New Divinity Original Sin 2 Players Are Relearning The Hard Way How The Chicken Quest Goes Wrong

Divinity Original Sin 2 chicken quest stories are circulating again as a fresh wave of players runs into one of Larian Studios’ most notorious early-game traps. Interest in Larian’s older RPGs has spiked following a recent trailer tied to the studio’s future projects, sending newcomers back into Rivellon and straight into situations veterans remember all too well. Few of those moments land as sharply as the quest known as Counting Your Chickens.

The quest appears early in Act 2, positioned along a main road and framed as a simple recovery task. With the Pet Pal talent active, players can speak to Big Marge, a distressed chicken whose brood has been scattered by Voidwoken creatures. She asks the player to track the missing chicks along the nearby river. The setup suggests routine combat and a clean resolution. The reality is different.

Following the trail north leads to a skirmish with Voidwoken enemies guarding the remains of the brood. Only a single egg survives. Returning that egg to Big Marge appears to close the quest, at least on the surface. The game allows the player to leave, reward collected, consequences unseen. Those who linger discover what makes the Divinity Original Sin 2 chicken quest infamous.

The egg hatches into a Voidling named Peeper. By the time the player returns, Peeper has slaughtered the remaining chickens. Casting Spirit Vision reveals Big Marge’s ghost, who does not react with anger. Instead, she asks the player to escort Peeper to his father. This is the point where the quest pivots from dark humor into open hostility.

Peeper’s father demands that the player kill the creature on the spot. Refusing the order immediately triggers combat. In the Definitive Edition of the game, nearby elves are drawn into the fight as well, escalating the encounter into a full-scale ambush. Peeper transforms from a small Voidwoken chick into a lethal enemy, supported by multiple allies. For unprepared parties, the fight can be unwinnable.

One recent player described the experience after encountering the quest for the first time through a community post that has since gained attention.

"DON'T KILL MY BABY"

"I feel like Jerry out of Rick and Morty or something," said u/Knoah1996. "I found myself in the baby Voidwoken chicken's corner and was like, 'Maybe we shouldn't kill it?' It was kinda cute and I thought the magic fu**ing bird could maybe cure it or something. No."

"Next thing I know all the elves, five fuing Voidwoken chicken and the baby that was just a chicken and is now a giant Voidwoken monster are all fighting me. My magic and physical armour were destroyed and my life was at 50 percent before I could even make a turn. Now my only options are to thug this out somehow which is likely impossible or go back to my recent save which was like two quests ago! Fuing Larian lmao" — u/Knoah1996

That reaction mirrors how the quest was received when Divinity Original Sin 2 first launched in 2017. At the time, players shared similar stories of lost progress, unexpected difficulty spikes, and hard lessons about saving frequently. The quest became a shorthand example of Larian’s design philosophy: humor paired with consequences, and kindness often punished as severely as cruelty.

Some elements of the encounter have changed since release. The presence of the elves during the confrontation was added later as part of new content introduced in the Definitive Edition. Even without them, the fight has always been capable of overwhelming low-level parties that stumble into it undergeared or without a recent save.

The renewed circulation of these stories coincides with a measurable return of attention to Larian’s earlier catalog. Players drawn in by recent announcements are discovering that Divinity Original Sin 2 still operates on its own terms. The systems reward caution, preparation, and skepticism toward quests that appear harmless. The chicken quest delivers that lesson faster than most.

Veterans have largely stopped warning newcomers. Part of the appeal lies in watching the discovery repeat itself, unchanged by time. The setup still works. The punchline still lands. The consequences remain severe.

Read also, old Divinity games have seen a rebound on Steam following Larian Studios’ announcement of a new Divinity role-playing game at The Game Awards 2025, with multiple titles recording increased concurrent player counts as attention returns to the studio’s earlier worlds and systems.