Adam In Greaves - Divinity: Original Sin Gets Release Date

Divinity: Original Sin may not have the big name backing of, say, Pillars of Eternity or Wasteland 2, but the gorgeous-looking chip off Ultima VII's block has impressed us time and time again. Rare is the role-player that offers this degree of choice and reactivity, not to mention a world of spontaneous, non-scripted orc wars and clairvoyant cattle. Larian's spent years (and nearly $1 million in Kickstarter money) putting all the pieces in place, and now it wants you to knock them all down like a particularly careless Godzilla. Divinity will be out in June, but you can try the Early Access version - which just received a lumbering ogre spider of an update - right now.

Divinity: Original Sin will be out on June 20th. So close, yet so far away, especially with the Early Access version's luring us over to its truckload of spoilers with new additions like:

• Complete overhaul of loot generation matrix. Expect much cooler treasure.
• Added 135 music tracks, including some all-time favourites from previous Divinity games
• Added a new “Way of the Rogue” ability and a variety of new Rogue skills
• Full overhaul of your Homestead at the End of Time
• You can create different user profiles, so your little brother or sister can play, too.
• Difficulty settings have been added, so players can pick which sort of experience they prefer.
• Added formations, both in turn-based combat and in real-time, for optimal tactical positioning
• All players playing Divinity: Original Sin can now chat with each other, making it easier to form multiplayer groups within the community.
• Added an “Illusionist Mirror” through which you can change your player’s looks in-game
• Replaced “repair” with “blacksmithing” and charm/intimidate/reason abilities by “charisma”
• Amended stats of “Way of the Ranger” skill
• Skill stats now level up with the characters, e.g. a level 1 flare is still useful at level 15.
• Added plenty of new skill visual effects
• Skills now have certain requirements. You can still learn a skill by boosting the relevant ability artificially, but once you lose the boost, you won’t be able to use the skill anymore.
• Full overhaul of all lighting, shading, and zoom. Get up close and personal!
• You can now give commands to each party member independently. Commands will be executed even if you’re focused on another party member.
• Party members avoid traps. Traps can be disarmed with disarm trap kits (an alternative solution to blowing up the trap, which may destroy neighboring objects).
• Journal now tracks the recipes you’ve learned.
• You can switch between party members while trading.
• There is now an interface to assign companions to other players in multiplayer.
• Several stability and performance fixes were made, in addition to loads of bug fixes. Most of the remaining networking issues should be solved now, too.

Personally, I plan to hold out just a little longer. I've played a few hours of the Early Access version and witnessed some especially impressive late-game shenanigans with studio head Swen Vincke piloting, but that is where I (very arbitrarily) draw the line.

I think. Probably. Unless I give into temptation sometime between now and June and commit a not particularly original sin. Oh, now there's a sexy, sexy loot generation matrix. Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Yikes, I'm even grossing myself out. Flee while you still can! I'll tie myself to this chair so you can escape - and not at all because the loot generation matrix is totally into that.