Larian, the studio behind Baldur’s Gate 3, has announced a new game with Divinity. Fans of the studio and the series rejoice, while those who have only recently entered the genre with the RPG hit of 2023 have puzzled expressions. MeinMMO explains what you need to know about the game and the world of Divinity.
When Larian announced the role-playing giant Divinity with a huge PR stunt , many fans of the series shouted out of joy. At least that was the case in the MeinMMO editorial team – we have a few people here who totally celebrate Larian’s original RPG and grew up with it.
Other gamers have no idea what to do with Divinity. On Reddit, there are users who refer to Divinity as “the new game from the company that made Baldur’s Gate 3” without knowing that the Divinity franchise has been with Larian for much longer.
So what is Divinity? The title of the game is somewhat unfortunate, as Divinity refers to both the newly announced role-playing game and the entire universe containing several games, books, and other media, which has existed since 2002.
What type of game is Divinity then? We don’t know 100% yet, as Larian has experimented a lot with Divinity:
- Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity were action RPGs loosely in the style of Diablo.
- Divinity 2: Ego Draconis was a 3D RPG similar to The Witcher or Skyrim.
- Dragon Commander was even a tactical strategy game with rather minimal RPG aspects.
- Divinity: Original Sin and Original Sin 2 were finally isometric, turn-based cRPGs, like Baldur’s Gate 3 is one.
As Larian is mainly known for the “Original Sin” parts and suddenly became so big with Baldur’s Gate 3, we strongly assume it’s going to be a cRPG or a 3D RPG.
What are the differences to Baldur’s Gate 3? We can’t say exactly how the game Divinity will differ from Baldur’s Gate 3 yet. All the information we have can be found in our comprehensive overview of Divinity.
However, we can explain what Divinity actually is and what world you will enter there – or what gameplay Divinity has had so far.
Here you can see trailers and gameplay of Original Sin 2:
Divinity is more than just a game – It is a world
Larian has created its own universe with Divinity, in which they are the masters. Unlike in Baldur’s Gate 3 (or Dungeons & Dragons), they have no obligations and do not have to adhere to any guidelines, but have complete creative freedom. This is probably one of the reasons why Divinity is expected to become even bigger than Baldur’s Gate 3.
Summarizing the entire lore here would be a bit too extensive, but we still want to give you a few of the key pieces of information:
- The world of Divinity is called Rivellon, which is only the “known part” of the settings. The planet (and its surroundings) are potentially even larger.
- Divinity has its own pantheon of seven gods, each of whom has created their own race and is the respective “main god” of that race (humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.) – unlike the gods of Dungeons & Dragons, who have followers from all races.
- Magic is highly regulated and mostly forbidden in the current time, as source mages (or “Sourcerers”) attract the Void with their powers that want to consume the world. The “Source” has already corrupted many mortals.
- The Void is currently the realm of the “God-King,” who was imprisoned there by the gods eons ago. Since then, he has been seeking revenge and wants to return.
Many race stereotypes known from other universes do not apply in Divinity. For instance, lizards are highly civilized, ruling over the greatest empires and enslaving other races they consider inferior. Elves, on the other hand, have a more tribal society, become trees after death, and can eat the flesh of the deceased to read their memories.
The gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3 and earlier Divinity parts differs significantly
If you, like many other players, have only just come to role-playing games with Baldur’s Gate 3 or simply do not know any other games from Larian, the gameplay of the older Divinity parts may seem a bit strange to you.
Original Sin and Original Sin 2 are both cRPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 and look similar, having an isometric perspective and turn-based combat. However, the gameplay runs quite differently:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 adheres – logically – to the rules of Dungeons & Dragons. In combat, you have a limited movement range, one action, and one bonus action.
- Divinity has no different actions. You have a pool of action points that you must spend for attacks, using potions, and movements.
- Furthermore, Divinity did not have classes, only abilities. You give your character knowledge in various areas and then have access to new skills that you can learn through books. Theoretically, anyone can do everything; there are no class restrictions.
- Skills are also not learned when leveling up. Unlike in D&D, you receive points at each level that you can distribute to various abilities and attributes. These also include social skills such as trading or crafts, which can be quite relevant for crafting.
If the upcoming Divinity is more oriented towards Ego Draconis, you might throw all of that out the window and compare the gameplay more to Skyrim. In Ego Draconis, you play in a 3D perspective with direct control, without turn-based battles, and above all, without a party.
The role-playing game takes on more of a hero against the world
gameplay style; it is not a group adventure. Just like in Original Sin, there is no class system, but skills of various “classes” that you can assemble yourself.
What Divinity will ultimately become and what you can expect will likely be revealed only in the coming months. Aside from a trailer and the announcement, there is not much information from Larian yet. If you are looking for something to do in the meantime, you can find the 14 best role-playing games on Steam.
