Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a fantastic, epic RPG set in the world of Rivellon. You play as a Sourcerer, captured by the Divine Order, and must figure out how to escape the prison island you have found yourself on. From there, the adventure gets bigger and bigger, with many branching paths and exciting encounters. You'll likely find yourself playing through the game again and again to experience all of its possibilities.

One of the reasons why Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of Larian Studio's best games is because of the fantastic characters you can play as. You can create a custom character or play one of six unique characters, all with intricate backstories and personalities. Your choice at the beginning of the game will shape the narrative in both big and small ways. So who exactly is the best playable character to pick?

A Custom Character

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Custom Character Creation Screen for a Undead Lizard Wizard

Like the first game, Divinity: Original Sin 2 will allow you to customize your character fully. You can pick one of the various races, such as an Elf or a Lizard. You can even play as an Undead version of any of the races, which adds a unique challenge to the experience, as you can no longer heal from regular potions and must use poison instead.

A custom character does allow you to focus on skills and playstyles of your choice, with nothing predetermined for you. This can be great for crafting your own personal story during the adventure, but you will be missing out a little on the wonderfully crafted stories the six pre-made characters provide. Sure, you can take three of the six characters along with you as companions, but enjoying their stories directly through their perspective is far more satisfying than watching from the sidelines.

Beast

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Beast Art - Beast and Sebille fighting Magisters at Fort Joy

Beast is a Dwarven captain, also known as Marcus Miles. He is determined to overthrow his tyrant cousin, the Queen, before she completes her evil schemes. He's failed one rebellion against her and will not do so again. It is a classic revenge tale but does not impact the main storyline all too much until far later into the game.

If you decide to play as Beast, his default class is Battlemage, as he is excellent at duel-welding in battle and taking quite a beating in the heat of combat. This class combines well with his Petrifying Touch ability, that only works within close range of enemies. Of course, as with all the characters, you are welcome to play as any class you desire.

Although he is a fun and exciting character, he does not compare to the other five characters in terms of compelling narratives. Beast is often left behind entirely, not even taken as a companion as you escape Fort Joy.

Sebille

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Sebille Art - Sebille Origin Backstory Cutscene

Sebille is an elf who was once under the thumb of an evil master, forced to commit all sorts of horrific tasks for them. Now free, she can finally choose her own path and has set out to track down her old master and make him pay.

Sebille defaults as a Rogue Class, but as with all the characters, you could play her in any class you want. Her ability to eat corpses will also grant you access to insightful memories and skills as you go along too.

It can be pretty interesting playing as Sebille, especially if you have the Red Prince or Ifan as your companions. They will clash with her quite a bit but encourage the story to reveal more about Sebille and her motives. The main thing to consider about Sebille, though, is that she can be very volatile, often not giving you much of a choice but to kill certain NPCs along your journey, such as the dreamer at Fort Joy. This can make it tricky trying to navigate your companion's storylines alongside her own.

Ifan Ben-Mezd

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Ifan ben-Mezd Art - Ifan ben-Mezd and Lohse exploring Reaper's Coast

Ifan Ben-Mezd was once loyal to Lucian The Divine, but a lot has happened since then. Nowadays, he's a mercenary killer, working for the infamous Lone Wolves. His latest contract? He must kill Lucian's son.

Ifan defaults as a Wayfarer and is excellent for those that like playing ranged characters. He also gets to summon a Wolf to help in battle, which is quite exciting.

Ifan is involved heavily in the world around you, especially in the second act. It can be beneficial to be able to recognize various characters and get conversations you might not have experienced otherwise. If he is just a companion, you will not hear these conversations, which can be a shame. Ifan comes across as a pretty standard classic hero type, and although some of the other characters have far more exciting narratives, he is still a robust and go-to choice as your player character.

The Red Prince

Divinity Original Sin 2 - The Red Prince Art - The Red Prince Character Creation

The Red Prince is an intriguing character. He's a royal Lizard, used to a life of luxury before he was banished for making deals with demons. Now, he's on the run, attempting to reclaim his throne while avoiding deadly assassins.

The Red Prince is usually played as a fighter. His Demonic Stare ability helps him regain magic armor in the middle of a fight to keep going strong.

The side quest for the noble prince is one of the most interesting and will lead you into all sorts of entertaining scenarios. But, even if you don't decide to play as him, The Red Prince is worth finding at Fort joy to tag along on your adventure. He adds a lot of humor with his pompous attitude.

Fane

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Fane Character Creation Screen - Fane Origin Backstory Cutscene

Fane is an undead skeleton with an incredibly mysterious past. Having escaped a seemingly infinite amount of time imprisoned, Fane has finally escaped and wants to uncover the truth about the disappearance of everyone he once knew.

Fane works best as a Wizard, but his Time Warp ability is invaluable no matter what class you choose, allowing you to have an extra turn in combat. As with playing as an undead custom character, Fane does add some exciting challenges to the game, such as everyone being hostile towards you if you are not disguised. Once you have the shapeshifter mask, you'll be able to transform into any race and make use of various abilities.

Fane is linked to a lot of the lore in Divinity: Original Sin 2. This makes him fascinating as a player character, as you'll be able to uncover the truth of his past along the way. Even the mysterious Voidwoken are often taunting and speaking to him directly when they attack. Because of his history, Fane makes a great companion as well, always adding some fantastic insight into the story. But, he suits the role of the main protagonist very well, as his story is linked to the main plot.

Lohse

Divinity Original Sin 2 - Lohse Art - Lohse Origin Background Cutscene

Lohse is a performer that is used to spirits and sprites stopping inside her head. But more recently, a demonic entity has taken a liking to her and has gripped hold of her mind tight. Lohse is now in a neverending battle to regain control and put a stop to the entity's evil schemes.

The default class for Lohse is Enchanter. She is also great at encouraging the team or sending her enemies into fits of rage with her Maddening Song ability. Lohse also has some incredible moments where she can show off her talents, singing and performing with her lute for everyone to enjoy, albeit only briefly.

Divinity: Original Sin's story is fantastic, and Lohse's personal story is the most interesting out of all the playable characters. It adds a unique spin to the entire narrative. The demon inside of her offers very different interactions than other playable characters get. The dialogue options in certain moments alone make playing Lohse such a delight. Her story is intriguing and incredibly satisfying to playthrough using her perspective. With a fantastic personality, lots of humor, and many captivating moments, Lohse is easily the best choice for a playable character.

NEXT: Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting Divinity: Original Sin 2