Gothic 1 Remake Chapter 1 Guide: Key Locations From the Nameless Hero
Chapter 1 of Gothic 1 Remake’s main quests kicks off the moment you get control of the Nameless Hero. You begin near the colony’s staging area, then you can work your way down the hill toward Old Camp. From there, you’re free to decide how you want to approach the next steps, but the game strongly nudges you to stick close to Diego and follow him into Old Camp.
Chapter 1 includes several quests, and you can only finish the chapter by aligning yourself with one of the colony’s three groups: the Old Camp, the New Camp, or the Swamp Camp.
To help you jump straight to the right help, the chapter objectives are organized so you can jump to the section you need—otherwise you can keep reading for the full walkthrough.
- First Steps
- Travel Towards Old Camp
- Combat Basics
- How to Fight Juvenile Scavengers
- Onward to Old Camp
- Join a Camp
- Which Camp Should You Choose?
- Combat Basics
- How to Fight Juvenile Scavengers
- Onward to Old Camp
- Which Camp Should You Choose?
First Steps
Right from the opening cutscene, your nameless character is tasked with delivering a letter to the fire mages. After that, you’re pushed into the massive dome that surrounds the colony.
Once you’re out, Diego meets you—he’s the one looking after the newly arrived convicts. You should still be cautious about who you talk to in Gothic 1 Remake, but Diego isn’t a threat. As he tells you directly, he really is there to help you. You can chat with him to learn about the local camps, what it would take to join his group, and you can even ask where to find a weapon nearby.
No matter what you decide in the conversation, Diego will eventually give you some notes before heading back at a slow pace through the mining valley toward Old Camp.
Those notes function as the game’s tutorial materials. This is a newer feature in Gothic 1 Remake: the experience keeps its hands-off spirit, but it also adds an optional tutorial layer you can open from the in-game Glossary menu.
You’ll find basic instructions for movement and interaction, plus deeper explanations covering how leveling up works, how skills are learned, and how magic is taught.
- On PlayStation, press the Touchpad.
- On Xbox, press the View button.
- On PC, press G.
Be sure to browse through the different tutorial categories as well. You begin in the General tab, but there are many more tutorials after the initial set of roughly ten.
Travel Towards Old Camp
After you finish talking with Diego, he heads back to Old Camp. You can walk alongside him—slowly—both to hear more conversation and to get protection from creatures that might get in your way. That said, you’re not forced to follow him; once the dialog is done, you can do what you want.
To keep the story moving, you do need to reach Old Camp. You can follow Diego, or if he leaves while you’re not watching and you need directions, head down the path to the right—away from the water you started beside.
Go through the open gate and keep following the main path. You’ll have plenty of inventory space early on, so it’s worth collecting everything you find. You can also stomp on and harvest Meatbugs when you spot them, but keep the meat they drop—there may be use for it later in a side quest. When you see a small hut carved into the left wall, look for a chest pressed against the stone. Loot it for free equipment such as a torch, a lockpick, and some currency.
Nearby you’ll spot a mineshaft, and the route splits. Since you’re still starting out with nothing in hand, you’ll want to secure a weapon quickly. Just inside the nearby mineshaft sits a pickaxe placed on the ground, right in the middle of the minecart tracks. From there, return to the path and take the fork that drops under the bridge to continue toward Old Camp.
The Importance of Saving
You’re about to meet your first enemies, so make sure you save your game. Gothic 1 Remake does autosave, but it triggers rather rarely, so it’s important that you get into the habit of saving any time you think a fight is about to happen—especially before you engage something that can punish mistakes. Nothing is worse than losing progress and having to redo fights just to get back to where you were.
You can manually save from the pause menu. If you’re playing on Keyboard and Mouse, you can also quicksave with the F5 key.
If you’re using a controller, you can quicksave by holding L1/LB and then pressing the Pause button at the same time.
As you go down the hill, the area opens up and you’ll find Juvenile Scavenger creatures nearby. You only need to deal with the one standing on the path—leave the others alone. If Diego is with you, you can wait for him to handle the creature. If you’re traveling solo, or if you want to join the fight yourself, you’ll need to learn the combat system first. If you skipped the tutorial page, you’ll be forced to experiment blindly, so it’s worth walking through the basics now.
Combat Basics
Equipping a weapon—whether that’s your fists or a pickaxe—changes how you interact with the world. Use the D-pad on controller (or the number keys on keyboard) to select your weapon. On controller, your face buttons map to different attack actions. Pressing Square/X or Circle/B makes your character attack horizontally, while pressing Triangle/Y or X/A triggers a more vertical style of strike. On mouse and keyboard, your left and right mouse clicks are horizontal attacks, and the Q and E keys handle your vertical attacks.
