JohnJSal: I read a review that said the GOG version contains "all official and unofficial patches," but that sounds somewhat broad to me. What exactly does it include and what should I still install myself?

Thanks!

mmarci: I just checked, it has the latest community patch included. Don't bother with the official patches - the game with the CP and community made mods are lightyears ahead of the official version.

If it is your first game, play without mods and turn AB off.

mmarci: Alternative Balancing is an optional built-in mod that makes the game a lot more challenging, especially for melee players - it comes with the community patch by default. You never played the game so it wouldn't make too much sense to you if I listed the differences, the game is just harder really (tougher fights, slower and more limited progress, etc.).

There is another option called Alternative AI which makes melee even more challenging, definitely not recommended for new players but a welcome addition if you are looking for a taste of humiliating defeat at the hands of common rebels or orcs at the start of the game and work your way up from there.

First playthrough I wouldn't bother with them, the game is massive and there's plenty to discover for the second-third time around as well, but for those I would install content mods as well for the full experience.

mmarci: Both AAI and AB are off by default, you can turn AB on in the main menu before starting a new game, AAI can be toggled freely in the options.

I tend to play games without mods too, the Gothic series is an exception though - the modder community created content that fits the game perfectly and I highly recommend both Questpaket and the latest Content Mod for your next playthrough for a fresh experience. Check Page 6 of the sticky for installation guides with links for all Gothic games.

Forsaken Gods is not an expansion but a standalone game created by Trine Games using the G3 engine and assets. Stay away, it has nothing to do with the Gothic experience.