When you hadn’t already heard, there’s a bizarre, spiky monolith in the Mojave Desert. Adorned with a large eye-like orb and a legion of demonic creatures, it’s a touch at one thing attributable to be revealed as a part of The Recreation Awards 2025. And, following the registration of some new emblems, it looks like we have already got the reply as to what it’s: a model new recreation from Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios known as “Divinity”.
If you’re one in every of the hundreds of thousands of gamers who first realized of Larian by way of the gargantuan success of Baldur’s Gate 3, then the phrase Divinity could not imply a lot to you. Followers of the studio, nonetheless, will let you know that BG3’s success is rooted in Divinity, a sequence of six video games that Larian labored on virtually completely between 2002 and 2017. If this monolith and trademark leak actually do level in the direction of Divinity, then the Belgian studio is returning to its unique fantasy universe… and sure bringing an entire new fanbase together with it.
If such a currently-very-much-hypothetical recreation would mark your first foray into the Divinity universe, then it’s your decision a fast primer on what to anticipate. Allow us to be your information to Divinity, and be the first to (very pre-emptively) say…
Welcome to Rivellon
(*3*)
Very like how Baldur’s Gate takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of the Forgotten Realms, Divinity has its personal wealthy, unique setting: the world of Rivellon. There are broad similarities between the two; each are rooted in Tolkienesque fantasy tropes, with classically styled medieval landscapes and places. There are a number of races; like in D&D, you possibly can count on to fulfill people, elves, dwarves, lizard-like beings, and the residing lifeless. Magic is commonplace in Rivellon, though sorcery is taken into account extra harmful and is extra closely regulated there than it’s on D&D’s Sword Coast.
Like Baldur’s Gate, Divinity additionally options various extra esoteric components, from steampunk to sci-fi and past, that make its world just a little quirkier than the lands explored in additional conventional fantasy like The Lord of the Rings. Rivellon also can usually be a really foolish place, and the affect of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels has incessantly been felt in Divinity’s writing. The truth is, Terry’s daughter, Rhianna Pratchett, even wrote a tie-in novella for the second recreation. However that’s to not say Rivellon is frivolous – there’s a deep vein of fascinating lore that has been mined over the sequence’ six installments.
In brief, Rivellon is the stage for tales just like these you loved in Baldur’s Gate 3, however is beholden solely to Larian’s guidelines, somewhat than these set by the homeowners of Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast.
What is Divinity?
Divinity is an RPG sequence, however its evolution has been removed from standard. Take a fast take a look at every of the six video games, and also you’ll discover not less than 4 completely different approaches. Divine Divinity, the very first recreation in the sequence, and its sequel, Past Divinity, are Diablo-influenced motion RPGs. Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, in the meantime, is a third-person RPG that feels a little nearer to the likes of Dragon Age and The Witcher. Divinity: Dragon Commander is a barely Complete Conflict-flavoured technique recreation, and the Authentic Sin duology – the most up-to-date video games in the sequence – are classic-style RPGs that bear the most resemblance to Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian has experimented wildly over the years, and so there’s no clear indication as to what format the subsequent recreation in the sequence will use (though contemplating the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, the smart guess can be on one thing related).
One other uncommon ingredient is its strategy to the timeline. Whereas Rivellon does have a coherent historical past and storylines which might be threaded throughout the sequence, every recreation is about years (typically even centuries) aside, which means every one is one thing of a standalone expertise. Just like how Baldur’s Gate 3 calls for no expertise of the sequence however has loads of nods to the two earlier video games, you possibly can play Divinity: Authentic Sin 2 with none expertise of its predecessors. I think any future recreation in the sequence would proceed this custom, particularly since Larian now has a legion of recent followers who’re unfamiliar with the studio’s earlier work. If the leaked trademark is to be believed, this new challenge is solely known as “Divinity” – a reputation that has possible been chosen because it comes with no suggestion that you’ll want to have performed a number of different video games.
