Magic Ore nuggets are the primary currency in Gothic 1 Remake, which is used for trading, buying gear, armor, training, and bribes. Since the game’s economy is tight and mostly based on bartering, you’ll need to find a way to trade as efficiently as possible. This guide will provide you with some of the best economy loops in the game that reduce the grind.
How to Earn Ore in the Early Game
At the very beginning of the game, you won’t be able to trade effectively, so it’s better to focus on actually earning and accumulating ore for future operations. Here’s how:
| Methods | Features |
|---|---|
| Looting | Scavenge items, chests, and dead bodies for rusty swords, pickaxes, ore chunks near the abandoned mines, and scattered food. Note that chests in camps yield the best hauls, but do this at night when NPCs sleep. |
| Mining | Although slow, mining provides you with some early nuggets, but you’ll have to obtain the pickaxe first. Find glowing blue ore deposits in the Old Mine of the Northwest Colony and Free Mine in the New Camp area. |
| Combat | Wild animals and hostile humans drop loot, such as meat, weapons, and occasional ore. You can cook raw meat for a higher value and defeat guards for better gear. |
| Hunting | Learn animal trophy skills, such as skinning, claws, teeth, etc., from hunters like Drax, Cavalorn, or Shax. Skins and scavenger parts sell well, and since the wildlife respawns, it’s a good farming method. |
| Quests | Early quests from Diego, Snaf, and Thorus often reward ore and other tradable goods. Stay neutral longer to do quests for multiple camps for extra income before joining one. |
| Burglary | Use stealth and lockpicking, which can be trained at Fingers, to hit merchant chests and huts at night. However, be cautious, as getting caught can lead to fines and aggression. |
Best Smelting & Trading Methods
Blacksmithing is one of the strongest economy loops in the game, especially around the Old Camp. You can learn Smithing from Huno, the Old Camp blacksmith, who unlocks basic one-handed weapon crafting. Then, follow these steps:
- Buy Raw Steel from Huno or other smiths for cheap and use it at the crafting station.
- Heat it in a forge and craft a hammer or a sword on an anvil, then quench it in water, and finish it on a grindstone for sale.
- Sell finished crude swords and hammers to merchants like Fisk in the Old Camp and Sharky in the New Camp.
- Profit from the margin, which is solid, as crafted weapons often sell for more than the raw material cost.
Once you’ve accumulated enough raw material, ready to sell products, and excess ore, you can start trading for massive income. Here’s what you need to do:
- Sell all your excess weapons, trophies, cooked meat, and other items like plates to specific buyers.
- Always rotate merchants and sell to different camps to let stocks replenish, as no single merchant has infinite ore.
- Opt only for high-value trades, such as crafted weapons, refined trophies, cooked food, or swampweed for the Brotherhood, which is highly profitable.
- Refuse poor rates and save your ore for key upgrades, training, lockpicks, armor, and other faction gear.
