Players can make Charming Arrows to sell them for a profit in addition to using them in battle. It inflicts the Charmed effect on an enemy. Only one enemy may be Charmed by a Charming Arrow at a time. Players can craft them by combining a source of Honey with an Arrow. They are not the most valuable item in the game. However, one of the ingredients, Honey, is not difficult to acquire. The crafting process does not consume Beehi

Divinity: Original Sin was met with universal acclaim when it was introduced over two years ago. This should not be surprising, as the title featured a massive world to explore had almost no restrictions on how the player went about completing it. This story driven adventure featured a multitude of side quests that could be handled in a variety of different manners, resulting in a game experience that becomes uniquely tailored to the player's choices and play style. Creating a worthy follow up to to such a quality game is no small task, but Larian Studios seems to be up to the ambitious task of creating a sequel that doesn't simply match the quality of its predecessor but also surpass it.

Several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get some hands on time with Divinity: Original Sin II at PAX . That experience only gave a brief glimpse into what is offered in this build and I imagine I will feel the same way about the Early Access build when the complete game is released. The predecessor was a massive choice-driven RPG that was in the vein of classic computer RPGs. The bar was set high by Divinity: Original Sin and everything that made that title so great returns here and then some. Making any definite declaration about a game's quality prior to its final release is impossible and I do not want to over hype this title to the point of having expectations it can not reach, but anyone who enjoyed its predecessor needs to keep this one on their radar, regardless of whether they want to wait for the final version to come out or if they want to dive into the early build right away.

Weapon Abilities include Single-Handed, Two-Handed, Ranged, and Dual Wielding. Defense Abilities include Retribution (Damage is reflected back at the attacker), Leadership (Increasing Bonuses are granted to the party), and Perseverance (Grants Physical and Magical Armour when certain conditions are met). Players may put points into these as w

The tag system is a new feature introduced in this sequel, which allows specific dialog options to become available based on gender, race, profession, and origin story. New tags may be gained and current tags may be lost based on character decisions and achievements. Should the player choose to design a character without an origin story, they will have the choice to add extra tags during the creation process to help personalize the experience by giving the character a unique personality and dialog options. There are presets that allow a character to begin the game better suited for a play style fitting a traditional RPG class such as warrior or rogue but there are no character classes, allowing the character to be customized and built as they progress through the game however the player sees fit. The multiplayer limit has been raised from two player to four player, and players may be in direct conflict with each other during certain quest goals based on origin story, making it a spur of the moment decision to play cooperatively or competitively. There is also the new dynamic music system where the player selects a character's chosen instrument, allowing this instrument to take lead in the soundtrack during crucial moments of combat or story development.

Divinity: Original Sin II is projected to be completed sometime in 2017. The Early Access build is accessible in Steam with a preorder. This version is obviously not the full game and may not have the same level of polish the final product will, so those wanting the complete final build would be advised to wait until it becomes available. For those wanting to get into the new Original Sin now, this build is worth the asking price. The first act of the campaign is available for both single and multiplayer modes which is easily a dozen hours of content and letting the players get their feet wet in experiencing the unbridled freedom of choice that is offered. The PvP Arena is available with select maps playable now with more coming in the future. Approximately half the skills are available across eight of the ten schools of magic. Those who take advantage of Early Access will naturally be upgraded automatically to the retail release upon completion.

There are some RPGs that hold the player's plan, at least through the beginning parts of the game. Divinity: Original Sin II **** is not one of these games. The player is given objectives and some hints at where they might need to head to accomplish them, but nearly unlimited freedom is given to the player in how they wish to go about it. This freedom on top of proverbially being thrown to the wolves level of hand holding can be overwhelming for players not used to it, but this means how the SLG game heroes unfolds is entirely up to how the player wishes to accomplish the myriad tasks. For example, if you have ever played an RPG and wished you could just hack everyone to death and not have to attend to the errands of an annoying NPC, that freedom exists. I am not suggesting that killing every NPC in the game will lead to the optimal experience with this title, but the freedom is there for anyone who wishes to try it. The barbaric blood path is a choice, the numerous dialog options as well as other behavior choices could make completing the story a very cerebral experience.