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There's a new Divinity on the way from Larian Studios, as heralded by the now infamous statue at The Game Awards. To prepare for this latest installment in the Baldur's Gate sister series, Larian founder Swan Vincke has some particular advice for anyone wanting to brush up on its earlier games.
"If you play [the two Divinity: Original Sin games], you will see things in this Divinity that reference those two," Vincke tells 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."
But although the events and aspects of those games are part of the tapestry of this Divinity, they're not necessary to understanding it. Vincke believes you really only need to play through them if you want a history lesson.
"If you played Baldur's Gate 3 because it was a cinematic narrative experience, you shouldn't play the previous ones unless you want to know the lore," he states. "If you played because you really enjoy tactical combat or co-op multiplayer or really having lots of freedom, you should definitely play Original Sin 2, because that's a game that was a blueprint for BG3. Original Sin 1 also, although in slightly lesser manner, because it didn't have the companions that we had in those two. So I would point you in the direction of those games."
I should point out that Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity games take place in different universes; the former in Faerûn, an actual location within the Forgotten Realms, whereas Larian invented Rivellon for the latter. But they're united by the team's creative philosophies and ideas, making 2023's Baldur's Gate threequel the most contemporary benchmark for whatever terrors the new Divinity will throw at us.
"If you really want to know everything, there are games that came before," Vincke finishes, "but they're a bit outdated by now, they are quite old."
