Gothic 1 Remake: How to Get Your First Weapon

• TL;DR: Gothic 1 Remake gives you no weapon at the start. The first usable item is a Pickaxe found in the mine on the road with Diego.
• The Rusty Sword (10 dmg, 5 STR) is across the bridge after the mine — guarded by a Molerat. Grab it and run if you are not ready to fight.
• The Club (5 dmg, 5 STR) is on the mine roof near a corpse — slow but free and requires minimal Strength.
• The Old Sword (12 dmg, 8 STR) is stuck in the ground near the hanged man tree — the best free melee weapon before the Old Camp.
• The Shortbow (20 dmg, 10 DEX) can be stolen from the Exchange Zone shed or earned free from Drax on the road.
• If you can only grab one melee weapon before the Old Camp, make it the Old Sword.
• Save your game constantly. The opening stretch kills players who are not paying attention.

Getting your first weapon in Gothic 1 Remake is not automatic. The Nameless Hero starts with empty hands, dangerous creatures are active from the very first path, and the game gives you no tutorial on where to look. This guide walks through every weapon available from the moment you gain control to the point you arrive at the Old Camp — in the exact order you encounter them — so you always have something in hand.

You Start With Nothing

When Gothic 1 Remake hands you control for the first time, you have no weapon, no armour, and very little ore. Diego pulls you out of the pond and gives you directions, but he does not hand you anything to fight with. The game expects you to find your own equipment from the environment.

The good news is that multiple weapons are hidden in plain sight on the road to the Old Camp. None of them require fighting a dangerous enemy. You just need to know where to look — and to not blindly follow Diego without checking your surroundings first.

Optional: The Shortbow From the Exchange Zone

Before you follow Diego anywhere, turn left. Do not follow him right away.

To your left is the Exchange Zone — a small trading post near the starting area. A free Shortbow (20 damage, 10 DEX) is locked inside a shed there. Here is how to get it:

• Walk toward the Exchange Zone at the end of the left path.
• Find the hut inside the zone. Wait for the guard to move away, then go in.
• Loot the chest in the back room to get the Exchange Zone Key.
• Leave the hut quickly before the guard returns.
• Use the key to open the iron door of the shed.
• The Shortbow is next to a barrel inside. Take it and leave immediately.
• Guards will not follow you outside the Exchange Zone even if they spot you.

This is the fastest route to a ranged weapon in the game. The only requirement is 10 Dexterity, which most builds can meet from the start. You will also find a chest with arrows near the second mine entrance a little further along the road — grab them, because a bow with no arrows is useless.

If you would rather not risk the theft, there is a second, fully safe way to get the Shortbow through Drax — covered further below.

First Weapon: The Pickaxe

Follow Diego from the starting area. After some dialogue, he leads you down the path toward the Old Camp. Pass through the first gate with the guards and continue along the road.

On the left side of the path, you will see a mine entrance. Go inside. On the ground you will find the Pickaxe.

The Pickaxe is slow and deals minimal damage, but it works in the combat system just like any other starting weapon — you can swing it, parry with it, and practice dodging against early enemies. It is your weapon of last resort for the first few minutes until something better turns up. Pick it up and equip it. It is better than bare hands.

There is a second Pickaxe available nearby. Follow the narrow path next to the mine toward the wooden bridge. Before you reach the gap, jump up the ledge on your left. This leads to a second mine entrance. Inside you will find another Pickaxe, a torch, and a chest containing arrows. The torch is worth taking too — nights in Gothic 1 Remake are very dark and you will need it.

Second Weapon: The Club

From the second mine entrance, look toward the wooden bridge. To the right of the entrance you will see a series of ledges. Climb them up to the roof of the mine.

Turn slightly left and move forward. You will see an area with a white mist near the ground. Just before the mist, at the foot of a tree, is a corpse. The Club is lying next to it.

• Damage: 5 Blunt
• Strength Required: 5

The Club hits for less than the Rusty Sword, but it requires the same Strength and is available before you have to deal with any Molerat. If you continue past the corpse toward the edge of the cliff near a waterfall, you will find a hostile Goblin. Kill him with the Club if you can — he drops another Club, which you can sell at the Old Camp for a few ore nuggets.

Third Weapon: The Rusty Sword

Come back down from the mine roof and cross the wooden bridge. On the other side of the bridge, you will spot the Rusty Sword stuck in the ground next to a skeleton with an Ore Nugget nearby.

• Damage: 10 Edge
• Strength Required: 5

There is a problem. A Molerat is patrolling this exact area. The moment you approach the Rusty Sword, it will notice you. You have two options:

• Fight the Molerat — If you have the Club from earlier, you can attempt this. Save before you try. Molerats can kill an unarmoured character quickly. Hit, back off, repeat. If it goes badly, reload.
• Grab and run — Sprint to the sword, pick it up, and immediately run away from the Molerat. It will give up the chase after a short distance. You keep the sword and take no damage.

