Action Points (AP) in Divinity: Original Sin 2: 13 Essential Strategies

Key Takeaways:

1. Boosting AP Maximizes Combat Efficiency – Knowing how to maximize Action Points makes encounters smoother and more strategic, especially in difficult modes.
2. Unique Abilities and Talents Grant Extra AP – Strategic use of character-specific talents, skills, and consumables can grant significant AP boosts.
3. Resource Management is Essential – Proper AP management means the difference between victory and defeat, particularly at higher game difficulties.

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, Action Points (AP) are the key to victory in combat, affecting every move from attacks to movements. Understanding how to increase and conserve AP is vital, especially at advanced difficulty settings like Tactician mode, where every AP can make a critical difference. Here’s an in-depth guide on all the ways to increase AP and optimize your gameplay.

The Importance of Action Points (AP) in Combat

In Divinity: Original Sin 2 (DOS2), AP determines every possible action on the battlefield, from wielding weapons to activating abilities or moving across the map. Since AP management directly impacts a player’s effectiveness in combat, especially during tougher encounters, leveraging all available methods to increase and efficiently use AP can be game-changing.

Top 13 Ways to Increase AP in DOS2

Below is a comprehensive guide on the 13 methods available in DOS2’s base game to increase AP and optimize their use for strategic advantages.

1. 8 Action Points (Gift Bag Feature)

• Buff Type: Gift Bag
• Requirement: None
• Description: Activating the “8 AP” Gift Bag feature increases the maximum AP to 8. While powerful, activating any Gift Bag feature disables achievements.
• Incompatibility: None

This feature is accessible in the game’s Pause menu under Gift Bag settings. It’s ideal for players seeking extra action capacity, although it comes with the trade-off of disabling achievements.

2. Lone Wolf Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: None
• Description: The Lone Wolf talent provides +2 maximum AP, +2 AP recovery per turn, and boosts vitality, physical, and magical armor by 30%, 60%, and 60% respectively. It also doubles all attribute and combat ability points invested. However, it only applies when playing solo or with one other companion.
• Incompatibility: Only compatible with limited party setups.

Ideal for solo or two-character parties, Lone Wolf is an extremely powerful option for high-AP players who can benefit from a significant AP boost per turn and greatly enhanced survivability.

3. Glass Cannon Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: None
• Description: The Glass Cannon talent gives maximum AP at the start of each turn but makes the character vulnerable to status effects that normally would be blocked by armor, like Stunned or Petrified.
• Incompatibility: Lone Wolf

Glass Cannon provides an AP advantage by maximizing AP each turn. However, this comes with increased vulnerability, which requires careful play to avoid debilitating statuses.

4. Executioner Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: Warfare 1
• Description: Executioner grants +2 AP if the character lands a killing blow, activating once per turn.
• Incompatibility: The Pawn

Perfect for high-damage characters, Executioner rewards players who can finish off enemies quickly, providing extra AP to continue the fight.

5. The Pawn Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: Scoundrel 1
• Description: The Pawn talent grants +1 AP worth of movement per turn, effectively making movement “free” to a degree.
• Incompatibility: Executioner

The Pawn offers a great advantage in movement without using AP, ideal for ranged or mobile characters who need to reposition frequently.

6. Elemental Affinity Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: None
• Description: Elemental Affinity reduces AP cost by -1 for elemental skills when the user stands on a surface of the same element, such as Fire for Pyrokinetic or Blood for Necromancer.
• Incompatibility: None

Strategically using Elemental Affinity allows casters to cast powerful elemental spells for reduced AP cost, enabling them to be more resource-efficient.

7. What A Rush Talent

• Buff Type: Talent
• Requirement: None
• Description: This talent increases maximum AP by +1 when the character’s health falls below 50%.
• Incompatibility: None

What A Rush is beneficial for low-health or high-risk play styles, granting an AP boost in dire situations where extra actions could turn the tide.

8. Adrenaline Skill

• Buff Type: Skill
• Requirement: Scoundrel 1
• Description: Adrenaline grants +2 AP at the cost of -2 AP in the next turn. It does not exceed maximum AP.
• Incompatibility: None

Adrenaline is useful for characters needing a temporary AP boost for a decisive move, though it requires careful timing due to the subsequent AP penalty.

9. Haste Skill

• Buff Type: Skill
• Requirement: Pyrokinetic 1
• Description: Haste grants +1 AP and +2 meters of movement per AP spent for two turns, also healing slowed or crippled statuses.
• Incompatibility: None

Haste is valuable for nearly any character, providing extra movement and AP, making it a versatile choice in combat.

10. Flesh Sacrifice (Elves Only)

• Buff Type: Special Skill
• Requirement: Elf character
• Description: This skill grants +1 AP and a 10% damage boost, at the cost of a small health reduction. It cannot exceed maximum AP.
• Incompatibility: None

Exclusive to Elves, Flesh Sacrifice is a unique skill that combines an AP boost with extra damage, at the cost of health.

11. Time Warp (Fane Only)

• Buff Type: Special Skill
• Requirement: Fane character
• Description: Time Warp allows Fane to take an additional turn immediately, effectively doubling AP for a single turn. However, Fane will skip the next turn.
• Incompatibility: None

Fane’s Time Warp can dramatically turn the tide by allowing consecutive high-AP actions. It’s a tactical skill best reserved for critical moments.

12. Green Tea (Consumable)

• Buff Type: Consumable
• Requirement: Purchase from Lady Paulina Kemm in Act 4
• Description: Grants a permanent -1 AP cost to skills if consumed raw, or -2 AP cost if brewed before consumption.
• Incompatibility: None

Green Tea is a valuable consumable in the late game, allowing players to significantly reduce skill AP costs for a permanent AP economy boost.

13. White Tea (Consumable)

• Buff Type: Consumable
• Requirement: Purchase from Lady Paulina Kemm in Act 4
• Description: Grants +1 maximum AP when consumed raw or +2 maximum AP if brewed. Effects don’t stack with Green Tea.
• Incompatibility: Cannot stack with Green Tea on the same character.

White Tea provides a flexible maximum AP boost, which can be especially powerful for skill-intensive characters near the game’s end.

Strategic Tips for Maximizing AP Usage

• Plan Combos: Stack AP-boosting talents like Executioner with Lone Wolf for even greater effect.
• Manage Resources: Use consumables and special abilities at crucial moments rather than every encounter.
• Position Wisely: Talents like Elemental Affinity work best with tactical positioning on the battlefield.

FAQs

How can I get more Action Points (AP) in Divinity: Original Sin 2?

AP can be increased through various talents, skills, consumables, and Gift Bag features. Key talents like Lone Wolf, Executioner, and Glass Cannon are especially effective.

Can I use multiple AP-boosting talents together?

Some talents, such as Lone Wolf and Glass Cannon, cannot be used together, but others like Executioner can be combined with Lone Wolf for powerful effects.

Are Gift Bag features worth using despite disabling achievements?

For players who don’t mind disabling achievements, Gift Bag features like 8 AP provide a substantial advantage, making combat easier, especially on higher difficulties.

Do consumables like Green and White Tea stack?

Green and White Tea effects do not stack on the same character, so choose one based on your playstyle and character needs.