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Gothic II

by Sankis

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Original Thread: Let's beat people with sticks in Gothic 2.

 

Introduction



Gothic 2 is a PC only RPG first released in late 2002 by German developer Piranha Bytes. The expansion "Die Nacht Des Raben" (English: Night of the Raven) was released a year later, but only in Europe. It would remain exclusive to Europe for 3 long years. It wasn't until November 2005 when it was finally brought over to the US, appearing in the form of a Gothic 2 compilation pack called "Gothic 2 Gold".



















Gothic is a PC only RPG series that has been quite big in Europe, particularly Germany, but has only received small amounts of attention in the US. Gothic 2 was released only a year after the original Gothic and is the second of three Gothic games developed by Piranha Bytes. Like Gothic 1, Gothic 2 features a rich, detailed, 3D world full of unique characters that each have their own schedule.

During the day every NPC in the world will go about their business: A farmer will be tending his field, a merchant will peddle his wares, and mercenaries will practice drills. At night, they will retire to their homes or go enjoy themselves at the local tavern. While cool, these schedules are largely scripted and are not something they will deviate from on their own. Nevertheless, it adds to the game's atmosphere and adds a bit of realism to the world.

After Gothic 2, Piranha Bytes went on to make another game in the Gothic series before differences with the publisher, and owner of the Gothic property, caused them to separately. The series was wrapped up fairly well in the third game, though that has not stopped JoWood from continuing to make games in the series.

Risen is Piranha Byte's first game since Gothic 3 and is really quite good. It's very similar to the Gothic series in tone and setting and returns to the same sort of game play that made Gothic so great.

Throughout the game, there will be a few instances where I will seek the opinion of the readers to determine my next action. Some of these may drastically alter the way I need to play the game.


In Gothic 1, the Nameless Hero was sent to the penal colony of Khorinis, a valley sealed by a magic barrier. In his quest to escape, the Hero aligned himself with the New Camp, one of three factions of prisoners that resided in the Valley. Through his work, a conspiracy to awaken the Sleeper, a demon long trapped in a temple beneath the valley, was discovered. With the aid of the necromancer Xardas he set out to stop it

The Nameless Hero succeeded in his quest, preventing Cor Kalom and his cultists from awakening The Sleeper. Unfortunately, due to the force of the Sleeper's expulsion from the world the underground temple in which the demon was housed began to collapse in on itself. Our hero tried to escape but to no avail. He was pinned under rubble where he found himself unable to escape.

Gothic 2 takes place a mere two weeks after the events of Gothic 1's ending.



Gothic 2 has been in print for some time and is not difficult to obtain.

If the entire series is of interest to you, you can buy the Gothic Universe compilation that contains Gothic 1, Gothic 2, Gothic 2: Night of the Raven and Gothic 3

GOG has both Gothic 1 and Gothic 2 Gold available for digital distribution, both only $10 each. It also comes with a pdf manual and some other small goodies.

Valve's digital distribution powerhouse, Steam, also has Gothic 2 available for purchase.



I'm using Ironkeep's Community Patch, using the version that doesn't add any new features and instead just fixes bugs and rebalances certain aspects. More information can be found here.

I'm also playing through using the NOTR customizer. My current settings are were as followed:

-20 LP per level
-Everything else NOTR default

What does this mean? Instead of the normal 10 LP per level I will receive 20. I've done this for a few reasons.
For one, I wish to show off as much content as I can. In a normal game of Gothic 2 Gold you would need to forgo certain abilities in order to not gimp yourself later

Secondly, the game is ridiculously hard enough without the LP change and I think that minmaxing/powergaming in any form, especially single player games, is completely unfun. While this will make the game slightly easier, the game will be still plenty difficult. Not that I have to justify it . You jerks aren't going to be dying a million times and you won't see it anyway since this is an SSLP!

Since there is no current Gothic megathread in games, feel free to use this as one. Do not post any untagged spoilers for Gothic 2 or Gothic 3 in this thread.


Will be updated after Chapter 2/Night of the Raven.
Beliar

Beliar is the God of death, destruction, and generally all things evil in the world of Gothic. He is in an eternal struggle against his brother Innos. Beliar is worshiped by dark magicians and other humans with a thirst for power, or by those who simply fear his wrath.

Innos

Innos is the highest and most elder of the Gods. He created the world and everything on it. He is in an eternal war with his brother, Beliar, who opposes him. His worshipers include most humans. The Magicians of Fire and the Paladins are both orders dedicated to him.

Adanos
Adanos is brother to both Beliar and Innos. He is primarily concerned with the balance of the world, ensuring that neither Innos or Beliar are ever too powerful. The Magicians of Water count themselves among his worshipers

Diego

Diego is friend to our nameless hero and the first person who treated him with any sort of respect. Diego enjoys mining while shirtless and his turnoffs include ore barons.

Vatras

Vatras is the Water Mage presence in the city of Khorinis and the leader of the Ring of Water in the city.


Lares

Lares was the leader of the rogues in the New Camp back in the colony. Now, he acts as a liason to Khorinis for Onar's camp and is a member of the Ring of Water.

Lord Hagen

Lord Hagen resides in the upper quarter of Khorinis and is the commander of the paladins on the island.






Situated within the city of Khorinis, the Militia are under command of the Paladins who have assumed control of the island. The Miltiia is currently led by the paladin Lord Andre.



The thugs and lowlifes that make up the Mercenaries are largely escaped convicts from the valley of the mines. When the landowner Onar began his small rebellion he hired the services of the mercenaries. The Mercenaries are under the command of Lee, the former leader of the Valley's New Camp.



The Fire Magicians of Innos have long had a Monastery on the island of Khorinis. These chaste and virtuous peoples use their talents in ways that best serve their Lord.



- Large, purple flying insects. Their rapid stinger attacks can be quite dangerous against an unarmored target. When properly trained, one can remove their wings and stinger.

- Everyday wolves. Usually found in packs of two to four, these creatures will often gang up on single targets and tear them to shreds. When properly skinned they yield a fur, a cut of meat, and some teeth.

- Lurkers are large, gangly creatures that inhabit areas near bodies of water. While fairly slow, they possess sharp claws that can rip a lightly armored target to pieces. When trained, they yield meat, claws, and teeth.

- Meatbugs are small, defenceless insects that have been known to inhabit areas with food, such as warehouses or caves. When killed they yield a small serving of meatbug meat. It is best to not think about the taste.

- Orcs are the soldiers of Beliar's army. Large, brutal humanoids of immense strength, Orcs can easily kill two men for every single orc on the field. As a result, the King's armies have been decimated and are in full retreat. It is only advisable for highly, well armored individuals to attempt to combat an Orc. Aside from the mainstay Warrior, orcs have also been known to use magic, act as scouts, or wear heavy armors.
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