Do You Really Need the Old Divinity Games Before Larian’s Next Epic?

Larian Studios has gone from beloved niche RPG developer to mainstream phenomenon thanks to Baldur’s Gate 3. With a new fantasy RPG on the horizon, many players are asking the same question: “Do I have to play all the old Divinity games first?”

The short answer is: no, you probably don’t—unless you specifically care about the older lore or want to see how Larian’s design evolved. The studio itself has been open about the fact that some of its older titles feel dated by modern standards, even if they’re still important building blocks for what came later.

This article walks through how the Divinity series connects (and doesn’t connect) to Baldur’s Gate 3 and Larian’s next project, and helps you decide which games are worth your time based on what you enjoy most in an RPG.

From Divine Divinity to Baldur’s Gate 3: A Brief Larian Timeline

To understand whether older entries are essential, it helps to look at Larian’s trajectory as a developer. Over more than two decades, the studio has gradually shifted from isometric action-RPGs to cinematic, choice-heavy CRPGs.

Across these games, Larian gradually discovered a formula that balances systemic freedom, tactical combat, and authored narrative. Divinity: Original Sin 2 (DOS2) became a template for Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of:

• turn-based tactical combat with environmental interactions
• co-op multiplayer and sandbox-like problem solving
• origin characters with their own arcs and motivations

But that doesn’t automatically mean every prior game is required homework for whatever the studio does next.

Why Larian’s Older Games Can Feel “Outdated”

When developers describe their own older titles as dated, it’s not a dismissal so much as an admission that player expectations—and their own skills—have changed. Early 2000s PC RPG design is very different from modern cinematic CRPGs.

Several factors contribute to that feeling of age:

• Visual fidelity: Low resolution assets, basic animations, and simple UI design can be jarring after games like Baldur’s Gate 3.
• Quality-of-life tools: Older titles often lack modern conveniences like streamlined quest tracking, robust tutorials, or accessibility options.
• Story presentation: Less voice acting, fewer cutscenes, and more text-heavy exposition can make narratives feel less immediate to players used to cinematic storytelling.
• Mechanical rough edges: Design ideas that later became strengths (like systemic combat) were still experimental and unrefined in the earliest entries.

Research on game preservation and player expectations highlights that mechanics and interfaces age more quickly than basic narrative concepts, especially when standards change rapidly in adjacent genres like action games and MMOs.¹ That’s why even well-loved classics can feel challenging to newcomers who start with modern titles.

Three Main Reasons People Want to Play the Older Divinity Games

In practice, players who are considering going back to older Divinity titles usually fall into a few broad motivations. Understanding which category you fit into will help you decide what’s worth your limited gaming time.

1. You Love Lore and Worldbuilding

If you’re the kind of player who reads in-game books and wikis, the older Divinity games offer a much broader look at Rivellon, the universe where most of Larian’s original IP stories take place. You’ll see:

• how deities, source magic, and cosmic conflicts evolved over time
• recurring factions and concepts that DOS1 and DOS2 later recontextualize
• tonal shifts as Larian learned to balance humor, tragedy, and high fantasy

For worldbuilding completionists, playing the earlier games is a bit like reading an author’s entire back catalogue. You don’t need it to enjoy the latest book, but it can enrich your sense of the setting.

2. You Crave Deep Tactical Combat and Systems

Larian’s modern reputation is built on systemic combat and problem solving. If what you loved about Baldur’s Gate 3 was:

• carefully positioning your party in turn-based battles
• combining elements, surfaces, and status effects
• finding weird, emergent solutions the designers clearly anticipated

then the Original Sin era is far more relevant than the earliest Divinity games. DOS1 and DOS2 are where Larian crystallized its sandbox approach to combat and exploration, and they hold up more strongly in 2020s design terms.

3. You Want Another Cinematic Narrative Experience

On the other hand, if Baldur’s Gate 3 grabbed you primarily because it felt like an interactive TV series—heavy on cutscenes, performance capture, and fully voiced companions—then some older titles will feel like stepping backward. Even DOS2, for all its strengths, doesn’t match BG3’s cinematic scope or production values.

The current industry trend toward cinematic storytelling in games has been documented across multiple genres, from RPGs to action adventures.² Baldur’s Gate 3 is very much part of that trend. By comparison, the older Divinity games are more text-driven and mechanical, which is wonderful if you enjoy that, but not mandatory for appreciating whatever Larian builds next.

Which Larian Games Are Essential If You Liked Baldur’s Gate 3?

Because Larian’s catalogue is now quite large, it helps to classify the older games by how closely they resemble Baldur’s Gate 3 in design priorities.

Highest Priority: Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the closest relative to Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of gameplay DNA. If you’re looking for a single Larian game to play while waiting for the studio’s next project, this is the safest bet.

You’ll find:

• Turn-based combat that feels like a more rules-agnostic prototype of BG3’s encounters.
• Origin characters whose stories are deeply integrated into the main plot.
• Cooperative campaign play that supports both serious roleplaying and chaotic experimentation.
• A reactive world where skill checks, abilities, and player creativity can drastically alter quest outcomes.

Even though DOS2 isn’t set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, many of Baldur’s Gate 3’s systemic ideas and encounter philosophies were sharpened here. For players who care about design evolution, it’s almost a case study in how a studio iterates.

