(running Win10 )

Installed.
Run game. Pick character, fiddle with tutorial.
so far, so good.

Don't like the display. Dig around to see how to fix the aspect ratio.
Finally find the command buried deep in AMD Catalyst Control Center.
Change the setting.
Start the game.

Hey, there are black borders on the side and circles are circular! Great.

Load saved game.
Sacred crashes.
Start again.
Load saved game.
Games loads.
Character won't move.
I click all over the map - all I can make the character do is spin around to where the mouse clicks. But the character won't take a step.
Quit, start the game a few times. start brand new characters.
Nobody can move!

Same thing in the Underworld. Spins but doesn't walk.

-----------
Arrrgh

Uinstall game.
Reinstall game.

Now it works.
WTF.

-----------

After this, and after scanning the GOG and Steam forums I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble to try and play this or if I should skip to Sacred 2?

Let's assume I keep plugging away at Sacred Gold. What should I do to have fewer hassles?

I'm guessing I should make lots of saves and not delete old ones as I might have to go back - I hear quests get corrupted a lot. Other people say combos stop working and they have to go back to old saves to fix it.

I saw a suggestion that you should never explore randomly - only follow quests. That way you won't get an end of quest condition activated before the quest is assigned. Sacred Gold doesn't handle that situation. That sounds like a good tip. Any other tips like that?

Sacred 2 isn't anymore stable especially since they went overboard with graphics improvement so you need a good computer.

You are running Windows 10, that might be it. Try compatibility modes and similar solutions if you have had any specific Win10 issues with games that have worked prior to you upgrading the OS.

I never had any larger issues like that, no corrupted quests except for failures as there are a few Side quests where you escort 1-HP people and some with a very low time limit.