What Does “Divinity” Imply?
Divinity’s title is drawn from its foundational lore. Hundreds of years earlier than the occasions of Divine Divinity, the first recreation in the sequence, Rivellon’s ruling physique, the Council of Seven, sacrificed themselves to defend the realm from evil wizards. The “Divine Order” was established in remembrance and assigned to go on their data to the subsequent generations.
By the occasions of Divine Divinity, a prophecy tells of a messiah who will defend Rivellon from the subsequent existential menace, a demon known as Chaos. That messiah, it seems, is you, and also you ascend to turn into Lucian the Divine – a personality that goes on to make appearances in Divinity 2: Ego Draconis and Divinity: Authentic Sin 2. The idea of the Divine is incessantly explored in the tales, though it’s not the central focus of each recreation.
How Related is Divinity to Baldur’s Gate 3?
Since the sequence has modified a lot over its lifetime, most of the Divinity sequence is definitely fairly completely different from what Larian created with Baldur’s Gate 3. Nevertheless, the Authentic Sin duology could be very clearly the blueprint for BG3. These are isometric RPGs set throughout a number of areas, with tactical turn-based fight and an identical “hands-off” strategy to quest design.
Whereas each are value taking part in, Authentic Sin 2 is by far the most completed, each when it comes to gameplay depth and narrative energy. It’s the place Larian pioneered the “origin story” characters that may later turn into the heroes of Baldur’s Gate 3, and Rivellon’s reply to the likes of Astarion, Gale, and Shadowheart are simply as brilliantly written. It’s additionally the recreation wherein the studio established “tags”, the system that gives character-specific dialogue choices that will help you higher roleplay your particular race or class.
Maybe the Authentic Sin duology’s most lauded system is its elemental results – solid a rain spell to make one thing moist, after which use a lightning means to conduct electrical energy by way of that sodden floor. Tip over an oil barrel to create a puddle, after which shoot a flaming arrow into it to create a blaze. Stab an enemy, freeze their blood, and watch them slip on their very own icy innards. A lot of this elemental interaction made it into Baldur’s Gate 3, however it’s rather more pronounced in Authentic Sin. Count on not less than 1 / 4 of your battles to end in arena-wide bonfires.
Learn how to Play the Divinity Video games in Order
As beforehand talked about, the timeline gaps that separate the Divinity video games imply there are not any strictly direct sequels, and you’ll roughly play them in any order you select. When you’ve performed Baldur’s Gate 3 and need to study extra about Divinity, I’d solely actually advocate taking part in Authentic Sin 2, which is extensively thought to be the greatest in the sequence. Initially a PC unique, it’s now out there on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Change, and even iPad. However in the event you actually do wish to delve into the lore and discover the complete timeline, that is the way you’d must deal with the sequence:
Divinity: Dragon Commander (2013)
- A grand technique recreation set 1000’s of years previous to the occasions of the RPGs.
Divinity: Authentic Sin (2014)
- A CRPG with turn-based fight, set 1000 years earlier than the unique recreation, centered on a pair of “Supply Hunters” monitoring down harmful magic customers.
Divine Divinity (2002)
- A Diablo-like ARPG that chronicles the ascension of Lucian the Divine.
Past Divinity (2004)
- The ARPG sequel to Divine Divinity, set 20 years later, tells the story of one in every of Lucian’s servants, who has been soulbound to an evil Dying Knight.
Divinity: Authentic Sin 2 (2017)
- A CRPG that’s a sequel to Authentic Sin when it comes to recreation design, however takes place after the unique two video games and offers with an outbreak of “Voidwoken” monsters in Rivellon.
Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (2009)
- A 3D motion RPG set a long time after Lucian’s ascension, throughout an period when the Divine’s adoptive son has turn into a tyrant, wherein you play as a knight who can rework right into a dragon.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Govt Editor of Options.