Gothic II: Gold Edition

 PC
  • Publisher: Aspyr
  • Release Date: Dec 5, 2005
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 224 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 202 out of 224
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 224
  3. Negative: 11 out of 224
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  1. ayylmao178
    Nov 19, 2018
    10
    Still the best open world ever done in any game. Open worlds from Bethesda, Ubisoft of even CD Projekt Red are complete s*** compared to this masterpiece
  2. Solaris123
    May 14, 2020
    10
    Top intelligent games i ever played with great story rpg ,much better than boring Witcher 3 and Mass effect 2,
  3. Gelaos
    Sep 19, 2018
    10
    For those complaining about glitches and bugs, download unofficial patch called "Gothic 2 System pack" which removes a lot of the glitches and makes Gothic 2 run on modern Windows without much technical problems.

    --- I love Gothic 2 and The Night of the Raven DLC. It's Piranha Bytes's masterpiece which many players don't truly understand. Gothic 2 was considered easy by community.    For those complaining about glitches and bugs, download unofficial patch called "Gothic 2 System pack" which removes a lot of the glitches and makes Gothic 2 run on modern Windows without much technical problems.

    ---

    I love Gothic 2 and The Night of the Raven DLC. It's Piranha Bytes's masterpiece which many players don't truly understand.

    Gothic 2 was considered easy by community. As a result, developers made Gothic 2: The Night of the Raven (a standalone game containing the base game + DLC, G2:NR for short) much harder. Yes, G2:NR is really tough at the beginning and even weaker monsters can easily kill you. But that's the point! You have to become stronger, learn the combat mechanics, use some tactic, be patient and then you will be able to kill that damn goblin who kicked your ass several hours ago.

    -- Combat --
    I had no problem with controls, it came all naturally to me. The combat is perfectly balanced. You can hit, block, dodge back and strafe (circle around enemy) and your enemies can usually do exactly the same. Big troll won't strafe too much because it is slow for him, instead he will punch you - and he will punch you hard. Small goblins will strafe to make it harder for you to hit them, humans will try to block your attacks etc. Combat in real world is about hitting the enemy and avoiding hits from the enemy. Combat in G2:NR is inspired by this reality so if enemies manage to corner you, you're probably f*cked. Lesson learned, load the game and try again.

    And even if you tried 30 times and the enemy still smashes you, then try to come back later. You didn't expect to kill a group of bandits while wearing light armor and armed only with a sword that you can't even handle properly, did you?

    -- World & exploration --
    World in G2:NR is not like in modern open world games. There are no warning signs that "you're approaching area with high-level enemies". The only warning you'll get is from other characters who mention something like "don't go to forest, you will die". And if you go into the forest unprepared, you will most likely die - but that's *your* responsibility.

    Again, world in G2:NR feels like a real place. People are mostly in town and farms, skeletons in tombs, wolves near forests etc. If citizen from town tells you to find the hideout of bandits, you have to think what would be a logical place for hideout (probably somewhere near the town) and then pay attention while going through area. Seek and ye shall find.

    World isn't big, but it's easy to get lost for a first time. Did you buy a map? No. Can someone near you point you to right direction. No. Well, it was *your* decision to go into the world unprepared. Lesson learned, load the game and try again.

    -- Character development --
    You can learn melee or ranged weapons, magic and some other things. But invest your points wisely. It's not wise to decide on level 20 that you switch from melee to magic. "Jack of all trades, master of none" is approach that will only make the game harder for you.

    While the game is easiest when focused on melee, it can be finished only with bows, only as a pure mage... It just requires some experience.

    You learn the skills and attributes from teachers. You have to find each teacher. This helps to immerse you in the game because you get better at something by talking to person who knows the stuff, not by clicking some virtual button.

    -- Equipment --
    There's a lot of armors, weapons and magic. The money is scarce at the beginning. But that's the point! You have to think twice what you sell, keep or buy. Want more money? Do quests, learn to pick locks and loot chests, steal from houses etc. But don't break the law, because penalty costs something...

    Want to get better armor and equipment? Join a faction, advance in story, help somebody, loot some ancient tomb.

    -- Story, quests & dialogues --
    Not much to write about story - it is linear, generally uninteresting.

    Quests are usually entertaining and some of them offer several ways how to complete them. Will you rat on thieves guild or join them? Or perhaps join them, take their money and then rat on them. Did you give a fee to soldier when he politely asked? No. Well, don't be surprised if he refuses to help you in the future.

    Dialogues are natural and reasonable. Talk with people, it can give you valuable information. You may miss lot of quests (and money) if you're too lazy to listen to people.

