Best Larian Studios Games
Larian Studios has spent the last 30 years creating some of the best role-playing games ever, and its legacy extends well beyond just Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin. Whether crafting dark fantasy action RPGs or dense turn-based masterpieces that are well worth the effort of learning, Larian can be relied upon to deliver great writing, fascinating lore, occasionally gripping stories, and ambitious (and often stellar) gameplay mechanics.
Over the last decade, Larian’s star gradually became brighter and brighter, eventually reaching a point where it was just blinding. Due to BG3 being way more popular than any of the other games, some people might only be familiar with the 2023 masterpiece, meaning they might have missed out on some truly fantastic titles.
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Divinity 2: Ego Draconis (2009)
Larian’s Quality Writing Is In Full Display, And The World Is Pretty Great. The Combat Could Be Better.
With 2009 being a year when titles such as Assassin’s Creed 2 and Demon’s Souls were released, Larian Studios also attempted to venture into full-3D via Divinity 2: Ego Draconis. Set years after Divine Divinity, players take on the role of a Dragon Slayer tasked to defeat the remaining dragons in Rivellon. However, constant attacks by Damian, the Damned One, and his anger towards Lucian the Divine will put Rivellon in danger that only the player can resolve.
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While boasting the same depth in lore as Divine Divinity, gameplay in Ego Draconis stands out with the Battle Tower that served as the player’s main questing hub, as well as a dragon transformation that lets players fight opponents in large spaces. Combined with Larian Studios’ flexible character creation, Ego Draconis had the potential for an in-depth game. Sadly, complicated mechanics and a rather mediocre approach to an action RPG made Ego Draconis lacking in terms of a full release.
Claim To Fame: Immersive Experience Hindered By Lackluster Graphics
Unfortunately for Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, it was released at a time when its competitors were already creating more graphically-intensive titles. While graphics alone shouldn’t determine the value of a game, heavy-hitters such as Bethesda having vast open world experiences to accompany its stronger graphical presentations can make the more story-focused sections of Ego Draconis lacking in terms of immersion. However, players who do take the time to explore Ego Draconis can experience one of the strongest narratives of its era, especially with its more gripping story that is an obvious level up from the original Divine Divinity.
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Divinity: Dragon Commander (2013)
A Bit Of A Mess That Still Achieves Moments Of Greatness
Studios being known for RPGs such as Divinity: Original Sin 2 makes the existence of Divinity: Dragon Commander rather surprising. After all, the game now focuses on the political aspect of Rivellon’s world, positioning players as the titular character in a Rivellon set thousands of years before the Divinity games. As the bastard son of the dead Emperor Sigurd, players, as the titular Dragon Commander, have to fight his half-siblings and destroy the demonic steampunk technology the fallen emperor had used to unite the land.
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The game itself takes on elements of traditional 4X titles. Divided into three phases, players can converse with liaisons of the world’s various races that impact the game’s eventual turn-based phase and its concluding RTS combat. Despite the allure of having an impact on Rivellon’s political scene, Dragon Commander’s mediocre visuals and clunky gameplay made it not as enjoyable as other titles.
Claim To Fame: Wargame Combined With Dragon Mode Makes For A Unique Experience
What immediately sets Divinity: Dragon Commander apart from its siblings from the franchise is its nature as a wargame with turn-based elements. However, the idea of the player’s character touting a dragon form to lead units in combat is also a plus in the franchise’s take on a strategy title. The idea that players become a part of Rivellon’s ancient past can become compelling enough for fans of the series. Despite its middling rating, Dragon Commander is a must-try for players who want to see how Larian Studios will try to pull off its staple immersion mechanics outside the purview of a traditional RPG.
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Beyond Divinity (2004)
Worth Playing Just For The Story And Lore
Where Beyond Divinity lacks in terms of Diablo’s in-depth gameplay, it more than makes up for it with immense freedom of play. Serving as the sequel of Divine Divinity, players take on the role of a paladin dragged into another universe and “soul-forged” into a punished death knight. Despite being on opposite sides, players need to help them work together to break their forging.
