Fane is arguably one of the most interesting characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2. He’s the only undead option among the origin characters, and has a deep connection to the story and the lore of the world. As a result, having him on the player’s team makes for a more engaging experience.
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Fane also has some interesting quirks and abilities that make him a unique fighter. These can be combined with a number of interesting builds that really expand upon his talents and make him a strong character. Here are some of the better builds players should try out on Fane.
Updated October 24, 2021 by Demaris Oxman: For those first starting Divinity: Original Sin 2, it's essential to travel with Fane in the party. Though somewhat lacking in the social graces, his story and the doings of his past had a great impact on the game's world, and taking him along leads to vital story revelations.
In the meantime, though, he still has a role to play in combat. Like any character, players can choose any role they like for Fane, but some fit him better than others. To help the Godwoken fight their way through Voidwoken and Magisters alike, this guide has been updated to include more detail on the skills and equipment necessary for the best Fane builds.
10 Ranger/Conjurer
It’s initially a bit of a stretch for Fane to play as a Ranger build, as he's more geared towards magic. Over time, though, he can grow into the role of a long-range damage dealer. The key is to combine Fane’s Summoning ability with Ranger skills. This way, he has a few minions to keep enemies busy while he deals damage from afar.
Fane's special talent, Play Dead, also helps. The Ranger is often a glass cannon build, and Fane can use this talent to fake death whenever an enemy is too close. It helps if he has a pool of poison to lie in as he plays dead, as the healing he takes from poison doesn’t disrupt the special skill.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Finesse and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Huntsman, Summoning
- Weapons: Ranged (bows and crossbows)
- Civil Ability: Loremaster or Lucky Charm
- Best Talents: Elemental Ranger, Arrow Recovery
9 Wayfarer
Wayfarer is similar to the Ranger class, but adds some helpful Geomancer skills to the mix that benefit Fane tremendously. With moves like Contamination and Poison Dart, he can create pools of poison to receive healing passively while damaging enemies who get too close. This way, he becomes more flexible in battle.
While the Wayfarer can survive close encounters a little better than the Ranger, they still benefit from Fane’s Play Dead. The same tactic of lying in a pool of poison helps tremendously.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Finesse and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Huntsman, Geomancer
- Weapons: Ranged (bows and crossbows)
- Civil Ability: Lucky Charm
- Best Talents: Elemental Ranger, Far Out Man
8 Rogue
Rogue is an interesting choice for Fane considering the benefits both in and out of combat. Rogues gain a number of mobility and stealth options, which compliment a poison build. Poison is strongly encouraged due to Fane’s undead skills, which allows poison to heal him.
Outside of combat, Fane is a handy rogue thanks to his fingers. Fane has the ability to use his bony fingers as unlimited lockpicks. This makes thieving easier and more profitable, as lockpicking is now free.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Finesse and Wits
- Combat Focus: Scoundrel, Geomancer (with a focus on poison skills)
- Weapons: Dual-wielded daggers
- Civil Ability: Thievery
- Best Talents: Guerilla, Parry Master
7 Geo Fighter
This build has Fane step into the traditional Fighter class, while heavily leaning on Geomancer skills. Fane fights on the frontlines with a two-handed weapon and heavy armor. While in the middle of the action, he can summon a variety of poison-based spells to harm foes and heal himself in combat.
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Everything from Poison Darts to Poison Wave can turn the battlefield into a toxic cloud. Fane also benefits from having an Artillery Plant bombarding his enemies and providing the occasional poison cloud.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Strength and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Warfare, Geomancer
- Weapons: Two-handed swords, maces, or axes (Strength-based two-handed weapons)
- Civil Ability: Bartering
- Best Talents: Executioner, Opportunist, Elemental Affinity
6 Shadowblade
Utilizing Fane as a Shadowblade is very effective, as an undead Shadowblade benefits from critical based combat and terrifying DPS potential. The Polymorph branch not only benefits Fane in battle with things like Skin Graft and Apotheosis, but fits the lore of a character who is looking to blend in through shapeshifting.
