Should I play Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 before Baldur's Gate 3?

[Forest Dweller]

Simple question. I'll entertain all arguments both for and against.

I've owned DoS 1 for some time but haven't gotten around to playing it. I have quite the backlog.

 

[Ryzer]

No, Baldur's Gate 3 is like Divinity original Sin without the retarded shit such as the armor system, the diablo loot and " CHEEEEEEESE".

Although, I would say to try the first game as it is less retarded than the second game: better initiative system, better combat and better armor system.

 

[Butter]

You should just play Knights of the Chalice.

 

[King Crispy]

I don't see any value in it except for the vague similarity when it comes to the game's mechanics. Even at that things are different enough due to D&D 5E that there's very little if any value to playing them as some sort of precursor.

However, one could argue about the quality of D:OS and its sequel compared to BG3. I haven't decided myself yet but I can tell you neither of the first two made much of an impression on me. I actually disliked D:OS 2 quite a bit.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Oh fuck, it's another of those Windows 10 games.

 

[OttoQuitmarck]

It would make more sense to play baldur's gate 1 and 2, if you haven't already. BG3 seems to reference those games a decent bit. Beyond using the same engine BG3 is pretty different from DOS1 and 2.

 

[Frozen]

Played and finished first Original Sin (before some big patch that changed the story)

It's a fun Larian type of game that looks good and has fun game mechanics. Story is just there as an excuse to have a gameplay and it works. Have not played Original Sin 2 looked boring to me.

Would not touch BG3 because I don't want to get aids. It looks like shit. Whoever works now in Larian on art design has zero talent or taste. It's like even more faggy BioWare Dragon Age game.

 

[Sunsetspawn]

1st one is great
2nd one is, uh, well I tried to give it a go twice, I really did, but it just felt shitty. I'm more inclined to replay the first than try again with the second.

 

[MerchantKing]

You should just play Knights of the Chalice.

And then play the second one.

 

[Reality]

I find DoS 1 tolerably fun until midgame (player gets too strong due to expert skills 1 rounding stuff , including bosses

Decent game for character level 1-11 pointless gane for 12+ (endgame is ke 16-17 depending on sidequest completion, all combat encounters encounters are fixed and don't respawn)

It's other weaknesses are itemisation (all items that aren't on level worse than those that are, including names uniques... Worse common melee can be recycled and reforged in crafting so once you have 2 iron bars that gut has his endgane already ) game has several trap mazes which vary in quality but honestly seeking our 100% fire resist and burning immunity to bypass them is far better use if player time. The combat in general is mostly a crowd control war with some environmental gimmicks. Summons break the game due to AI aggro reasons regardless of their damage. Writing is awful beer&pretzel stuff - I left convinced act 1 boss talked on food puns and act 3 boss was a necrophilia joke.... and the voice acting for basic combat lines (especially healing) is possibly worst of if all

Against DoS 2 - has same thing with the tactical battles that justify whole thing breaking down as the player reaches latter areas, and additionally it has round robin initiative system + armor as temporary hp and giving full status effects immunity as a core game wide mechanic + you can romance people accidentally through misleading dialog choices.... DoS 1 humor is bad, but at least it's all NPC on NPC.

DoS 2 combat flow is vastly better in lone wolf mode while DoS 1 felt about equal in normal mode (4 character party) and lone wolf.

 

[Levenmouth]

Played and finished first Original Sin (before some big patch that changed the story)

It's a fun Larian type of game that looks good and has fun game mechanics. Story is just there as an excuse to have a gameplay and it works. Have not played Original Sin 2 looked boring to me.

Would not touch BG3 because I don't want to get aids. It looks like shit. Whoever works now in Larian on art design has zero talent or taste. It's like even more faggy BioWare Dragon Age game.

Somehow modern RPGs often feel like Buffy the Vampire slayer. Yeah, it has vampires, but actually it's actually a show aimed at girls.

As for DoS, it's a pretty cool cop game. The whole you and your partner thing adds a lot to the atmosphere. Never finished it though.

 

[catfood]

Don't play anything past Divinity 2.

 

[Ontopoly III]

"Should I play Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 before Baldur's Gate 3?"

No. You don't have to play any of the games in the rest of the series to understand the story of 3. It's stand alone

 

[MerchantKing]

Played and finished first Original Sin (before some big patch that changed the story)

It's a fun Larian type of game that looks good and has fun game mechanics. Story is just there as an excuse to have a gameplay and it works. Have not played Original Sin 2 looked boring to me.

Would not touch BG3 because I don't want to get aids. It looks like shit. Whoever works now in Larian on art design has zero talent or taste. It's like even more faggy BioWare Dragon Age game.

Somehow modern RPGs often feel like Buffy the Vampire slayer. Yeah, it has vampires, but actually it's actually a show aimed at girls.

