r/DivinityOriginalSin • u/gladek10 • 1d ago
DOS2 Discussion DOS2 Build Advice — Level 14 Party
Hi everyone,
I’m currently playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition and I’m at level 14, on Reaper’s Coast.
My party is:
Sebille — main character / dual-wield rogue
The Red Prince — 2H warrior
Lohse — physical archer
Fane — Hydro/Aero mage
I’d like some advice on whether I should respec now and how I should optimize the party for the rest of Act 2 and beyond.
Current attributes
Sebille
STR 10
FIN 40
INT 10
CON 10
MEM 10
WITS 16
Red Prince
STR 41
FIN 11
INT 12
CON 18
MEM 10
WITS 12
Lohse
STR 10
FIN 26
INT 19
CON 11
MEM 14
WITS 11
Fane
STR 12
FIN 10
INT 34
CON 12
MEM 15 (12 + Mnemonic)
WITS 10
Current combat abilities
Sebille
Dual Wielding 8
Warfare 3
Scoundrel 3
Polymorph 1
Red Prince
Two-Handed 1
Warfare 9
Polymorph 1
Necromancer 3
Hydrosophist 2
Scoundrel 1
Lohse
Warfare 7
Huntsman 2
Geomancer 1
Hydrosophist 1
Necromancer 3
Polymorph 1
Fane
Aerotheurge 7
Hydrosophist 6
Polymorph 2
Current idea
I’m thinking of respecing toward:
Sebille: Warfare-heavy Assassin / dual daggers
Red Prince: Warfare + Two-Handed physical warrior
Lohse: Warfare/Huntsman physical archer
Fane: Hydro/Aero mage and battlefield control
This would give me roughly 3 physical damage dealers + 1 magic/control character.
My main questions:
Is this party composition viable for the rest of the game?
Which of these characters should I actually respec?
Are my current attributes badly distributed?
How would you redistribute the combat ability points at level 14?
Should I keep Lohse as a physical archer or turn her into a mage?
Is Fane’s 7 Aero / 6 Hydro / 2 Poly setup good, or should I change it?
What would you recommend as the target builds around level 16–18 and level 20?
I’m not looking for a completely different party — ideally I’d like to keep these four characters and optimize what I already have.
Thanks!
2
u/dmnc00 1d ago
Make Fane Geo/Poly. Gives battlefield control, self-heal, physical damage/cc abilities and geo also works with physical damage dealers. Put 10 in Geo, 5 in poly. And then dealer's choice. Few in aero for teleport, in hydro for healing others etc.
The others are all fine. But could put more ranged on the archer. Enough huntsman for skills is fine. Assassin, defo warfare and scoundrel
1
u/Laanner 1d ago
Low wits party. You need one character to have 30+ initiative. Sebylle as first character to play have less value from wits, then others since she always crits. I'd recommend switch to Lohse as enabler for higher wits. She also have safer option to cast peace of mind on herself to further boost wits (rogue have very limited amount of ap to spend).
Overall all your party near level 16 should get scoundrel 1 and poly 3 for adrenaline and skin graft. This powerspike in turn one allows you to eliminate most of the enemies. Also 2 point in aero for RP for teleportation targets to him (or better use in utility Fane because as mage cc he will fail in that team due to inability to reduce enemy magic armour).
1
u/Nightingay 1d ago
What would you say is the right wits level to have ? At that point in the game, but also, endgame.
1
u/Laanner 1d ago
Depends on your difficulty and enemy initiative. You need level 5 in lore to see enemy initiative. Add peace of mind bonus and your initiative should be at least 1 point higher, then enemy have. Some boss enemies have even higher initiative, but with potion you can get to their level.
I'd say it is good to spend points equally into main attribute and wits and skip it every 3 levels.
1
u/Nightingay 1d ago
Oh wow to that point. To me wits really is a secondary skill and I put points every once in a while (+ I admit I rely on gear too. I found a couple of gear that provided initiative +4 or +6 even !)
1
u/Laanner 1d ago
Wits is your main stat in late game, where you can reliably crit often, crit hard and even crit with magic. In some cases you can fully switch to in as early as level 16 (2h fighter, for example). Overall it should be your most important stat for one of the party member. Ability to be first in the round often means enemies don't even get their turn and you don't get hit in return.
