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Gothic seriesTransition from Gothic 1 to Gothic 2? *SPOILER ALERT FOR GOTHIC 1!*(13 posts)(13 posts)
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Posted March 07, 2011
I've finished Gothic 1 and I've got to say I was disappointed with the abrupt ending that felt a little rushed and left many loose ends regarding the story. Generally I found it a nice RPG with some very good aspects and some rather average and annoying features; I couldn't quite relate to the wide spread belief that it's possibly the best RPG ever but I had some fun with it.

Now I'm hesitant whether Gothic 2 would be worth my time. But I admit I'm kind of curious and still open for conversion. Maybe someone could help me decide by answering these questions:

- Could the ending of Gothic 1 be seen as a cliffhanger that points to the sequel? Will Gothic 2 pick up exactly where Gothic 1 abandoned me, continueing the story of the Colony and the Barrier, of Xardas etc?

- I assume there's no way to transfer your character from Gothic 1 to Gothic 2? Will he start at level 1 again?

- What improvements are there in Gothic 2 over Gothic 1? Are there any differences in gameplay? What did you like or hate in Gothic 1 that can't be found in Gothic 2 anymore? Are the quests better, worse, comparable?

- How big are Gothic 2 and the expansion compared to Gothic 1? How much time did it take you to play through them?

Thanks for your help! :)
Post edited March 07, 2011 by Leroux
Posted March 07, 2011
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Leroux: I've finished Gothic 1 and I've got to say I was disappointed with the abrupt ending that felt a little rushed and left many loose ends regarding the story. Generally I found it a nice RPG with some very good aspects and some rather average and annoying features; I couldn't quite relate to the wide spread belief that it's possibly the best RPG ever but I had some fun with it.

Now I'm hesitant whether Gothic 2 would be worth my time. But I admit I'm kind of curious and still open for conversion. Maybe someone could help me decide by answering these questions:

- Could the ending of Gothic 1 be seen as a cliffhanger that points to the sequel? Will Gothic 2 pick up exactly where Gothic 1 abandoned me, continueing the story of the Colony and the Barrier, of Xardas etc?

- I assume there's no way to transfer your character from Gothic 1 to Gothic 2? Will he start at level 1 again?

- What improvements are there in Gothic 2 over Gothic 1? Are there any differences in gameplay? What did you like or hate in Gothic 1 that can't be found in Gothic 2 anymore? Are the quests better, worse, comparable?

- How big are Gothic 2 and the expansion compared to Gothic 1? How much time did it take you to play through them?

Thanks for your help! :)
G2 picks up more or less where G1 ended (meeting Xardas after the events) and, yes, you start at level 1 again. G2 is much bigger than G1 and has many minor improvements especially in graphics and environmental details.
I have completed the game both in the original state and with the NOTR expansion (highly recommended, if I were starting from new, I'd consider playing the expanded version only which also contains all the original parts.) It should take about 60 hours to complete if you do everything. Even skipping dialog and taking shortcuts from being familiar with the game, I've never done it in less than 50 hours.

If you liked G1 at all, you'll like G2. I look at G1 as kind of a practice run for G2.
Posted March 07, 2011
Ok, if it starts with meeting Xardas after the events, that's cool (I just hope there's a logical explanation for starting at lvl 1 again or that it doesn't break the immersion, at least).

I admit I'm a bit scared of the gamelength (for Gothic 1, it already took me twice the amount of time mentioned here on the forums, so who knows, Gothic 2 might keep me busy for 100 hours, heh). What I didn't like so much about Gothic 1 is that a lot of this time is spent on running around, even after being able to teleport. And that the game doesn't make up for it in some ways but on top of it sends you on errands a lot that actually require you to travel back and forth all the time and all over the map just for some small things, and that these quests often distract from the story (e.g. the ingredients for the Ulu-Mulu near the end). In other games you get several novels' worth of story for the time invested, in Gothic I often had the feeling the gameplay length was articifially prolonged by this running around. Does that continue in Gothic 2 or are there less fetch quests or better means of transportation?

