Well I am and we'll see. I fear it'll have less freedom and be more over-engineered than a game like Oblivion or BG3. I think they've forgot how to do this.

Just been playing some of this using my Kishi and Geforce Now. Works absolutely brilliantly. Automatically adapts to controller etc. Great to know if I want to do the odd bit while lounging in the garden etc.

If it ever stops raining.

After pootling around in the surprisingly well lit Underdark for a few sessions it really didn't feel like this place deserved it's rep. It's nice, the kinda place you could go camping on a short break, y'know? Just remember to take some pest spray. 

That has all changed and the next area we're spent the last few evenings in is brutal, and yet somehow we're making it through these fights with at least one person left upright to revive those that have fallen. Well, that or we're managing to talk our way into some genuinely brilliant alternatives. 

What a game.

I never actually fought those guys...

Coming up on the end of Act Two and about 50 odd hours deep now. My party is a lethal machine, that just requires a couple of Potions of Speed to fuel it. I have solved a great many problems by triple casting lightning bolt and fireball on groups of tough enemies. All that tactical flexibility, for what? Nothing beats damage!

Please, metamagic user.

Lol what! I'm so impressed by the quality of the voice acting in this, and just about everything else tbf. 

I think we're about 40 hours in, deep in the second area of Act Two. I've been really enjoying my time with the game, but down here in the dark I've had a series of mini-epiphanies that have elevated my regard for the game from just great to that of an an all-timer. It is wonderful.

I think we'll be starting that main dungeon soon. One of our party has already done it in a solo playthrough (the joys of being a teacher during the summer break) and he said he was on it for hours and hours as well. He's keeping all his knowledge close to his chest though, only giving the odd hint here and there, which I do appreciate. 

We haven't had any really bad encounters yet where we've lost companions or had any other horrible results (besides the usual early team wipes), but I think we've all been getting the feeling that might change soon. The atmosphere down here is dripping with malice and oppression and it's only building as we move further in. Love it.

Just had a character properly die and it was actually really well done how to bring them back.

The Underdark continues to impress. Not far off Level 5 and just about managing in every fight I've had so far. Typical tactic is for Shadowheart to cast aid to get some more HP, followed by a Bless on everyone. Karlach goes full on bear and looks for the biggest threat, getting her rage on. Gale supports with Cloud of Daggers, Grease and various missile attacks. My main dude, a ranger picks people off at a distance, he's stupid fast and I also keep a few potions of speed to hand. I'd say I make use of his animal companion but I keep forgetting to summon the bloody thing.

The later stages of divinity original sin 2 were also lacking in comparison to the early game

stormyskiesahead wrote:

This is a take no prisoners beast of a game and I love it to bits.

Yeah, it's an absolutely superb game. 

I am not sure if, by the end, I'll prefer Original Sin 2 or this. I think I prefer OS2's skill and action systems, replying purely on Action Points as opposed to a set number of skill uses per rest period - BG3 being tied to D&D 5E means that, yeah, my Level 5 Cleric only has x number of Level 1 and 2 slots that she can use per day, with many classes needing short and, often, long rests to recharge skills. That's D&D and I understand why it does that, but it does mean that OS2 feels a bit better for experimentation - yes you can teleport over there, then go invisible, then use telekinesis on that thing to... - in BG3, doing the same thing would be weighted against the cost of using spell slots, and I find myself less likely to do things like talk with animals because I worry about keeping a Level 1 slot for combat utility. In OS2 gimme Pet Pal baby, let's go! Speak with every animal I can find!

That issue, though, is balanced with BG3 excelling and surpassing OS2 in so many other areas, though, especially in dialogue, writing and character work. I adore OS2s Origin Characters, but they really have taken what they learnt from that and dialled it up to Spinal Tap levels here. Even in incidental, non-important NPC dialogue you can feel the love and effort and production values and its just stunning. 

Both games contain a huge amount of player agency and choice, and though i'm not super far in (just done Goblin place looking for a Druid) the amount of paths that were evident (and probably a whole bunch not evident) was completely in line from what I want from a CRPG. I know that I could role a new character and go back there and have it all go completely differently, which is not something I can say about sth like Skyrim, where rolling a new character only really influences the mechanics and progression paths through combat and puzzle spaces - the outcomes and options and world are mostly static otherwise. BG3 really is the ocean-wide ocean-deep counterpart to Bethesda's wide as an ocean deep as a puddle design philosophy and I love it. It's also stunning that Larian have now done it twice in a row (I really like the first Original Sin game and still play it semi-regularly, but while the mechanics and systems were there, the character work wasn't the priority yet). 

Anyway, like I said - there's things about both games I think I prefer over the other, but I'm not too worried. It's essentially me wondering which CRPG GoaT will be GoaTier and that's an amazing problem to have. I adore this fucking game.

OMG The Audacity!

Decisions? I thought this was all about who could roll highest on a D20?

That skeleton bastard has disappeared from my camp as well.

Absolutely LOVING this awesome game, but all the "as close to D&D in a videogame you can get" comments floating about are a bit daft.

No DM worth their salt would run a game where you piss a battle, walk round a tree and then get party wiped on turn 2.....