Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 512 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 400 out of 512
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 512
  3. Negative: 75 out of 512
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  1. molnibalage
    Jul 10, 2020
    5
    First of all. I played with first episode the DOS with EE variant. On tactician level. I loved it. It provided challenges which was not and not impossible things. It had a usable and functional crafting system.

    The DOS2 EE is literally a garbage comparing to it. * It's story is so long and noting special I almost even forgot where this everything started and why. * The ending if    First of all. I played with first episode the DOS with EE variant. On tactician level. I loved it. It provided challenges which was not and not impossible things. It had a usable and functional crafting system.

    The DOS2 EE is literally a garbage comparing to it.

    * It's story is so long and noting special I almost even forgot where this everything started and why.

    * The ending if you are just talking with Doctors simply has no sense and BTW it can't be killed. I checked the battles on YT and since n+1 patches simply the stat values of many enemies are simply skyrocketed. What a "balance"...

    * It's combat system is simply broken. I cannot say otherwise. The armor system is simply plain stupid. Because there is no immunity against any of effects if the necessary kind of armor reached 0. Except if the f*ing enemy is possessed you can't charm it. But on tactician level this make viable only a single tactics. Knock down if you can and charm if you can. THAT IS IT.
    The whole game.

    * It's crafting system is cut back comparing to DOS 1, it is close to pointless. 90% of my crafting was creating arrows, charming grenades, mind maggot grenades and refilling the special wand which can resurrect BTW without them on tactical game you are doomed....

    * On tactician level beyond a point gives you such challenges what you cannot overcome only if you are aware what comes. ---> save reload. What a game...

    * Because mostly the LVL difference is the main factor in dmg. calculation it makes almost a 100% liner game because you have to follow the LVL of the areas. LOL
    When comes a freaking RPG without this stupid system...? Even the mighty Witcher was lame in this area.

    I do not recommend this game to anyone. It does not worth 150 hours what took finish it. The only way what was possible because it is impossible to deal with final fight other way.

    DOS 1 EE is a gem.
    DOS 2 DE is close to being garbage if we use the same optics. Of course comparing with other games at least reach the "whatever" level. But if you ask me, it is too long. On lower level there is not challenge, on the highest the game is simply not fun because it is horribly balanced.

    It does not matter how good music has, how nice is the graphic, simply the environment, the challenge level on tactician and quasi linearity makes simply bad.    … Expand
  2. christhewiz
    Nov 25, 2018
    7
    Many flaws in the game mechanics, UI and AI, diminish the overall fun game play. With a little more polish this could have been a great RPG with a perfect score.
  3. SplitMind
    Jul 21, 2019
    5
    This game is particularly frustrating because like its predecessor it is very close to being a great game, yet the mechanics that irritate me seem to the mechanics revered by much of the community.

    The camera - how can anyone revere this? Even when zoomed out you don't have a great view of what's ahead, undermining sneaking attempts and making traversal more difficult than necessary.    This game is particularly frustrating because like its predecessor it is very close to being a great game, yet the mechanics that irritate me seem to the mechanics revered by much of the community.

    The camera - how can anyone revere this? Even when zoomed out you don't have a great view of what's ahead, undermining sneaking attempts and making traversal more difficult than necessary.

    Solving missions - I find myself using the internet to find solutions to quests and often doing so just to find out where to go next. This is another revered game mechanic but really it's just a waste of time, padding out the game with mundane exploration. We're led to believe that this game is 'open', however it's very easy to get the worst ending to a mission and the worst reward, often without prior warning unless you use a guide. This is particularly frustrating as this is identical to the first game. This game does seem to be more forgiving with its use of quest markers to guide you, but far too often there is little-to-no indication of how to progress a mission.

    Gameplay - this is where it becomes a very mixed bag. Unless you're well-versed with this game, starting the game in any mode other than explorer is going to be a hellacious and punishing experience. On that note, I am also irritated that I had to look online to find explanations for what the names of each mode actually mean! The learning curve is extreme in this game. There is a slight tutorial at the start but it is vey brief and shallow. You are then constantly inundated with information and mechanics. On one hand the diversity is great, but on the other it's extreme. You can only have four characters, yet there are many more different types, making it difficult to choose and experiment, creating a risk of a very unbalanced party.