This unique premise works with Larian Studios’ flexible character customization system, with the added thrill of controlling two characters at once. Players can now pause the game in real-time to configure actions for both characters to accomplish, while stories and in-game choices now have more flavor courtesy of the two protagonists. Sadly, the highly technical gameplay makes Beyond Divinity difficult to revisit nowadays, especially for newcomers who are mostly familiar with Baldur’s Gate 3.
Claim To Fame: Two Main Characters Opened Unique Internalized Stories
While RPGs that featured the “seeing the light” trope often saw enemies converted as they “spend time” as the unwilling captives or companions of heroes, Beyond Divinity upends this trend with its unique “soul binding” premise. Despite middling reviews, the premise alone can compel players to at least get to know both heroes, who normally face each other in combat, and try to get past their differences to accomplish wildly different objectives.
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Divinity: Original Sin (2014)
The RPG That Represents Larian’s Turning Point
Considered as the “do or die” game of Larian Studios, Divinity: Original Sin delivered as one of the best attempts at modernizing the tactical RPG genre. Set thousands of years after the events of Divine Divinity, players are Source Hunters that eradicate Sourcerers who control the Source, or essence of the void energies that make up the universe.
Despite its typical fantasy premise, Original Sin shines in its usage of branching dialogue on top of extremely dynamic turn-based battles. Moreover, extra features such as cooperative multiplayer and a custom modding tool provide players with opportunities to play with friends in maps of their own creation. Such was the acclaim towards Original Sin that its gameplay served as the framework of Original Sin 2, which in itself was touted as one of the best RPGs of all time.
Claim To Fame: The Do Or Die Game That Ascended Into Divinity
Considered by some as the “do-or-die” game for the struggling Larian Studios, the crowd-funded Divinity: Original Sin was a testament to the potential of the Divinity franchise since its conception. The game’s integration of classic CRPG elements such as turn-based combat and heavy emphasis on story, with more modern graphics and tactical gameplay showed players it’s possible for strategic experiences to come with a decent story. Despite its seemingly familiar fantasy backdrop, Original Sin is quick to set itself apart from contemporaries not just with the unique world of Rivellon, but in how it manages to breathe life, even if it’s contained in just a single game.
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Divine Divinity (2002)
While Not Larian’s First Game, Divine Divinity Wrote The Blueprint For Its Future Masterpieces
At first glance, fans of CRPGs might think of Divine Divinity as a game with elements quite close to RPGs like Blizzard’s Diablo. However, where Divine Divinity shines is its inclination towards player freedom. Despite graphical constraints, Divine Divinity boasts heavy usage of non-combat skills such as bartering and lockpicking, branching dialogue, and creative freedom in character customization.
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Set in the world of Rivellon, players end up as adventurers doing errands in the town of Aleroth before working for Duke Janus of Castle Stormfist, who claims to be the Divine, or the savior of the land. Players soon learn of a grand deception and have to stop the demon Chaos from claiming Rivellon. Despite its age, Divine Divinity is a worthwhile entry to introduce gamers to Larian Studios’ works, as many of its modern games’ mechanics are adapted from this title’s gameplay system.
Claim To Fame: Traditional CRPG In An Era Dominated By Action
Perhaps the most recognizable aspect of Divine Divinity as a CRPG back then is its emphasis on the “RPG” element of the genre. In an era dominated by action-packed Diablo, Larian Studios made quite a brave stride with Divine Divinity. Despite its status generally being relegated as a cult classic, Divine Divinity paved the way for 20+ years’ worth of lore with Rivellon as well as an immersive environment that would become the signature elements of the franchise.
