Gothic 1 Remake Guide: Old, New & Swamp Camp Start Dates

Gothic 1 Remake kicks off with three big Brotherhood entry points you can commit to: the Old Camp, the New Camp, and the Swamp Camp. Each faction isn’t just a quick conversation either—you’ll work through a chain of smaller tasks nested inside a bigger “container” quest.

For players aiming at the Swamp Camp, the main container quest is Admission to the Swamp Camp. This is the one that tracks your progress toward joining the New Camp’s ranks, and it also sets up the bigger goal: earning trust from key Swamp Camp leaders (the Baals) so you can earn a recommendation from Cor Kalom.

If you’re looking for a specific objective, use the quest checklist below to jump to the part you need.

How to Start Admission to the Swamp Camp
Optional – Get Information from Joru
Impress At Least Four Baals
- How to Impress Baal Namib
- How to Impress Baal Orun
- How to Impress Baal Cadar
- How to Impress Baal Tyon
- How to Impress Baal Tondral
Report Back to Cor Kalom

How to Impress Baal Namib
How to Impress Baal Orun
How to Impress Baal Cadar
How to Impress Baal Tyon
How to Impress Baal Tondral

How to Start Admission to the Swamp Camp

You can begin Admission to the Swamp Camp in a few different ways, and it’s even possible to make progress toward its goals before you officially activate it. Still, these are the practical entry points for starting the quest.

When you first arrive at Swamp Camp, you’ll spot two men talking near the front gate. One of them is Baal Namib, and the other is Lester.

The Baals serve as the Brotherhood’s gurus, and they don’t talk to outsiders. That makes this segment a little annoying—good news is that Lester will speak to you.

If you ask Lester about joining the camp, he’ll point you toward your first move: talk to Cor Kalom in his laboratory. Cor Kalom is the person who determines who becomes a novice, and that conversation kicks off the quest.

For direction, you can either ask Lester to guide you directly to Cor Kalom or follow the camp’s potion-container signs to find the lab.

In-game objective – “I should meet Cor Kalom.”

Once you reach the laboratory, you’ll need to climb the spiral ramp wrapped around the tree to get to the top. Cor Kalom is inside the nearby hut.

When you bring up novice status, Cor Kalom’s response is simple: you must earn the approval of multiple Baals around camp. Specifically, you need to impress at least four of them.

Optional – Get Information from Joru

If you want extra insight into how to impress the camp’s gurus, you can speak with Joru. He’s an accomplished novice you can find near the stone temple, chatting with other novices.

In-game objective – “I could get information from Joru.”

Joru will offer to help, but only after you do him a favor.

His request is to visit Fortuno, who runs a stall under Cor Kalom’s lab. Fortuno distributes a daily allowance of Swampweed to everyone in the camp.

Get your daily Swampweed allowance, then hand it to Joru. In return, he’ll provide advice and grant 50 Experience Points. If you’d rather read the advice directly and keep the Swampweed, you can do that too—but you’ll lose the Experience reward.

Joru’s tips focus on helping with Baal Namib and Baal Cadar.

For Baal Cadar, the key is magic: if you knock one of the novices he’s teaching to sleep, Cadar will be impressed and will vouch for you.

Joru also notes that Lester should be able to assist with Baal Namib.

Impress At Least Four Baals

In-game objective – “I gotta win over four of the gurus.”

Swamp Camp has five Baals you can earn approval from, but you only need four to move the quest forward with Cor Kalom. Below are the objectives you can complete to win each Baal’s support.

Use the sections that follow to handle whichever Baals you still need.

How to Impress Baal Namib

In-game objective – “I gotta get Baal Namib’s support.”

To impress Baal Namib, start by talking to Lester at the front of Swamp Camp. Lester can move you around depending on where you want to go, but for this task you need him alone—so ask him to take you somewhere, anywhere.

When you arrive at the location, talk to him again and request advice on how to gain Namib’s favor. Lester will immediately hand you a “perfect” strategy: publicly denounce the old gods in Namib’s presence.

After a short wait, Lester returns to Namib. Approach them, and Lester will begin a conversation with you—admittedly delivered awkwardly—giving you the chance to denounce the old gods VERY DRAMATICALLY.

Choose the all-caps dialogue option and let the exchange play out. After the conversation ends, Namib should start talking to you right away. Follow through with the dialogue until Namib tells you he will vouch for you with Cor Kalom.

Finishing this objective awards 200 Experience Points.

How to Impress Baal Orun

In-game objective – “I gotta get Baal Orun’s support.”

To impress Baal Orun, you must complete both Ghorim’s Replacement and Swampweed Harvest. This guide walks you through how to start both quests.

Start by following the camp signs to the image of a tree beside a mortar and pestle. That’s your destination: a Swampweed mashing station.

The station is staffed by a few novices and overseen by Baal Orun, who—predictably—doesn’t want to talk to you.

Speak to Ghorim, the only named novice who’s actively mashing. He’ll complain that he’s desperate for a break, but the person meant to relieve him never showed up. He asks you to locate Harlok and force him to take over.

This begins Ghorim’s Replacement, which is short. Here are the objectives you’ll follow.

In-game objective – “I should convince Harlok to relieve Ghorim.”

Harlok, the replacement target, can be found beneath Cor Kalom’s lab near Fortuno. He seems to just be hanging around and enjoying himself.

