Divinity Revealed: Key Details from Larian’s Ambitious New RPG

When a developer unveils the follow-up to one of the most critically acclaimed RPGs of all time, the tech world, and particularly the gaming community here at Digital Tech Explorer, pays close attention. While Larian Studios is keeping most details about its next ambitious RPG, Divinity, under wraps, we at Digital Tech Explorer managed to gather some intriguing insights. This includes a glimpse into its combat style, significant technical advancements, and how representative that striking reveal trailer truly is.

Don’t hold your breath for a release date just yet—Larian isn’t ready to commit to any specific timeframe. However, if you were concerned that the cinematic teaser meant Divinity was merely in early pre-production, we have reassuring news. Read on as TechTalesLeo shares a quick overview of the key details learned directly from Larian Studios, helping developers and tech enthusiasts stay ahead of trends.

Divinity Retains Turn-Based Combat with a New Ruleset

Despite fervent online discussions immediately following Divinity’s unveiling, it seemed highly improbable that Larian would abandon its signature turn-based combat system, especially after the monumental success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Original Sin series. We now have confirmation: Divinity will be turn-based, but it won’t simply recycle an existing combat framework.

“It’s a new rule set, a rule set built on everything that we learned from all the previous games that we’ve done,” Larian founder Swen Vincke revealed to Digital Tech Explorer.

Higher Player Agency Than Baldur’s Gate 3

Upon announcing Divinity at The Game Awards, Larian boldly declared it their “biggest, most ambitious RPG yet.” In our conversation, the team elaborated on what this ambition truly entails. Divinity promises ‘deeper sequences of consequence’ stemming from player choices, aiming to grant adventurers even greater control over their journey than in Baldur’s Gate 3.

“The level of agency that we’re going to give you is very, very high⁠—much higher than what happened in BG3. At least that’s our ambition,” Vincke stated. “And this is agency at pretty much all levels, so it’s at the narrative as well as systems level. That makes it our most ambitious. It’s the biggest game that we’ve ever made.”

Updated Game Engine for Enhanced Development

While new games often come with updated technology, Larian shared fascinating insights into why advancements to its game engine are particularly crucial for Divinity. “Everything we do is to allow our efficiency to become higher, and then we use that efficiency to try more,” Vincke explained, highlighting Larian’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of software development.

For instance, their motion capture pipeline is now so automated that “almost the moment it’s recorded it’s in the game.” A new system also “allows designers to more rapidly experiment with rules,” and an improved analytics engine significantly boosts playtesting effectiveness. This focus on iterative improvement in their tech stack is a testament to the expertise Digital Tech Explorer often champions.

“It’s taken years and years to get to this point. Every single game we’ve improved this tech a little bit. … It’s built, obviously, on the existing tech we had before, but there are a lot of things we can do now that we couldn’t do before that’s going to be really cool. In gameplay—I think that’s going to be the bit that excites most people, other than the visual fidelity that’s obviously come up.”

Divinity Already in Full Production

Divinity has officially moved beyond pre-production and is now in full production. In fact, Larian is already actively recording performances and dialogue with actors. However, this doesn’t imply the game is nearing completion. Vincke clarified that Larian expects to be “recording nonstop” throughout the entirety of development, emphasizing the scale of their storytelling ambition.

Early Access is a Possibility

While discussing the evolution of character stories during development, Vincke mentioned “if we go to early access,” indicating that the studio is still weighing its options for how Divinity will be released. This aligns with Digital Tech Explorer’s ongoing coverage of game development cycles and releases.

Considering the immense success and positive feedback from the early access phases for both Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3, our analysis suggests that Larian may indeed opt for a similar path this time around, leveraging community feedback to refine the experience.

Darker Tone, But Not Without Hope

The gross-out reveal trailer for Divinity sparked much discussion about its potential tone. In our interview, Larian writing director Adam Smith confirmed that while the game embraces darkness, it’s not a singular, unyielding grimdark experience.

“We’re not in the grimdarkness where there’s only war,” he said, drawing a contrast with other recent announcements. “There is light and hope. We don’t want to make something that is all that tone. We want to confront you with horror and then say, ‘What are you going to do with it? And about it?’” This commitment to nuanced narrative resonates with TechTalesLeo’s focus on captivating storytelling.

Vincke elaborated, noting that Divinity: Original Sin 2 already contained dark elements, but its more limited graphics and pulled-back camera prevented them from being seen “cinematically.”

“Now you can see it cinematically, and it makes everything more intimate and direct,” he concluded. “It makes for a much more engaging experience. When you see the darkness you’re going to understand that this is a game about contrast, where you can really be the beacon, the last hope of everyone, or the one that really fucks everything up.”

As Digital Tech Explorer continues to track Larian’s journey with Divinity, we look forward to uncovering more about how these ambitious design choices and technical innovations will shape an unforgettable RPG experience. Stay tuned for further updates!