This game has so many issues. I was excited to play this after BG3 was so incredible - but aside from a it being a similar type of game, with similar mechanics, there is nothing redeemable about Divinity 2.
Companions were one of the main issues for me; they had interesting concepts at the start, but the actual execution I found to be incredibly shallow. It feels like you only get a handful of conversations with each of them throughout the entire game, so none of the relationships have any time to breathe or feel compelling. Sebille is the worst offender. I talk to her once and she wants nothing to do with me. A couple of conversations later she's suddenly my best mate, opening up about all her deepest secrets, asking me to save her name and loves me - I'm sorry, what? People kept telling me her character development was "earned" and that she "slowly" warms up to you. No she doesn't. It happens in what feels like three conversations. The game constantly skips over the part where you're actually supposed to build a relationship. I didn't end up caring about a single companion and this is where in opposition, I feel BG3 shines. In BG3 even companions I disliked at the start slowly won me over through what felt like shared experiences and turmoils, through convos where they opened up to me slowly, etc. None of that exists in Divinity 2.
The skill building was another thing that just didn't click with me. I know people praise how open it is, but honestly I think it's too open to the point of it being bad. Every character can basically become anything, learn almost any skill and fill almost any role. Instead of feeling like I was building a character that had particular talents, goals in life in terms of their power, etc. I felt like I was staring at a giant pile of options with very little guidance or identity. I massively preferred BG3's class system. Having defined classes doesn't make the game less interesting at all, it gives your choices context and makes you feel like "hey I'm a wizard, I can embody this" but in Divinity you're chasing some kind of meta, multiple people's skills overlap and I spend way too much time googling and admin-ing rather than having fun and progressing someone in one direction of their chosen "career" intuitively. Leveling up always felt like "ugh ♥♥♥♥, this ♥♥♥♥ again" rather than "oh yay".
The quest journal is also absolutely dreadful. Once the game opens up it just becomes this giant wall of quests with vague updates dumped into categories. Half the time I had no idea where I was in a storyline, what I'd already done, or why I was even following a particular quest anymore - it made it hard to continue small quests and know what to care about. When you're constantly trying to remember what the hell is going on, it's really hard to care about the story. It's messy, unorganised and unhelpful. ALSO the inventory management system is awful - holy hell, who designed this nightmare?
The story itself is fine, the plot isn't particularly bad or anything but I honestly couldn't make myself care about most of it. The game constantly expects you to be fascinated by random lore characters but like, we are never led there with curiosity, it's just dumped at you and you feel confused and frustrated rather than intrigued. Every time someone started another speech about Braccus Rex I genuinely just wanted to fall asleep.
The combat is also just fine, I genuinely enjoyed some aspects of it but by the last act, I felt some fights were so unbelievably anti-fun. The Lizard Consulate after-portal fight was the point where I ragequit. My entire party spent turn after turn charmed, maddened or otherwise unable to do a single thing while I sat there watching the enemies play the game for me for what felt like forever. I was literally waiting for the game to let me play again for a solid 20-30 mins. At least if BG3 wipes my party, it wipes my party and I can reload. Here I was trapped watching myself slowly lose for ages with absolutely no control which is so anti-fun.
Finally, not sure what the decision is behind the bedrolls and no night time but it made the whole game feel like one veryyyyyyy long day. It probably contributed to my sense of fatigue with the story. We just kept going kept going kept going, health is low, we heal up with a bedroll and at it again. It makes the bad story pacing even worse.
I genuinely wouldn't recommend this game - and it now makes me worried for Divinity 3. We're not getting BG4 so I was trying to be excited about Divinity 3 but I don't know if I can bring myself to give a single ♥♥♥♥ about Braccus Rex lol.
