Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the explosive:Battlemage. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Battlemage - Mage/Warrior Build
TheBattlemageis a front linesMage Buildthat focuses onPyrokinetic Skillsto deal massive damage to its enemies.Battlemagesfocus on pureIntelligenceand get in close and unleash devastatingFireattacks on all nearby enemies. TheBattlemagealso uses a coupleWarfare SkillsandPolymorph Skillsfor mobility, resistance and some extra AoE, because they want to get in close and blast the hell out of foes. Players using this sort ofBuildwill wreak havoc on the battlefield quite frequently so be sure the rest of your party is positioned accordingly and doesn’t take more friendly “fire” than is necessary. I like to run thisBuildin a party with anElementalistwho then doesn’t have to take anyFire Skills.
Battlemage Attributes and Equipment
Batllemagesfocus primarily onIntelligence, but do drop points intoWitsandConstitutionas well.Intelligenceincreases the damage of all of yourSkills,Witswill increase yourCritical ChanceandInitiative(both of which are important), and finallyConstitutionwill ensure you don’t get killed while in the firefight. You shouldn’t need to allocate any points anywhere else unless you need just another skill or two on your bar, in which case drop a point intoMemory. Just be sure to remove the point and reallocate it when you gain that slot naturally from leveling.
BattlemageswearArmourthat isIntelligence-based, so they will have tons ofMagic Armour. This is great because you will be walking in fire quite a lot and you don’t want to take damage. The downside is that you will have rather lowPhysical Armour, making you susceptible toKnock Down. It’s always a good idea to buff yourBattlemagenear the beginning of the fight withFortifyto prevent this from happening. PlaceFlame Runes of Powerinto yourArmourto increase yourIntelligenceand your Fire Resistance. Placing one in your Necklace will increase yourIntelligenceandCritical Chance, so be sure to do that when you can.
Battlemageswill use aStafffor theirWeaponof choice, and ideally aFireone. This will not only allow youAttacks of Opportunityon your nearby foes, but will allow you to utilize theWarfare Skill:Whirlwindto good effects. SinceWarfare Skillsscale withIntelligencewhen wielding aStaff, this is a non issue. You’ll want to get a Staff that hasIntelligence,Critical Chanceand aRune Slotif possible as this will help to maximize your damage. Putting aFlame Rune of Powerinto your Staff will increase your Staff attacks and grant you someIntelligence. Note: when choosing gear, you’ll want to prioritizeIntelligence/Pyrokinetic, thenCritical Chance, thenTwo-Handedand finallyScoundrel.
Battlemage Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aBattlemage.
When playing aBattlemageyou’ll want to max outPyrokineticat 10 and have 2 or 3 points intoWarfarefor skill unlocks. All other points should be placed intoPolymorphto get extraAttribute Pointsto place inIntelligenceas well as unlockFlaming SkinandSkin Graft. Once you cannot place anymore points intoIntelligenceyou’ll want to place points intoTwo-Handedfor extraWhirlwind/Attack of Opportunitydamage and higherCritical Multiplieron allSkills. Again you can place one point intoGeomancerto getFortify.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Elemental Affinity- ThisTalentshines so hard in thisBuildI’m not sure you can put enough emphasis on it. Since you’ll be standing inFirepretty much constantly you will get a shit ton of attacks per round, second only to aTidalist(which I’ll cover in anotherBuild Guide). Get this one early and never look back. Note: that it cannot reduce the cost of a skill below 1 AP.
Opportunist- This one is really good for thisBuildbecause you’re playing with aStaff. Be sure to land near targets withPhoenix Diveto ensure you get these.
Executioner- I cannot decide ifElemental AffinityorExecutioneris better for thisBuildbecause they both give you about 2 more AP to spend per turn, however, when mixed together they turn yourBattlemageinto and absolute powerhouse! Take this one 2nd or 3rd.
Savage Sortilege- Very useful later on in the game when you start to focus on optimizing your gear and yourCritical Chancestarts to rise above absolutely disgraceful levels. Take this one as your 3rd or 4thTalent.
Far Out Man- You have many mid-rangeSkillswith thisBuildand thisTalentcan help push the range out just a bit more, improving their effectiveness (AoEs especially).
Torturer- You might get more use out of thisTalentthen just about any otherBuild. Not only does extend the duration of yourBurningandNecrofire Status Effects, but it also increases the extra damage ofSponataneous Combustionby about 25% perStatus Effect.
Demon- Having extraFire Resistanceis never a bad thing for aBattlemageso thisTalentfits here. If you decideTortureris a no go, then take this one instead.
