Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition Fane Build

Creating a character in Divinity: Original Sin II can be a daunting prospect. There are lots of things to consider, such as what stats they should have, what types of skills they're going to use and what abilities they'll need over the course of the game. Luckily,DOS2 comes with a set of pre-formed classes that can influence the player's decisions and inform them of the many ways to build a character.

The Metamorph is one of these classes, and it's a very powerful one that needs minimal alteration to play the game well. It uses powerful Polymorph skills and has great build flexibility for players who like to experiment as they go. Here's how players can create a Metamorph build that suits their needs, with the basic intent of creating a frontline damage dealer who can also support the party.

Metamorph Attributes & Abilities

Knowing what a class' role on the battlefield is helps inform which race is ideal for the build. Metamorphs tend to be close and medium-range fighters that can adapt between the two. Due to this, the Humans' bonuses to Critical Chance and Critical Hit can be very attractive, as can the Dwarves' large bonus to Vitality and Dodging. The choice comes down to whether the player wants a more offensive or defensive Metamorph.

The base class begins with its Attributes allocated in Strength and Finesse. Strength is crucial for Metamorphs, as it affects the power of offensive Polymorph skills, and Finesse is there because the class seems to want the player to use a Spear, which is a Finesse weapon. Players should swap Finesse for a more useful Attribute, such as Constitution or Memory. The latter is especially useful for players who wish to accrue and use a wide variety of skills.

Polymorph is the Ability of Choice for Metamorph builds, and this should remain untouched. They also allocate a point each in Two-Handed and Persuasion. Two-Handed can be swapped for any Ability that the player intends to use for fighting, including any of the magic Abilities depending on the build they are going for. Persuasion, however, is a fine skill for a player character and can safely be left alone -- having more dialogue options is always a good thing in DOS2.

Metamorph Skills

Polymorph skills are the Metamorph's main focus, and there's a lot they can utilize from the get-go. Tentacle Lash is great for attacking at a slight distance, and there are useful controlling skills such as Medusa Head and Chicken Claw that can temporarily take enemies out of the fray. Polymorph is a versatile school, having a summoning skill in Summon Oily Blob and the ability to grant the user flight with Spread Your Wings. Flight is especially useful for players who also use ranged attacks and spells, so definitely pick it up for the flexibility.

The elemental skin skills are not worth the point investment, but they can be useful if the player realizes their build allows for it. Gaining immunity to an element for two turns can be great in certain situations. Skin Graft, however, is a fantastic self-heal for status effects that any character can benefit from. Likewise, Heart of Steel is great in a pinch, especially against physical attackers.

Equalize and Forced Exchange are more situational skills that may not be worth memorizing, but more strategically-minded players will find they useful. The former divides the sum of Vitality and Physical Armor percentages of all units in an area, rather like Pain Split from Pokémon,and would be great in a one-sided melee against powerful, healthy foes. Flay Skin might be the ultimate support Polymorph skill, stripping a foe of their Magic Armor and reducing their elemental resistances. Pair this with allies who can inflict a lot of elemental pain, and it's a recipe for success.

Any of the spellcasting skills can be great additions to a Metamorph's toolbox, but don't invest too heavily in them. Instead, get a decent amount of Warfare. As a Strength-focused character, a Metamorph will deal a ton of damage with Warfare skills and gain some powerful utility while they're at it. Offensive Warfare skills can easily be the main source of damage for a Metamorph build, especially when equipped with a powerful weapon, and this only gets better as they pump more and more points into Strength.

Metamorph Talents

Metamorphs begin with a Talent point spent on Opportunist, which is good choice for them. Most Metamorphs will spend a lot of time on the frontlines, and the extra damage that comes from attacks of opportunity is very welcome. In the same vein, Pet Pal provides a lot of value over the course of the entire game, so that should be picked up early on unless the player intends to recruit Ifan Ben-Mezd, who comes with the Talent by default.

Once the Metamorph has picked up the great status-healing Skin Graft skill, they can safely take the Glass Cannon Talent, which lets them begin each round with maximum AP at the cost of being susceptible to status effects at all times. It can be risky against enemies who love to inflict these ailments constantly, but it'll be more of a boon than a drawback in the long run. Another Talent that increases in value later in the game is Picture of Health, which will give the Metamorph a handy Vitality bonus that scales with their Warfare investment -- which should be high.

Metamorph Builds

There are some Metamorph builds that are particularly effective. One strategy is to mix Geomancer skills into the Metamorph's moveset, specifically ones that synergize well with physical attacks. Focusing on building up Physical Armor and exploiting the Reactive Armor skill is the key to this build, as its damage is based on the user's Armor. Using a One-Handed Weapon and a Shield will also improve this skill's damage output while granting access to the useful Bouncing Shield technique, which provides a nice multi-target ranged option for the mostly melee Metamorph. With such high Physical Armor, it may be worth considering taking Hothead as a Talent too, as it'll be rare that the Metamorph loses any health.

Another build that uses Metamorph as a base is a defensive one focused on the Vampiric Hunger skill, which requires a point in both Scoundrel and Hydrosophist. It's a skill that replenishes the user's health when enemy health is damaged, so it's great for survivability. Armor of Frost is also a good pickup from the Hydrosophist school, as it's a precious Magic Armor regenerating skill that the Metamorph sorely needs. This build would put a few Attribute points into Intelligence to make use of a wider variety of armors, but it'll still stay on top damage-wise.

From here, this build likes to take ranks in Necromancer. Not only does this provide passive health draining that combines with Vampiric Hunger, but it grants access to great skills such as Bone Cage and Infect, accentuating the versatile nature of the Metamorph.

Metamorph Gameplay Tips

Metamorphs play well in the thick of a battle and are able to balance a large damage output with flexible control skills to dominate the battlefield. It cannot be stated enough that Polymorph skills and Warfare skills synergize really well together for this purpose. For example, Phoenix Dive is a great positioning skill that can be paired with Spread Your Wings for ultimate battlefield traversal. Similarly, Guardian Angel pairs well with Heart of Steel, as all damage is directed towards the user and keeps their allies safe. Metamorphs excel at manipulating the fight to their advantage in this way.

Leveling up is quite a simple exercise for a Metamorph too. Heavy investment into Strength, Polymorph and Warfare are crucial, with spare points being dedicated to flexibility. This could be expanding memory slots with Wits or branching out into different skill schools to pick up utility skills. Don't try to become a hybrid damage dealer, as they rarely excel in DOS2; these Metamorphs have a well-defined role that they're really good at.

Overall, players should treat the Metamorph like a warrior who can easily flip between tank and support. Keep their armor topped off and their health high, and they won't have many worries while smashing their foes up with powerful Warfare skills or taking the tricky ones out of the equation with potent status afflictions. They're fantastic fighters who can slot easily into almost any team composition.

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About The Author

Ryan Bamsey (31 Articles Published)

Ryan Bamsey is a Welsh writer, volunteer, and avid gamer. When not gaming, he can usually be found baking, reading, or thinking about manta rays.

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