Larian’s Next Big Game And The Divinity Legacy
Larian Studios turned a lot of heads at The Game Awards with the surprise reveal of its next project: a new Divinity game that the studio is calling its biggest game ever. That is a bold claim from the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3, one of the largest and most detailed RPGs on PC.
For long time fans, this announcement felt like a victory lap. Before Baldur’s Gate 3 put Larian in the mainstream spotlight, the studio was known mostly among dedicated RPG players for its quirky, ambitious Divinity series. Now many newer fans are wondering: do you need to play the older Divinity games to understand and enjoy this new one?
According to Larian boss Swen Vincke, the answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no.
How The Old Divinity Games Connect To The New One
Vincke explained that the new Divinity game will reference a lot of the studio’s previous titles. If you have played Divinity Original Sin, Original Sin 2, or even older games like Divine Divinity or Ego Draconis, you will spot nods and callbacks. Characters, events and locations from the older games helped shape the world that the new title will explore.
That said, the overall Divinity timeline is not exactly beginner friendly. The series jumps around in tone, style and even genre. For example:
- Divinity Dragon Commander is actually first in the in game timeline, but it released years after several other Divinity titles and mixes political strategy with action and dragons.
- Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity came out in the early 2000s and laid the foundations for the setting, but they feel very old by modern standards.
- Divinity Original Sin and Divinity Original Sin 2 arrive much later and act as prequels, while also redefining the series with deep turn based combat and co op systems.
The result is a lore web that can be tough to untangle unless you are ready to treat it like homework. Even long time fans admit that the connections between games can feel loose and sometimes confusing. You will definitely see references in the new game if you know the history, but you will not necessarily get a crystal clear, perfectly ordered saga out of it.
Who Should Play The Older Divinity Games?
So should you dive into the back catalog while you wait for Larian’s new epic? It really depends on what you liked about Baldur’s Gate 3 and what you want out of a PC RPG.
If you loved the combat in Baldur’s Gate 3, then Divinity Original Sin 2 is an easy recommendation. Its turn based fights are intricate, full of environmental combos and creative spell interactions, and the whole experience is designed around experimenting with systems. Co op is a big focus too, letting you and a friend cause chaos together across the entire campaign.
Divinity Original Sin, the first game in that sub series, is also worth a look if you cannot get enough of that style. It is a little rougher around the edges compared to its sequel, but it shares the same core strengths: playful mechanics, reactive quests, and plenty of build variety.
On the other hand, if you came to Baldur’s Gate 3 mainly for its cinematic storytelling, voiced scenes and character driven drama, the older Divinity games may feel like a step back. Their presentation is simpler, their cutscenes less flashy, and they do not offer the same modern cinematic experience. You might get some cool lore connections, but the tradeoff is dealing with older UIs, visuals and pacing.
Even Vincke warns that the pre Original Sin games are pretty dated. Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity launched in 2002 and 2004 respectively, and the years definitely show. They are isometric action RPGs from a very different era of PC gaming, and they demand some patience if you are used to today’s production values.
There is one big perk though: they are extremely cheap. On stores like GOG they are often available for less than the price of a coffee during sales, and they include excellent soundtracks by the late composer Kirill Pokrovsky. For some fans, the music alone is worth the download.
Do You Need The Old Games For The New Divinity?
The reassuring news is that you probably will not need to grind through the entire series to enjoy Larian’s upcoming Divinity. The studio is clearly aware that millions of players only discovered their work through Baldur’s Gate 3, and it would be a strange move to lock those players out behind decades of lore.
The new game is expected to stand on its own, with references and Easter eggs acting as bonuses for long time fans rather than essential homework. If you are curious about the world and want to understand every callback, you can always read a timeline or lore summary online. That will be much faster and easier than trying to marathon every single release.
For most PC gamers, the best way to prepare is simple:
- Play Divinity Original Sin 2 if you want some of the most creative turn based RPG combat on PC.
- Try Divinity Original Sin if you have time and want more of that formula.
- Check out the older titles only if you are deeply into lore or curious about RPG history and are comfortable with very old school design.
That balance lets you enjoy the strongest entries in the series while still arriving at Larian’s new Divinity with a good feel for the tone and systems the studio likes to build. Whether you are a long time fan or someone who only met Larian through Baldur’s Gate 3, there is an easy path into Rivellon that does not require you to become a full time lore scholar.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/swen-vincke-warns-divinity-newcomers-that-they-probably-shouldnt-play-the-early-games-in-the-series-theyre-a-bit-outdated-by-now-which-is-putting-it-very-mildly/