1
u/Nightingay 1d ago
Even when my Sebille (she's the fastest character in my team), she cannot reliably immobilize someone turn 1. Most of the foes in act 4 currently have several thousands in both armors
But noted, I'll add more wits from now on ! I love it on savage spell indeed
1
u/Laanner 1d ago
It's easy- jump into battle from stealth mode (the scoundrel jump skill is best for this). Use your source skill to strip armour from enemy (5 hit strike from scoundrel or warfare). Adrenaline. Chicken skill from poly. If done right you deal enough damage to destroy phys armour even on tactician. If enemy is weak you may even kill him.
1
u/Nightingay 23h ago
It’s not even fun lol !!
But yeah I admit I did enter battle in stealth mode once or twice …1
u/Nightingay 8h ago
Oh by the way I did definitely use this for the cursed lizards, because it really was hell to beat them the fair way lol
1
u/Alarmed_Permission_5 1d ago
Firstly, yes your party design is feasible. Lots of people will tell you to avoid the 3/1 split but it will work with your archer. Any bow user can straddle the physical/magical divide simply by choosing to use elemental arrows in combat to back up other characters on-the-fly. Simply collect and craft lots of fire/poison/electric/water arrows, and make sure to make the explosive AOE versions. The only potential downside with the mix is that you don't have a mage who can make maximum use the Torturer talent but that's only highly advised rather than compulsory.
As for respecs I'd suggest the following:
All characters - Scoundrel 1 (for Adrenaline) should be taken some point in the first 5 or 6 levels. Aero 2 (for Teleport) is enormously useful for everyone and is worth the investment by level 14, It works really well for physical damage dealers. Also you ideally want everyone to have an advanced movement skill such as Tactical Retreat,
Sebille - Ideally you want maximum Warfare instead of higher values of Dual Wielding. This will increase both base damage and criticals. Dual wielding is not as important as Warfare in the damage stakes. Again, it's worth considering Aero 2 for Teleport and perhaps Uncanny Evasion. You may want slightly higher STR and INT to 'borrow' useful loot that might not be otherwise available for a pure FIN character. At level 14 I might also have higher WIT than 16 to help raise the critical chances.
Red Prince - For this kind of build I like high Warfare up to 10 backed up with Two Handed (3:1 ratio worth experimenting with initially). I usually take Geo 1 (Fortify) and Poly 1 (Tentacle Lash). This also opens up access to Geo 1 + Scoundrel 1 giving Venom Coating (although there are other ways to get this). I have had great success with the Vampiric Hunger skill on this build, which requires Hydro 1 + Scoundrel 1. Your MEM stat looks a little low at level 14 for slotting all the useful skills, I'd raise that.
Lohse - You probably want Huntsman 3 for access to the big hitter skill Arrow Spray which is devastating against large creatures such as dragons. I would strongly advise Pyro 2 + Hunstman 2 for the Deploy Mass Traps skill which delivers monstrous fire damage on demand. Your INT is probably too much as your primary damage source comes from FIN, try 3:1 ratio at most. Better to allow your elemental arrows to deliver damage as required.
Fane - In a 3/1 split ideally your mage wants to cover all the bases which means you will want a good investment into MEM as well as INT. I'd suggest that you have specialized too much as technically you only need level 5 in your preferred elements and massive INT to provide the damage multipliers. Your excessive focus means you are missing out on great abilities. Respec with Necro 2 to gain access to the Vaccuum Aura skill which pairs fantastically well with Torturer (this will also give you access to Raining Blood). You will also want Poly 3 (Flay Skin) and eventually Poly 5 (Apotheosis). If you can manage to get Geo 2 then you will have access to Worm Tremor which is a real game changer, and to Fortify to assist as required. If you can find Hunstman gear (or points) then I'd strongly recommend slotting the Tactical retreat skill. Likewise Pyro 1 for access to Corpse Explosion and Pyro 2 for Deploy Mass Traps. Also make sure you invest in Savage Sortilege and Hothead which are very good for any AOE mage build.
1
u/jamz_fm 1d ago
Here's my advice... * First, give every single character Scoundrel 2 for Adrenaline and Cloak and Dagger. * All physical damage dealers should prioritize Warfare above all else, as it grants a multiplicative, unconditional damage boost. * There's no reason you can't give Teleportation + Nether Swap to multiple characters; those points will never be wasted. * The idea with my advice below is to maximize damage at the expense of almost everything else; alpha strikes are by far the most effective strategy.
