I notice NPCs in Gothic 2 keep emphasizing that there isn't a good weapon selection in the city... which is absolute GARBAGE, as there are lots of weapons ranging from high quality weapons (25 str, 50 damage) to high level weapons (100+ damage)...

Are the weapons from NotR, because they make NO SENSE in context of what I keep hearing NPCs say.

Yep, don't pay attention to that. You got lots of great weapons in the city. All you need is coin (easy) to get them and stats (hard) to wear them.

They keep saying that, among other things, to emphasize the dire situation overall: the smith won't make any swords but for the paladins, bandits keep raiding, farmers don't pay their rent to city - thus prices going sky high etc etc.

A small off-topic advice: if you get 1000 gold coins on your hand (easy to do at low level, if you're careful) go and make donations to Innos mage at the market (50 goid coins every time - not more!) up to 1000 gold. You'll get 1 LP, HP bonuses as if you'd leveled up 6 -7 levels, mana bonus etc.

Interesting, does this only work at low levels and only at the Fire Magician in Khorinis?

It works at every level, but only when talking to that magician (can't remember his name (Drogan, Dragan?)).
Thing is it would be pointless taking those at higher levels, since you'll get far better equipment by then, and your skills will go up too, so taking this as early as possibly helps a lot during adventures early on.

I think his name is Daron.

I actually don't understand your comment. Why would getting free skill points not help at higher levels?

You won't get free skill points.
You will get HP bonuses (+5 (?) for almost every donation), 1 LP, some XP (50, I guess), mana bonus (+2).
So, by the time you'll finish with his blessings, you'll double (if not more) your HP amount.

But LP ARE skill points. I'm confused.

Ohh, okay. Pardon my use of a generic term xO

Though back to an earlier question- why would this be less helpful at higher levels? (or do you just mean COMPARATIVELY less useful?)

As I said: when you level up, your HP goes up automatically - you can't increase it otherwise at this point. Why not gain a few "levels" with gold instead of actually waiting to level up to get your HP higher?
The chances that you'll be killed in one / two hits is high at lower levels (especially when lower than level 5) are high.

When you fight a bandit for example, wouldn't you like to prevail in combat and loot his corpse?
At low levels your weapon skills are low to help you out. I mean you can have them (for example, getting to Fighter level [30%] in one handed weapons), but you won't have STR recquired to equip at least decent items.
So why not balance the lack of armor / weapon skills / stats with a extra HP?

* And keep in mind that Sneaking is a great skill to take as early as possible (even from Cavalorn). You'll get a free excellent one-handed weapon from shadowbeast cave, near the lighthouse (+ purses with gold coins + scrolls) if you sneak in during day-time (shadowbeasts sleep during that time). Also you'll need Sneak to steal armor and other goodies from chests behind Matheo very early on.

Also, you should learn alchemy (permanent potions), but Constantino won't teach you that unless you have some experience with brewing potions. That one extra leaning point from donations fits right in - you go to Ignaz, do his quest (The Experiment), and after that he'll teach you how to brew healing / mana potions - and that costs exactly 1 LP.

So your LPs will have to go to Sneak, learn to take animal skins (from Bosper) or make weapons (from Harad), make basic potions as prerequisites for later ones - and you'll have to share those with increasing your actual fighting skills + stats.

By the way,
Gothic franchise is 60% off on GOG. :)

Ah, I grabbed them! :D But for some reason Gothic 1 isn't on sale...

Also, in G1/2 I generally don't get sneak, since just by jumping around I can avoid detection at pretty much the same rate. Though I'm actually doing a no-stealing playthrough (excepting maybe certain quests that would call for it).

Though on hindsight G2 seems harder than G1, it might be less necessary for me to meta-game.

The first Gothic isn't included because it's published by Piranha Bytes themselves, not Nordic games. It's been on sale much less often than the sequels because of this.

Shame, first was my favorite.