[Top 10] Divinity: Original Sin 2 Best Builds That Are Powerful

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Updated:

18 Dec 2022

Part of the fun is how creative you can get with your heroes (or villains). Maybe you want a flying archer that calls forth a meteor shower? Perhaps an elven knight whose enemies are transformed into bleeding chickens? How about an undead dwarf that summons a hungry flower to devour victims?

I’m not saying the above are viable builds, but they’re certainly doable. The possibilities are endless with this game. Today we’re listing ten powerhouse builds that you’re sure to love whether you’re a newbie or a veteran.

10. Elusive Enchanter

I have a certain bias toward this build. The Elusive Enchanter was part of my party in my first D:OS2 run. It’s a fun playstyle and the reward for proper execution is significant.

You’ll specialize in Hydrosophist and Aerotheurge skills, mostly. While you do lots of damage, your main role is to apply status effects on the enemy. Freeze, shock, stun, or even get them slipping on frozen ground.

By the late game, you’ll start mixing this with devastating calamities. Ravage the battlefield with hailstorms or thunderstorms... so long as your allies are out of the way!

Elusive Enchanter excels in:

Control. You’ll have an arsenal of crowd control spells to inflict upon the opposing team. Craft scrolls from other elements to be effective against those that have high resistance to your schools of magic.
AOE spells. You’ll have about two to three spells for single target damage, but the rest are AOE.
Evasion. Apart from immobilizing pursuers, the Elusive Enchanter can go invisible too. Not only does this minimize risk toward you, but it also helps you manage cooldowns better.

Elusive Enchanter full build details: https://fextralife.com/divinity-original-sin-2-builds-elusive-enchanter-mage/

9. Barrelmancy

Remember when I said this game is all about player choice? Well, someone took that a little too far. There exists a build that has you killing bosses in one shot with a ridiculously heavy barrel

How does it work, you might ask? Take an indestructible barrel. Load it with as many heavy objects as you can possibly find. Hurl it with your beautiful telekinetic mind. End battle.

Your enemies won’t know what hit them.

They actually will, of course. It was a barrel. On a serious note, barrelmancy is game breaking and should only be chosen on your second playthrough onward.

Barrelmancy excels in:

One-shot crits. If you aren’t killing your opponents in one shot, your barrel isn’t heavy enough. Target having 10,000 weight or more on your barrel of death.
Simplicity. There's only one combo and you won’t ever need another.
The memes, of course. Can’t forget the memes.

Barrelmancy full build details: https://www.reddit.com/r/DivinityOriginalSin/comments/s88ozr/comment/htgfwwr/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

8. Unstable

There’s a talent, Unstable, that deals 50% of your HP in a 3-meter explosion upon death. You can already see where this is going. Don’t worry, this is the last meme build before we return to "playing the game as intended”.

The explosion is a physical damage spell so it scales with buffs and stats. And yes, it crits with the Savage Sortilege talent. Big time. The strongest explosion on video had damage in the billions.

The only downsides, and it’s a big one, is the set up. You have to get opponents clumped to make the explosion worthwhile. If some survive, you need a companion to resurrect you for a second death/detonation.

Unstable excels in:

Insane AOE damage. A proper set-up will one-shot any battalion most times.
Positioning. Most of your Actions Points are spent teleporting targets and swapping places with them. This build does not work without this power.

Unstable full build details: https://www.reddit.com/r/DivinityOriginalSin/comments/s9d7hw/comment/htp1mnj/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

7. Radiant Battlemage

Look, I get the fun in raining chaos down from afar like typical mages. I enjoy that, and I’m sure you do too. However, there’s novelty in up close sorcery and bringing calamity to the fray.

That’s what this build is good at. The Radiant Battlemage is a melee caster who engulfs surroundings in frost and lightning. To be frank, it’s a little difficult to pull off at the start. You’re a squishy mage with not much firepower.

Don’t worry, though, it’s worth it. You unlock decimating power in the mid-game. Once the build is online, your huge impact wraps combat up in no time.

