Summary
Divinity: Original Sin 2encourages players to utilize strategic playstyles and tactics to overcome some overwhelming enemies. To that end, it’s a min-maxer’s paradise, where overengineering one’s characters or party compositions can yield satisfying results. Such theory-crafting practice begins as early as the character creation page!
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Racial selection for the player character is crucial since each race has its own set of racial talents that make them better suited for certain scenarios or instances. Players can thus build around a certain race’s strengths or weaknesses to create impressive or even broken character builds. These racial talents have varying powers inDivinity: Original Sin 2, with some being more effective than others.
Updated Jul 09, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:The release of Baldur’s Gate 3 has led to a bunch of eyes focusing on Larian Studios and the deep, complex RPG mechanics that they’ve slowly refined over the course of multiple releases.
The latest game in the illustrious Baldur’s Gate series may be the reason why Larianis enjoying a huge burst of fame, but fans who managed to play Divinity: Original Sin 2 are already aware of what this ambitious studio can achieve with their incredible knowledge of RPG mechanics and how well they can fit in a video game. From the very moment players create their character or choose a pre-made one, they’ll have to make a wealth of complex decisions… including the race they belong to and the powers they can access.
14Thrifty (Human)
Divinity: Original Sin 2doesn’t veer from the stereotypical traits of humans in high fantasy settings humans. Similar to their real-life counterparts, they’re natural merchants and will try to get as big a discount as possible whenpurchasing skills, weapons, or other in-game items.
The additional point to the Bartering talent doesn’t seem like much, but in the early game, it’s a pretty considerable trait. Players will often be pinching pennies, especially if they’re min-maxing and changing items every few levels or so. Not having it isn’t the end of the world though, as the bonus isn’t really that substantial in the long run.
13Ancestral Knowledge (Elf)
Elves have the advantage of being functionally immortal and thus have excellent memories. They can recall knowledge accumulated throughout their long lives, and this is reflected well in their racial bonus.
The additional point to the Loremaster talent lets players open up plenty of exposition and exploration opportunitiesfor the party. It can be more useful than Bartering since players can get free items or even shortcuts to quests if their Loremaster traits are high enough. Conversely, having low Loremaster can limit gameplay paths.
12Sophisticated (Lizard)
Lizards inDivinity: Original Sin 2originally descended from dragons, making them a proud race of esteemed magical warriors. They also retained some of their ancestors' qualities, such as the thick, scaly skin that protects them from fire and fire-related damage. Their physiology also lets themtank throughpoison attacks.
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Previously, this racial talent was something else, but theDefinitive Editionchanged it to something more modest. It’s worth noting that the resistance bonuses aren’t very substantial, so it’s best not to rely on them too much.
11Spellsong (Lizard)
This racial talent is one of the reasons why Lizards are one of the most well-rounded races inDivinity: Original Sin 2. They get an early starting enhancement to their speechcraft, making them handy to have around in any of the game’s social situations.
Persuasion is great for wiggling out of fights, unlocking hidden dialogue options, or getting one’s way. Again, the bonus isn’t much, but one additional point to a rather significant game ability is something to be thankful for, especially early on. It might just save parties from a long and messy encounter.
10Free Digging (Lizard)
Lizards, despite their pompous attitudes in the game, don’t shy away from using their claws to get their hands dirty. Lizards have the ability to dig around for any treasure that has been revealed.
This can be a practical talent to have, especially since players usually don’t know where buried treasures can pop up inDivinity: Original Sin 2. Keep in mind, for this talent to be useful, players need a character with high Wits to detect buried items.
9Dwarven Guile (Dwarf)
Dwarfs, due to their stature, get some nifty skills that make them perfect for sneaking around. The Dwarven Guile ability is one of the most important starting bonuses to have in the game because certain combat encounters are too much even for experienced players.
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There’s also the fact that combat inDivinity: Original Sin 2can sometimes drag on since it’s turn-based; having a large number of combat participants can be daunting. Sneaking lets players bypass this in-game pitfall. In other scenarios, having a stealthy dwarf in the party is also great for sneaking in and out of high-level areas for treasure, without entering combat.
All other races simply pale in comparison to the roleplaying capabilities and the versatility of the undead. Playing as an undeadinDivinity: Original Sin 2can be an acquired taste and is fiddly at first. Most NPCs will fear the sight of these characters, and regular healing is deadly to them.
Once players get the hang of it though, undead characters can be more interesting and dynamic than any other. As a bonus, they also get the racial trait of whichever their secondary race is, such as undead human, elf, etc.
7Ingenious (Human)
While the human race’s first ability is a little bland, they made up for it with thecombat-focusedtalent Ingenious. Previously, before theDefinitive Edition, they got +2 Initiative and +5% Crit Chance, but this likely proved a little too advantageous.
TheDefinitive Editionthus removed the Initiative bonus and replaced it with Critical Damage, which did nerf the humans a bit. However, the Crit bonuses are still good, especially since that kind of damage scales well in the late game.
6Free Lockpicking (Undead)
Divinity: Original Sin 2is a game with stealth mechanics. Thus, it also has lockpicking, one of the oldest mates of sneaking in RPGs. Lockpicking is a little tricky though, as players can easily run out of lockpicks, and running back and forth for them is tedious.
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That’s why having an undead in the party can be a godsend for lockpickers. Their thin, bony fingers mean that the undead can pick any lock without a problem. This is great for stubborn locks or doors and can open many windows of opportunity.
5Sturdy (Dwarf)
Dwarfs, on top of being sneaky, are also tanky thanks to their Sturdy racial talent. They get a significant boost to their health as well as a dodging bonus, making them suitable frontline characters, particularly when used with physicalarmor types.
This does lock the dwarf into a specific playstyle, but players can still safely ignore the talent if they wish. It will still be there and it will still be beneficial, even if the dwarf in question picks a more mage-inclined progression path. Regardless of the situation, this talent is a lifesaver and can determine whether players waste a resurrection scroll or not.
