up rather than Speed/Constitution, they won't have anywhere near enough AP to make use of half of those skills they've gathered.

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

Same thing with rogues - they are kinda meh until level 7 or 8.

Problem with early rogues is different than with hybrids -- most enemies early on (skeletons, undead for the poison skill) have high resistances against anything a (dagger) rogue can do. This shouldn't be the problem with a hybrid build due to a wider range of choices it has.

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

The build is a hybrid because it is a decent mage who can also do scoundrel and man at arms damage and cc.

It will also die when it goes to melee range to do some Scoundrel/Man-at-Arms damage, not to mention it has lower damage output than a dedicated Man-at-Arms/Scoundrel character.

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

It can complement pretty much any party and adapt to whatever fight happens.

....but it doesn't have to? It's not like this is an MMO where one plays with various random parties? In this game, one is fully capable of creating a "team" that can deal with any situation that arises. Having a jack of all trades is ultimately baggage; while it can help with any situation, it also forces other characters to make up for its lack of specialization. Because it's not a dedicated DPS, the other characters have to pick up the slack and deal that much damage; because it's not a dedicated healer, the other characters have to heal as well; because it's not a dedicated buffer/CC... you get the idea. Rather than complementing a party, it forces the rest of the party to become more generalized in their ability to deal with things. Case in point, the author on that site has four builds listed, so my guess is that that's their entire team; three of those builds are full hybrids... well, two hybrids and a grenadier.

Oh and what irony, their Shadowblade guide starts with the following line of text:

As I describe below, this build is one of the best in the game, but not top two material due to not being able to use Grenades.

Looks like even they were aware of how broken nades are in this game.

Originally posted by gregfromthepeg:

It just needs perfect gear with the right bonuses so all 3 stats can get up high enough. Or just split between two - dex/str and int.

Requiring 'perfect gear' for a build to function in a game that isn't loot-focused and has random loot to boot is not very bright, imo. Of course throwing nades till Divine items start appearing pretty much guarantees that loot, but, y'know...

A working hybrid is a mix of two Attributes -- DEX/STR, DEX/INT, STR/INT. Other than the faux-hybrid that's a grenadier, the other two hybrids from the author you linked are actual hybrids. A tri-spread isn't something I would consider a "working" hybrid, with much of the reasoning stated somewhere within this post.