    Overall I am saddened and disappointed at what could have been two amazing games but they have clung onto some sort of elitist approach, taking pride in not 'hand-holding', with the end result being looking online for guides (whether people like to admit it or not). The fighting mechanics can be bizarre, especially the armour system. If you have 100s of hours to invest in this, you may find it pleasurable. I found it cumbersome and a chore.    … Expand
  4. Gamed2long
    Feb 5, 2021
    6
    I played this game following Divinity: Original Sin 1, so I sort of knew what to expect. Played the game anyway. Larion studios throws their own style and creativity and silliness onto the classic baldur's gate 2 style gameplay. Improved from the first one. For those used to sword and sorcery RPGS like Skyrim, Neverwinter Nights and the Dragon Age games, the world has a bit of a scaledI played this game following Divinity: Original Sin 1, so I sort of knew what to expect. Played the game anyway. Larion studios throws their own style and creativity and silliness onto the classic baldur's gate 2 style gameplay. Improved from the first one. For those used to sword and sorcery RPGS like Skyrim, Neverwinter Nights and the Dragon Age games, the world has a bit of a scaled down "cartoony" feel. It is strategic turn based combat. You control a team of 4. And though you can do it solo (with added challenge, and the right perks) team of 4 is the intended way to play. There are a lot of things about the game like that. Firstly, the enemy AI is much improved from the first game. There is a damage boost/penalty from high places creatively scattered throughout the map. Proper team positioning can make or break you. Causing/avoiding environmental effects or damage is of primary importance throughout the experience. The game offers a lot of freedom, in terms of what you do and how, but there are certain systems designed to reward some combos and punish others. Magic has the most AOE attacks and the most powerful too. But friendly fire is a thing in this game. I went a little fire heavy in the beginning only to be mid-battle with the entire map on fire and half my team burning to death quicker than the enemy. A better strategy throughout was to stun/freeze/petrify/charm/knockdown as many enemies as you can, causing them to lose their turn or help you, and gang up on the rest. When successful, this feels a bit cheesy. Then again, right before the final battle a lever got pulled and the game turned my team into helpless cows for 2 turns. Oh yeah, your team can be similarly disabled. If it happens to all of them the game plays itself for a while, you're probably going to lose, and you might not get a next turn. So the cheese goes both ways.
    Overall I found the combat fun and challenging at the best of times, and frustrating to the point of feeling rigged against me at the worst of times. And definitely addicting. Not always in a good way. On normal difficulty success is not guaranteed, and nothing more annoying than sinking 45 min into a battle only to realize a mistake you made at the beginning, or lucky break by the enemy AI was going to doom you, and the only way to win the fight meant going back and trying again from an earlier save. Save often if you do get the game.
    Then there is the layout/plot. While artfully crafted the game hides key plot important stuff in easy to miss ways. Items that trigger or are for side quests are easy to miss. There are also an number of puzzles you must solve to progress. Those range from stupid easy, to very difficult entirely due to lack of instructions. They intend exploration, and want you "try it until you figure it out." But if, like me, you recoil at spending over 100 hrs on a PC game, well several game guides are available to consult, to get the most out of one play through. I honestly could not imagine playing the game without consulting them, and think that's a level design flaw. Too easy is one thing, but a lot of stuff was too obscure because of the user interface. Leading to unexciting wasted time revisiting places to chase down the thing I missed. Without a game guide, one would get stuck and give up.
    The game is mainly split into 4 areas. And while its easy to think the prison isle is a short "tutorial" level, it is actually the first 1/4 of everything. You're weak and under-geared, but so is the enemy then. The second act was the biggest, but I also found to be a bit of a slog. Enemy difficulty varied greatly, you could walk from an easy fight, 20 paces away to a fight that was bordering on impossible without a few more levels under your belt. Difficulty spikes throughout. Act 3 was the best one for me. Best in terms of esthetic and balance of combat. Whereas the final act, every level you got lead to massive gear improvements, but some boss fights felt like a steep difficulty jump my team was not ready or prepared for.
    If this sounds like your jazz, play on. But for needing to rely on outside info to get through, and the combat frustration, I give it a 6/10    … Expand
  5. Gamer97
    Aug 26, 2020
    7
    While the combat can be fun and engaging, and the world that Larian has crafted is full of charm and interesting things to do, a few battles (the final one in particular) are very poorly balanced and forget that enjoyment should be just as important, if not more important, than challenge for the sake of challenge. An issue this focus on hyper-difficulty creates is that it funnels playersWhile the combat can be fun and engaging, and the world that Larian has crafted is full of charm and interesting things to do, a few battles (the final one in particular) are very poorly balanced and forget that enjoyment should be just as important, if not more important, than challenge for the sake of challenge. An issue this focus on hyper-difficulty creates is that it funnels players towards similar builds as the game progresses since some of the strongest spells become mandatory. One playthrough was more than enough for me and I don't intend to play again.… Expand
  6. Arpg-man
    Aug 16, 2020
    6
    8 % of the people that purchased this game actually beat it and that's on the easiest difficulty the percentages drop down to 5 %on normal and then 1 % for tactician difficulty...If you do not do every side quest available you will find yourself not being able to progress in act 4. You have been warned. There is a huge difficulty spike in act 4. If you can get past the tedious over the top8 % of the people that purchased this game actually beat it and that's on the easiest difficulty the percentages drop down to 5 %on normal and then 1 % for tactician difficulty...If you do not do every side quest available you will find yourself not being able to progress in act 4. You have been warned. There is a huge difficulty spike in act 4. If you can get past the tedious over the top complicated mechanics and the unbelievably annoying cameras (Why!!!!!) this game can be a lot of fun. It's a pretty game well written . But very very annoying at times… Expand
  7. Zibeks
    Jun 19, 2020
    6
    Мне эта игра не зашла. Нужно читать тонны текста. Плюс времени нужно очень много на игру.
  8. OldAndCynical
    Dec 8, 2020
    6
    Merits of this RPG are limited to the nice looks and excellent sound quality. As a game, its painfully limited and linear, and just lacks the depth and scope of, say, Pillars of Eternity. The combat system is lacking as well, what with the 'outlining' of enemies behind other objects being so poorly done, most of the time you cannot see where the enemies are, and so on.
    Stories too, are    Merits of this RPG are limited to the nice looks and excellent sound quality. As a game, its painfully limited and linear, and just lacks the depth and scope of, say, Pillars of Eternity. The combat system is lacking as well, what with the 'outlining' of enemies behind other objects being so poorly done, most of the time you cannot see where the enemies are, and so on.
    Stories too, are rather dull. So, a very mediocre experience. And still rather buggy as well at the time of writing..
    Go with Pillars or Torment, or the excellent Baldur's Gate 1&2, if you want to play a good old skool RPG. This aint worth it.    … Expand
  9. sotetelme
    Feb 7, 2021
    6
    This game could be great but is held back by its many issues thanks to poor design/ execution.
    At first, the combat was a bit challenging but once I figured it out I had a ton of fun with it. The other strongest point of the game is the soundtrack, which is absolutely brilliant.
    While I did like some of the characters and party members, I did not feel truly attached to any of them (which    This game could be great but is held back by its many issues thanks to poor design/ execution.
    At first, the combat was a bit challenging but once I figured it out I had a ton of fun with it. The other strongest point of the game is the soundtrack, which is absolutely brilliant.
    While I did like some of the characters and party members, I did not feel truly attached to any of them (which is kind of weird considering I spent 150 hours with them). As for the story, it isn't anything spectacular but it has to be said that the replayability is strong with different builds and characters.

