I understand that LoX will appear on GOG some day. I wouldn't mind buying the beta right now, but don't want to be locked in with Steam - it's ok for now, but I would like to switch to the GOG version once it becomes available.
Does anybody know if this is possible without re-buying from GOG later? Is there a direct download version available right now?

It looks interesting. Thank you for showing this to me. You can always just add the game to the wishlist and advertise it around and see how many folks are interested in it.

It's not on beta right now, it was full relesed on Steam and no, you can't switch plataforms.

As far as I know the game is only available through Steam at the moment (it's sold in some shops, but it's always a Steam key). Developers will start selling a DRM-free version once the game is more or less bug free and doesn't nedd constant patching any longer.

This mechanic is why Betrayal at Krondor is such a shite game.

That's a deal breaker for me as well. If the story is bare bones and the game is 80% combat I'll pass on this one. I'd rather save my money for the next Divinity.

I'm a backer, but I don't want a Steam version, I definitely hope it'll come to GOG and the backers will be able to redeem it on GOG. But I'm not in a hurry, I can wait until January if needed.

I've played it on steam for like 20 hours, I personally like it but yes its mostly focused on combats, no party banters etc... yet I find the story interesting even if its quite simple and bare-bone, at least it has the merit to be something I haven't seen a lot in heroic fantasy. Also its a difficult game, not for the people lacking patience and unwilling to die and retry a lot in the beginning until they manage to learn the game. However I never had the impression the game was unfair, I wasn't just doing the right things or wasn't prepared enough.

Regarding the mandatory grinding, I'd say its alright each combat helps you to refine your strategy and feels like you are actually progressing, the exploration side of the game quite compensate for your trouble. Also its not an open world game, regions are difficulty locked, with powerful guards baring your way.

For the positives, the combat is quite tactical and interesting, definitely more refined than what you'll find in Legend of Grimmrock, the exploration side is also well made and sometimes asks you to figure out you simply cannot rush forward and kill everything to succeed. Its not a power fantasy like bioware games, its a finely crafted game that asks you to think a bit and doesn't treat you like an imbecile, its frustrating, sometimes very slow but extremely rewarding, its old school.

It's not that simple. I don't know if next Divinity means D:OS, if it does, I would also advise it more than LoX.

But even if it's right that LoX is too many combats there's many tempering elements:
- Apart late in game, it's combats that are quite faster than combats in games as D:OS.
- There isn't only story and combats in RPG. Modern RPG tend have reduced RPG to that, but RPG is also exploration and adventure management. And for exploration it's this year probably the best RPG released. The density of gameplay elements is a bit light and obvisouly because they targeted a huge RPG. But there's still few but excellent progression trick, there's overall a good exploration with various elements as some secrets or spotting stuff, there's a light but regular spreading of events or lore or mood stuff along exploring. The layout of areas are well designed. Overall despite an excessive spreading of the nice exploration gameplay elements, and despite it's far to have the ton of tricks and puzzles to solve or stuff to find that D:OS has, it's still better than D:OS on that matter without to mention that adventure in a whole continent is a pleasure by itself.
- There's an adventure management not at level of Eschalon Book series, and for far, but still better than most modern RPG.
- Both Lox and D:OS tuned the hand guiding by focusing its minimizing as much than possible, LoX tuned it better than D:OS.

So yeah LoX has weaknesses including too many combats, but it has also qualities that are difficult to find in modern RPG, even more in turn based RPG, and even more at this production level.

So it's a strong recommendation to nostalgic of old school gameplay, even more than D:OS on this point of view. But I suppose they all already own the game.

EDIT: A better comparison point is Might & Magic X. MMX has better and deeper combats, it isn't that short and it's more players expected something at size of a MM3. But Lox has just another amplitude level and eventually it is closing the size of games as MM3, perhaps not fully, but not far. Also many points are better in LoX, exploration is better, it has quite better tricks, adventure management is a bit better, outdoor is better. MMX is better for combats, seems for dungeons too but its close, for classes and party building it is a bit better but again it's close, for pure quests design both don't shine but MMX is a bit better.

Which roles do you recommend?
I started with Barb, Mage, Thief, Soldier and Paladin, but I'm curious about the others.

I was interested in this too, but apparently there is a LOT of combat and it's supposed to be pretty hardcore.

Is it true that the game is mostly (80%) combat?

I love this game.

You can't do everything right off the bat, which I appreciate. (Damn puking mushrooms!)

I wish the overall isometric movement was a little smoother, and sometimes the walking seems a bit too slow, so it's nice to toggle run.

I love the combat. Every time, I find myself saying "Alright, you bastards, let's see what happens!" And if you're in over your head, you'll know it pretty quickly.

I haven't even gotten off the first map yet but enjoying the hell out of it.

EndreWhiteMane
No I don't think that's right,even as I haven't got thru the game as yet,the parts that I have I found a lot of puzzles to solve.Once you clean out a section eg:kill all baddies you get a bonus score and then you can travel thru it again safely.Hope this helps...