Winter Boots are an incredibly useful item to have available to the player in Divinity Original Sin 2 . This crafted item provides the player with invulnerability to the Frozen effect, which will protect them from slipping on Frozen surfaces that they or their party run over. The player will be grateful to have crafted Winter Boots in advance of certain sections of the g

RPGs are generally single player affairs and Divinity: Original Sin II can be played with zero interaction with other humans and still be a rewarding experience. The good folks at Larian Studios acknowledge, however, that gamers do in fact have friends and have made this title multiplayer friendly by creating a wealth of multiplayer content. The campaign can be played in its entirety with up to four players co-operatively either locally through the magic of the split screen or online. Because of the freedom offered in this title, some attempts at co-op can end up a little less than ideal , but any issue that arises from this has more to do with the player than the game. For "friends" like this, there is also a PvP arena mode, where those who tire of their friends incessant smack talk can take their parties into the arena and settle once and for all who is the best at the strategic combat of Divinity: Original Sin II.

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 SLG game DLC 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.

Environment will play a more significant role this time around. Height does factor into battle strategy, making the decision to initiate battle from a cliff overlooking your enemies or from a rooftop an advantageous decision, though be warned the battlefield position benefits do work both ways. Areas of the battlefield can receive a blessing or curse, effecting all who enter the area. The ground may be frozen, energized, or set ablaze, making a path to an enemy or ally inaccessible without sustaining damage. The number of available skills and spells have been greatly expanded, and as a Sorcerer the player will have access to spells with unimaginable power, demonstrating why this potent magic has been banned. The action point system has been revamped making planning the next move in battle a more calculated decision. Lastly, if you think you have mastered the battle system, the option to put your money where your mouth is available in the new PvP arena where you can test your combat prowess against another player.

On the note of killing magisters, combat in Divinity: Original Sin II is a complex but enjoyable affair. Battles are turn based with everyone having a set number of action points every turn. There is no finite MP meter but everything costs AP, including moving on the battlefield, and a lot of skills have a cool down period. Elevation factors into battle as well, with those on higher ground getting a damage bonus while those beneath them suffer a penalty. Trying to damage an enemy typically requires wearing away their physical or magical armor points before their vitality can directly be damaged but there is more to success in battle than just chipping away at someone's life bar. There are numerous status effects and elemental factors that can be used in battle, whether causing continuous passive damage, incapacitating foes or buffing or debuffing. Covering an area with oil for example will inflict slow status on people who wander into it, and if that doesn't sound bad enough a fire attack can be done on the oil covered surface to make everything burst into flames, setting anyone in the effected area on fire and causing passive damage for a number of turns. Should the player find themselves on the receiving end of this tactic, having someone with the ability to make it rain can remove the flames and burning status but can end up creating steam clouds, which sets up the board for a whole new set of problems.

Most crafted items will sell for more Gold than their ingredients will individually. The player should take that into account as they might be able to make easy money by selling items they don't need if the sale value is high enough, one of the ingredients is not consumed in the process, and the other is easy enough to get a hold