    My main issue was the map, which is the **** design I've ever seen in a videogame and the fact that I had to look up on the internet which areas had quests appropriate for my level because I didn't want to get absolutely destroyed by enemies 2 levels above me. That was really immersion breaking.
    I actually think enemy AI and ally AI is a bit different because enemies seem at least capable of using tactics, while ally AI is the worst kind of garbage there is. That became clear to me during a quest where you have to protect an npc ( who is eager to join the battle by any means, I mean ANY means) and after 2 tries I finally managed to keep him out of battle until the very end where he ran into necrofire and gradually killed himself from full health. All that without a purpose, he didn't attack a single enemy, he just climbed up a ladder and burned to death. I don't even know if that actually counts as a bad thing because it was hilarious.
    Also, the game wastes so much of your time: the fact that skills have a cooldown outside of combat is extremely annoying, as well as having no sprint button when you have to backtrack and explore so much ( fast travel points are sometimes far away from your objective).
    The game froze 3 times during my playthrough (nothing wrong with ps hardware, I played RDR2 just before this game without any issues) when I started looting stuff. Oh yeah, that reminds me: the inventory is also a mess, it gets so clogged up, there should be a way to better categorize items.

    That's my experience in a nutshell. I'd still recommend picking up this game if you like turn based rpg-s, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.    … Expand
  10. LunaresArienal
    Dec 12, 2020
    7
    I bought the game expecting an old fashioned RPG game. I was not disappointed.

    Larian gave us a great tactical RPG game. You can customize your whole team to do as you please (and try again during the game if you're not completely satisfied). You can speedrun it, or just take full on hours exploring the big ass map with tons of secrets everywhere. Is the game perfect ? No. There are    I bought the game expecting an old fashioned RPG game. I was not disappointed.

    Larian gave us a great tactical RPG game. You can customize your whole team to do as you please (and try again during the game if you're not completely satisfied). You can speedrun it, or just take full on hours exploring the big ass map with tons of secrets everywhere.

