Larian Studios has become the undisputed ruler of the RPG genre, thanks to the success of the Divinity series and the overwhelming success of Baldur’s Gate 3. Its biggest achievements are the previously mentioned Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
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Whether you know of Larian’s work through one game or the other, you likely want to know how they compare. If you enjoyed one thoroughly, is it worth it to invest that many hours in another game of the developer, or is it better to look for it elsewhere? While the games have plenty of similarities, there are key areas where they differ, and if those are where you draw the line, then it’s best to know sooner rather than later.
7 Design Philosophy - Baldur’s Gate 3
At their core, the games are very similar in embracing freedom of choice, and the consequences those choices bring. You can go anywhere you’d like, but if you’re underleveled, you’ll be kicked to the curve. And you can kill anyone you want, but the city guard won’t take that kindly (or most of your companions, for that matter).
Baldur’s Gate 3 only barely edges out Destiny 2 here because of the time it spent in the oven. The only way you can achieve a lot of player freedom is by spending a lot of time making the game, not to mention how much the studio has evolved from one title to the other.
6 Setting - Divinity: Original Sin 2
Both games have enormous fantasy settings worth losing weeks of your life into, filled with waring gods and magical creatures. Yet with Baldur’s Gate 3, the word enormous might not quite draw a picture of the size of that setting; it is based on the Forgotten Realms of . There’s decades of content written about it spanning multiple editions, with constant references to events and cosmologies that only die hard fans can completely get.
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Divinity’s world is just as compelling, but with only two (albeit massive) games telling stories within that world, it’s far more approachable. Every time you’re introduced to something, there’s no risk of either under-explaining it for newcomers or boring to death the veterans; everyone is new to the world.
5 Difficulty - Baldur’s Gate 3
While you can make either game as easy or as hard as you’d like, their approach to difficulty is a bit different. Divinity 2 mostly only changes stats for the player and the enemies — the more health for you, the easier it is; the more health and actions for the enemy, the harder it gets. It’s a little static, but it gets the job done.
Meanwhile, Baldur’s Gate 3’s approach to difficulty is a bit more nuanced, especially when talking about Tactician mode. Enemies target allies with lower AC more frequently, and they even come with added tools and units for each encounter; it’s not just a stat boost. Whether you’re still on the fence regarding which difficulty to choose, the options in Baldur’s Gate 3 simply have more polish to them.
4 Combat - Divinity: Original Sin 2
In reality, both combat systems are fantastic, so it really comes down to personal preference. However, if we take the perspective of a newcomer to each series, or even a veteran trying to up their game, Divinity 2 wins on both fronts.
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If you have a Dungeons & Dragons background, clearly you’re going to prefer the AC system of the fifth edition. Yet, for a newcomer, understanding Divinity’s armor and magic armor bars is far more simple. And when it comes to veterans, the action economy allowed in Divinity 2 allows for far more player expression. This is not to say that Baldur’s Gate 3’s combat is simple or even bad, far from it; it can get quite complicated. But, as far as the system itself is concerned, Divinity does have a slight edge over Baldur’s Gate.
3 Story - Baldur’s Gate 3
Clearly, which story is better than the other is an extremely subjective matter, only made even harder to compare when you consider player input into the mix. These types of games, this whole genre, is about the story that you’re writing, the choices and allies you make as you try to defeat the ancient evil (or even make friends with it).
Yet, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the clear winner because of the presentation alone. In Divinity 2, everything is told from an isometric view, and plenty of crucial scenes are only narrated. Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled with cutscenes, not just when talking to companions but also for major story beats. This helps with immersion immensely, and the lack of it can really be felt when playing titles that don’t have this type of treatment.
2 Companions - Baldur’s Gate 3
The story crafted for each companion character in both games is incredibly good. Be it an undead from an ancient civilization or a vampire that’s trying to nibble your neck, they’re all worth getting to know. And it’s that quality for all companions that makes Baldur’s Gate 3 stand over Divinity 2, but to explain it we need to get into slight spoilers, so be warned.
In Divinity 2, roughly after Act 1 is concluded, you’ll need to choose your fixed party members. All the others are not available to adventure anymore due to a severe case of being dead. While replayability is always encouraged, not being able to experience their stories the first time around is a little bit awkward. While nothing guarantees that your whole party will survive in Baldur’s Gate 3, there’s also not a fixed point where half of them perish.
1 Conclusion
While Baldur’s Gate 3 might seem like the clear winner, it doesn’t mean that Divinity 2 is a bad game by any estimation. They both have enthralling stories and their combat can be quite unforgiving, and their differences can make each experience unique enough to love them for their own merits.
Besides, if we ever get Divinity: Original Sin 3, it will most likely have the best of both worlds; Larian Studios always learns and applies everything seen in previous titles onto their newest ones. Keep an eye out for them, since its games are always spectacular.
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