Diving into Divinity: Original Sin is a daunting task for new CRPG players thanks to the game’s overall depth in systems as well as dialogue. This little FAQ hopes to help some of you having trouble pushing through the first part of the game by giving you a little information that will go a long way.
The questions and answers below aren’t in any particular order. All are questions I’ve seen more than once within the game’s new player community on official and unofficial forums (and admittedly, questions asked by my friends).
One piece of advice I can just lay out right now is as follows: Read every tooltip, every piece of dialogue, and every book you come across in-game. It’s an RPG, get used to reading.
Since this list of tasty information has gotten to be larger than expected, here are some links to take you directly down to what you’re looking for.
- How do I split item stacks?
- How do I craft?
- How do I inspect equipment?
- How do I repair equipment?
- How do I learn new skills?
- Where can I buy skill books in town?
- How do I open my skill menu/see my skills?
- What’s the best way to make money?
- How do I steal without being caught?
- A note about backpacks
- How do I complete X quest?
- How do I run from a fight?
- How do I see enemy stats during battle?
- Is Pet Pal really worth it?
- Enemies a level higher than me are kicking my butt!
- How do I complete ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ (put out the burning ship)?
- What do the RP dialogue options between characters affect?
- What do my stats do?
- What do status effects do?
Above all, be sure to have fun with what may just be Larian’s best game to date!
How do I split item stacks in my inventory?
Hold Shift, click on the item you want to split, and drag it to another inventory slot. You will be asked how many of that item you would like to go into the second stack.
How do I craft?
First: You do not need to find an most items’ recipes before you can make them, though for some players finding recipes is part of the fun.
All crafting can be done in your inventory by dragging one component onto another — though some components are tools themselves.
Don’t let the simplicity of the above fool you: You need a recipe’s required Crafting or Blacksmithing level to craft. Don’t worry about spending points on these abilities, as there are plenty of belts and bracers with bonuses to them.
One thing to note is crafted items scale with your level. Something a level 8 character will craft will be more powerful than one a level 3 character crafts using the same recipe.
How do I inspect equipment?
Much like repairing, you have two options:
- Requesting an item inspection from an NPC via the bartering menu
- Having a character with at least that item’s minimum Loremaster level, and having an Identifying Glass in their inventory
Simply right click the item you want to identify and choose “Identify” to reveal its stats.
Do note that not every NPC can identify equipment, nor can you see their Loremaster level. If you see the identify button on the bottom of the barter menu lit up, they should be able to do it.
How do I repair equipment?
There are two methods of equipment repair:
- Requesting repair from an NPC in the barter menu
- Having a character with at least one level in Blacksmithing and a Repair Hammer in their inventory
Doing repairs with an NPC or player character with a Blacksmithing level of less than five will lower the maximum durability of equipment.
Make sure the item you want to repair and the Repair Hammer are both in the character with at least a level in Blacksmithing’s inventory, then right click the item and then “Blacksmithing” to repair.
Do note that not every NPC can repair equipment, nor can you see their Blacksmithing level. If you see the repair button on the bottom of the barter menu lit up, they can do it.
How do I learn new skills?
Skills are learned via skill books, which can be found on your adventures and at times via the NPC barter menu. In order to learn a skill, your character must be the required level and have proficiency in the required ability (Aerothurge, Man-at-Arms, Pyrokinetic, etc.).
Right click a skill book in your inventory and select “Use” to learn the skill contained within. This will consume the book, and the skill will appear on your hotbar if there is room. If there is no room on your hotbar, open your skill menu to drag it onto it.
Remember you can only have as many skills of a single ability that your level in them allows. For instance, a level 1 Pyrokinetic can only learn three Pyrokinetic skills. A level 2 can use 5, and so on. You can forget skills in your skill book should you want switch one ability for another. You will have to find another skill book to re-learn any skills forgotten this way.
Where do I buy skill books in town?
There are a few NPCs in Cyseal that will have a number of random skill books available for purchase. The links covering the NPC names lead to screenshots showing their locations.
- Shereth, located on the second storey of the King Crab Inn, sells Witchcraft and Scoundrel skill books.
- Conrad, the ship captain at the harbor, sells random skill books
- Cylia, located in the Marketplace, sells Aerothurge and Hydosophist skill books.
- Aureus, stationed in the first floor of the Legion Headquarters, sells Man-at-Arms skill books.
- Arhu, found on the second storey of the Legion Headquarters, sells Pyrokinetic and Geomancer skill books.
- Fletcher, another vendor in the Marketplace, sells Expert Marksman skill books.
