Larian's last three matches all have one thing in common: the beach. From the ogre-heavy road to Cyseal to the crashed Nautiloid ruins of the Sword Coast, the sandy beaches we wash up on have become a studio staple, and it looks like the new Divinity will follow suit. But this time around, design director Nick Pechenin teased that there will be a new mechanic to play with.
“There was something that bothered me when I was exploring the starting areas of DOS1, DOS2 and BG3,” Pechenin said in the studio's recent AMA. “It stares you in the face if you think about it. In Divinity I can finally do what I wanted to do in every previous game.”
Bordered by unexplored waters as sandy beaches guide us along a linear path, the obvious answer to what this mysterious new mechanic must be is swimming. After all, Baldur's Gate 3 upped the ante from the Original Sin duology with jumping and cloaking, allowing for exploration previously limited by teleporting magic or other similar abilities. Swimming would be the next logical step.
Fishing, swimming, sailing… Alligators?
While this new mechanic isn't swimming, it likely has something to do with water, as Pechenin made a point to highlight the starting areas. Some have suggested this could involve fishing, underwater exploration or even sailing, making the ocean feel less like a static barrier and more like a natural part of the world. Although, and maybe it's just my anti-fishing bias creeping in, I can't imagine why anyone would be bothered by the lack of it.
Interestingly, when Larian was asked in the same AMA to reveal a Divinity spoiler that wouldn't make sense until you played the game, the team responded “Alligator.” I'm grasping at straws, sure – the only link is that they like water – but given that we found teleporting alligators on the beaches of Fort Joy, perhaps this has something to do with whatever this new mechanic is.
Well, teleporting crocodiles.
Although I'm inclined to think the answer is really as obvious as swimming. Pechenin said it “stares you in the face”, and I'm not sure fishing or sailing does.