    -- FINAL VERDICT --
    Gothic 2: The night of the Raven is a game that you can't just 'play'. You need to 'learn' the game. You will be weak. You will die. You will get better. You will die again. But it will never be unfair. You start as a weak man and end as a saviour of the world. Gothic 2:TnotR is a fabulous old-school RPG that requires only one thing from you - that you will understand this game.    … Expand
  4. procyon4
    Jun 30, 2015
    7
    Yet an other game that I bought based on raving reviews that doesn't quite cut it in my book. First of all, you would think that they would have solved the bugs before issuing the 2005 gold edition but, no, and you'd better save often and in more than one file because it will crash often and very badly. You won't be able to close the unresponding application through the usualYet an other game that I bought based on raving reviews that doesn't quite cut it in my book. First of all, you would think that they would have solved the bugs before issuing the 2005 gold edition but, no, and you'd better save often and in more than one file because it will crash often and very badly. You won't be able to close the unresponding application through the usual "ctrl-alt-del" combination, you'll have to restart windows to get out of the mess and even then, sometimes, you'll find your latest saved game corrupted. As for the game itself, the graphics are OK for the period but very boxy by today's standard. The story is interesting, the game world very vast and totally explorable and there are multiple side quests that are quite feasible if, and it's a big if, you can survive long enough. Your starting character is so weak and useless with weapons that you'll be no match for anything than a harmless sheep. Gaining experience is a long and arduous process where you'll have to run around to find someone that can
    upgrade you in the area that you need (Yes, even strength and dexterity!). Resources are somewhat plentiful but their selling price is ridiculously low so that you can't really afford anything useful for a very long time. Even then, what's available to you will leave you ten times weaker and more exposed than your weakest foe. You'll most often have to resort to attract the attention of your foe and then run away toward a NPC (Often a single woman armed with a wood branch!) that will kill your enemy without too much effort when you, equipped with a light armor and high quality sword, will get killed often in one shot. Totally unfair and unbalanced game that, like me, you will soon quit out of sheer frustration.    … Expand
  5. Crassius
    Nov 29, 2015
    0
    Really very bad game. Unacceptable combat system, poor character design, linear gameplay, cliche story - all of this makes Gothic 2 so boring to play. At least, Morrowind is much much better.
  6. Kai82
    Oct 21, 2020
    10
    The ultimate Gothic game experience. It contains a rebalanced Gothic 2 which is harder as it was a mayor complaint that it was to easy and the excellent “Night of the Raven” add on. Both are well patched now so that you don't have to worry (Gothic games were legendary buggy at release). I will rate it separately.

    Gothic 2 (rebalanced): One of the best sequels in videogames. It improves    The ultimate Gothic game experience. It contains a rebalanced Gothic 2 which is harder as it was a mayor complaint that it was to easy and the excellent “Night of the Raven” add on. Both are well patched now so that you don't have to worry (Gothic games were legendary buggy at release). I will rate it separately.

    Gothic 2 (rebalanced):
    One of the best sequels in videogames. It improves nearly all aspects of Gothic. There is one exception. The bugs became a dishonorable staple of the Gothic series. On day 1 it was a nightmare to play but I was prepared and waited until patches fixed the problems (mostly). It continues the story of Gothic. The nameless hero (running gag as he will always be interrupted when he wants to introduce himself) has destroyed the barrier and freed the prisoners but was trapped. His mentor Xardas rescued him in a weakened state after some time has passed as a new and even greater menace appears on the Island of Khorinis. On the main land the war against the orcs does not go well and the king has send his paladins to get as much magic ore as possible from Khorinis because magic weapons are their best chance. There are uprisings on Khorinis as the kings increasing taxes ruin the people. Again the game has great characters, humor, an enjoyable story and an even bigger world to explore. The story is excellent and has good twist and some surprises. For players of Gothic it is even better as you will encounter old friends and be indulged in nostalgia. This is the prime example of creating good NPC characters. You care about them. The world-building and lore gets improved as you learn more about the gods, faith, politics and society. Again there are fractions in the game you can work for and must chose one later on. There are also rumors of a thieves guild and maybe you will revisit a familiar place;-). The world is huge for its time and there is a lot to explore. Be warned as you can explore much of it early one and you are not suited or underprepared to deal with all enemies yet. Again bows are the best choice for combat and I would stick with it. A new addition is a crafting system. You can become an apprentice in a few professions (can learn a bit in all but must chose one). You can craft weapons, gut animals or brew potions. The leveling system is untouched. You gain experience points and after leveling up you get skill points that can be used to increase stats or learn new abilities from trainers. Tip: After you reach certain numbers for your stats it gets more expensive to raise them further. Raising comes in 1 and 5 point steps. Raise it 1 point below the point it gets more expensive and raise it thereafter by 5 points. Saved a few points this way. As before bows are my favorite choice and many will agree. The 2 mayor complaints of the original version were fixed: Firstly the bugs which were a plague early on and secondly that it was a bit to easy. Now you get a real challenge. Overall this was the best version of a classic for its time and still holds up. The atmosphere, characters and story won many people over. Bonus: The add on “Night of the Raven” improved the game tremendous (Again after some patches) and is considered by many including me as ultimate Gothic experience (Gothic 3 is inferior due to development struggles and Gothic 4 is more of using the name to get a bigger audience).