Some vendors also sell two or three random skill books, though their stock is not reliable enough to list here.
How do I open my skill menu/see my skills?
Press ‘K’ with the character selected whose skills you would like to look at, or click the book icon under their portrait on the left side of the screen.
What’s the best way to make money?
There are a few ways to make money in Divinity: Original Sin, but by far the best method is by stealing and selling paintings. Paintings can be found in most homes, and can be sold for a pretty penny to NPCs who can actually afford them.
Also keep an eye out for gold plates, utensils, and cups. Plates do not show when you hold ‘Alt,’ and not all are gold. You can click and drag to your inventory to see the type of plate before deciding to go crazy looting them.
The short answer is to steal everything.
How do I steal without being caught?
Stealth is your friend! Clicking the ‘Sneak’ button next to your action bar or pressing ‘C’ will allow you to don a not-so-clever disguise. If an NPC isn’t looking directly your way, you can steal whatever you can find.
Do note that if an NPC looks at you while disguised, you will be revealed. If they catch you in the act more than once, you’ll have trouble on your hands.
A note about backpacks
Those backpacks hanging out in your characters’ inventories aren’t just for decoration. You can use these to more easily organize your inventory and make things less cluttered.
These things are nearly bottomless pits, but do keep in mind items do not suddenly become weightless once they are placed in a backpack.
How do I complete X quest?
If you find yourself stuck on a quest, the answer to this is usually to look to the Journal to see that quest’s key points and dialogue from relevant NPCs. Every piece of relevant NPC dialogue is found under the ‘Dialogue’ tab of your Journal in chronological order (newest to oldest).
If you’re stuck on a more obtuse and less dialogue-oriented quest, keep your eyes peeled and consider all the spells (and spell scrolls) available to you. Some, such as ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ right as you enter Cyseal simply require you have the right spell on hand to complete.
If you are in a dungeon but stuck on a quest, keep in mind to look everywhere, hold Alt whenever possible, and to keep an eye out for secrets. Remember your Perception affects how far away you can see traps and hidden switches or buttons.
How do I run from a fight?
There are two buttons on the right side of the screen during combat, one with an image of a shield and the other with one of a running boot.
The shield allows you to delay that character’s turn, while the button with the boot lets you run away from combat.
Do note you cannot flee from combat unless you have a clear path to an exit. If you are in a room and surrounded by enemies, you will not be able to run.
The delay button allows you to wait until the end of that combat phase to make use of that character for strategic purposes.
How do I see enemy stats during battle?
Hold ‘Ctrl‘ while mousing over other characters (friend and foe alike) to see their stats under their health bar. Your Perception must be a certain amount to see enemy stats.
Is Pet Pal really worth it?
This is an understandable question to come from new players, and the answer is: Yes.
Pet Pal is a talent worth having, as many animals have entertaining dialogue. Some even dole out quests of their own or help you complete other quests. One character with Pet Pal is all you need. Good luck catching up with rats to talk to them!
Enemies a level higher than me are kicking my butt!
You generally do not want to pick a fight with enemies that are a higher level than you unless you are confident in your battle abilities — this means knowing what your (and your enemies’) skills do, what your stats are, and taking advantage of the environment and possible status effects. It’s all too easy to be bombarded with status effects if you are not aware of your surroundings.
If you have at least one mage in your party, you may want to consider having staves of varying elements to take advantage of enemy weaknesses and environmental opportunities. Be sure to keep a look out for skill books in NPC bartering menus as well to keep your arsenal up to date with your level and needs.
As with traditional CRPGs (and D&D), one level can make all the difference. There’s a reason it takes so long to level up. If you are convinced you simply cannot pass a point at your current level, seek other quests for experience points before pushing on. Save often!
How do I complete ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ (put out the burning ship)?
You can use almost any offensive water spell to put out the fire on the ship. If you did not use the Rain spell scroll you found in the tutorial dungeon, you can use it here.
At least one NPC in town should sell a Rain scroll, with the nearest being Cylia in the Marketplace. Conrad, the ship captain, may have one as well. You can rush to the Library to get Jahan to join your party, but this may take too long.
There is a time limit on this quest, as the boat will eventually burn up. Another quest will open up if you do complete it, but neither quests are mandatory.
The tutorial dungeon tries to teach you to pay attention to your surroundings and use whatever methods are available to you to make your way through Cyseal. This task is a prime example of that, and should really drill in that you need to think outside the box.
What do the RP dialogue options between characters affect?
They affect both quests and your characters’ traits. Choose carefully based off how you’re approaching the game.