As for DoS, it's a pretty cool cop game. The whole you and your partner thing adds a lot to the atmosphere. Never finished it though.

This game is aimed anyone with sub-200 testosterone.

 

[Konjad]

BG3 so far is decent, and you don't need to play any other DOS/B game, it feels very stand-alone.

DOS, or rather the first location Cyseal, which is a large part of the game (40h or so) , is great in gameplay and exploration, but writing is childish, however, if you are not a storytard and can enjoy a game with completely forgettable dialogues and story (I played it 4 times and I don't even remember it) but enjoy good encounters and combat, and a great freedom to explore and do stuff (both in combat and outside) then you'll like it. The late parts of the game lose quality though, hence while I played the game 4 times I never finished it. Worth playing though.

DOS2 is crap, don't bother. Only the first location is okay, but it's also only 2-3 hours long or so.

 

[Grunker]

Simple question. I'll entertain all arguments both for and against.

I've owned DoS 1 for some time but haven't gotten around to playing it. I have quite the backlog.

DOS1 is worth it for Cyseal and surroundings alone. Very fun little exploration sandbox. The game turns to shit after that. DOS2 is garbage from start to finish.

BG3 is much, much better than either.

 

[Lady Error]

I enjoyed both D:OS games, but have no desire to replay either.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Fuck all that!

“Play this..”

Jet pack dragons bitch!

MCDEATH APPROVED!!

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I think Larian's games are a good example of what the Jagged Alliance dev called "Puzzle combat," where the goal isn't so much a simulation of battle but an autistic exercise in min/maxing the action economy.

That said, I think BG3 is probably better than DivDiv 1 or 2; playing the first game would give you an idea of the look and feel of Larian's engine, but the D:OS games have a bigger focus on magical AoE effects and combos than BG3 which has more grounded brawls.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ignoring all the stupid sex shit and (UGH!) 5e mechanics and it might be merely ok. This might be the most intensive NPC experience in games. Maybe choices will be bigger than imagined. I dunno. Again! WAIT FOR PATCHES, DLC, ADD-ONS, MODS, etc before purchasing. Many missed the initial release and any bonuses for pre-purchase so waiting now for a discounted price is best imho. Give it 3-5 years.

 

[King Crispy]

I think Larian's games are a good example of what the Jagged Alliance dev called "Puzzle combat," where the goal isn't so much a simulation of battle but an autistic exercise in min/maxing the action economy.

This doesn't apply to BG3's combat at all. If you turn off their retarded "Karmic dice", all combat encounters are highly RNG-dependant. Dare I say, even refreshingly so?

For anyone who doesn't already know, turn on your combat dice rolls with the option in the lower-right of the screen. Hovering on any attack yields actual roll info.

 

[Turisas]

You should play Divine Divinity, Larian's best game.

 

[processdaemon]

I don't think you need to, I was on the fence about DOS1, liked DOS2 but didn't think it was exceptional and I'm still loving BG3. There are definitely similarities (Larian have kept some of their signature ground effect stuff and goofy humour) but getting rid of the armour system and other changes means that it's different enough that the best way to know if you'll like it would be to just get it on steam and play through the tutorial, that should leave you well within the 2 hour refund window if you hate it.

 

[Rieser]

No, you shouldn't play D:OS 1 or 2 at all. Like someone said you should play Divine Divinity, however.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I think Larian's games are a good example of what the Jagged Alliance dev called "Puzzle combat," where the goal isn't so much a simulation of battle but an autistic exercise in min/maxing the action economy.

This doesn't apply to BG3's combat at all. If you turn off their retarded "Karmic dice", all combat encounters are highly RNG-dependant. Dare I say, even refreshingly so?

For anyone who doesn't already know, turn on your combat dice rolls with the option in the lower-right of the screen. Hovering on any attack yields actual roll info.

Calculating hit percentages is part of the "puzzle" though, which is why JA2/3 hides that from the player. If you have a hit chance <50%, you may do something else in combat to maximize your turn value like throw alchemist's fire or whatever, even if that's outside what your character ought to be doing per their design, like casting a spell or making a melee attack.

5E's "bounded accuracy" system compounds this, since accuracy always hovers in the 60-80% range, it forces you to try to get Advantage whenever possible to bump that up 20%. It's generally the biggest bonus available, and the easiest way to get it is to attack from above. Along with copious environmental hazards and "verticality", this game boils down to a combo of Dark Messiah + Obi Wan Kenobi: claim the high ground, and kick everyone down.

Essentially think of a dramatic Fantasy fight like Aragorn and the Fellowship vs the orcs and troll in Moria, and how would that work in BG3's system? Everyone would have 13 different special moves with status effects and complex magical combos, the room would be filled with explosive barrels and collapsing chandeliers, and you would be trying to min/max everyone's actions for optimum efficiency, not just sending your heroes into the fray and whooping ass.