Worthwhile but Less Critical: Divinity: Original Sin

Divinity: Original Sin (the first one) is both a strong game and a bit more obviously experimental. It introduced mechanics that DOS2 later refined, such as:

• environmental combos (oil + fire, water + lightning, etc.)
• party banter influenced by your choices and traits
• flexible character building and skill combinations

For BG3 fans, DOS1 is interesting if you:

• want more puzzle-like combat encounters
• enjoy systems-driven design even when it’s slightly rougher
• are curious how Rivellon’s prequel story leads into DOS2’s events

However, in terms of sheer modern accessibility, DOS2 is the more natural starting point.

For Curiosity or Lore: Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity, and Divinity II

The earlier Divinity titles—Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity, and Divinity II—are best viewed as optional deep cuts. They’re significant historically and narratively, but they’re also where the “a bit outdated” label applies most clearly.

These games are worth exploring if you:

• are comfortable with early-2000s PC game interfaces and aesthetics
• specifically want to trace Rivellon’s lore from its beginnings
• enjoy seeing how a studio experiments with different perspectives and combat styles

If your primary goal is being ready for Larian’s next narrative, though, these are not required. Like many long-running RPG series, the studio designs newer entries so they are approachable to new players without prior homework.³

How Much Lore Will You Miss If You Skip the Early Games?

A common anxiety for RPG fans is the fear of missing context. Larian’s approach to continuity is fairly forgiving. While the Divinity games share an overarching world and cosmology, each major entry is largely self-contained.

Standalone Stories First, Deeper Layers Second

Both DOS1 and DOS2 are structured so that:

• the central conflict is understandable without any prior knowledge
• major characters are introduced and developed within each game
• references to older events function as seasoning, not prerequisites

If you later go back to older titles, you may notice familiar themes, deity names, or historical events that the newer games allude to. That can be satisfying, but it doesn’t determine whether the main plot makes sense.

Lore Depth vs. Player Readiness

The broader RPG industry has increasingly emphasized approachability for new players, even in long-running series. Developers have noted that each new game is someone’s first, and that forcing players through an entire backlog can be a barrier to entry.⁴ Larian’s recent work aligns with this philosophy. You can safely assume that any new title will re-establish the essentials of its world, even if it nods to past events for longtime fans.

Choosing Your Path: What to Play Based on Your Tastes

If you’re still unsure where to start—or whether to go backward at all—this simple guide can help. Identify which description matches you best and follow the recommendation.

Why Larian Doesn’t Require a Homework Checklist

A helpful way to think about Larian’s catalogue is to separate creative continuity from mandatory continuity:

• Creative continuity means recurring themes, design patterns, and lore that reward long-term fans.
• Mandatory continuity would mean you genuinely need prior games to follow the story or systems of the new one.

Larian clearly values the former, but it avoids demanding the latter. From a business perspective, that aligns with broader industry data: modern AAA and AA games need to be accessible to newcomers to reach a wide audience, especially when development budgets and timelines are large.⁵ Designing a new RPG that only makes sense if you’ve played four previous 60-hour games would be a risky bet.

Instead, Larian uses its history to enrich new projects without turning them into gated communities. That’s good news if you discovered the studio through Baldur’s Gate 3: you’re not behind, and you aren’t expected to clear a backlog to enjoy what comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to play any Divinity game to enjoy Larian’s next RPG?

No. Based on how Larian has structured its previous releases, you can safely assume the next game will be designed to stand on its own, even if it nods to earlier worlds or ideas. Prior Divinity knowledge is optional enrichment, not a requirement.

If I only play one older Larian game, which should it be?

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the top recommendation. It’s mechanically close to Baldur’s Gate 3, still modern-feeling, and widely considered a high point for systemic CRPG design.

Will skipping the early Divinity games make DOS2 confusing?

No. DOS2 is written as a self-contained story. You may appreciate certain lore references more if you’ve played DOS1 or earlier titles, but they are not necessary to follow the main plot or understand your companions.

Are the pre-Original Sin Divinity games still worth playing today?

They can be, provided you’re comfortable with older graphics, interfaces, and design conventions. If you primarily value modern cinematic presentation and streamlined UX, they may feel more like historical curiosities. If you’re okay with that, they offer a broader view of Rivellon and Larian’s growth.

Is there any connection between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity lore?

There’s no direct lore crossover—Baldur’s Gate 3 is set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe under license from Wizards of the Coast.⁶ The connection is in design philosophy and systems, not shared story continuity.

So, Should You Dive Into the Old Divinity Games?

Here’s the practical takeaway:

• If you want more of the tactical combat, reactivity, and co-op chaos that made Baldur’s Gate 3 special, play Divinity: Original Sin 2 and consider Original Sin 1 if you’re still hungry after that.
• If you’re primarily in love with cinematic, fully voiced storytelling, you don’t need to push through older titles—just keep an eye on whatever Larian announces next.
• If you’re a lore completionist or game history enthusiast, the pre-Original Sin Divinity games are worthwhile deep dives, but treat them as optional side journeys, not prerequisites.

Larian’s back catalogue is a fascinating look at how one studio refined its identity over time. But you are not required to play any specific older title to be “ready” for the next one. Start where your interests are strongest—whether that’s with DOS2, a full series replay, or simply waiting for the studio’s next big adventure.