There's no question that Divinity: Original Sin 2 is going to be in the running for RPG of the year with its wide-ranging character builds, tactical combat system, and intertwining storylines.
You can always make a good thing better though -- and now that the game has left Early Access to enter full release, the mods are starting to roll in! Across the next few slides we've rounded up the best of the best that are currently available to enhance your Original Sin 2 experience.
There are two types of mods here: Steam Workshop mods and regular old downloadable mods you've got to install the old fashioned way from a site like Nexus.
How to Install Divinity: Original Sin 2 Mods on Steam Workshop
For Steam Workshop entries, just head to the Discussions or Community Hub page for the game, then tab over to the Workshop. For the mod you want to install, just hit "Subscribe" and then restart the game.
Keep in mind before installing any of these mods that -- even if the mod in question isn't a cheat -- your Steam achievements will be disabled as long as any of the Steam Workshop items are currently active.
Of course, the downside there is that you have to have the Steam version of the game and not be using some other service like GOG. If you got your copy elsewhere and don't use Steam, many of these mods (or very similar entries) are readily available at sites like Nexus Mods with a little searching.
How to Install Divinity: Original Sin 2 Mods through Nexus Mods
These mods typically aren't self-installing and take a little more effort than their Steam counterparts. Navigate to the "Files" tab and download the mod file, then extract it using a ZIP or RAR extraction tool.
For most of these mods, after unzipping you just have to drag the "Data" folder over to one of these locations depending on where you bought the game:
- For Steam: C:\Program Files\(x86)Steam\steamapps\common\Divinity - Original Sin 2
- For GOG: C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Divinity - Original Sin 2
This will replace the existing version of the folder with the modded info.
Sometimes you may have to replace different files and folders to get a mod working, however. Make sure to navigate to the "Description" tab at Nexus Mods to read the specific instructions for each mod!
Finally, don't forget that since the game just released, new patches will likely break some of these temporarily. If it isn't working, check back in a few days for a newer version!
Stealth - No Silly Bush, Barrel, Or Rocks
As far as I'm concerned, this is a required mod that should be an in-game toggle option. I love nearly everything about how Larian has crafted this turn-based, tactical RPG experience... except for the comic relief. It has no place in this game world, and ruins immersion.
I can just skip the eye-rolling one liners in the dialogue, but stealth is always in your face with its silliness -- as your main character suddenly starts cosplaying as a bush or stumps around the room underneath the barrel like it's an episode of Scooby Doo.
My heartfelt thanks to the maker of this mod, who is unquestionably doing the Divine's work on Earth.
Crafting Overhaul
We've covered the crafting system extensively, which lets you create your own basic potions, scrolls, weapons, and even skills. But it some ways it does feel a bit lacking in comparison to the other options presented in Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Much like with Fallout 4, the modding community has come together to immediately fix this oversight, creating a much more robust system that utilizes more items.
Now all that junk like cracked plates and broken mugs can be turned into useful material, and unwanted old clothing and armor can be broken down into scraps that in turn are used to boost existing armor pieces.
Expanded Party Size
Who doesn't want a bigger party? Granted, this does break a few things on the balance and replayability fronts, as the game is meant to be played with four characters and then replayed later with four different characters, taking differing options along the way.
But who wants to play the game the way it was intended? If you want all the pre-built origin characters together in one playthrough, now you can go wild with a full group of six party members. It's a good bet those devastating boss battles won't be nearly as frustrating anymore either!
Free Pet Pal
The talent system includes a host of combat and non-combat options, but talents aren't added every single level -- so you will only ever have a handful of them to try out.
While that's clearly on purpose for build and replability purposes, some of the talents that you really want to have on hand all the time, like Pet Pal, can result in sub-optimal builds as you give up a combat talent.
This simple little mod gives your starting character Pet Pal for free. If the pre-built origin character already has Pet Pal as a standard option (like Ifan), then you get another extra talent for free.
Early Skill Book Unlocks
If you want to experience the full range of combat and build options straight from Fort Joy, this mod gives each skill vendor a much larger range of the associated skill books immediately.
That's right -- no more having to deal with only have four possible skills for each spell school until you escape the Fort! Instead you can get some of those devastatingly awesome later game skills (assuming you've got the gold or the pickpocket ability).
Permanent Spirit Vision
Spirit Vision is an imminently useful ability, since it is required to figure out puzzles like the elemental pressure plates in Mordu's basement.
Unfortunately you have to manually activate the ability every 10 rounds, which doesn't really make sense given that Spirit Vision doesn't require any Source points to use once you acquire the skill.
Doesn't it make more sense to just always have it active? That's exactly what this mod does, so you don't have to constantly turn it back on to see if you missed anything!
Combat Sneak
When you pump your stealth skill up to higher levels, it becomes very useful to position yourself before combat begins and get in a good old backstab to start the fight.
Unfortunately, it's less useful during combat, since sneaking requires so many AP. This simple mod makes sneaking more viable during combat (especially when connected to the Guerilla talent) by lowering the AP cost by half.
8 Max AP
This interesting little mod changes some of your tactical options and is only sort of a cheat that increases your max AP from 6 to 8. The mod doesn't automatically give anyone extra AP, it just increases the maximum AP you can have in a turn.
In other words, if you save AP from round to round (or you have abilities that increase AP temporarily), you can potentially get in more moves and attacks, but you have to be strategic about your AP usage to get to the full 8 points.
Tidy Skillbars
This mod offers only one single, tiny little change -- but it will be very welcome for players who demand a certain level of control and tidiness over their UI. Are you tired of how every single item you pick up automatically gets added to your inventory?
For the casual player that's useful, since they won't forget to use scrolls and potions found during the game. But if you want total control, this mod makes it so that only new skills get added to the skillbar, and not any items you grab.
Better Item Borders
Another simple UI change, this mod just makes a tweak to the border shading around any given item, making them pop much more on the screen and also making it much easier to distinguish the rarity of any given magic item.
Those were the 10 best mods we've found so far for this classic throwback RPG! What did you think of our picks, and what other mods would you recommend we try out? Let us know in the comments!
Even without mods, there are hundreds of quests, builds, and secrets to explore in this sprawling, turn-based fantasy epic. Be sure to check out some of our other Divinity Original Sin 2 walkthroughs to get the most of out of the game:
Published: Sep 25, 2017 02:36 pm