The run-and-grab approach is recommended for your very first playthrough. The Rusty Sword is a clean upgrade over the Pickaxe and the Club, and it is not worth dying over.

Also pick up the Ore Nugget from the skeleton while you are there. Ore is the currency of the Colony.

Best Weapon Before the Old Camp: The Old Sword

Continue along the road with Diego. After passing the area where you found the Rusty Sword, keep following the main path. You will pass through another gate and reach an open area with a large dead tree and a hanged man’s body dangling from it.

Diego stops here to deal with two Juvenile Scavengers. Let him handle them. Once the area is clear, look at the base of the dead tree. The Old Sword is stuck in the ground there.

• Damage: 12 Edge
• Strength Required: 8

This is the best free melee weapon available before the Old Camp. At 12 damage it outperforms everything else you have found so far, and the requirement of 8 Strength is within reach for most builds at this stage. If your Strength is not at 8 yet, hold onto the Rusty Sword until it is — then switch to the Old Sword immediately.

There is also a Club lying on the ground in this same area, to the right of the hanged man tree next to an armoured skeleton near a wagon. A second Club is not especially useful at this point, but it sells for a small amount of ore at camp.

Free Shortbow From Drax – The Safe Ranged Option

As you continue down the road toward the Old Camp after the hanged man area, you will encounter two New Camp hunters: Drax and Ratford. Talk to both of them.

On the road near the area where you first fought the Juvenile Scavengers with Diego, you may have found a Hunter’s Knife. If you picked it up, hand it to Drax when you meet him. In return, he gives you a free Shortbow.

• Damage: 20 Point
• Dexterity Required: 10

This is the cleaner and fully safe route to the Shortbow compared to the Exchange Zone theft. No guards, no risk, no timing windows — just return the knife and take the bow. Make sure you also have arrows. The chest near the second mine entrance contains some, and there are arrows scattered along the road if you look carefully.

If you missed the Hunter’s Knife, do not worry. The Shortbow can also be purchased from Fisk at the Old Camp, or found through the Exchange Zone route described earlier.

Weapons You Can Find at the Old Camp

Once you arrive at the Old Camp, a couple more free weapons are immediately available:

• Shortsword (12 dmg, 6 STR) — Climb the ladders near the shacks on the southern wall of the Old Camp. Reach the bridge above the south gate. The Shortsword is leaning against a crate on the left side. Completely free and unguarded.
• Rusty Sword (second) — Found at the end of the corridor near the Arena inside the Old Camp. Worth knowing about as a backup.

The Shortsword from the southern ramparts is especially useful if your Strength is not at 8 yet. It requires only 6 Strength, matches the Old Sword in damage, and costs nothing.

Weapon Route Summary – First Hour of Gothic 1 Remake

• At the start: Turn left to the Exchange Zone and steal the Shortbow if you want a ranged option early. Needs 10 DEX.
• First mine on the road: Pickaxe inside on the ground. Take it.
• Second mine above the path: Second Pickaxe, torch, chest with arrows. Take the torch and arrows.
• Mine roof, by the fog: Club at the foot of a tree. Take it. Kill the Goblin past the waterfall for a second Club to sell.
• Across the bridge: Rusty Sword next to a skeleton. Molerat is nearby — grab and run or fight if ready.
• Hanged man tree area: Old Sword stuck in the ground at the tree base. Best melee weapon before the Old Camp. Take it as soon as your Strength allows.
• On the road, with Drax: Return the Hunter’s Knife for a free Shortbow. Grab arrows from the environment.
• Old Camp, southern ramparts: Shortsword leaning against a crate above the south gate. Free and unguarded.

Combat Tips for the Opening Stretch

• Save constantly. Save before approaching any new enemy and before picking up guarded items like the Rusty Sword. A single bad fight can end your run.
• Let Diego fight for you. Stay close to Diego on the road. Anything that attacks will often target him first, giving you time to react or run.
• Molerats are dangerous at level 1. Do not stand and fight one without at least the Club or Rusty Sword and a save beforehand.
• Pick up everything. There is no carry weight limit. Collect every berry, ore nugget, piece of food, and throwaway weapon you find. Even a second Club sells for a few ore at the Old Camp.
• The Pickaxe is not useless. It is slow and weak, but it lets you practice the combat system — parry timing and dodge timing — against weak enemies before the stakes get higher.
• Upgrade as soon as Strength allows. Move from Pickaxe to Rusty Sword, then from Rusty Sword to Old Sword, as soon as your Strength hits the requirements. Do not stick with weaker weapons longer than necessary.

After the First Weapons

Once you have the Old Sword and are inside the Old Camp, you have a solid foundation. The next step is finding better weapons, training combat skills, and earning ore to buy upgrades from merchants. Our guide on best early weapons in Gothic 1 Remake covers everything available beyond the opening road — including the Shortsword, Farmer’s Defense, and Lurker’s Bite — with full stats and locations for each.

Where to Buy Gothic 1 Remake

Gothic 1 Remake is available digitally on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox. Physical copies are available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. For full game details, visit the official Gothic website.