[Deleted]

You're referring to the statue of Innos beside the farm? This is because there are various items on the statue's base.

Interaction in the Gothic games works by targeting whatever is near to the centre of your view (its name will be shown above it). This makes it very easy to interact with items/buttons/etc. (even the tiny gold coins found in various places) without having to point at them precisely (as in Morrowind and the like). This can make it tricky to target a particular item in a group of items, but that doesn't matter because you are never required to do that as part of the game. There is no weight or encumbrance limit, so any time you're faced with multiple items you can simply pocket them all; switches and other important things are always far enough apart that you can't target the wrong one.

If you want targeting to be more obvious, try experimenting with the Combat focus and Object focus settings under Options > Game Settings. These give visual feedback for targeting, e.g. if you set Object focus to "lighten" the thing you're pointing at will be noticeably lit up (in addition to its name being displayed above it as usual).Well, he's all but dead at the start of the game (as shown in the opening cutscene) so this is a convenient way of explaining why his stats have been reset.

As for combat, it is deliberately awkward because of how things work. Getting combat training doesn't just boost your damage, it also makes your attacks faster and unlocks additional combo steps. If you disable the Gothic 1 controls option the left and right attacks get their own keys which you might find more convenient, but you'll still need to raise your character skills to pull off proper combos.

As for the wolves, this is both because of Piranha Bytes' tradition of the player starting very weak and also because the GOG version installs the Night of the Raven expansion by default, which makes all aspects of the game significantly harder (at the request of players who thought the base Gothic II was too easy). The GOG installer gives the option of installing without the expansion but this does mean you'll also be removing the huge amount of extra content added by the expansion.

You being the resident expert, I really hate to contradict you but targeting problems in a group does affect the game. I really hate the nameless one firing ranged weapons/magic at attackers two miles away when there is one ten feet away. OK, maybe not two miles :). Finding the right target when they are attacking often means missing the opportunity to shoot. But, that being said, the game really is a treasure - stick with it, original author, the controls are only a huge problem early (and they are so much better then Gothic I controls).

This is good to know! I bought Gothic 2&3 in the sale, and have had the benefit of comparing both games. Gothic 3 melee combat has been a dream since I learned the mouse button combinations and started refining tactics, but Gothic 2 combat only offered me a single stroke of the sword. Knowing that other combos can be unlocked with experience really helps!

So, yeah. Thanks for that!

I do find that I miss Gothic 3's "hold the mouse button down longer for more powerful arrow shots" for ranged combat. May I beg a tip or two with regard to ranged combat for Gothic 2?

Yeah, this is one of those things that isn't obvious; characters do tell you that improving your skills will make you a better fighter, but in most games that's just meaningless filler text and all you really get is more damage. :)

Each point in a weapon skill improves critical hit chance but you only get the improved responsiveness/extra combo step when you reach a new major milestone, represented in the character window by a new title for that skill (Rookie, Fighter, etc.)

Gothic II has no critical hits for ranged weapons (although Gothic I does). The damage formula is:

Weapon Damage + DEX - Armor Protection of the enemy = Total Damage

Crossbows require Strength to equip, but damage is based on Dexterity.

Increasing your bow/crossbow skill does not increase damage. For a ranged build you want to get your ranged skill to a suitable level and then focus on Dexterity to boost damage (and of course upgrade to a better weapon whenever you get the chance).

There are also a few melee weapons that use Dexterity to equip; these deal very high base damage. Their critical hit damage is still based on Strength but a Dexterity-based character should be using ranged attacks most of the time anyway.

[Deleted]

Well if you'd played the original Gothic first (also available on GOG, by the way) you would recognise the events and location shown in the opening cutscene and have a much better understanding of what is going on. Gothic II makes various references to the original throughout the game; knowledge of it is never required but does enhance the experience as you are able to recognise old friends and so forth.

As for the hero continuing in the sequel this is how sequels work; the chosen hero must save the world again but has mysteriously lost all his powers and equipment he gained the last time he did it. There are very few sequels that resolve this by giving you an entirely new person to play as or importing your save from the previous game, so they have to somehow explain what has happened. Being almost dead (and then teleported away without any possessions) is one of the better explanations.

That said, this is not a universe where dead people make a habit of simply getting better. During the opening conversation Xardas states his belief that the hero has only survived his adventures because it is the will of the gods. Anyone you kill stays dead.

As for Planescape, most RPGs are not going to be another Planescape, nor are they trying to be, nor should they be. Gothic is its own sort of experience, just as Planescape was. Piranha Bytes' games are highly regarded by many RPG fans but that does not mean that every RPG fan will fall in love with them. :)

[Deleted]