Skip to content
Character Builds
Divinity: Original Sin 2

Character Builds

Learn how to build characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2, focusing on melee, ranged, mage, and summoner roles. Includes sample builds.

By ···10 min read·Multi-source verified
1 reading this guide  

Learn how to build characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2, focusing on melee, ranged, mage, and summoner roles. Includes sample builds.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Define Party Role: Choose a primary role for each character. Melee attackers fight up close, Ranged attackers use high ground, Mages control the battlefield with magic, and Summoners use summoned creatures. Avoid trying to combine roles, as this usually leads to a weaker character.
  2. 2
    Mage Specialization: Mages benefit from investing in two elemental schools (e.g., Hydrosophist and Aerotheurge) to bypass enemy resistances and create powerful combos.
  3. 3
    Party Composition: For solo or Lone Wolf playthroughs, focus on a main character and one companion. For full parties, ensure builds complement each other.
  4. 4
    Companion Recruitment: Be aware that companions have predefined builds upon recruitment, which can be modified later.

Sample Builds:

Melee Attacker (Physical): Biff, Bang, Pow!

This build focuses on dealing high physical damage with a two-handed weapon and utilizing crowd control abilities.

  • Race: Any
  • Abilities: Warfare (10), Aerotheurge (2), Scoundrel (2), Polymorph (3), Necromancer (2), Two-Handed (3)
  • Starting Skills: Battle Stomp, Bull Horns, Tentacle Lash
  • Level Progression:
    • Lvl 1: +4 STR, +1 Warfare, +1 Polymorph, Executioner
    • Lvl 2: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 3: +1 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Aerotheurge, +1 Warfare, All Skilled Up
    • Lvl 4: +2 STR, +1 Aerotheurge
    • Lvl 5: +1 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Scoundrel
    • Lvl 6: +3 STR, +1 Polymorph
    • Lvl 7: +2 STR, +1 Scoundrel
    • Lvl 8: +2 STR, +1 Warfare, Hothead
    • Lvl 9: +2 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Polymorph
    • Lvl 10: +2 STR, +1 Necromancer
    • Lvl 11: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 12: +2 STR, +1 Necromancer
    • Lvl 13: +2 STR, +1 Warfare, Five Star Diner
    • Lvl 14: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 15: +1 STR, +1 WIT, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 16: +2 WIT, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 17: +2 WIT, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 18: +2 WIT, +1 Two-Handed, Mnemonic
    • Lvl 19: +2 WIT, +1 Two-Handed
    • Lvl 20: +2 WIT, +1 Two-Handed
  • Important Skills: Crippling Blow, Whirlwind, Blitz Attack, Challenge (Warfare); Adrenaline, Cloak and Dagger (Scoundrel); Teleportation, Uncanny Evasion (Aerotheurge); Chameleon Cloak, Chicken Claw, Medusa Head, Skin Graft (Polymorph); Living on the Edge (Necromancer).

Melee Attacker (Sword and Shield): Indestructible

This build uses a sword and shield for survivability while still dealing significant damage, leveraging critical hits.

  • Race: Human, Any
  • Abilities: Warfare (10), Aerotheurge (2), Scoundrel (4), Polymorph (3), Necromancer (2)
  • Starting Skills: Battle Stomp, Bouncing Shield, Tentacle Lash
  • Level Progression:
    • Lvl 1: +4 STR, +1 Warfare, +1 Polymorph, Executioner
    • Lvl 2: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 3: +1 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Aerotheurge, Hothead
    • Lvl 4: +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 Aerotheurge
    • Lvl 5: +1 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Scoundrel
    • Lvl 6: +3 STR, +1 Polymorph
    • Lvl 7: +2 STR, +1 Scoundrel
    • Lvl 8: +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 Warfare, Savage Sortilege
    • Lvl 9: +2 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Polymorph
    • Lvl 10: +2 STR, +1 Necromancer
    • Lvl 11: +1 STR, +1 MEM, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 12: +1 STR, +1 CON, +1 Necromancer
    • Lvl 13: +2 STR, +1 Warfare, Five Star Diner
    • Lvl 14: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 15: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 16: +2 STR, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 17: +1 STR, +1 WIT, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 18: +2 STR, +2 WIT, +1 Warfare, Bigger and Better
    • Lvl 19: +2 WIT, +1 Scoundrel
    • Lvl 20: +2 WIT, +1 Scoundrel
  • Important Skills: Crippling Blow, Whirlwind, Blitz Attack, Deflective Barrier, Challenge, Overpower (Warfare); Adrenaline, Cloak and Dagger (Scoundrel); Teleportation, Uncanny Evasion, Nether Swap (Aerotheurge); Bull Horns, Chameleon Cloak, Chicken Claw, Medusa Head, Skin Graft, Flay Skin (Polymorph); Living on the Edge (Necromancer).

Melee Attacker (Magical): This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us

This build blends melee combat with magical abilities, focusing on Pyrokinetic and Warfare.

  • Race: Any
  • Abilities: Pyrokinetic (6), Warfare (3), Geomancer (2), Scoundrel (2), Polymorph (3), Two-Handed (5)
  • Starting Skills: Battle Stomp, Haste, Ignition
  • Level Progression:
    • Lvl 1: +3 INT, +1 Pyrokinetic, +1 Warfare, Executioner
    • Lvl 2: +2 INT, +1 Warfare
    • Lvl 3: +2 INT, +1 MEM, +1 Polymorph, Torturer
    • Lvl 4: +1 STR, +1 INT, +1 Geomancer
    • Lvl 5: +1 INT, +1 MEM, +1 Pyrokinetic
Tips
  • When building characters, prioritize a clear party role (Melee, Ranged, Mage, Summoner) for optimal effectiveness.
  • Mages should combine two elemental schools, such as Hydrosophist and Aerotheurge, to overcome resistances and create combos.
  • Consider party synergy, especially when playing solo or with the Lone Wolf talent.
  • Be prepared to adjust companion builds after their initial recruitment, as they start with preset abilities.
  • For the Melee Attacker (Physical) build, Bull Horns is preferred over Battering Ram for more frequent use.
  • Tentacle Lash provides a useful ranged option when avoiding close combat.
  • The Sword and Shield build benefits from the Savage Sortilege talent to make skills like Bouncing Shield and Tentacle Lash critical hits, significantly increasing damage output.
  • The Sword and Shield build's reliance on a shield makes the Hothead talent more effective early on.

100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content