Code has been claimed.

I cussed this game no end as the spike in difficulty was hitting me like a hammer. However, once I learned how to play it, it not only isn't too hard, it's actually what I would call pretty easy. The key, for me, was realizing that it simply can't be played like Gothic 1 or Gothic 2 classic. You must decide, before you start, to forgo some of the game's options and concentrate only on those other areas. There simply is not enough learning points to experience all of the Stealth, Will-o-the-Wisp, hunting, forging, and alchemy options. And, you can't plan on getting good (or gitten gud I guess) at each of the combat options either. Pick 1 handed or 2 handed, forget trying both. Same with bow and crossbow.

If you accept these limitations, and focus like a laser on those areas you're going to experience with this particular play through, it's a very doable game. And it may be that I found the easiest options of all, as I am blown away by how easy this turned out to be. Chapter 1 was somewhat challenging, but it started getting pretty easy even before that even ended. From there on, I can't believe I'm typing this after cussing it so badly before, the game is easy. Now again, maybe that's because I happened to pick the easiest way, so at some point in the future I will try again with a different approach and see how that goes.

So, having been so wrong, I felt it necessary to give THQ Nordic another penny or two, so I bought the game again, and it's here for someone who wants it. No contest here; if you're interested just type the following words exactly in your post and I will send you chat message with the code. NOTE: Note the term EXACT. It will go to the first person who types the exact words below.

Code has been claimed
"Hey OldFatGuy, I would love a code for Gothic 2 Gold."

And I had some telephone help recently and the guy was having a hard time understanding my set up by my description so I had my health aid take a picture for him. So, at the risk of breaking the internets, I'm gonna post it just in case anyone ever wanted to know what an OldFatGuy who is mostly bed bound looks like. WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. Once seen, it can't be unseen. Lingering nightmares are a risk. Use caution.

ADDED: Link to store page.

That's nice of you. I don't need the code though, I already own the game and beat it years ago. Hopefully it will end up with someone who'll appreciate it.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm okay though; many, many folks have far more challenging health issues. Plus, the VA takes such good care of me. I often feel like they treat me like a General, when I was nothing but a lowly private. I can only assume they treat everyone that well.

I don't need the code, but I just want to say how awesome it is to read people be so excited about videogames here and so generous with the community.

Hey OldFatGuy, I would love a code for Gothic 2 Gold.

I don't have the game and never played it.

Oh, and based on some of the titles that you have enjoyed, you would probably like Sacred 2 Gold. And, if you need help with the game I am available and there's a website and a wiki for the game, both of which are active.

Code sent. Enjoy!

Thanks, OFG!

May your belly jiggle like jelly this Yule whenever you laugh and may all of the children in the world be as nice and kind as you!

I've got the jiggling belly down pat, but please raise the bar a bit for expectations for all of the children. Otherwise, it may not be climate change or nuclear winter that will end things. lol

Well, sir, as they say, "Kids will be kids." Let us hope that the adults do a better job.

That may be, but in my case, playing like that wouldn't in any way be what I'd consider enjoyable. Plus that if you just play the game, without restarting dozens of times and/or studying detailed guides as if preparing for a major exam, you couldn't know to do that, or how.

NOTR changed many things from classic, notably costs to raise stats. Magic also became much more expensive, both spells and scrolls. And of course 2 overall wasn't as generous as 1, which did basically let you master everything.

I think it's entirely normal to get frustrated on a first play, as you're still learning the game rules in addition to not knowing what's around the next corner. Once the game rules click in your head though, it shouldn't be too hard to finish a game.

I could have offered advice if I'd known you were struggling, but I must have missed any threads by you about it. For me, my only real gripe about notr is that I only play spellcasters in games, and you REALLY have to thread the needle to play a mage in g2. The game expects you to fight most things with weapons, which I abhor. Doing a spell-only playthrough is needlessly taxing.

With that said I still love how real the world feels, the interconnectedness of npc quests, the lush terrain and even the pickpocketing system. If you talked to everybody in Khorinis and explore all the nooks and crannies in the world, as you should in any rpg, it shouldn't be too hard to build a character to beat the game.

As for your pic, don't put yourself down. You're a guy in a bed. No nightmares were received on my end.

Are you still playing? Do you want any help/advice on anything now?

