I don't know which one to play first, Pillars Of Eternity or Divinity Original Sin 2, help me Ja Rule... (2024)

Hey Era,

I'll try to keep it short, the gist of it is that I don't know which game to start with. I know they may be two different beasts and not at all comparable but one of them will be my next game to go through and I'm really torn between the two.

Pillars Of Eternity:
+ It looks pretty interesting
+ It's a third of the price of Divinity 2 at the moment
+ I'm yearning for a game that gives me that 'choices matter' feeling and interesting dialogue/characters reminiscent of playing Torment
- I...I struggle a lot with the Real Time with Pause nature of games like this (Baldur's Gate etc), personally I dislike it a great deal. Torment didn't have a focus on combat which made it much more bearable. I understand that PoE II supports a newly implemented turn based mode but I don't think PoE I does?
- No controller support

Divinity Original Sin 2:
+ Looks pretty damn good
+ Combat seems quite fun (but hope that it isn't the major focus of the game)
+ Appears to have received unanimous critical acclaim (as opposed to PoE) and comes across as a very solid game
- I haven't played the first game
- Unsure if my laptop (I5 7300HQ and GTX 1060) can run the game 60fps on high settings
- A bit more expensive than PoE but both games are on sale at the moment

What do you all say, which one should I go for first?

You don't need to have played D:OS1 to start 2.

I did not really get into Pillars of Eternity while D:OS2 is probably one of the best games I ever played. So take that how you will.

The biggest argument I can think of against Divinity is actually a positive for it aswell. Divinity is a really cool coop game, and if you ever think you might play through it coop with a friend some day I'd hold off to have that first time experience together. Pillars can only ever be single player so you will never lose that first time coop experience by playing it solo now.

Anyhow, while you don't need to play the first one to play the sequel to divinity, the first one is still a really good game and probably cheaper right now.

Edit: I will say that Divinity is a very combat focused game. Like there is lots of reading and dialogue, but the core part of that game is the really well done combat system.

I haven't had the chance to play Pillars yet, despite loving the original Baldies Gate series so much.

I will say Divinity OS 2 is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. It's massive, engaging and has some top gameplay. However be aware it's combat is turn based, so it may not be for everyone.

Divinity 1 and 2 are both truly great games.

I've recently started Pillars of Eternity, but I gotta say controlling your party and the combat itself feels super bad to me. Like I've enjoyed some real time with pause combat systems in the past (FF12 and Dragon Age Origins) but Pillars of Eternity feels immensely frustrating and clunky. The saddest part about it is that the world and back lore seemed pretty cool, but there's a 0% chance I'm going to make it through this game.

I enjoyed PoE a lot, and I'm trying to find time to play the second game. The music, art and lore are great, and while the main plot is not that good it isn't any bad either. The combat system lacks maybe more feedback or more streamlined menus, as it's hard to see what's happening even if you pause constantly. Also 6 characters is maybe a lot to manage. I think that PoE2 fixes most of these issues.

Don't know about Divinity 2, I only played some hours the first game and at least at launch was a technical mess and the graphic style/story were not that good.

Both are brilliant CRPGs and among the best the genre has ever had to offer.

PoE can be a little more forgiving in terms of combat, especially since the introduction of Party AI (and the huge improvements they made to it in PoE2 Deadfire).

D:OS2 is definitely on the more whimsical and silly side of things.

I'm currently replaying Deadfire with all the DLC and I'm still having a blast. as much as I love the Divinity games I haven't managed to finish one yet - I get about 60-80 hours in and then stop. I played PoE three times and I'm on my second Deadfire run....

Both games offer great dialogue and acting, and they both offer many choices and changes that results in unique play throughs, so it's hard to argue there which is better. D:OS2 has a much heavier reliance on environmental combat, using and moving objects, combos etc. Pillars is a much more traditional real time combat affair that can allow you to be mostly hands off with a decent AI set up. It depends what you prefer here. Also of note, Deadfire just released the 5.0 patch which completely overhauls ship combat, fleshes out a lot of the company/faction choices and the release of the Turn Based combat mode, if you should so desire.

Divinity with ease.

To be fair I'm biased. As much as I enjoyed Pillars, RTWP just isn't my jam.

Op, you get Divinity Original Sin 1. It will be cheap, will most likely run on your lap top and is still an amazing game with great combat and choices. Divinity OS 2 is better all around and you don't need the first game to play it but DOS1 is still fantastic.