Battlemage Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Battlemageswill use a mix ofPyrokineticandWarfare Skillsto deal massive amounts ofFiredamage. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Pyrokinetic Skills
Ignition- This is your early gameFireAoE that deals ok damage for 1 AP. It doesn’t hit friendlies, but will hit objects near them, setting them ablaze. Take this early and consider dropping it later on.
Fireball- A great AoE that deals decent damage and can help control the battlefield. Don’t be afraid to cast this exactly where you are standing to triggerElemental Affinityif there are enemies around you.
Spontaneous Combustion- A great ranged skill that not only deals decent damage, but also consumes theBurningandNecrofire Status Effectsof an enemy into instant damage. attempt to use only onBurningorNecrofiredenemies.
Supernova- This might be the skill that makes the best case for thisBuild. It costs a hefty 3 AP, but deals incredible damage! Be sure you are standing inFirewhen you use to reduce its cost by 1 AP, and be careful not to damage your party members!
Flaming Tongues- Probably the second best skill for thisBuild, this will essentially gives you multipleAttacks of Opportunityif anyone comes near you for 3 turns. Between this andOpportunist, I can’t see why you’d play a rangedPyromancer.
Master of Sparks- This skill does amazing damage when you useWhirlwind.Sparking Swingsonly shoots 4 balls out before it wears off, or it would be listed here. This will help you get some more AoE fire damage.
Laser Ray- A great damage dealing skill that can hit multiple targets. Be sure not to hit your own party members and try to be standing inFirewhen using to reduce its heft cost of 3 AP by 1. The smoke from it can hide you from ranged attacks.
Epidemic of Fire- This skill requires 3 AP and 2 SP, which makes it a once per encounter type skill. What’s really good about it is that it usesCursed Fire, meaning you can set theNecrofire Status Effectwith it.
Warfare Skills
Whirlwind- Will deal damage based on yourStafftype and has decent AoE, especially early on in the game. When combined withMaster of Sparks, can absolutely destroy nearby enemies in one attack.
Phoenix Dive- This is your means of jumping into the fray, literally. The fact that it does someFiredamage is just an added bonus. You can replace this with another skill that does the same thing, but you’ll have points inWarfarealready anyway.
Challenge– As of February 1st, 2018 this Skill now only costs 1 AP, making it viable for this Build if you put 3 points into Warfare. Buffs Physical and Magic Armour in addition to increasing your damage by 15% for 1 turn.
Thick of the Fight- If you decided to put 3 points intoWarfare, I recommend taking this skill. It boosts damage by 10% for each character around you, both friendly and hostile, and it applies to any type of damage.
Polymorph Skills
Flaming Skin- This skill is a great way to mitigateFiredamage against your character if you have poorFire Resistance. You may not need it later on depending on how well geared you are, but it’s worth having on your bar just in case.
Skin Graft- Because you have some extremely powerfulSkills, being able to reuse them quickly will drastically increase your damage. Also removesBurningandNecrofire, which you may need!
Final Tips
Consider adding a point intoGeomancerto takeFortify. You’ll have lowPhysical Armourwith this setup and having this skill can address that issue. It also removesBurning, which is useful. If you don’t want to allocate the point, then I advise dropping a few points intoStrengthjust to get a bit morePhysical Armour.
Finding a goodStafffor thisBuildcan be quite difficult, so your melee damage may suffer. I say that because you should always prioritize aWeaponwith better bonuses than better damage for thisBuildbecause the majority of your damage will come from non-weapon Skills. Keep in mind that Pyrokinetic increases the damage of Fire Staves so even though you can technically use any Staff, Fire will serve you better in most cases.Praise the Sunif you ever get one with good damage and good bonuses, because they are rare!
ThisBuildis very one dimensional and will under-perform in fights where the enemy hasFire Immunityor very goodFire Resistance. This is the one downside to thisBuild, but luckily it’s not often. Be sure if you are playing thisBuildthat your party has a wide variety of other damage types to compensate. MyElementalistruns the 3 others just for this reason. You can also useFlay Skinto help reduceResistances, although it scales withStrength.
Finally, I recommend that you play as aLizardorThe Red Princewhen playing theBattlemage.Lizardsgain 10% extraFire Resistanceas well as theDragon’s Blazeskill which does excellent damage for 1 AP, and will increase in damage as you add points intoPyrokinetic. You can of course play as any Race you wish, but I think there is a natural synergy there and is my recommendation.
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