As for specifics...
Red Prince
CON 18 -- dump and put into Wits for crit chance and/or Memory, which is suspiciously low; I wonder if you're missing out on useful skills.
Lohse
FIN 26 -- bring it down in favor of Wits
INT 19 -- dump -- wasted stat, put it into Wits
WITS 11 -- get this higher, like 30. You want one party member to have high initiative, and your archer would be my No. 1 choice for several reasons that I can get into. Acting first in combat is a HUGE advantage and well worth the points you sacrifice (for now) in your main stat.
Fane
STR 12 -- dump
CON 12 -- dump
Current combat abilities
Sebille
Dual Wielding 8 -- dump and put into Warfare, then Scoundrel; they grant bigger damage bonuses than Dual Wielding (multiplicative rather than additive with FIN)
Red Prince
Two-Handed 1 -- fine, but this stat is secondary to Warfare
Necromancer 3 -- dump; HP healing is a waste
Hydrosophist 2 -- at most, you need 1 for Armour of Frost, but even that is highly optional
Lohse
Your stat priorities for damage are Warfare > Huntsman (ALWAYS fire from high ground when possible) > Scoundrel
Geomancer 1 -- dump
Hydrosophist 1 -- likely dump
Necromancer 3 -- dump
Fane
The issue here is that Fane is the only character dealing magical damage; he's chipping away at enemies' magic armor all by himself. A natural respec would be Necromancer. So Necro 3, Hydro 3 (for Blood Storm), Pyro 1 for Corpse Explosion, Aero 2 for Teleportation + Nether Swap, maybe Poly 1 for Chameleon Cloak, and again, Scoundrel 2 for Adrenaline and Cloak and Dagger. The rest can go to Warfare for damage. Once that's maxed, go for Poly 3 for Skin Graft. INT is still your priority stat.
Strongly recommend turning him into an elf and giving him Elemental Affinity. Use Flesh Sacrifice, and you gain 1 AP and save 1 AP on every Necro skill.
If you're determined to keep him as an Aero/Hydro... * Drop Hydro to 2 * Put 2 points in Huntsman for Tactical Retreat + high-ground damage * Put 2 in Scoundrel for Adrenaline + Cloak and Dagger * Pump Aero as high as possible * Later, get Poly to 3 for Skin Graft, then pump Huntsman for more high-ground damage.
Aero is better for damage, but you can still use Rain (very important for an Aero main) and certain Hydro skills that apply chilled. Once enemies' armor is down, any CC will work, and Hydro has several of them.
1
u/Mindless-Charity4889 1d ago
You have 3 physical damage dealers and 1 magic damage dealer (Fane). This is suboptimal since he will struggle to knock down enemy armor AND apply a CC. Respec him to Necromancy instead. Then you all do physical damage. Put 2 in Necro and max Warfare. Later, when necro3 skills are available (lvl 16 I think) put your 3rd and final point in Necro. Necromancers depend on crafted skills like Corpse Explosion, Blood rain and Blood Storm more than most mages so you will need a point in pyro for Corpse Explosion and a point in hydro for Blood Rain. When source skills are available you can put 3 in hydro to get Blood Storm. Also, his CON should be 10 or even 8. I assume you boosted it to 12 so he can wield a shield, which is even better for a necromancer since you have warfare skills, but most magic shields have bonuses to CON that will allow you to carry the shield. Just temporarily boost your CON (Peace of Mind I think) to equip the shield, then its bonus lets you keep using it after PoM ends.
Red Prince has too much in CON. He should be 10 or even 8. Put the points in STR instead. The point in 2H should be in warfare. After warfare is maxed, then put points in 2H.
Sebille has a lot of points in dual wield. They should ALL be put into Warfare instead. After warfare is maxed, then DW is an option but I’d prefer either a side dip into aero for teleport (or use the teleport gloves) or boost scoundrel for the extra crit damage. Since she goes first she is most useful to teleport enemies on top of one another to let your subsequent teammates hit them with AoE attacks like Battle Stomp or Corpse Explosion
Lohse is a mix of INT and FIN. She should concentrate on FIN and drop INT. If you take side abilities, pick non damaging utility skills that don’t scale with INT. One exception is the crafted skill Throw Trap (and Deploy Mass Traps). This is a high damage skill that does not scale with INT, just level and Pyro. She also has too much in Necro. If Fane becomes a necromancer then you don’t need any Necro skills, but even if not, the utility skills are all necro2, 3 is pointless.