Like the Rogue, a Shadowblade benefits from Fane’s infinite lockpicking fingers. Fane can stealthily infiltrate enemy camps and slit a few throats without cost, before anyone knows he’s even there.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Finesse and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Scoundrel, Polymorph
- Weapons: Dual-wielded daggers
- Civil Ability: Sneaking
- Best Talents: Guerilla, Escapist, The Pawn
5 Cleric
Cleric may seem like a strange choice for the undead Fane, but there’s a surprising amount of synergy here. The attribute focuses of the class increase his Vitality and give Fane a lot of staying power on the front lines. He can also tap into Necromancer skills for thematically terrifying spells, appropriate for an undead creature like himself
The real potential, however, lies with Hydrosophist skills. With these, Fane can keep allies alive with powerful heals. He can also use them to lay waste to undead foes — however, this means Fane must be careful not to use spells like Mass Cleanse Wounds, which will negatively affect him along with his enemies.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Constitution and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Hydrosophist, Necromancer
- Weapons: Though not the default for the Cleric class, staves work best with this build for Fane.
- Civil Ability: Bartering
- Best Talents: Leech, Morning Person, Far Out Man
4 Pyroclastic Mage
The Lone Mage is a bit of a cheese Mage build that is powerful for most encounters but can get boring very quickly. The idea behind this is to utilize a combination of mage skills in conjunction with with Fane’s Time Warp ability.
To use this effectively, players should trigger Apotheosis, Adrenaline, Peace of Mind, Time Warp, and Pyroclastic Eruption. The first turn lowers the AP cost of moves to nearly nothing, raises various stats, and blasts the enemy with a powerful attack, before Time Warp immediately grants Fane a second turn. On this bonus turn, Skin Graft, Adrenaline, and another Pyroclastic Eruption can finish most foes off without them ever getting a chance to attack.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Intelligence and Wits
- Combat Focus: Pyromancer, Geomancer, Polymorph
- Weapons: Dual-wielded wands
- Civil Ability: Loremaster
- Best Talents: Glass Cannon, Far Out Man, Mnemonic
3 Witch
Witch is a nice build for Fane, due to the combination of Rogue-like abilities and Necromancer skills. As with the Rogue and Shadowblade builds, Fane can sneak into areas with his finger lockpicks and gains helpful evasion skills. He can fight up close with melee, or at range with spells, making this a flexible class perfect for a variety of scenarios.
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The magical side of this build taps into powers that both heal Fane and harm enemies. Necromancer is a versatile tree, full of both healing spells and debilitiating attacks. Coupled with Scoundrel's mobility, this makes for an adaptable build that lets Fane pick up the team’s slack and makes him self-sufficient at the same time.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Finesse and Intelligence
- Combat Focus: Scoundrel, Necromancer
- Weapons: Dual-wielded daggers or wands
- Civil Ability: Sneaking
- Best Talents: Leech, Torturer, The Pawn
2 Inquisitor
Inquisitor seems to be a class type that Fane was built for. With large two-handed weapons, he can be in the midst of battle brutalizing opponents. Necromancer and Warfare skills combine nicely to eliminate enemies as quickly as possible.
Through the Necromancer tree, Fane also gains some helpful support moves like Infect, which can decrease the enemy's damage when attacking him and his allies. Living on the Edge can also make Fane momentarily invincible, giving him time to chug a few poisonous vials or have an ally drop a poison pool at his feet. This helps increase his survivability as he wreaks havoc on the front lines.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Strength and Constitution
- Combat Focus: Warfare, Necromancer
- Weapons: Two-handed swords, maces, and axes (Strength-based two-handed weapons)
- Civil Ability: Telekinesis
- Best Talents: Opportunist, Picture of Health, Executioner
1 Default Wizard
It could be argued that Fane’s default class is perhaps his strongest. As a Wizard, he specializes in a variety of elemental spells. This makes him a master manipulator of the battlefield as he can incinerate enemies, heal himself, and cause all manner of chaos.
The key is to lean on any and all skills that create and distribute poison and slow effects. Enemies will be bogged down in an agonizing soup of poison clouds and pools while Fane receives a near-constant heal effect. Fane can then mire foes down with sticky pools of oil from Geomancer attacks, and incinerate foes in fiery explosions by igniting those surfaces.
Build Elements
- Key Attributes: Intelligence and Constitution
- Combat Focus: Pyromancer, Geomancer
- Weapons: Dual-wielded wands
- Civil Ability: Loremaster
- Best Talents: Far Out Man, Savage Sortilege, Elemental Affinity
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