Divinity Ditches Random Loot for Handcrafted Gear

Larian Studios is taking a bold step with their upcoming game, trading the randomized loot system from Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 for the more deliberate, handcrafted gear reminiscent of their hit title, Baldur’s Gate 3. It seems the greatest sin here isn’t about loot rarity, but rather the quality and design behind it.

During a recent Reddit AMA that delved deep into their game development process, Larian took time to field a variety of questions from fans. While much of the discussion was about the new Divinity game, they did touch on their breakout success, Baldur’s Gate 3. A fan inquired about the loot system, asking whether the new title would embrace handcrafted items similar to those found in Baldur’s Gate 3 as opposed to the random, level-dependent loot style of the Original Sin series.

“The [Baldur’s Gate 3] approach of handcrafting every magic item worked well, and it’s something we’ve always wanted to do for [Divinity: Original Sin 2],” noted Nick Pechenin, the head of design. This approach speaks volumes about their philosophy towards loot and player experience.

Pechenin elaborated, reflecting on their past experiences with randomized loot: “Something we realized when working on randomized loot for DOS1 and DOS2 is that fully random loot is frequently confusing, so we added more and more rules and premade patterns to make it feel more intentional. In the end, randomization did not save us much time.”

Managing a cluttered inventory with a bunch of slightly different stats can quickly drag down the pacing of a narrative-driven RPG. Sure, comparing weapons and hunting for that elusive epic item can be thrilling in loot-centric games like Diablo, but it often feels out of place in a series like Divinity, which emphasizes storytelling and character interaction. It’s refreshing to see Larian recognizing this shift in what players want from their games.

Interestingly, one of the things I found lacking in Baldur’s Gate 3 is precisely what Larian aims to enhance in the new Divinity: more meaningful interactions between companions. That’s an exciting prospect and could elevate the narrative depth even further.