Character creation occurs at the beginning of each new save. The player can select one of six origin characters or create a custom character.
Origins
Origins have unique backstories and quests.
Presets
The preset tab suggests 14 different builds with recommended abilities, attributes, and skills. These builds are suggestions, not classes. Divinity: Original Sin II is a class-less system, so characters are not locked to specific mechanics. For example, this means the player can select the 'Ranger' preset and swap out ranged abilities with sneaking and thievery, which are abilities characteristic of a 'Rogue'.
Attributes
Characters have six attributes. In general, strength and finesse affect physical damage while intelligence affects magic damage.
- Strength increases damage with strength-based weapons and skills, and increases maximum carry capacity.
- Finesse increases damage with finesse-based weapons and skills.
- Intelligence increases intelligence-based damage.
- Constitution determines character vitality, which is maximum health.
- Memory increases maximum memory slots, which are needed to learn skills. Characters gain maximum memory slots as they level even if no points are added. Increasing memory will increase the number of maximum slots they gain per level.
- Wits determine critical chance, initiative, and ability to detect traps and hidden treasures.
Attributes have an initial base value of 10. During character creation, 3 points can be distributed across attributes, with each subsequent level up granting 2 additional points.
Abilities
Abilities are categorized as combat or civil, which each have 3 additional sub-categories.
| Name | Description | Category | Sub-category |
|---|---|---|---|
 Aerotheurge |
Increases all air damage dealt | Combat | Skills |
 Geomancer |
Increases all poison and earth damage dealt, and any physical armour restoration caused | Combat | Skills |
 Huntsman |
Increases damage bonus when attacking from high ground | Combat | Skills |
 Hydrosophist |
Increases all water damage dealt, and any vitality healing or magic armour restoration caused | Combat | Skills |
 Necromancer |
Heals the user whenever damage is dealt directly to vitality | Combat | Skills |
 Polymorph |
Provides 1 free attribute point per point invested | Combat | Skills |
 Pyrokinetic |
Increases all fire damage dealt | Combat | Skills |
 Scoundrel |
Increases movement speed and critical modifier | Combat | Skills |
 Summoning |
Increases vitality, damage, physical armour and magic armour of summons and totems | Combat | Skills |
 Warfare |
Increases all physical damage dealt | Combat | Skills |
 Ranged |
Increases damage and critical chance when using bows and crossbows | Combat | Weapons |
 Single-Handed |
Increases damage and accuracy when using a single-handed weapon with a shield or empty off-hand | Combat | Weapons |
 Two-Handed |
Increases damage and critical multiplier when using two-handed melee weapons | Combat | Weapons |
 Leadership |
Grants dodging and resistance bonuses to all allies within 8m radius | Combat | Defence |
 Perseverance |
Restores magic armour after recovering from frozen or stunned, and restores physical armour after knocked down or petrified | Combat | Defence |
 Retribution |
Reflects received damage to attacker | Combat | Defence |
 Loremaster |
Identifies enemies and items by examining them or using an identifying glass | Civil | Craftsmanship |
 Telekinesis |
Moves items telepathically regardless of weight | Civil | Craftsmanship |
 Sneaking |
Reduces others' sight cones and increases character movement speed while sneaking | Civil | Nasty deeds |
 Thievery |
Improves lockpicking and pickpocketing skills | Civil | Nasty deeds |
 Bartering |
For each point invested, traders reduce their prices while paying more for character items | Civil | Personality |
 Lucky Charm |
Increases likelihood of finding extra treasure wherever loot is stashed | Civil | Personality |
 Persuasion |
Increases likelihood of convincing others in dialogues, and increases how much characters like you | Civil | Personality |