Divinity Original Sin 2 Persuasion explained

Persuasion in Divinity Original Sin 2 is a stat all its own, used for dialogue and charisma checks as well as NPC's starting attitude towards you. However, when Persuasion checks come up in dialogue, it's often unclear exactly what they mean and how they work, as they are tagged with unrelated skills from time to time, like "Finesse Persuasion" or "Constitution Persuasion". I'll explain how this dialogue system works below, and how you can make the most of it accordingly.

How does Persuasion work in Divinity Original Sin 2?

Persuasion in DOS2 occurs in specific dialogue encounters, as shown above. When you are given an option summarised as [[ATTRIBUTE] Persuasion], there's an unknown threshold you need to reach each time. So if there are multiple options for Persuasion checks, you should always choose the one for which your Attribute is highest!

For example, if you're given the chance between Strength, Finesse and Wits Persuasion, and your Wits is highest, choose that one! DOS2 adds that chosen Attribute to your Persuasion score, and if it matches the target for that charisma check, you pass! That means if you have a very high score in the chosen Attribute, you might be able to pass even if you have a low Persuasion score. Persuasion also passively raises your baseline reputation with NPCs too, meaning they're more likely to forgive crimes or offer better value for trades.

Ultimately if you're going to have a character with high Persuasion, it's probably best for it to be your main character – i.e., the one you control most often and who will be the one doing the speaking in the vast majority of encounters. If you've made the choice between Origin or Custom characters in Divinity Original Sin 2 and ended up as the Red Prince, he gets a starting +1 to Persuasion!

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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