By Demaris Oxman
Updated
A soldier with a dark past looking for redemption, Ifan ben Mezd has the potential to be Divinity Original Sin 2's most powerful character.
The former Divine Order soldier turned mercenary, Ifan ben Mezd is one of the deepest characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2. Though at first glance he appears to be a stoic, deadly, brooding warrior, there's more to him than meets the eye, as he struggles internally with the sins of his past. Yet, there are moments of levity in his story as he bonds with the protagonist.
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Ifan, like every other Origin character in the game, can play any role the player pleases on the battlefield. However, given his innate talents as a Human, as well as his unique background, certain classes fit him better than others from both a gameplay and lore standpoint.
Updated September 16, 2021 by Demaris Oxman: Years after the game's release, Ifan's story of a dark past and his search for atonement continues to grip Divinity: Original Sin 2players. Many may be eager to take him on their journey and meet the man beneath the tough exterior — but considering the tactical side of this RPG, this means he'll need a role to play in battle. To help players build him into their team, this guide has been updated to highlight some key skills necessary to craft the best builds for Ifan ben Mezd.
7 Cleric: Light and Dark Magic Combine
Somewhat surprisingly, Ifan performs very well as a support character — though Clerics can certainly deal plenty of damage as well. As a human, Ifan has access to the Encourage skill, increasing his allies' Vitality, defenses, and resistances. Leaning into this angle, Ifan can provide all sort of party buffs.
Clerics use Hydrosophist skills to support the party. However, they also dabble in the dark arts with Necromancy, allowing them to heal by absorbing blood or raise summons in combat. This duality captures the two sides of Ifan's personality. He's protective of his friends and those he cares for, but the dark side of him is clear to see.
Key Stats For This Build
- As with many support builds, Constitution is key, ensuring Ifan stays alive to help keep his party members from dying.
- Intelligence and Strength are other important attributes, as they influence this class's ability to heal and damage.
- Hydrosophist and Necromancy are the two main combat skills for a Cleric.
6 Knight: A Soldier's Training Never Leaves Him
As a human, Ifan sports the Ingenious talent, giving him an extra 5% crit chance and 10% crit damage. With the devastating blows that Knights can dish out, this class is a great fit for Ifan. He's a strong choice for the party's primary offense, dealing damage through Warfare skills while other party members provide buffs, debuffs, and ranged attacks.
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Due to his time in serving the Divine Order, the class fits with Ifan's story as well. Though he's cast off his soldier's mantle, there's no doubt that some of his old training sticks with him. These skills will serve him well throughout the dangerous trials that the Godwoken face, allowing him to crush adversity where it stands.
Key Stats For This Build
- The Knight is built around Warfare, with an emphasis on Two-Handed weapons. These combat skills are the most important for this class.
- Considering the above point, it should be no surprise that Strength is this class's most important attribute.
- Constitution is the Knight's secondary attribute. Since they spend most of their time in the thick of the fight, high Vitality is important.
5 Rogue: Skulking In The Shadows
As a mercenary and assassin, a class that skulks in the shadows suits Ifan's background as well. Rogues automatically come equipped with the Guerilla talent, giving them extra damage to sneak attacks. Coupled with the Ingenious racial ability, this gives Ifan the potential to deal heavy blows with lightweight weapons.
Scoundrel skills are the Rogue's bread and butter, once again catering to Ifan's darker characteristics. They can leap about the battlefield quietly, slit throats from behind, and apply deadly status effects to foes. This class is ruthless, just as the Lone Wolf is.
Key Stats For This Build
- As mentioned above, Scoundrel is the most important combat skill for this class.
- Most Rogues wield daggers, as Scoundrel skills tend to rely on them. These weapons scale with Finesse. As Ifan will probably have a dagger in each hand, Dual-Wielding can be useful as well.
- Because of the Guerilla talent's potential, Sneak is the most important Civil Ability for any Rogue.
4 Shadowblade: A Class Fit For An Assassin
Like Rogues, Shadowblades start with the Guerilla talent, increasing the potency of their backstabs. They possess all the same Scoundrel prowess and stealth opportunities as the previous class; however, they have a few extra tricks up their sleeve as well.
By using this class's Polymorph skills, Ifan can do even more to blend into the background or cripple enemies. Magical trickery seems to suit Ifan's dark sense of humor — he's the type who'd likely enjoy turning a Magister into a chicken. Coupled with the same backstabbing damage he can deal as a Rogue, this class turns him into a deadly shadow.
Key Stats For This Build
- Scoundrel and Polymorph are this class's main combat skills.
- Like any Scoundrel-focused character, Finesse is a Shadowblade's most important attribute, followed by Intelligence for this class's magical skills.
- As with Rogues, the Guerilla talent encourages Sneak as Ifan's primary Civil Ability in this role.
3 Conjurer: Maximize Ifan's Soul Wolf
Ifan's innate Source skill is Summon Soul Wolf, manifesting his loyal canine companion. As the wolf's stats scale with Ifan's Summoning skill, it makes sense for players to pour points into this stat. As they do so, Ifan can take advantage of this learning other Summoning skills.
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With Conjure Incarnate, Elemental Totem, and his own unique skill, Ifan can easily ensure that the party is never outnumbered in battle. With enough points in Summoning, these constructs and astral projections can become nearly as strong as the main characters themselves, giving enemies more to contend with.
Key Stats For This Build
- The Summoning skill determines the armor and Vitality stats of all conjured creatures, making it the most important for this class. Additionally, Pyromancer, Geomancer, and Polymorph have skills that allow Ifan to summon creatures as well; invest a few points in each of these.
- Because summons only last as long as their caster stays alive, Constitutionensures that Ifan's conjured creatures stick around as long as possible.
- Conjurers typically use Intelligence-based weapons, making this attribute useful as well.
2 Wayfarer: A Survivalist's Dream
Ifan's default class works well for a reason. The Huntsman skill is extremely powerful in the hands of any character, but a mercenary like Ifan can take it to the next level. His line of work means he's well accustomed to scouting from rooftops, ready to take out foes with well-placed arrows.
As someone who grew up in the towering trees of elven forests, the Wayfarer's affinity for nature suits Ifan's upbringing. With this class's Geomancer skills at his disposal, the Lone Wolf can demonstrate his knowledge of the earth and the elements as he fights foes.
Key Stats For This Build
- As mentioned above, Huntsman and Geomancer are the combat skills that define this class.
- Wayfarers primarily use bows and crossbows; thus, the Finesse attribute and the Ranged combat skill help increase DPS.
- The Geomancer skill scales with Intelligence, another essential attribute for this class.
1 Ranger: Damage Rains From Above
Like the Wayfarer, the Ranger makes good use of the Huntsman skill, but places even more emphasis on its importance in battle. With points poured into Huntsman, players can nearly double the damage they do when targeting enemies on lower ground. As a man who's clearly comfortable with a bow in hand, this skill set fits Ifan to a tee.
Furthermore, Rangers also make use of the buffs that can be found in the Pyrokinetic skill tree. This features support skills such as Peace of Mind and Haste, which help players deal even more damage. These skills give Ifan the chance to unleash his fiery fury in battle.
Key Stats For This Build
- Huntsman and Ranged are this class's most vital combat skills, allowing Ifan's bow to become a weapon of instant destruction.
- Invest a few points in Pyrokinetic to make use of support skills.
- Bows and crossbows scale with Finesse, making this the most important attribute stat for Rangers.
- Intelligence boosts Pyrokinetic, ensuring even better buffs.
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