Anyway, thanks for the reply, this already helps a lot (although I'm still not sure). :)
Post edited March 07, 2011 by Leroux
Posted March 07, 2011
Well, there is still a lot of running around, revisiting areas but there are more things to do so it didn't bother me as much but I can see how it could bother some players. The main thing is that the Valley of mines is only one of three main areas so the traveling is between areas as well as within them.
Posted March 07, 2011
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fragonard: I have completed the game both in the original state and with the NOTR expansion (highly recommended, if I were starting from new, I'd consider playing the expanded version only which also contains all the original parts.)
I agree but many say to not play NotR first because the monsters are much harder to kill and it can get frustrating. It does mess with play balance in other ways too - once you have the claw you don't need any other weapons.
Posted March 08, 2011
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fragonard: I have completed the game both in the original state and with the NOTR expansion (highly recommended, if I were starting from new, I'd consider playing the expanded version only which also contains all the original parts.)
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lordhoff: I agree but many say to not play NotR first because the monsters are much harder to kill and it can get frustrating. It does mess with play balance in other ways too - once you have the claw you don't need any other weapons.
You have a point, I am speaking as someone who played the original and so knew the basics already. Starting with NOTR might be unexpectedly difficult for a first time player, although it should be possible. Even with the original I played a trial game for a few levels to get the feel of it. To be honest, IIRC, it was only after three partial games that I finished it. This is probably to be expected with NOTR as well.

As for the claw, I've never used it because I always play a mage or a max dex archer.
Posted March 09, 2011
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lordhoff: I agree but many say to not play NotR first because the monsters are much harder to kill and it can get frustrating. It does mess with play balance in other ways too - once you have the claw you don't need any other weapons.
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fragonard: You have a point, I am speaking as someone who played the original and so knew the basics already. Starting with NOTR might be unexpectedly difficult for a first time player, although it should be possible. Even with the original I played a trial game for a few levels to get the feel of it. To be honest, IIRC, it was only after three partial games that I finished it. This is probably to be expected with NOTR as well.

As for the claw, I've never used it because I always play a mage or a max dex archer.
Its an interesting weapon and a one-hander - you might try it sometime. The cost to improve it doesn't affect mana or experience points. I survived starting out with NOTR on the second try as a mage - one is just forced to try some off the wall things.
Posted March 09, 2011
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lordhoff: Its an interesting weapon and a one-hander
Actually the claw can be either a one- or two-handed weapon; this is determined by whichever skill is higher when you level up the claw; if the other skill becomes higher the weapon will change to fit that weapon type the next time you upgrade it.

The claw's base damage is 10 points higher as a two-hander but its chance of magic damage and magic damage dealt are the same in either form.
Posted March 09, 2011
So what changes exactly does NOTR make to the original Gothic 2 campaign? Does NOTR improve the monsters' AI? Making the game easier (e.g. by introducing this claw) would only be a minor evil in my book but I don't care much for a frustrating experience ...

The thing is I don't really like replaying games, especially not games that take 50 hours and more to complete. If I'd start with Gothic 2 only, would I have to replay large parts of it in order to see the content of NOTR, once it's installed? And would it be a satisfactory experience at all to play NOTR without completing Gothic 2, in case that's possible? Are they two completely independent stories?
Post edited March 09, 2011 by Leroux
Posted March 09, 2011
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Leroux: So what changes exactly does NOTR make to the original Gothic 2 campaign?
NOTR introduces a new area and storyline to the original. Chapter 1 is changed and expanded somewhat but the new area can only be accessed from the beginning of chapter 2. Chapter 2 is the most affected ( although much of the new content can be moved to Chapter 3 if desired). Chapter 3 is tweaked a little and chapters 4-6 are mostly unchanged. The final bosses are a little harder and the XP system is revised.

After playing both versions several times, I would sum it up like this: NOTR takes the original game, adds a large chapter and makes it all a little bit harder. I can't think of anything you'd miss from the original by playing NOTR so if you're only going to play once, definitely go with NOTR.
Posted March 09, 2011
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lordhoff: Its an interesting weapon and a one-hander
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Arkose: Actually the claw can be either a one- or two-handed weapon; this is determined by whichever skill is higher when you level up the claw; if the other skill becomes higher the weapon will change to fit that weapon type the next time you upgrade it.

The claw's base damage is 10 points higher as a two-hander but its chance of magic damage and magic damage dealt are the same in either form.
I've generally trained up on one handers first so the claw took its one handed form for me. After that, I didn't see the point in training up on two-handed so I didn't. Thanks for the info; will have to try it after mastering two handers next time.
Posted April 27, 2011
I just love the feeling of the initial Gothic, the second part didn`t manage to get this feeling equally, but it is still an awesome game and I enjoyed it nearly as the first part.

There are various high quality mods avalaible (most of them are in german though) and so NOTR has a high replay value.

For me GI and GII are one of my favorite games and must not miss on any Notebook I have ;)
Posted April 30, 2011
Hy guys, I just bought Gothic 2 on this promo action, and I'm wondering - should I play it without finishing Gothic first? Is G2 full of references to the first, or is it more of an independent and standalone storyline? I already read that it begins just after the end of original, but that doesn't necessarily answer my question(s).
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Gothic seriesTransition from Gothic 1 to Gothic 2? *SPOILER ALERT FOR GOTHIC 1!*(13 posts)(13 posts)
(13 posts)