These Scavengers hit hard, so you’ll want more than just attacking. Dodge and block are just as important. Dodging can cancel parts of attack animations, so it’s a good idea to use it when you see an enemy winding up. On controller, press R1/Right Bumper to dodge, or use Left Alt on keyboard. Blocking works by holding R2/Right Trigger on controller, or Left Control on keyboard, which reduces damage when you’re hit. You can also lock the camera onto nearby enemies by pressing in on the Right Stick with a controller, or by pressing Tab on keyboard.
How to Fight Juvenile Scavengers
Your attack animations are slow at this point, especially while using a pickaxe. To defeat a Juvenile Scavenger, create some distance, wait for it to commit to an attack, then try to land a single strike of your own.
You’ll know its attack is coming when it gets close enough that it stops chasing you. Watch for the moment it stands taller, because the next attack covers a lot of space and is likely to connect. Dodging sideways is one of the most reliable ways to avoid that specific move.
The pickaxe is the easiest weapon to use early, but it’s also very slow. When you swing, commit to a single hit—don’t go for a second follow-up right away. The Scavenger can strike faster than you, so multiple swings are a reliable way to get clipped and take significant damage. Take one swing, then back up (or even dodge) to widen the gap again.
The good news is that these “overgrown chickens” don’t have a lot of health. At level 1, your character is basically evenly matched. If you manage to land a hit and then back away without getting struck, you can repeat the same routine until it goes down. After hitting it two or three times with a pickaxe, it should be defeated. When you’re done fighting, you can stow your weapon by holding down the lock-on button while out of combat.
With Juvenile Scavengers handled, don’t forget to grab the Old Sword located under the hanged man near the big tree on your way down the hill from where the game starts. This sword is far stronger than the pickaxe.
Onward to Old Camp
From here, keep following the hill path and you’ll see Old Camp far in the distance. At the bottom, you’ll pass some people from New Camp. You can talk to them and get hunting guidance or tips about the nearby area. Ignore the path branching off to the right where the New Campers are, and keep walking forward toward Old Camp.
Eventually you’ll reach an intersection with a signpost pointing left and right. Take the left path and cross the stone bridge.
When you arrive at the gates, you’ll have to stop and speak with the Gate Guard. To enter, you need to convince him to let you in. If you talked with Diego earlier, you can tell the guard that Diego is expecting you. If you didn’t speak to Diego, you can say you can’t afford the 10 Nuggets he’s requesting, and he’ll still allow you to pass.
Join a Camp
Once you’re through that first gate, Old Camp has plenty to do. But to move forward with the main story, you must join one of the three camps. That means completing one of the Admission quests tied to each group.
- Old Camp Allegiance
- 1000 Experience Points
- Shadow’s Dress Armor
- New Camp Allegiance
- 1500 Experience Points
- Bandit’s Dress Armor
- Swamp Camp Allegiance
- 750 Experience Points
- Novice’s Armor
Each admission option is an involved multi-step process. You’ll need to complete multiple smaller tasks to impress the leaders of the camp you’re trying to join.
Finishing one of these quests blocks you from completing the others. There’s no instant route either—each quest takes time, and you’ll usually have to interact with more than one camp no matter which faction you choose. Use the game’s opening hours to get a sense of which group you like most, or which one you want to support, then commit and head toward that camp.
- How to Travel to New Camp
- How to Travel to Swamp Camp
Early on, deciding which camp to join can be confusing. Joining any camp grants you a piece of armor that can be upgraded later. Also, regardless of the camp, there are both magicians and soldiers available to train you. That means you can generally pursue whichever fighter style you want even if your allegiance is different from your preferred build.
To clarify what each camp stands for, here’s a quick overview of their identity and goals.
- Old Camp: Old Camp was the first major settlement established inside the dome. It’s home to Diggers, Shadows, Warders, and Fire Mages. Their wealth comes largely from the nearby mine and their control over ore resources. Their aim is to set up and maintain control over the colony.
- New Camp: Frustrated with the way things are handled in Old Camp, the New Campers founded a new settlement to the west of Old Camp. Their base houses Rice Farmers, Bandits, Mercenaries, and Water Mages. Their central desire is freedom from Old Camp’s rules—and, ultimately, freedom from the magical dome imprisonment that binds everyone inside.
- Swamp Camp: Not long after the colony was formed, colonists uncovered Swampweed, and around that time stories about The Sleeper began spreading. Soon enough, a whole religion formed, The Brotherhood of the Sleeper, and they established their base in the swamp to the east. In Swamp Camp you’ll encounter Novices, Gurus (called “Baals”), and Templars. They believe The Sleeper will awaken soon and guide them to salvation.
After you join any one of the three camps, Chapter 1 is done, and Chapter 2: The Minecrawlers’ Nest begins.
Up Next: Chapter 2: The Minecrawlers’ Nest Walkthrough
Top Guide Sections
- 16 Things to Do First in Gothic 1 Remake
- Walkthrough
- Quests
- How to Travel to New Camp
