Join The Club
The best part of Gothic Remake's opening chapter is juggling the three factions: the Old Camp, New Camp, and Swamp Camp. Each of the three camps dislikes the others, but they're forced to work together somewhat to survive in The Colony. And then there's you, the Nameless Hero and a fresh face, who must pick a side. But which camp is right for you?
Which camp should you choose in Gothic Remake?
You can only join one faction, and there are some consequences to your actions. The good news is that you will still be able to visit and even complete some quests in the other camps, so it's not the end of the world. In fact, you'll even continue to receive the free daily items, like the ragout from the Old Camp or swampweed from the Swamp Camp. There's no bad blood if you're following the rules.
All factions are, frankly, kind of assholes, so it's more about picking the least nasty team and whichever one's theme is the coolest to you: hierarchical soldiers, a band of thieves and mercs, or cultists.
The main impacts of your faction choice include:
- Your quests are based on which faction you choose, mainly in the first chapter. You need to deliver a message to the fire mages, but you can do this in multiple ways. For example, you could move up the ranks of the Old Camp to get access to the castle, or by becoming a messenger for the water mages at the New Camp, or an envoy for the Swamp Camp. You'll automatically forfeit some quests when you join a camp too. When I signed up with the New Camp, I 'failed' Casting Shadows, Out of Sight, and a few other quests relating to the other camps. It's worth noting that Gothic's main quest is pretty similar no matter which camp you choose.
- You get camp-specific armour, which you can improve by climbing through the ranks of your chosen faction, or simply by paying money to an armourer like Fisk. Old Campers get the Shadow Armour to start with before graduating onto the slightly better Warder Armour, the New Camp gives you the Bandit's Dress, and Swampers get the Novice Armour. The Novice cult robes have less physical protection, but you can quickly upgrade all the sets anyhow.
- You get different faction promotions as you progress. If you pick the Old Camp, you can become a Warder or a Fire Mage. The New Camp offers Mercenary or Water Mage. Lastly, the Swamp Camp leads into Templar.
The Old Camp
The Old Camp is the first faction you'll interact with, thanks to Diego helping you out when you're first thrown into the penal colony. As such, it's very tempting to stick with this faction, especially as the fire mages you need to speak to for the main quest are inside the castle anyhow.
It's also the best camp for acquiring spells early with The Price of Magic quest. If you're looking to rock a pure mage build, then the easy access to fire magic makes this the faction to go for. The Warder gear you get, being plate armour, is obviously also very strong. The Old Camp is also the most convenient, centrally located, and has all sorts of vendors and teachers.
The New Camp
This group of bandits and mercenaries hiding out in the hills (it's the coolest base, if you ask me) are experts in all things thievery. The introductory quests to join the New Camp can be a bit of a pain, but it's a great opportunity to make some money (known as ore).
You can become a Water Mage through the New Camp, which presents a fun opportunity for mages. However, it'll likely take you a bit longer to reach than the Old Camp's fire magic.
There are a lot of handy trainers in the New Camp—including lockpicking, one-handed combat, and archery—though you don't need to join the faction to access these. Likewise, you can get a free armour set by heading to the Free Mine behind their base.
The Swamp Camp
This cult devoted to 'the Sleeper' lives out in the marshes to the northeast, and they love their swampweed. Unlike the other two factions, they don't really have a plan for leaving the penal colony, besides hoping their Sleeper god will help them out. Unfortunately, despite being expanded upon in the remake, the Swamp Camp is still the most underbaked of the three factions.
There are some good trainers here, including a cultist who can teach you how to climb—no need to join the camp, though, just bribe him with drugs.
It's also not the best choice if you want to become a pure mage, due to not having access to the same level spells as the other camps, though they do have a magic vendor. But if you're angling for a spellsword-type character, then it's got you covered.