Indeed, on both counts. Regarding the world, I was saying that when I picked it back up last time (that being way back in 2012), it felt like returning home in a way. But then dropped it again because of the difficulty generated by the changes to character development, and yep, even more if you want to play a mage. In G1, mages were typical early pain for later gain, spend more time reloading and getting back to where you died than really playing in the early game, but breeze through the late game, just that feeling of increasing power to the point of near invincibility I'm looking for. In G2 with NotR, it's just pain, definitely not what I want when I play...

Then again, this dislike of mages seems to have lasted for PB. When I played Risen I also struggled as a mage until very late game when I saw I had enough points to get sword to 7, and with 2 +sword rings that meant I could wield two-handers one handed, so 2h sword + shield and just breeze through everything even without fighter attributes, with magic just as support. Should have just trained sword first and the magic later if I'd have known I'd be able to. But still, shields make all the difference in Risen compared to G2, I could kill nearly everything basically skillless in chapter 1 by just being slow and tactical. No way to do that in G2. And also no way to really have multiple specializations, as OldFatGuy also pointed out.

I get that and respect that, as I agree. They basically added some nice stuff but at the same time said "Okay, here's all this nice stuff but you can't play with it all so you have to choose which nice stuff to play with and which youcan't" isn't the best way to do things in my opinion either.

I think it would be fun to see what all the will-o-the-wisp would do, as finding herbs and stone tablets is so important in NotR, much more so than classic. So they gave you an aid.... then jacked the cost of things up so high there's almost no play through that I can think of where I would have the LP's to experience it all. I remember playing with forging a lot the first time I played classic, no can do now. Just not enough LP's.

I get the sentiment and agree. But I was at first convinced that there just weren't enough LP's to have be competitive later, and on that I was way wrong. The game can be beat, it can beat without cheating, and (depending on your play style choice) can be beat rather easily.

I was wondering about mages as well, as for every point in mana and circles you spend would be one less for combat, and I can't help but thing the first few chapters would be a nightmare trying to survive. I am even wondering how successful a warrior/melee character would be, as it "seems" like that would also be incredibly difficult until you were able to build up both strength and a weapon skill, since melee damage is 1/10 of base damage unless you score a critical hit. Archers get full damage, even when their skill with bow is 10%. I played all the way through Chapters 1 and 2 and 3 with my bow skill at 10%. All I did was jack up dexterity and add some other stuff like alchemy for the big two elixers and language for the stone tablets and stealth for pickpocketing experience bonanza (seriously, the amount of XP's from picking pockets is unbelievable). 41 for alchemy, 25 for stealth, and 20 for languages is over 8 levels right there. So through the first three chapters is was like that, and even at 10% bow skill, you do maximum damage and don't miss much at close range. As an example, In Chapter 3 I was something like this: STR-10, DEX-140, 1H-10, 2H-10, Bow-10, Crossbow-10. Literally nothing in any other category, but I was using an oak bow (140Dex, 140damage) and blowing through seekers, dragon snappers, you name it. Just focus on one thing, git gud at it, and the game is quite easy. All in all though I too would rather get to enjoy ALL of a game.

I played the true rogue/archer type character, and almost at every turn it seemed like that's the direction they almost "meant" to be taken it worked so well the way things came together. When I was in Chapter 4, for example, my dexterity was around 150 and my strength was still 10. My one hand and two hand were still 10. I just blazed through as an archer, using stealth to greatly increase both wealth and experience points (it is really amazing how many XP's you get from stealth, it almost seems the game would be unbeatable if you didn't pickpocket your way to about 5 or more extra levels. But the way the game unfolded, the way base melee damage is 1/10 of total unless you get a critical hit while archery damage is 1/1 always, everything felt like the game was saying "this is how we intended you to play."

Which, of course, is a strike against a game, not one for it. A great game is when you can choose any style and be relatively the same difficulty spike, and a great game allows you to experience all the great stuff they put in there without having to do multiple play throughs, at least in my opinion. I know many will disagree with that, but life here on earth is limited, and the length of games means multiple times through is not how I would like to be able to experience everything in a game. But, that's me.

Anyway, I agree with your criticisms, and share them. But I was wrong in my assessment that the game was just too hard to really play at all. It's not. Far from it. I literally almost never had to worry about death after Chapter 1. Just a few times. In fact, my biggest fear of death in the game was from falling, not enemies. lol

Look, I went and did it again. Another wall of text that no one has time to read. Sorry. Again.

No apology necessary (nor is it welcome *smiles*). We love to read them. (^_^)