If you’re trying to complete as much as possible in one run, choose carefully lest you end a quest before it can truly finish. If you’re looking to optimize your characters’ stats, keep traits in mind. Lastly, just choose what you feel will fit your characters if you’re RPing it up.
You can only have one trait out of each horizontal pair displayed below. For example, if you are altruistic you can not be egotistical. This works both ways.
Note: Obedient will provide +2 to Willpower when an obedient character sees a character with level 5 Leadership.
| Altruistic Reputation increased by 2. | Egotistical Bartering increased by 1. |
| Independent Willpower increased by 1. | Obedient Willpower +1 whenever character with Leadership in sight. |
| Pragmatic Crafting increased by 1. | Romantic Lucky Charm increased by 1. |
| Blunt Immune to the Charm status effect. | Considerate Charisma increased by 1. |
| Compassionate Critical chance increased by 1%. | Heartless Chance to hit +20% when backstabbing. |
| Bold Initiative increased by 1. | Cautious Sneaking increased by 1. |
| Forgiving Immune to the Cursed status effect. | Vindictive Chance to hit +20% on attacks of opportunity. |
| Spiritual Immune to the Fear stats effect. | Materialistic Loremaster increased by 1. |
| Righteous Leadership increased by 1. | Renegade Pickpocketing increased by 1. |
What do my stats do?
While you can see this information in-game by mousing over any stat, trait, talent, or ability, here’s a table listing out all stats on the far left of the first page of a character sheet.
| Strength | Increases chance to hit with Strength-based weapons, effectiveness of Man-at-Arms skills, how much you can carry, and the maximum weight of items you can throw (along with how far you can throw them). |
| Dexterity | Increases chance to hit with Dexterity-based weapons, effectiveness of Expert Marksman and Scoundrel skills, and Defence Rating. |
| Intelligence | Increases effectiveness of Witchcraft and elemental skills. |
| Constitution | Increases your Vitality and maximum Ability Points. |
| Speed | Increases combat movement speed, Initiative, base Action Points, and Action Points per turn. |
| Perception | Increase Critical Chance, Initiative, base Action Points, ranged accuracy, Hearing, and ability to detect traps and objects. |
| Sight | Determines how far away you can see and how quickly you can detect enemies. |
| Hearing | Determines how quickly you see enemies on your minimap. |
| Movement | Determines how far you can move using an Action Point. |
| Initiative | Affects your place in combat turn order. |
What do status effects do?
There are a number of status effects found in Divinity: Original Sin, some of them being more obvious than others.
Below is a quick rundown of most of the status effects you’ll come across in-game and what they do. I’m not 100% on some status effects, but I’ll be sure to update any inaccuracies once possible.
| Bleeding | Target takes damage over time. |
| Blessed | +30% Chance to Hit |
| Blind | Target cannot attack non-adjacent units. |
| Burning | Target rakes fire damage over time. -20% Fire resistance +40% Water resistance |
| Charmed | Target changes sides for the duration. |
| Chilled | Target more easily frozen. -44 Movement -10% Water resistance +10% Fire resistance |
| Crippled | -4 AP Recovery -6 Movement |
| Cursed | -30% Chance to Hit |
| Diseased | -3 Constitution -2 Body Building |
| Drunk | +2 Luck -3 Intelligence -5 Initiative |
| Fear | Target attempts to run until effect ends. |
| Fortified | +65 Armor |
| Frozen | Target cannot move or act. -20% Water resistance +40% Fire resistance +65 Armor |
| Hasted | +4 Starting AP +4 Maximum AP +3 AP Recovery +64 Movement |
| Healing | Target restores HP over time. |
| Infectious Disease | -3 Constitution |
| Invisible | Target is invisible. |
| Knocked Down | Target cannot move or act. |
| Lucky | +2 Lucky Charm |
| Muted | Target cannot use spells or scrolls. |
| Poisoned | Target takes Poison damage over time. |
| Raged | +50 Damage +4% Critical Chance -25% Hit Chance |
| Slowed | -64 Movement -4 Starting AP -4 Maximum AP -4 Recovery AP |
| Stunned | Target cannot move or act. |
| Petrified | Target cannot move or act. |
| Warm | Target more easily caught on fire. -10% Fire resistance +10% Water resistance |
| Weak | -50% Damage -2 Strength |
| Wet | Target more vulnerable to electric and ice attacks. -20% Air resistance +10% Fire resistance |
| Willpower Loss | -2 Willpower -2 Body Building |
Published: Jul 18, 2014 06:43 pm