    Is the game perfect ? No. There are a lot of bugs. Freezes. Camera bugs. Cursor bugs (really sometimes trying to aime for a spell sends the cursor in the hell-hole below the map for no reason). It's confusing as well : combat screens get full-on bonkers and unreadable, and tons of mechanics are never properly explained.
    Is also is not completely consistent as some chapters are much better than others. Should I rank them, I would probably advocate for chapter II as the absolute best since it is so big, so diverse, so challenging and starts to bring a lot of the story to your understanding.
    Finally, the game is very punishing for two reasons. One : a single mistake can really cost you a game over. Two : even if you can save at any moment (which is a great feature), the loading delays are so frigging high that it become a recurring nightmare. On the bright side, each time you misclick your target you can go boil yourself a nice cup of tea while reloading.

    It is still very good. The fights are challenging, the story has tons of layers, which you can't all see in a single game. The effects are very impressive and the combat mechanics are really rich, depending on the team you use. The atmosphere is overall great : writing, music and sounds, dialogues.
    Something interesting to mention is that the difficulty scales pretty roughly yet smartly. At times it can seem frustrating, but it's just the game telling you tha tyou shouldn't be there just yet.

    And hell, how good it feels to actually play roles ? Very.    … Expand
  11. GaborKiaz
    Oct 25, 2021
    5
    I love RPG and i bought this game because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I am now around 50 hours in the game and decided to leave it.
    The game is a huge time black whole, i spent around 50% of my time in the inventory, equipment and skills menus, the game is just too much overloaded with items I spent around 10% figuring out what are the quests and what to do exactly, the igame    I love RPG and i bought this game because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I am now around 50 hours in the game and decided to leave it.
    The game is a huge time black whole, i spent around 50% of my time in the inventory, equipment and skills menus, the game is just too much overloaded with items I spent around 10% figuring out what are the quests and what to do exactly, the igame gives so many quests that you cannot continue because the enemies you face are just too much advanced and then you try to figure out which quests you can actually do. Quests most of the cases dont show on the map where you you need to do something so you spent a LOT of time wandering around. One quest i got, the NPC was telling i should look for an excavation site which is very near. it turned out to be in a totally different region, after looking for help on forums. And yes, i found that i was spending a LOT of time seaeching on forums what to actually do in the quests, because you have no clue and you have an overlod of quests
    The the rest of the time is spent on the turned based battles which can easily take more than an hour each! And of course if you cant win you need to start again or SAVE after each turn which just kills the fun!
    Then there are so many conversation, it is like a JRPG, the message of the NPC could be two dialogue items, but it tells you in 20! Way too much to listen/ read, at this point i have no idea what is the main story.
    I give 5 points because:
    It could have been a great game, it has an amazing soundtrack, its landscapes are beautiful and enjoyable to discover! You also havethe feeling that the people behind it really loved this project!
    But honestly i feel that so many hours of my life went into something where in most of the case i was either thumbling in inventory menues or just trying to figure out what to do. Not enough joy for me to continue with this game    … Expand
  12. DangerDave1409
    Dec 21, 2021
    6
    A friend bought it online during a sale and we wanted to play it in couch coop. We started and it was boring as hell. The graphics were bad and the start / tutorial did not pull us in. After 30 minutes we quit the game.

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS4 Game of 2018
33
#33 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
33
#33 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. GameCritics
    Nov 30, 2018
    85
    Divinity 2: Original Sin is an excellent RPG that’s packed full of excellent writing, great characters and lengthy adventure filled with inventive and quirky twists on the genre. The combat can be a bit of a slog, there are a few bugs, and the console interface isn’t perfect, but it’s still an absolutely cracking title that will suck up an obscene amount of hours from those who get stuck in. As mentioned at the start of this review, Larian Studios have been making great role-playing games for years and years, and this one stands as one of their very best.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Oct 10, 2018
    90
    Overall, Divinity: Original Sin II is still an excellent RPG experience that uses intuitive mechanics and player choice to an incredible degree to make every encounter challenging and interesting. Divinity II is a beast of an RPG that does many different things incredibly well. It's not perfect from a technical standpoint, and fights and leveling can be frustrating at times, but these are minor quibbles when compared to all of the good stuff that's in the game and works well. If you're in the market for a new RPG with interesting storytelling and an appropriate amount of freedom, make Divinity II your next adventure.
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  3. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 5, 2018
    88
    Original Sin 2 shakes your hand a little too hard when you first meet. It needs to relax until you get to know it better. It's endlessly surprising, with characters that lose their stiffness over time, in dialogues and battle logs that piece together a dangerous, thoughtful world. It's tough. But the reward is that you get tougher, too. It still needs to clean up some of its tactical sloppiness, though. Having a ton of options in battle is only good if its rules are fair and make sense.
    Read full review
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