Edit: I should say that POE is a good game too (I haven't played the second), a lot more like Baldurs Gate, I played it on PS4 and had a blast with it I just think Divinity are better games generally. but you can't go wrong with either imo.

After having played both the games, I always go back to Pillars of Eternity for another playthrough (and have done so quite a few times). I guess I like the gloomy atmosphere, music, reading lots of text, listening to companions and character builds; again and again.

The game just sets the tone immediately after you hit the first village, I really like it.

Disappointingly I couldn't get myself for a second playthrough of Divinity Original Sin 2, even if it was technically a much better game.

Edit: Pillars of Eternity has a slow mode for combat, if RTWP is very unpleasant.

Pillars of Eternity went to a really good place with its updates and the expansion (which serves as a very nice change of pace and environment around the game's mid-point). Upping the difficulty will give you a massive world to explore with IMO one of the best combat systems out there. It has added a pure turn-based option but I can't say how well it works, I prefer real-time for long RPGs (even though I pause probably more than once per action anyway :)).

I'd save Divinity until it drops in price and for when you have someone to play it with. They're both truly excellent games, the Divinity series has the edge by being flashier and easier to appreciate at the surface level, but I feel PoE is the most well-crafted as a whole.

Nacho Papi said:

Pillars Of Eternity:
- I...I struggle a lot with the Real Time with Pause nature of games like this (Baldur's Gate etc), personally I dislike it a great deal

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well if this is the case for you, then the only answer is DOS2

personally I really like RTWP so I actually consider POE1/2 a bit higher than DOS2, but all three are great

Thanks all for the great inputs.

Dang, this is tough, I'm actually leaning towards PoE now - despite its RTWP nature, if it does have a 'slow mode' (and someone correct me here but why do some posts give me the impression that the devs added turn based combat to PoE 1 as well?) I might opt for what appears to be the slower, dialogue/story focused game.

Oreoleo said:

If you don't like RTwP, PoE will do exactly nothing to change your mind. Skip it and go for DoS2. You don't need to have played the first one to jump in.

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Pillars of Eternity 2, while supporting the PoE1 save import or creation of a backstory, now offers a fully turn-based combat system with the final v5.0 patch that dropped last night. So if RTWP is an issue, this is now a potential offering.

Some people will claim blasphemy, but you can start Deadfire fresh or with a "created" history in their editor. It doesn't seem to matter a huge amount, for example I imported my PoE1 save but completely changed class and race for PoE2 and it's barely referenced. There are some conversations that mention events in PoE1, but I've yet to encounter a quest or anything that is significantly impacted by PoE1, other than your companions.

Era is a cesspool of turn based fanboys... and i say that in a loving way.

I love me some turned based combat and divinitys turned base combat is one of the best. But like all turned based combat it can drag on some times.

Pillars is Obsidians attempt at capturing the magic of Baldurs Gate. I think the game ended up besting baldurs gate 1 but not reaching the awesomeness of bg2 (i think the sequel gets much closer). I personally like the writing style and story of the Pillars Games a lot more than divinitys, but thats not to say Divinitys is bad. Some of the character interactions in Divinity are just amazing.

In terms of pillars combat, 2 is probably the best rtwp system ever and its fantastic, while 1 definitely has a few issues but is still a blast inho. Just turn down the combat speed to the lowest setting, amd it feels more like speed chess than something that blazes by too fast to react. Just remeber not to stand still, move your characters and create openings with abilties.

You cant go wrong with either game and you should definitely play both. They are great pallatte cleanser for each other. So use one to play in between sequels of the other.

Original Sin 1 is on sale for £5.99 (or the equivalent) at the moment, so I'd recommend trying that.

Nacho Papi said:

Is the PoE bundle with the Winter March expansion the essential version? I doubt I'll ever complete 100% of the content in CRPGs nowadays so it's not like I require it all unless it adds some very desirable things to the base game.

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I'd highly recommend the expansions with the base game. You get a choice and can do the expansion content early, or with boosted enemy levels as content at end game.

The White Marches does tie in quite a lot with the overall setting of PoE, the locations, the people/Gods involved, but you don't need to complete every side quest and activity. The expansion is referenced in PoE2 as well, and really just fleshes out the experience. You also get a few extra companions with side stories of which I found to be very entertaining.

The story conclusion of PoE was disappointing, the writing is often too convoluted and lacks substance at time. The combat later on often becomes a clusterfuck unless you really know what you're doing.

I'd go for Divinity.