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Divinity: Original Sin 2 (2017)
One Of The Best RPGs Of The 2010s
Despite its 2017 release, Divinity: Original Sin 2 received critical acclaim from fans with its intuitive combat system, stellar music, and compelling narrative, all of which combined to create one of the most complete experiences of the 2010s. Set hundreds of years after Original Sin, the story of Original Sin 2 unites players and their companions as “Godwoken” Sourcerers destined to become the Divine, leading to the salvation or destruction of Rivellon.
While Original Sin 2 follows in the footsteps of its prequel and once again takes the form of an isometric tactical RPG, the game uses staple Larian Studios mechanics such as interactive objects and flexible character progression. The game also boasts dynamic environments, branching story paths, and the facilitation of broken skill builds. This blend of flexible mechanics gives players a fresh experience during each playthrough.
Claim To Fame: Perhaps Served As Proof Of Concept For A D&D Adaptation
Before Baldur’s Gate 3, players may look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 as the closest there is in the industry to a “genuine” D&D adaptation. While the more rudimentary Action System of Original Sin 2 is nowhere near D&D’s more specific mechanics, its core principles fulfilled the TTRPG’s main goals. On top of Original Sin 2 having an engaging narrative, stats affecting both dialogue and the overall game world paved the way for shenanigans that the devs themselves seemed to anticipate, as though replicating the same immersive qualities of D&D but in a video game format.
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Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian’s Best Game, And The Best RPG Of The 2020s (So Far)
If Divinity: Original Sin 2 made the world take notice of Larian, Baldur’s Gate 3 transformed the developer into a household name, at least within the gaming landscape. Set in D&D‘s Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the Baldur’s Gate 3 story puts players at the center of an ongoing Mindflayer invasion, complete with an Illithid parasite that they can either purge or use to their advantage — a decision they have to make before they turn into Mindflayers themselves.
Larian combined its signature blend of interactive environments and compelling dialogue with the worldbuilding of D&D, making for an incredibly dynamic experience. Being arguably the most accurate depiction of D&D mechanics in a tactical RPG format, Baldur’s Gate 3 lets players experience the TTRPG in its traditional glory, chock-full of game-breaking builds and spells, unique depictions of skills and abilities, as well as immersive lore.
Crucially, BG3 features quality writing throughout, be it in the main quests or the optional content. The game makes players want to experience everything it has to offer, which requires multiple playthroughs since choices have actual consequences.
Claim To Fame: The Best Adaptation Of D&D 5e Rules So Far
One of the highlights of Baldur’s Gate 3 as a game is its remarkable translation of D&D 5e mechanics as a game. D&D 5e itself was a more simplified but flexible version of the MMO-esque 4e, although the depth of the former’s mechanics implied an intensive gaming environment to even accommodate creative uses of spells and abilities. Baldur’s Gate 3 achieves and elevates this under the backdrop of the Divinity franchise’s signature interactive flexibility, smoothly integrating D&D 5e’s Action Economy while spells formed the limitations of interactivity with both environment and NPCs.
What Is Next For Larian? Divinity
After the massive success that was Baldur’s Gate 3, everyone has been hotly anticipating Larian’s next project. While there was a tiny chance the studio might stick with D&D, Larian has confirmed that it will be returning to Divinity, with a trailer dropping during the 2025 Game Awards. So far, we don’t really know that much about the upcoming title, but it seems primed and ready to be dark, ambitious, and turn-based. Its release is likely still a few years away, and Divinity will enter early access before making its full launch. This decision makes complete sense since this process significantly helped shape and fine-tune BG3, ensuring we got the best possible version. Larian has nothing to lose from going down this route again.
Larian’s next game might be a flicker in the distance at the moment, but that means players have plenty of time to revisit the earlier entries in the series. If somebody is only familiar with BG3, they should, at the very least, try Divinity: Original Sin 2. Its predecessor is a bit rougher around the edges, but it is still a very good turn-based RPG, and it does a few things better than its sequel. If you want to go back further, then you need to be ready for dated visuals and mechanics.
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