    Night of the Raven:
    Is integrated in the main game. The nameless hero (running gag as he always gets interrupted when he wants to introduce himself) gets informed by Xardas that he is searching for a powerful artifact. Meanwhile people begin to vanish from Khorinis while the Watermages prepare an expedition to Jharkendar. There an old culture vanished long ago under mysterious or unexplained circumstances while being on the height of their reign. Also there a rumors of a pirate appearing near Khorinis. It added new fractions, more to explore and has a great story. You will acquire an interesting weapon especially when adapted for a mage. There are other new additions and the quest are challenging. Also the expansion was a perquisite for mods back then (Do not know if it is still a thing). Overall it is more of the same with good additions. It challenges you and has more puzzles.    … Expand
  7. realnightelf
    Jan 30, 2020
    10
    Забыл когда она вышла но даже в 2020 играю и нахожу что то новое. Давно я не ложился спать так поздно из-за игр
  8. MatikTheSeventh
    Oct 10, 2020
    10
    It's just what made Gothic I amazing and much more. The controls have been fixed, graphics are better, and the story is even more complicated. Some old friends are back, and you make new ones along the way. What's best you can play Gothic II without ever playing the prequel; you might miss on some easter eggs and whatnot, but you may also play the protagonist as if he had lost his memory,It's just what made Gothic I amazing and much more. The controls have been fixed, graphics are better, and the story is even more complicated. Some old friends are back, and you make new ones along the way. What's best you can play Gothic II without ever playing the prequel; you might miss on some easter eggs and whatnot, but you may also play the protagonist as if he had lost his memory, so all the important events are presented to you right away by certain characters.

    The expansion pack is a more or less separate story, but it is well drafted into the original world, makes the game much more challenging, and includes some additional few hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  9. JaydenPickens
    May 21, 2021
    6
    I actually enjoyed this one. The first one was unplayable to me, but the sequel has new controls which helped me actually play the game. Fun story, fun characters, good sound. The game is long and interesting. It has some problems here and there. Some bugs, sometimes you don't know what to do, but that's to be expected from an old game. Overall it was a fine journey. If you like old gamesI actually enjoyed this one. The first one was unplayable to me, but the sequel has new controls which helped me actually play the game. Fun story, fun characters, good sound. The game is long and interesting. It has some problems here and there. Some bugs, sometimes you don't know what to do, but that's to be expected from an old game. Overall it was a fine journey. If you like old games and you haven't; played this one then check it out. You might enjoy it. Pickens approves.… Expand
  10. clem666
    May 13, 2021
    9
    I played 'Gothic II' really recently. My first try was back in 2018 or so : I played it for something like 2 hours and a half and found the controls were too stiff and combats too lousy and boring. I used to skip long dialogues and nothing was clear after a conversation. At that time I was used to regular games with easy progression and a lot of rewards everywhere. I guess I just wasn'tI played 'Gothic II' really recently. My first try was back in 2018 or so : I played it for something like 2 hours and a half and found the controls were too stiff and combats too lousy and boring. I used to skip long dialogues and nothing was clear after a conversation. At that time I was used to regular games with easy progression and a lot of rewards everywhere. I guess I just wasn't ready for 'Gothic II'.

    I don't really know why I decided to reinstall it and give it another try. The only thing I know is that I totally got stuck into this game. Like honestly. I can't stop playing it so that I have gathered more than thirty five hours of gameplay, and I am not even at the half of the main content. I am not even close to stop playing it.

