If you loved Baldur's Gate 3, and are in need of another hit of magic-infused turn-based tactical RPG goodness, look no further than Divinity Original Sin 2. Especially if, like me, you're a raving edgelord with alternative tendencies. Let's just say if you're the kind of person who played the Dark Urge in BG3, Divinity Original Sin 2 will have a lot to offer you, especially since it's currently 70% off on Steam.
From flesh-eating elves, to poison-healing, and even a demon-possessed dommy mommy Seekers, DOS2 is every dark-ass goth gamer's dream RPG. And I'll tell you why. Coming from the same studio that made Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity 2 is yet another tabletop-inspired fantasy CRPG. While it has TRPGs like D&D at its roots, it runs on a distinct system with its own bustling world and heaps of lore to uncover. And that lore is often truly dark.
The game's references to the Void alone are enough to inspire an entire black metal album. While the game gives you the ability to customize your own character to be as normal-looking or as metal as you like, there are also a bunch of playable origin characters complete with their own backstories for you to delve into. In the same vein as Dragon Age's Fenris, Sebille is one such playable character whose main story arc rests around vengeance against her former master - a slaver whose whispers in her ear would see her committing the vilest acts. You see where I'm going with this? Alt folk, we be messed up.
Give in to the Urge
"One thing that really interests me as someone who spends a lot of time hanging out in graveyards (what?) is that Undead are an actual race in DOS."
Like all elves in the DOS franchise, Sebille is also a corpse eater. The act of cannibalism can actually be useful when it comes to uncovering mysteries, since partaking of the flesh reveals secrets about the lives of the deceased. And of the living as it turns out. When you're not playing as Sebille, she literally licks your arm within moments of meeting you, in order to understand you better. She'll also threaten you at every opportunity, if you're into that kind of thing.
Another of the game's origin characters is Lohse - a bard whose story draws on the same queues as BG3's Dark Urge character. Her intro outlines it best: "The voice that rings inside me now is darker than any that came before; almost caused a bunch of my fans to rip each other to pieces! But you can trust me, I've got this under control." So, yes, DOS2 has you covered if you're in need of demonically tormented souls to embody or simply swoon over.
One thing that really interests me as someone who spends a lot of time hanging out in graveyards (what?) is that Undead are an actual race in DOS. Though they're "considered abominations of the natural order", Undead aren't all bad. As any goth out there will tell you, they make very quiet neighbors. The Undead origin character known as Fane is pretty genial, in fact, and even open to a little boning, if only in the name of science.
Each type of Undead - be that Elf, Dwarf, Lizard, or Human - has its own special ability relating to its hybrid race, but their most fascinating universal feature comes from their ability to heal through poison or necrotic damage. Regular healing actually harms the Undead, which I can relate to as an alt person since it's exactly how I feel when I try to listen to a pop album.
If that isn't enough edgy character creation antics for you, there's much more where that came from. You can gothify your playthrough even further by imbuing your character with combat abilities like Necromancer - which lets you sap vitality directly from your enemies - and Blood Sucker that's unlocked by the former and lets you sap blood puddles in order to heal. It's not the most practical of healing spells, but we never have been the sort to take the easy path, have we?
Right now, Divinity Original Sin 2 is featured in the Steam Remote Play Together Fest, and is so cheap it feels almost a sin not to split the cost with your alt bestie and tackle the darkness together.
If you like Baldur's Gate 3, you should play one of BioWare's best-ever choice-driven sci-fi RPGs
Planescape: Torment was a revolutionary RPG, but many of its devs had no experience with the D&D campaign it was based on: "What the f*ck is that?"
Elder Scrolls modders have released a playable part of the ambitious Project Tamriel, which aims to recreate all of the beloved RPG's regions in Morrowind
