(Disclaimer: I know this is the alpha version, so I expect a few aspects to change for the official release. On the other hand, we won’t know what will change until that day. So it’s important to point out the strengths and weaknesses of Original Sin 2 at this stage, so that those changes reflect the wants and needs of the gamers that Kickstarted this project. Players like you and me donated to support this sequel because we loved Divinity Original Sin and wanted more of it, with expanded and improved content. Much of my analysis of DOS2 compares it to its processor to point out positive and negative changes in gameplay.)
In Original Sin armor acted as damage reduction while shields had a chance to block enemy attacks completely. Divinity Original Sin 2 features new protection bars Physical Armor and Magic Armor but no blocking.
In the first game heavier armor absorbed more damage but slowed you down so movement cost more action points. The proportion of the damage absorbed by armor was equal to the armor’s rating divided by ((4.5 x (1+Attacker’s level)) + Armor Rating). That’s a neat old school RPG equation for a simple and balanced mechanic. In the second game, physical armor provided by gear is a second health bar. Enemy attacks whittle it down before dealing any real damage. This little gray bar only replenishes once you leave combat. That’s really unfair to both the player and monsters. From the monsters’ perspective, even if I’m wearing fullplate, smashing me with a mace the size of a tree should hurt. For the player equipment like armor is constantly there, so it shouldn’t be reduced to zero during a fight unless it breaks.
The sequel’s Magic Armor is an interesting new addition. Like Physical Armor, it’s an extra bar over your health bar, whittled down by spells during combat. A nice advantage is that it offers some protection outside of combat from environmental hazards like fire and poison. Honestly, I can take it or leave it.
One thing that was absolutely better in the first game was the shield. Sword and board were my bread and butter in Divinity Original Sin. A shield’s blocking chance was separate from the miss chance based on defense rating (armor rating + dexterity), so you had two opportunities to completely avoid attacks. Blocking was also a weapon skill like single-handed, two-handed, and ranged. So if you really wanted to make use of it, you had to invest. In Original Sin 2 the Blocking skill is gone and shields simply increase your Physical Armor bar. This simplification has removed a big part of combat and character building.
When you think about it, these physical/magic armor bars act more like the forcefields in Halo than Armor Class from D&D, so Divinity seems to be abandoning its “classic RPG roots” with this new system. I strongly prefer the original armor and shield system, though it is interesting that they differentiate between physical damage and magic damage. Magic armor may be a step forward, but the physical armor bar and the loss of the shield skill are definitely two steps back.
thefletchzone 