Swen Vincke warns Divinity newcomers that they probably shouldn't play the early games in the series: 'They're a bit outdated by now,' which is putting it very mildly

I feel like this is actually the one guy from Beyond Divinity but GOG has it as the background art on its Divine Divinity page, so I guess it's the guy from Divine Divinity. Maybe they're the same guy, who can tell really.

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Larian dropped a big bomb at The Game Awards earlier this month with the surprise reveal of Divinity, its "biggest game ever," which is quite a promise given that the studio's previous game, Baldur's Gate 3, was huge. For some (definitely not talking about myself here, just, you know, some people) the announcement was especially exciting because it also provided us (sorry, them) with an opportunity to remind the world that we liked Larian before Larian was cool.

Larian was cool way back when, but mostly among RPG nerds. You may recall that the studio was relying on crowdfunding campaigns as recently Divinity: Original Sin 2, its pre-Baldur's Gate 3 release. For those of you who are relatively new to the scene—that is, if you discovered Larian through BG3—well, Larian boss Swen Vincke thinks it might be best if you start with the Original Sins (or maybe just don't brother at all).

"If you play [the Divinity: Original Sin games] you will see things in this Divinity that reference those two," Vincke told GamesRadar. "If you played the first Divinity, you will see it referenced properly inside of this Divinity. Ego Draconis, same story, or The Dragon Knight Saga, all of it is being referenced, but it's just part of the history of what happened in this world, and it helped shape the world to the point where it is now."

As someone who liked Larian before Larian was cool (have I mentioned that?) I feel obligated to note that playing those earlier games may not provide as much clarity as you might expect. Divinity lore is pretty loosey-goosey, at least without putting serious study effort into it, and my own experience is that it doesn't really matter because the connection between the games is pretty tenuous anyway.

I defy you to explain what the hell is going on here.

So the bottom line here is that if you loved the combat or co-op multiplayer of Baldur's Gate 3, then Divinity: Original Sin 2 might be worth a look, and maybe the original Original Sin if you just can't get enough. But if you were pulled into BG3 because of its "cinematic narrative experience," then there's probably no point in looking at the prior Divinity games unless you're really eager to dive into the lore. But that is a long, hard road to travel.

"If you really want to know everything, there's games that came before [Original Sin]," Vincke said. "But they're a bit outdated by now, they are quite old."

They sure are: The first game in the series (but not the timeline), Divine Divinity, came out in 2002, followed by Beyond Divinity in 2004, and their age definitely shows. As a counterpoint, though, both games are available for less than $1 each in GOG's Winter Sale, and they include absolutely wonderful soundtracks composed by the late Kirill Pokrovsky—music that's more than worth the price of admission all by itself.

So, my advice? Heed the words of Divinity aficionado Ted Litchfield, who says the OG Divinity games are only for "the true sickos": Enjoy the music, and just read a timeline.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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