Larian Studios

Today marks a moment of reflection as I grapple with the loss of a cherished friend—one whose legacy is now being unfairly tarnished. The unique armor system crafted by Larian Studios for Divinity: Original Sin 2 will not be carried forward, and the criticism from my colleagues has been relentless. Notably, PCG guides writer Rory Norris boldly labeled it "broken" in large, eye-catching letters on our front page. In a recent meeting, Morgan Park, a fellow news writer, expressed his disdain for the armor system in a rather colorful manner, leaving me feeling both bewildered and defensive. D:OS2's armor system introduces a combat rhythm that is refreshingly distinct. Each character and enemy possesses both physical and magic armor bars, displayed prominently above their health. Physical armor absorbs damage from weapons and related abilities, while magic armor serves as a shield against spells and elemental effects. Crowd control effects become fully effective only after the corresponding armor has been stripped away. For instance, the warrior's charge attack, Battering Ram, merely deals damage while the enemy's physical armor is intact, but guarantees a knockdown once that armor is gone. This design choice ensures that every character contributes to both offense and crowd management. Players are encouraged to abandon traditional roles; the absence of a classic tank or healer is liberating. Each character must fulfill multiple roles—tank, DPS, and controller—while build variations arise from weapon choices, armor, and skill trees. This dynamic creates an aggressive form of turn-based tactics, where players race to dismantle enemy defenses and secure priority targets before they can retaliate. While Original Sin 2's system is not without its flaws, they are no more pronounced than the typical shortcomings found in random chance-based alternatives. One critique pertains to party composition; players are often encouraged to specialize in either elemental or physical damage, which can lead to challenges in the endgame for mixed-damage parties. However, there exists a wealth of character build variety within each category, and D:OS2 does not impose stricter limitations on viable character builds than any other RPG, especially at lower difficulty levels.