Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Divinity Original Sin 2 comparison

Looking for a Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Divinity Original Sin 2 comparison? Larian Studios has been responsible for the Divinity Original Sin (DOS) titles, some of gaming’s most loved RPGs. And with Wizards of the Coast handing them the D&D license for Baldur’s Gate 3, many have drawn comparisons between the latest game and DOS2.

While the games might look similar visually and have a turn-based system, look at Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses for a clear divergence point. Read on for even more differences between the last Larian Studios title and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Comparing Baldur’s Gate 3 with Divinity Original Sin 2

With a new setting, dice-based skill checks and class-based combat systems, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a step ahead of Divinity Original Sin 2. While some may prefer the latter’s approach to terrain and classless characters, these new restrictions enable even more creativity in combat and dialogue.

Here’s a list of the new things that Baldur’s Gate 3 brings over Divinity Original Sin 2:

• D&D Forgotten Realms setting
• Dice-based skill and ability checks
• Different levelling system and max level
• Class-based skill system
• Cinematics and dialogue
• Combat inspired by D&D 5th edition rules

D&D Forgotten Realms setting

Let’s start the Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Divinity: Original Sin 2 comparison with the game’s setting. The world of Faerun is quite unlike the world of Divinity Original Sin. With lore backed up by decades of tabletop titles, novels, and other creative works, the D&D universe treats Baldur’s Gate 3 as official canon. And while Larian built an incredible world of its own, catering to a bigger audience this time is a win-win. Players get to interact with factions and beliefs that are possibly older than them. The upcoming full release features gorgeous graphics and unique environments that make the Forgotten Realms setting worth exploring for more than just Dungeons & Dragons fans.

While Divinity Original Sin 2 incentivized custom characters over premade ones, Baldur’s Gate 3 Origin characters have a lot more exclusive content this time. Racial and class-specific dialogue in Baldur’s Gate 3 ensures that playthroughs will be even more different. Considering Baldur’s Gate 3 romance options, premade characters can build new relationships with familiar companions. The Dark Urge, in particular, features an amnesiac storyline that involves heaps of murder with little context. You’ll witness this urge take hold of your character, letting you resist or submit to it. It makes for a new, exciting way to play an RPG. But if you want to go custom, Baldur’s Gate 3 character creation has its own upgrades. The Dragonborn race is particularly stunning in the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons.

Dice-based skill and ability checks

Dice rolls are a big part of any Dungeons and Dragons game. It’s no different in Baldur’s Gate 3. While things like accuracy depended on percent chances in Divinity Original Sin 2, Larian’s latest title rolls a 20-sided die for you. Want to hit an enemy? Roll a value above their Armour Class. Want to stun them? Make them fail a saving throw roll that’s tied to an enemy’s ability score. Baldur’s Gate 3 abilities determine how these interactions go, both in combat and in conversation. These abilities then affect skills like Persuasion and Sleight of Hand. Your race and class play a major role in determining these values. So does luck. Levelling up lets you alter some of these values.

Divinity Original Sin 2’s health system consists of separate values for health, physical armour, and magical armour. These values are determined by the armour that a character wears. You had to get through an opponent’s armour bars before chipping away at their health. Baldur’s Gate 3 employs an Armour Class value instead that depends on armour, defensive spells, and Dexterity.

A higher value simply means that a character is harder to hit. Even then, a high enough dice roll can still deal full damage to a highly armoured target. A natural 20 on the D20 die leads to double the damage and a natural 1 is a critical miss. Either of them can make or break combat encounters. You can also gain resistance to certain elements of the game, halving incoming damage in D&D adventures.

Different levelling system and max level

Divinity Original Sin 2 had a max level of 20 while Baldur’s Gate 3 maxes out at level 12. While this might sound like a nerf, levelling works differently in both games. Gaining a level is a bigger deal in Baldur’s Gate 3. Certain levels are milestone events for a character, granting a whole slate of new skills. One such instance would be when characters get to pick a subclass, melee characters get a second attack, or when mages gain access to level 3 spells. Reaching level 4 grants access to Baldur’s Gate 3 feats, powerful buffs that grant new proficiencies in combat and dialogue.

Class-based skill system

Divinity Original Sin 2 lets you use points across a wide variety of domains without restrictions. And while you can multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll mostly stick to Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses, each of which has decades of lore behind them. Each class can be customized to a fair extent but it’s more rigid than Divinity Original Sin 2.

This means that characters have more defined roles this time around. Baldur’s Gate 3 companions start off with classes that cannot be modified. You can respec abilities and skills within their specific classes later on in the game. And while some of Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses can spend money to learn from a small list of spells, Divinity Original Sin 2 let you purchase spells from vendors at any time. The latter lets you learn them as long as your character met its requirements.

Cinematics and dialogue

Baldur’s Gate 3 dialogue and cutscenes are a massive step up from Divinity Original Sin 2. From 2D cinematics and drawn-out text conversations to movie-like 3D ones, random NPCs now offer a true sense of immersion. Even standard dialogues and conversations are acted out by characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. Stellar voice acting and motion capture is something that the older games can’t compete with, not even the older Baldur’s Gate titles. Visuals, music, and immersion have also been polished a great deal in Larian’s new title. Players have drawn comparisons to Bioware’s excellent Dragon Age and Mass Effect titles.

Combat inspired by D&D 5th Edition rules

While both games have a turn-based combat system, they go about it very differently. For starters, Divinity Original Sin 2 had an action point pool. Actions and spells varied in the amount of action points they consumed. This means that characters could perform multiple weaker actions in a single turn. And who attacked first was determined by a static value. But BG3 only lets each character pick from actions, bonus actions, spells, and cantrips. Each character starts their turn based on their Initiative, a dice roll that depends on their Dexterity. They can then move, perform an action, and a bonus action. These restrictions mean that a single creative move can alter the flow of combat.

Baldur’s Gate 3 also lets players access turn-based mode outside combat. This lets you solve puzzles within the massive game world or get the drop on unsuspecting enemies. This minor difference radically changes how you can approach traps and lethal combatants. Letting you prepare your offensive makes for an even greater sense of anticipation, especially when your plan goes wrong and you succeed despite the odds. This approach does wonders for stealth-based combat or tomfoolery.

And that covers everything you need to know about the Baldur’s Gate 3 vs Divinity: Original Sin 2 debate. While the games may share some art style and gameplay elements, each game has its own merits. Both games offer excellent role-playing experiences built around a specialized list of skills, situational modifiers, and tactical depth.

And while D&D’s character sheet and stat threshold concepts might be alien to some players, Baldur’s Gate 3 does a great job in welcoming newcomers to the 5th Edition ruleset. If you’re looking to catch up with the world of D&D, check out the Baldur’s Gate 3 races and subraces that you can play when the game launches out of Early Access.