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Abilities in Divinity: Original Sin 2 are divided into Combat Abilities and Civil Abilities. Where Combat Abilities increase the characters offense/defense capabilities, Civil Abilities deal with things like persuasions and additional bonuses.

Combat Abilities

Combat Description Stats
Dual Wielding Dual Wielding increases damage and Dodging when dual-wielding two one-handed weapons.
  • +5% Damage
  • +1% Dodge Chance
Ranged Ranged increase damage and Critical Chance with bows and crossbows.
  • +5% Damage
  • +1% Critical Chance
Single-Handed Single-handed increase damage and Accuracy when using a one-handed weapon (dagger, sword, axe, mace or wand) with a shield or empty off-hand.
  • +5% Damage
  • +5% Accuracy

Two-Handed
Two-Handed increase damage and critical multiplier when using two-handed melee weapon (Sword, axe, mace, spear or staff).
  • +5% Damage
  • +5% Critical Multiplier

Leadership
Leadership grants dodging and resistance bonuses to all allies in a 5m radius.
  • +2% Dodging and
  • +3% to all Resistances
Perseverance Perseverance restores Magic Armor after you recover from Frozen or Stunned, and restores Physical Armor after knocked down or Petrified.
  • +5% Armor restored
Retribution Retribution reflects received damage to your attacker.
  • 5% damage reflected
Aerotheurge Aerotheurge increase all Air damage you deal.
  • Air attacks +5% more damage.
Geomancer Geomancer increase all Poison damage you dealt and any Physical Armour restoration that you cause.
  • +5% Poison and Earth Damage
  • Restoring Physical Armour gets a +5% bonus
Huntsman Huntsman increases the damage bonus when attacking from high ground.
  • +5% Damage from high ground
Hydrosophist Hydrosophist increases all healing and Armour restoration that you cause.
  • Healing increased +5%
  • Restoring Magic Armour is increased by +5%
Necromancer Necromancer heals you every time you deal damage to Vitality. Damage from reflection effects yields half heal.
  • Heal +10% of the damage dealt to Vitality
Polymorph Polymorph provides one free attribute point per point invested.
  • +1 Attribute Point
Pyrokinetic Pyrokinetic increase all Fire damage you deal.
  • +5% Fire Damage
Scoundrel Scoundrel increases movement speed and boosts your Critical Modifier.
  • +5% Critical Multiplier
  • +5% Movement speed.
Summoning Summoning increases Vitality, Damage, Physical Armour and Magical Armour of your summons and totems.
  • Summons starts with 5% more Vitality, Damage, Physical Armour and Magical Armour
Warfare Warfare increases all Physical damage you deal.
  • Physical attacks deal +5% damage

Civil Abilities

Ability Description Stats
Bartering Bartering improves your haggling skills with traders. Bartering improves your haggling skills. With each point invested, traders' items become cheaper and your items become more expensive.
Lucky Charm Lucky Charm increases your likelihood of finding extra treasure whenever loot is stashed. Lucky Charm increases your likelihood of finding extra treasure whenever loot is stashed.
Persuasion Persuasion helps you convince characters to do your bidding in dialogues, and increases how much characters like you. Next Level 1: Increases base Attitude with strangers by 5.
Loremaster Loremaster identifiles enemies and allows you to identify items. Increasing Loremaster allows you to identify more, faster. To identify, use an identifying glass and click on the item you want to identify. To examine a monster or NPC, right click them and choose Examine.
Telekinesis Telekinesis determines the range and weight of items you can move telepathically. Next Level 1: up to 4m range.
Sneaking Sneaking determines how well you can sneak without getting caught. A higher sneaking ability improves your movement speed while sneaking and shrinks NPC sight cones.
Thievery Thievery improves your lockpicking and pickpocketing skills. To lockpick, use a lockpick and click on the item you want to lockpick.