Gothic II Gold/Night of the Raven

[Claw]

They do respawn

No, they don't.

New creatures spawn. Sometimes new creatures of the same type are spawned at a location, but those aren't respawns.

 

[Elwro]

And surviving creatures don't disappear - if you don't go to a certain location before the spawning, you'll meet more foes later on iirc.

 

[Satori (original)]

Is playing an archer viable in NotR?

 

[Elwro]

Yes, I finished G2+NotR with an archer.

 

[Maia]

I'll be playing as a Paladin this run-through, should I go one or two handed?

IMHO, one-handed skill is better.

First of all, difference in damage is pretty small and for the first (most difficult) half of the game, the one-handed weapons do more damage for lesser stat requirements.

Secondly, speed can't be underestimated for landing combos, interrupting enemy combos or landing crits.

Thirdly, you'll find many more great 1H weapons and skill enhancing items than 2 H ones.

You'll have much easier time of it, starting with 1H. By the time you'll be able to afford 2H weapons that do more damage than 1H, you'd be so strong that it wouldn't matter anyway.

Oh, I advise getting 34 Dex with skill points and then upping it by other means to 60+. Dex is definitely very useful and some of the best 1H swords in the game have it as requirement.

I'd get Mana to 34 (29 + 5 - they will increase 1:1) before becoming Militia/Mercenary and Str and Dex as well as a weapon skill to 34 before becoming a Mage. Raising these stats/skills will become doubly expensive once you join a respective faction.

Mage is IMHO the most interesting class to play. Easier, too, if you choose your spells wisely.

As to combat tips - in the beginning (first 5-6 levels) avoid close combat if you can, use ranged weapons. That will allow you to kill monsters without getting hurt and learning which of them are tough without getting killed. Don't hesitate to run away from strong monsters too - your character can outrun most of them and it is better and more fun than getting killed and staring at reload screen. More realistic, too. And yes, use scrolls and landscape creatively.

 

[Satori (original)]

Is it possible to do most of the mercenary initiation quests and still be able to become a Paladin?

 

[Gnidrologist]

Yes.

 

[Helton]

Btw guys don't you think the hero looks just like Westley from The Princess Bride? So much so that it may have been the inspiration for his character?

 

[Satori (original)]

So would I be right in thinking that to play as an archer effectively I need melee (preferably one handed since it also uses dex) backup? I want to make sure I'm spending my points wisely so if I can get away with not using melee I'd be a happy chappy.

 

[Maia]

I want to make sure I'm spending my points wisely so if I can get away with not using melee I'd be a happy chappy.

There are quite a few quests that require use of melee, so I'd definitely take one-handed as back-up. While they aren't mandatory, it would be a pity to lose the Exp, funny bits of story and loot. Also, trolls are impervious to ranged weapons and magic.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Also you can't knock out people with arrows, only kill. Non lethal combat in Gothic series is of great deal of importance if you don't want to become a mass murderer. I don't think Lee would be happy if you killed half of his mercs just to prove that you're worthy to join them.

I would suggest to spend the cheap starting learning points (up to 34 (29+5) at least) for melee and strenght regardless of the class. After that there are lots of permanent enhancers like stone tablets, potions, herbs, apples, praying at shrines etc. to get those attributes relatively high in the later game.

 

[Satori (original)]

snip

Right, cheers.

Is the pirate faction joinable if I'm a Paladin or is it exclusive?

 

[Gnidrologist]

It's not really a faction in the sense the palies, mages or mercs are. You just do some quests for Greg and receive a pirate armor as a token of respect, not that it changes anything plotwise.

 

[Satori (original)]

It's not really a faction in the sense the palies, mages or mercs are. You just do some quests for Greg and receive a pirate armor as a token of respect, not that it changes anything plotwise.

Ah kay, cheers for your help. When do bows start to become as good/better than swords?

 

[Elwro]

When you climb on a roof.

 

[Gnidrologist]

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Has anyone here tried the Gothic 2 NOTR Community Patch?

 

[Maia]

When you climb on a roof.

Heh. Given NOTR's vastly improved pathfinding don't be surprised if bipedal enemies eventually join your char on the roof . If you give them enough time, that is.

And bows/crossbows are better than swords from the start in that you can hurt enemies without your char getting hurt. Just take a page from the steppe nomads book .

 

[Elwro]

Heh. Given NOTR's vastly improved pathfinding don't be surprised if bipedal enemies eventually join your char on the roof . If you give them enough time, that is.

They're good at this, but still too slow. I finished NotR with an archer and figuring out what was climbable and what wasn't was crucial for my survival. But yes, in NotR the opponents can even figure out how to climb quite high rocks and stab you in the back if you give them time.

 

[Gnidrologist]

Yep. I was about to roof-snipe the Attila guy from thiefs guild with my low level fucker in the harbor district recently, but he quickly found a way up and offed me.

To answer the initial question, yes bows are better at the start of the game when you're wimpy faggot, but as you become demigod in the later stages it's not really important anymore. Kicking the living shit out of your foes with some blunt hardware is always more satisfying then cowardly proding it with arrows. Because it's more manly and doesn't cause decline.

I'm currently also replaying NotR for umpteenth time and chose the mage for the second consecutive runthrough and i find myself just too damn melee powerfull once again even though i tried not to invest that much in brutality. Magic is cool, but swords makes you feel like a main dick in the shed.
Will try to play once more with really pure pure mage char from the start. It's a hell of challange, but i have a sweet spot for pure classes. Never made a multiclass char in any of the d&d type games ever. :monocle:

 

[Satori (original)]

What level should I be before starting a new chapter?

 

[Zeus]

So which Gothic II Gold should I buy?

Looks like there's a "Gothic 2 Gold" by Atari, with a literal gold colored box.
http://www.amazon.com/Gothic-II-Gold-Pc/dp/B0015RRM2Q/

Then there's Gothic II: Gold Edition by Piranha
http://www.amazon.com/Gothic-II-Gold/dp/B004E6BN4I/

And of course, Gothic Universe by Dreamcatcher, which includes Gothic 3.
http://www.amazon.com/Gothic-Universe-Pc/dp/B000VPRAFM/

Can anyone weigh in on the superior version? I'm mostly interested in maps and manuals, though I doubt any of these editions has more than quick start guide. Also, if one has a superior version of the game (exclusive bug fixes or something), I'd be into that.

 

[Secretninja]

Just buy it for 4$ off gog.

 

[Zeus]

Meh, I'm old enough that a retail box is actually something worth paying for. Thanks for the advice, though. It was the GOG sale that reminded me to buy this game.

P.S. The "old" comment was meant as self-deprecating, I'm not calling you a kid--or LIFENOOB--or anything.

 

[Secretninja]

I can see the appeal, but I doubt any of those comes with cloth maps or things worth actually having. Good luck though.