    This game is far from being beautiful especially with today's standard. The interface is ugly and navigate through your inventory is harder than expected. Magic spells are particularly hard to reach in a simple way. Controls are really stiff and combat mode can actually be truly boring and as stiff as the rest. The progression is slow and difficult, paved with dead ends, punitive deaths and disillusionment. But that makes the success even more attractive and enjoyable. In 'Gothic II' you will often have to use your brain to use bugs and circumvent rules and laws in order to get stronger. Because you start with the lamest character you've ever played. Citizen NPC's kill you. Basic wolves kill you. Even rats kill you. No one trusts you, you start as everyone's slave. But gradually, if you make the right choices, you will progress: your level will increase as you climb the social ladder. You will discover new locations, new NPC's, new quests in order to (guess what?) save the world obviously!

    What makes 'Gothic II' even harder is that NPC's never repeat themselves when they give you a task. You have to carefully hear and keep their instructions in mind. Quests are not marked in your map, you have to do the job of remembering the path. Your quest log won't help you much except to remind you that you promised X to do Y. And if you literally don't buy maps, well you have to other option than to have a keen sense of direction. When you die you don't respawn. Deal with it. If you didn't save at the right time you may lose your progression. In overall character's skills are quite hard to understand but once you get used to it it all becomes clearer. When you're having trouble with a quest, you may want to look for a guide or hint on the Internet. Well, good luck finding exactly what you're looking for, because all you're sure to find are ugly text-only forum sites and die-hard fans. Welcome to the RPG communities of 2005. Since it is an old game some of those die-hard fans (and I warmly thank them here) created patches and a special launcher for WIN 7-8-10 computers, allowing us to easily play 'Gothic II'.

    If you manage to get over all this pain and suffering you are basically ready to enjoy 'Gothic II'. And it can happen faster than you think. Because there definitely are some epicness oozing from these adventures. It is so powerful when you eventually control game mechanics and sneak behind enemy lines. It feels amazing when you manage to get a boss stuck in the textures and kill it easily. It finally feels like you are the hero down here when you have access to the finest abilities of the game.

    Excepted everything I already wrote about 'Gothic II' the immersion is terrific. The map is really huge. There are varied quests, environments, characters and possible relations with (and between) them. There are often several ways to accomplish the given tasks. Dubbing is as great as character's animations. The story is rally long (more than sixty hours with the add-on 'Night of the Raven') and amazing as it lets room for many characters with different levels and social influence. The social part of the game is marvelous: in each faction you can join there are minions, basic characters, chiefs and a boss. You obviously have to start as a minion to reach the top: good luck! It goes the same way in towns and villages since (I repeat) no one knows you at the beginning. All along you will be able to unlock an impressive number of skills and abilities like crafting potions, weapons, armors, create runes, read and understand old languages, discover new spells, picking locks, pickpocketing, discretion, using bows and crossbows, eviscerate animals, collect their poison, and even smoke weed! Isn't it amazing? Anyway I can recognize that the game can become redundant after all even if its content is just way too complete to fully describe it. Unlocking fast travelling is really great since the map is so huge that you don't have to walk a lot anymore.

    To draw the conclusion I consider this game as one of the hidden pearls of my Steam library but it clearly isn't for any player. I still bet that if you are in love of RPG's you are more inclined to love it as I do.    … Expand
  11. criss_
    Jul 4, 2020
    10
    Рооноенопнлиеоир ррррнтерерантлберерг ьеикпиеоьоьерре2ткуууувввуурур
  12. EuropeXIII
    Mar 11, 2021
    10
    A master piece of RPG genre.
    Gothic 1&2 along side Dragon Age: Origins are the 3 best RPGs of all time!
  13. IdleSpace
    Oct 27, 2022
    9
    Пример отличной ролевой игры, где решения и отыгрыш влияют на ход сюжета.
    Лучшая часть серии.
  14. ajko_denai
    Nov 3, 2021
    10
    This is definitely one of the best RPGs ever, if not the best. Story, combat system, magic, atmosphere ... Everything fits together. Pure masterpiece.
  15. VegeST
    Jan 7, 2022
    10
    For me this is the best RPG of all time. I even cant believe that Gothic II - is a 2002 game.
  16. TastieToasty
    May 11, 2023
    9
    REALLY HARD RPG

    compared to Gothic 1 this one is a nightmare because of the expansion.

    but it is still a masterpiece and the last of its kind.
    forget gothic 3-4 this is where the series ended.
  17. kesik93
    Dec 7, 2022
    10
    Gothic II with its expansion is possible the best TPP action RPG game ever made. The world design is the thing in which this games truly shines. Even 20 years later, new AAA games can't match what Piranha Bytes made back then. Exploration and character progression are top notch in this game. Gothic II is just a legendary, timeless classic.