The Valley of Mines has 42 achievements waiting for you
Gothic 1 Remake dropped on June 5, 2026, and the achievement list is exactly what you'd expect from a remake of a gritty 2001 rpg games classic: most unlock through natural play, a handful demand specific setups, and two will genuinely test your patience. Developed by Alkimia Interactive and built on Unreal Engine 5, this is the same Valley of Mines reimagined with reworked combat, expanded areas, and improved NPC routines. The achievement structure reflects that depth. Forty-two total, split across story chapters, faction choices, skill mastery, crafting, stealth, and two brutal challenge modes.
All 42 achievements listed
How many playthroughs do you actually need?
At minimum, three. Possibly four. The faction achievements are the reason: Gomez' Paperboy (join Old Camp), Lowlife (join New Camp), and Cult Loon (join Swamp Camp) are mutually exclusive. You can only align with one faction per playthrough, so covering all three requires three separate runs. Way of the Guild (rank up in any guild) can be earned in whichever run you choose, so that one's free.
A fourth playthrough makes sense if you want to isolate the challenge modes. No time to die (permadeath) is rated Extreme difficulty and deserves a dedicated run where you aren't also chasing other missables. Insomnia Champion (complete the game without sleeping) is Hard but manageable alongside a regular run if you plan ahead.
Story and campaign achievements
Six of the seven story achievements unlock automatically as you progress through chapters. Play the game and you'll collect these without any extra effort.
Mercy Over Madness (spare Gomez's life) also falls into automatic territory since it triggers from a story decision rather than a hidden mechanic.
Story chapters unlock automatically
Faction achievements: plan your runs early
The three faction achievements each require joining a specific camp. Since these are locked to a single choice per playthrough, map out which faction you want in each run before you start. There's no penalty for planning this out from the beginning.
- Gomez' Paperboy: Join the Old Camp (run 1 recommendation for first-timers)
- Lowlife: Join the New Camp
- Cult Loon: Join the Swamp Camp
- Way of the Guild: Rank up in any guild (works in any run)
Quest line achievements
Four achievements tie to specific quest lines. The Fixer (complete the Escape Plan quest) unlocks automatically through the story. The other three require you to actively pursue NPC quest chains.
- The Anatomaniac: Complete the Cavalorn Books quests
- True Stranger: Complete the Chromanin quests
- Mercy Over Madness: Spare Gomez's life (story decision)
Neither the Cavalorn nor the Chromanin quest chains are flagged as missable in the source data, but given how Gothic structures its NPC interactions, tracking these early is the safer approach.
Combat mastery: the hard grind
The weapon mastery achievements are the most time-consuming in the list. The game ranks proficiency through four tiers: novice, apprentice, veteran, and master. You reach master rank through continued combat with each weapon type, not through a skill menu.
- Adept of Arms: Master all melee weapons (swords, axes, two-handed) — Hard
- String Wielder: Master all ranged weapons (bow, crossbow) — Hard
- Abracadabra: Reach the 6th Magic Circle — Hard
- Overachiever: Learn all lessons — Hard
- Foreign Language Master: Learn Orcish Level 2 — Medium
These four Hard-rated achievements are best spread across multiple playthroughs rather than attempted in one run. Trying to master every weapon type, reach magic circle 6, and learn every lesson simultaneously will stretch a single playthrough thin.
Weapon mastery ranks up through use
Combat technique achievements
Five achievements reward specific combat behaviors. Three are straightforward; two need deliberate setup.
- The way of the fist: Defeat 10 enemies with fists — Easy. Just swap to unarmed against weak early enemies.
- Headshot Houdini: Kill 10 enemies with headshots — Medium. Ranged weapons and patience.
- Gravity Kills: Kill an enemy using fall damage — Medium. Find a cliff, lure an enemy to the edge.
- Elemental Showoff: Apply all 3 elemental states (frozen, paralyzed, burning) to the same enemy — Easy.
- Deflecto: Parry an enemy 5 times without dodging or taking damage — Hard.
How to unlock Elemental Showoff
Find a weak solo enemy. Have fire, ice, and lightning spells equipped. Cast one of each type on the same target in a single fight. The enemy doesn't need to die from the spells, just receive all three elemental states. Pick the weakest available target so you have time to cast all three before it dies.
How to unlock Deflecto
This one is strict. You need five consecutive successful parries in a single combat encounter without taking damage or rolling away. Equip a sword and shield, find a weak enemy with predictable attack patterns, and focus entirely on the parry timing. Five clean blocks in a row and the achievement pops. The difficulty rating is Hard because the no-damage condition is unforgiving, not because the parry mechanic itself is complicated.
Crafting achievements
All four crafting achievements are Easy or Automatic and will come naturally if you engage with the crafting system at all.
Craft a scroll as soon as the option becomes available. Some players miss Scribbler by focusing on weapons and potions and forgetting scrolls are a separate crafting category.
Stealth and thievery achievements
Three achievements cover the rogue side of the game. All three are Medium difficulty and require consistent effort across the playthrough rather than a single focused session.
- Garrett: Pickpocket from 20 characters. Start early and pickpocket every NPC you encounter, even if the reward is minimal.
- Master Garrett: Unlock 20 locks with lockpicking. Pick every locked container and door you find, not just the ones blocking progress.
- No gate can stop you: Sneak into the Old Camp. This one has a specific trigger condition, so attempt it before formally joining any faction.
Equipment, magic, and transformation achievements
- Armor-geddon: Get Ore Armor — Medium. Tied to progression and faction access.
- Pimp my armor: Get all mods for an armor — Hard. Requires collecting every available armor modification for a single piece.
- Transformer: Transform into all creatures — Medium. Requires the transformation magic and finding each creature type.
Abracadabra (6th Magic Circle) and Transformer both require committing to a magic-focused build for at least one playthrough. Trying to reach Magic Circle 6 while also grinding weapon mastery ranks will spread your skill investment too thin.
Social and exploration achievements
- Mud Freak: Exhaust all of Mud's dialogue options — Easy. Talk to Mud repeatedly until every dialogue branch is depleted. Don't skip NPC conversations early in the game.
- Bookworm: Read 10 books — Easy. Interact with every readable book you find.
- Map Sniffer: Get all maps — Hard. Maps are scattered across the world and some require exploration off the main path.
Challenge mode achievements: the real endgame
These two are the hardest in the list and should each get a dedicated run.
Insomnia Champion (complete without sleeping) is rated Hard. The restriction is specifically the sleep/rest function. Potions and food still work. The challenge is time management: resting normally accelerates time, so skipping it means managing in-game time through other means. Plan your routes and don't rely on sleep to skip to morning.
No time to die (permadeath mode) is rated Extreme. One death ends the run. Go into this with full knowledge of enemy locations, combat timings, and the game's systems. A first playthrough is not the right time to attempt this. After two or three runs through the Valley of Mines, the encounter patterns become predictable enough to manage.
The Colonyholic and Gothic 1 Remake Completionist achievements
Colonyholic unlocks when you collect every other achievement. It's the standard completion trophy, rated Extreme simply because reaching it requires everything else.
There's also a second completion achievement: Gothic 1 Remake Completionist, which requires all standard achievements plus the Nyras Demo achievement. This hidden achievement is a bonus for players who engaged with the pre-release demo content.
Full achievement reference table
For more help navigating the Valley of Mines, the Gothic 1 Remake strategy guides collection covers additional mechanics and quest walkthroughs to support your runs.