When you talk to him, use a firm approach: he needs to replace Ghorim or things will turn violent. Shockingly, he chooses violence.

He’ll fight you unarmed with fists, but if you have a solid melee weapon, you can likely end this quickly. Keep your movement tight, dodge his hits, and land your strikes right after he whiffs.

Harlok is one of the weaker enemies in the entire game. If he does beat you, come back later at a higher level or with stronger gear. The text here notes he didn’t last long against a +20 damage sword.

Once you defeat him, let him get back up, then speak to him again. That should trigger him to start walking over to Ghorim and complete his part of the job. If you’re unsure how to return, you can follow him.

In-game objective – “I should let Ghorim know.”

Back at the Swampweed mashing station, you’ll find Ghorim standing off to the side, finally able to enjoy his downtime. Talk to him and he’ll thank you.

The quest completes and gives 300 Experience Points. More importantly, it gets you Baal Orun’s attention.

When you stand near Orun afterward, he’ll start a conversation that reveals he saw what you did for Ghorim—but he wants to see you prove yourself before he vouches for you. That triggers the next quest: Swampweed Harvest.

You can ask Orun for directions to the harvest workers, or you can stay quiet, but either way he won’t provide much guidance. Even finding the harvesters seems to be part of the test.

Once you complete Swampweed Harvest by speaking with Cor Kalom, return to Baal Orun. You’ll earn 200 Experience Points for doing well, and Orun will offer his favor—meaning he now vouches for you.

As an extra reward, Orun also gives you a Sleep scroll. That matters because you’ll need one later to impress another Baal.

How to Impress Baal Cadar

In-game objective – “I gotta get Baal Cadar’s support.”

With a Sleep scroll in your inventory, impressing Baal Cadar becomes straightforward. You can find him roughly halfway between the entrance and Cor Kalom’s lab if you follow the potion-signs from the entrance.

Cadar is in a small shelter off the main path, where he’s preaching to a group of novices.

Most scroll types don’t work in Swamp Camp, but the Sleep scroll does. Equip it, then target one of the nearby novices.

Cast the scroll so the novice lies down, then walk over to Baal Cadar. He’ll start a conversation, praise what you’ve done, and—just like that—gain confidence in you.

On top of the approval, Baal Cadar can now be approached as a merchant to buy scrolls and potions, or as a teacher.

He can increase your mana by charging one Learning Point per stat increase, similar to how Strength/Dexterity trainers work in other camps. He can also teach the Inscription skill, letting you craft your own scrolls.

How to Impress Baal Tyon

In-game objective – “I gotta get Baal Tyon’s support.”

To impress Baal Tyon, you’ll need to visit the New Camp and complete the Canvassing Customers quest. That quest is tied to Baal Kagan, who sells Swampweed in the New Camp. One of the rewards you can select is his help with joining the Brotherhood.

If you request that assistance, he’ll tell you that Baal Tyon is difficult to win over. In exchange, he gives you a Dreamcall herb roll marked as “Prepared”. This is a stronger Swampweed dose that should relax Tyon more easily—making it simpler to impress him.

With the Prepared Dreamcall in hand, head back to Swamp Camp. Tyon is preaching in the temple courtyard inside the stone wall.

Approach Baal Tyon and offer him the Prepared Dreamcall.

Once he’s knocked off his feet and tells you about the vision he saw, he’ll agree to support you with Cor Kalom. That completes the task and grants 200 Experience Points.

How to Impress Baal Tondral

In-game objective – “I gotta get Baal Tondral’s support.”

To locate Baal Tondral, start near Baal Cadar and follow the signs showing two crossed swords. As you travel toward the templar training grounds, you’ll pass another hut where a Baal is preaching to nearby novices—this is Baal Tondral.

Impressing Tondral requires finishing the New Souls for the Brotherhood quest, which includes trips to the Old Camp.

When you deliver Baal Tondral a new recruit, he’ll be impressed and tell you that you’ve earned his recommendation to Cor Kalom. This wraps up New Souls for the Brotherhood and also gives 500 Experience Points.

Report Back to Cor Kalom

After you’ve earned support from four or more Baals, you can return to Cor Kalom and tell him who’s backing you now.

He’ll be impressed, but the final hurdle is a direct question: Why do you want to join the Brotherhood?

There are three possible answers. Saying “I’m still trying to figure that out.” is safe. He’ll dismiss it, and that line will disappear from your available options.

If you say “Frankly – I just came here for the free swampweed” and then pick the “Smoke rolls or Pickaxe” follow-up option, you’ll offend Cor Kalom and immediately fail the quest, disqualifying you from joining the Swamp Camp.

If you want to back out, you can respond with “Relax – I was just joking.” and he will (begrudgingly) let you choose again.

To successfully join the Swamp Camp and finish Admission to the Swamp Camp, you must choose: “Because I have felt the Sleeper’s power, and I know he’ll set us free.”

Once you’re in, you’ll gain 750 Experience Points and receive some Novice’s Armor. Unfortunately, you’ll also lose 5 Dexterity points because the Brotherhood emphasizes magic more than traditional ranged combat.

Completing the quest also finishes Chapter 1 and starts Chapter 2: The Minecrawlers’ Nest.

Gothic 1 Remake: Where to Start—Old Camp, New Camp, and Swamp Camp