Radiant Battlemage excels in:

Minimizing friendly fire. Unlike most mages, the Radiant Battlemage maximizes damage output without putting the rest of your party in harm’s way.
Silencing opponents. You’ll make use of auras and AOE spells that render victims unable to cast. Whoever isn’t silenced is left frozen, stunned, or dead on the floor.
Flexibility. It’s recommended to match your staff’s element with frost or lightning. However, you’ll encounter enemies resistant to those down the line. Having substitute staves with other elements, like fire, will go a long way.

Radiant Battlemage full details: https://fextralife.com/divinity-original-sin-2-build-guides-radiant-battlemage/

Fire and Earth alternative elements full details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1521634004

6. Eternal Warrior

Does playing a towering juggernaut appeal to you? Is crushing everything in sight the play style of choice? Take this melee build for a spin if you’re 2 for 2 so far.

The formula for the Eternal Warrior is pretty basic. A two-hander, tons of armor, and a lot of Strength. However, don’t let its simplicity fool you because its dominance is assured.

The rest of your party could be dead in the hardest of battles, but the Eternal Warrior stands tall. Soak all the damage and dish it out twice over. I had so much fun with this build so I highly recommend giving it a go!

Eternal Warrior excels in:

Durability. A mix of STR and INT gear equals high physical and magic armor. Any armor loss sustained can be renewed using the spells at your disposal. When your HP starts getting chipped, damage output converts to massive lifesteal.
Mobility. Getting yourself in melee range won't be a problem at all. The Eternal Warrior’s arsenal has you charging and diving at enemies, or teleporting them to you.
Melee crowd control. Any surviving enemies will surely have their physical armor depleted, priming them for a knock down status effect.

Eternal Warrior full build details: https://fextralife.com/divinity-original-sin-2-builds-eternal-warrior-death-knight-perfected/

5. Shadow Assassin

If you want to take a methodic approach to murder, maybe this one’s for you. The Shadow Assassin takes subterfuge and turns it into art.

Should you choose this build, nobody is safe from your ruthless slaughter. Deliver blow after mortal blow as you weave through foes unseen. All others who cower from afar are met with a fan of deadly knives.

Every battlefield is a masterpiece painted red once you’re through. All it takes is careful planning for your enemies to breath their last.

Shadow Assassin excels in:

Well, assassination. Navigate the battlefield with ease then strike, silent and fatal. A quick shot or two then move on to the next unlucky bastard in your way.
Evasion. Once your invisibility fades, damage isn’t a worry. Your dodge stat is stacked, even more so once buffs are applied.
Movement. A decent investment in the Scoundrel stat increases your movement speed. This makes it easier to move from target to target without using much of your precious Action Points.
Critical damage. Scoundrel is one of only two ways to increase critical damage multiplier in the game. This synergizes well with the assassin playstyle, since backstabbing is a guaranteed critical hit.

Shadow Assassin full build details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1235374356

Full build details for a 4-man party version: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1173316614

4. Divine Archmage

The Divine Archmage is herald to mother nature’s wrath. With this build, you gain absolute command of the elements. If anyone stands in your way, unleash whatever disasters imaginable to obliterate them.

Hailstorms. Typhoons. Earthquakes. Lightning Storms. Volcanic Eruptions. Meteor Showers. Each encounter you conclude ends only in cataclysm

The medley of power in your hands can get overwhelming. It’s important to remember casting elements that combo with each other. That last thing you want is to, for example, waste valuable damage-over-time by casting rain over burning enemies.

Divine Archmage excels in:

Resistance penetration. Your deep arsenal assures alternatives against elemental resistances. You also have the option to brute force the element they resist by setting up attacks using debuffs.
AOE damage. This build packs the biggest range of AOE spells. Not only do you cast all elements, but you reach the highest tier per tree!
Magic crowd control.There won’t be survivors most times, but if there were then you’ve torn their magic armor down. Immobilize them with your element of choice.
Status effects. A range of status effects are applied to whoever survives your force majeur. Burning, shocked, frozen, poisoned, slowed, and, crippled are just some that will inflict your victims.