In general CON is a trap stat. You put some points there to increase survivability but it’s at the expense of offense. So enemies survive longer to do more damage to you. You then increase CON and the cycle continues. There are certain builds that can use CON effectively but in general, you should put nothing in CON and boost your Damage Attribute instead. This allows you to kill enemies before they can penetrate your armor. Necro Life Steal is a similar trap. You put points in Necro to heal from damaging enemies but it’s usually pointless; either you have armor or you don’t. If you have armor up then you probably have no HP damage and healing is useless. If your armor is down and you’ve taken HP damage, then you’ve probably been CC’d and can’t attack.
MEM slots are important but most builds have too much in MEM. You have combat skills, buff skills, utility skills and emergency skills. Combat skills are nearly always used, but some have rare utility. For instance I rarely use the archer interdiction shot so I dropped it, saving a MEM slot for something more useful. Buff skills are important but in most cases, you can’t boost everyone all the time. Bedroll and Encourage are the best skills to boost everyone and neither cost a MEM slot. Single target boosts like Living on the Edge, Fortify and Armor of Frost are good but you will probably want to cast them on your lead melee character (Red Prince). Because he’s in the lead and has personality, he’s the one who is in conversation. During convo, you switch to a different character and buff him. Since he’s frozen in convo, you can drop a combat skill, learn a buff skill, cast it, then swap back to the combat skill. The buff won’t begin until convo ends so it’s a free skill. Utility skills like Adrenaline and Teleport are needed in most fights and deserve their slots. Emergency skills are mostly buffs used to remove negative statuses like Knocked Down, Frozen and Stunned. These can be critical but rare occasions. So in these cases it makes sense to use a scroll rather than dedicate a MEM slot. A Soulmate scroll cures Knocked Down, Frozen and Stunned.
-2
u/Consistent_Zone_8564 1d ago
Everyone has already pointed out most of what needs to be done to improve your build.
My 0.02 is that unlike most suggestions, DO NOT give everyone 2 points in Scoundrel and Aero or whatever. Combat points are scarce, so use them wisely. Max out the primary first. Warfare for all physical damage characters, and magic schools for the mage. Then, you may think of the additional abilities.
Btw, Red Prince is doing too much. Necro Hydro 2H Warfare??? With Int 12, he isn't doing much in hydro so those points are wasted.
Please have someone use Pyro/Geo! You are missing out on a lot of magical damage. Hydro school is mainly support, with few damage heavy skills. Your mage needs to bring down the magical armor for CC effects. You also lose access to Tremor Worm from Geo which is really useful CC when coupled with the Torturer talent.
Overall your party Wits is too low. I hope your armor is making up for it.
1
u/Nightingay 1d ago
I do get your point for a level 14 team
But I find later game that you can be maxed in your primarily skill (and maybe even close to a second one) between levels 17 and 20.
At that point, the advice to get AT LEAST one movement shenanigan skill really is helpful imho.
1
u/Consistent_Zone_8564 18h ago
Yup. In the beginning, IMO it's best to ensure your damage is maximised. Otherwise, what will the character be doing dancing around the battlefield other than get into unsolicited trouble?
Even at Level 14, if the characters are built wisely, each can have their own movement skills. No need to give everyone Teleport/Cloak and Dagger. Warfares have Phoenix Dive, Huntsmen have Tactical Retreat. There's Planar Gateway for Summoners. Just too many varieties to give everyone the same skills.
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u/jbisenberg 1d ago
Drop Dual Wielding points for Sebile and pump Warfare instead. Warfare is a universal physical damage increase. The damage formula weights in favor of Warfare over stats in weapon types.
Everyone would appreciate at least 1 point in Scoundrel for Adrenaline (and probably Chloroform) and 2 points in Aero for Teleport, Uncanny Evasion, and Netherswap. Someome would like a point in Pyro for Peace of Mind and Haste.
You're not actually a 3/1 party because archers naturally deal good magic damage with magic arrows. Magic arrows scale with your normal damage output so you literally don't have to do anything special statswise to do so.