„They're a bit outdated.” Baldur's Gate 3 director warns those who want to „prepare” for Divinity by playing older installments

The creators of the Divinity series are discouraging players from checking out the old installments of the series before the release of the latest part. They have reasons for that.

The "Divine" series by Larian Studios took a (relatively) brief backseat when the Belgian developer undertook the seemingly impossible challenge: creating a true continuation of the Baldur's Gate series. Now, over 8 years later, the series is making a comeback, much to the delight of Larian Studios' ever-growing fanbase.

Old Divinity not for fans of Baldur's Gate 3

For a lot of players, their journey with Larian Studios kicked off with Baldur’s Gate 3. Many of them have probably already checked out the two earlier games in the Original Sin series. Nevertheless, now, after the announcement of Divinity, some players might want to check out even older installments to not miss various references.

However, Swen Vincke himself dissuades them from such an idea in an interview with Games Radar. Although the head of Larian Studios confirmed that those familiar with the oldest Divinity games will find "appropriate references" in the new game, the Belgian recommends that younger players start their adventure with the series from the first Original Sin. Reason: previous installments have not aged well, and these references are only part of the story of the new Divinity.

Vincke suggests that if you loved the cinematic experience of Baldur’s Gate 3, you might want to skip the earlier games. But if you're into "tactical combat" or co-op, he recommends checking out D:OS2, and maybe the first one if you're really curious.

Of course, if someone wants to "learn everything" about Divinity, all previous installments are available (if not on Steam, then on GOG.com). Nevertheless, Vincke emphasizes that these titles are quite outdated. The first game came out over 23 years ago, and besides the Original Sin series, the newest part of the cycle is Dragon Commander. A title that not only was released in 2013 but is also not an RPG, rather a strategy game (albeit with a mix of RPG... and action game).

The narrative connections between the individual Divinity games are, to put it mildly, rather modest. The entire chronology of the series is not very intuitive (for example: the first Original Sin is the second title in terms of timeline, and there are two other installments between it and OS2), and it is in Larian's interest for the latest Divinity not to require much familiarity with any of the previous installments.

Let's just add that the game's release is so far off that Larian might just manage to bring back Divinity on Steam Early Access for the 10th anniversary of Original Sin 2, and the full release could even line up with the 10th anniversary of Baldur’s Gate 3's Early Access launch.

Maybe that's reason enough to spend some time and give even the "old" studio works a shot?

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• Overview

• Divinity (franchise)
• Larian Studios
• RPG games
• Swen Vincke