Divine Archmage full build details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1220461878

3. Demon Hunter

As the Demon Hunter, you are the predator. Everyone else is prey in your hunt for Divinity.

Single targets out or darken the sky in a shower of arrows. In the best situations, you won’t even have to touch your opponent’s armor–just empty their HP outright. The hunt turns into a trivial game once this build comes online.

The most important thing to remember is proper positioning. Distance yourself from combatants and pick them off as they come. Retreat tactically if a couple get close or go into stealth and bide your time.

Demon Hunter excels in:

Sniping. Rain hell upon unsuspecting foes. If their allies get close, pin them down and slip away. This build has enemies chasing after their own deaths.
Piercing damage. All classes have to strip the target’s armor before damaging HP, including the Demon Hunter. However, this is the only class that can bypass armor using certain skills. This aspect’s difficult to use but incredibly rewarding.
Versatility. You should be fine with the amount of physical damage you dish out. But if the situation calls for it, switch to elemental arrows that also scale with finesse. You even have access to arrows, like the Knockdown Arrow, that immobilize targets.

Demon Hunter full build details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1251617377

Full build details for a 4-man party version: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1172218140

2. Elder Blood God

Blood mages are the strongest casters in D:OS2 and the Elder Blood God cranks that power way past 11. It’s an absolute horror leaving only devastation in its wake. Choose this build if you’re looking for a gruesome display of force.

Call forth a storm of blood meteors to crush your foes. Summon the undead to rip stragglers apart limb by limb. Anybody left standing is blown to bits by the exploding corpses of their fallen comrades.

In the right hands (yours?), this build makes the hardest difficulty a literal cake walk. The only hits you’ll ever take are the ones reflected back.

Elder Blood God excels in:

Scaling. The build path assures progression from rags to deity. It’s not exactly balanced, as blasting enemies to hell is possible fairly early. You’ll be a walking god of destruction by mid-Act 2.
Positioning. You have access to skills that move targets around the field. These guarantee that opponents are a big happy family before your AOE spells send them to the shadow realm.
Survival. The Elder Blood God defies the “squishy mage” trope. Equip shields in the early game for renewable physical armor then hide behind your summons. At level 13, lifesteal is enough to keep you alive because of the sheer amount of damage you deal.

Elder Blood God full build details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1269183407

Full build details for a 4-man party version: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1179657481

1. God King Slayer

Who would've guessed that the build to beat Elder Blood God is the God King Slayer? You'll enjoy this if you want the power to vanquish the most supreme of beings. Seriously, “overpowered” doesn’t begin to describe this walking death sentence.

Fuse the Eternal Warrior’s close-combat prowess with the Elder Blood God’s morbid sorcery. What you get is the God King Slayer, a Necromancer dominant in warfare. Honestly, at this point, you’ve all but seized Divinity.

Fane is recommended for this build over other characters, including custom godwoken. He isn’t required to make it work, but his Time Warp makes it simpler to execute. Turning Fane, of all characters, into the God King Slayer is a welcome bonus.

God King Slayer excels in:

Gameplay progression. Early in the game you’ll be swinging a 2-hander to kill. Once the build comes online, choose to hack and slash through enemies, bombard them with AOE spells, or both.
Living on the edge. The God King Slayer swaps the Eternal Warrior’s durability for insane damage output. At low HP, cast Death Wish for a damage boost based on missing max HP. Mow targets down and recover your health through life steal.
Setting up big moves. An array of buffs ensures maximum damage for limited Action Points. Fane’s Time Warp gives you an extra turn to set-up total annihilation.
Utter disrespect for your enemies’ existence.

God King Slayer full build details: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1203858650

This monstrosity cannot be replicated in teams above 2 members.

There you have it! Ten builds that are sure to make your D:OS2 experience more memorable. There’s something for everyone on this list, and you can even mix and match for a 4-man team.

At the end of the day, it’s entirely your choice. That’s what Divinity’s all about, anyway. Happy gaming!