Which Divinity Games Do You Need to Play Before Larian’s New Game Comes Out?

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Larian Studios, the team behind the hugely popular Baldur’s Gate 3 which launched in 2023, has announced their next project: a new Divinity game. This is exciting news for longtime fans, as Larian first became known for the earlier Divinity titles, before achieving massive success with Baldur’s Gate 3. It represents a return to the series that helped establish them.

Larian Studios has created six games in the Divinity series, beginning with Divine Divinity in 2002 and most recently, Divinity: Original Sin 2 in 2017. For 15 years, Divinity was the studio’s sole focus – Divine Divinity was only their second project ever. While Larian is now famous for Baldur’s Gate 3, their history is deeply rooted in the Divinity franchise. Divinity is also a completely original creation of Larian, unlike Baldur’s Gate 3 which is based on Dungeons & Dragons. This means the Divinity games have unique gameplay and storytelling that are specific to the studio. Because of this, many players are interested in exploring the Divinity series and its earlier titles, especially with new installments on the horizon.

Games You “Need” to Play Before Larian’s New Divinity

Larian Studios has announced that their next Divinity game is designed to be easy for new players to pick up – you won’t need to have played any previous games in the series. However, they also mentioned that fans of Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will get even more out of the new game, suggesting those titles contain background or story elements that will enhance the experience.

Divinity: Original Sin

Although it came out twelve years after the very first Divinity game, Divinity: Original Sin is often seen as the game that truly launched the series. It brought Divinity, and the studio Larian, to a wider audience, thanks to its larger scale and more refined quality compared to earlier titles.

The game Divinity: Original Sin was successfully funded through Kickstarter, raising nearly $1,000,000. This support was crucial for Larian Studios, allowing them to finish development despite facing financial challenges.

In Original Sin, players control two characters they can customize as they battle a dangerous magical force called the Source. While set in the same universe as other Divinity games, this story is separate from them. The biggest change, however, is how it plays: Divinity: Original Sin uses turn-based combat, unlike earlier Divinity games which were fast-paced action-RPGs similar to Diablo and Dragon Age. In many ways, Original Sin paved the way for the gameplay Larian Studios later perfected in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Released three years after the original, Divinity: Original Sin 2 heavily influenced Baldur’s Gate 3. Similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, players can create their own character or choose from a set of pre-made heroes who can also join as companions. The games also share features like four-player co-op, a similar battle interface, and how elements interact with the game world.

The story of Original Sin 2 continues the conflict over the Source from the first game, but with a much grander scope and level of detail. Larian Studios had more resources than ever before, allowing them to create their most polished, detailed, and expansive game yet. Simply put, it’s a fantastic sequel to Original Sin, improving on what came before and refining Larian’s signature style of CRPG gameplay.

What Other Divinity Games Should You Play?

Before discussing why Larian Studios considers the Original Sin games particularly enjoyable compared to Divinity, let’s briefly talk about the other games in the series.

  • Divine Divinity (2002)
  • Beyond Divinity (2004)
  • Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (2009)
  • Divinity: Dragon Commander (2013)

The early Divinity games – Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity – play a lot like the original Diablo games, with a focus on exploring dungeons, collecting better equipment, and fast-paced combat. Divinity 2: Ego Draconis shares some similarities but adds a third-person viewpoint and more cinematic storytelling, bringing to mind classic BioWare games. Dragon Commander is the most different game in the series, as it’s a real-time strategy game with occasional combat sequences.

Dragon Commander stands out as the first Larian Studios game funded by venture capitalists, instead of a traditional publisher. This approach eventually paved the way for them to create Baldur’s Gate 3.

While none of these games are as popular as Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel, they’re all set in the same universe and can offer some background lore. Of the older titles, Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity generally receive the best reviews. Divinity 2: Ego Draconis isn’t as well-regarded, though it does let you transform into a dragon. Just remember that these games don’t necessarily reflect what the next Divinity game will be like.

If in Doubt, Just Play Divinity: Original Sin 2

For those new to the Divinity universe, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a fantastic place to start. It’s considered a significant improvement over the first game, which was already a highly praised and popular title. You don’t need to know the story of the original game to enjoy the sequel. And if you’re a fan of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll likely appreciate Divinity: Original Sin 2 because of their shared gameplay elements.

Larian likely suggests starting with the Original Sin games because they’re the most recent and popular installments in the Divinity series. It makes sense they’d recommend those over older games that weren’t as well-received. Plus, some fans speculate that themes from Original Sin – like cults and dark magic – might appear in the new Divinity, a theory supported by the unsettling trailer released at The Game Awards.

It’s interesting that the Original Sin games are more lighthearted than earlier titles, which makes us wonder if the next Divinity game will follow suit. However, Swen Vincke has hinted that this new Divinity will be the peak of Larian’s work, meaning we can only guess what it will be like.

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2025-12-18 16:05