Gothic 1 Remake drops you into the Colony with nothing but your fists and a bad attitude. The game gives you no quest markers, no weapon tutorials, and no mercy from the scavengers circling the crossroads. What it does give you is a world full of weapons that nobody bothered to lock up properly. Eight of the best early-game options are sitting within reach of the Old Camp, and most of them cost exactly zero Ore Nuggets to obtain. This guide covers every location, every trick, and every risky choice you should know before your first hour turns into a corpse run.
What weapons should you grab first in Gothic 1 Remake?
The answer depends on whether you want a safe free pickup or are willing to take some risk for a bigger payoff. The weapons below are ranked loosely from easiest to hardest to obtain, but every single one is accessible before you've committed to a faction or spent serious time grinding Ore.
Old Sword
This is the first weapon worth grabbing after Diego sends you off to find something sharp. Head to the crossroads near the Old Mine and look for the hanged man. The area around that landmark is scattered with Pickaxes and a Rusty Sword, but the Old Sword is the clear winner here. It handles Scavengers and Molerats without embarrassing you, and picking it up takes about thirty seconds.
Old Sword at the crossroads
Shortsword
The best free one-handed weapon in the early game, and there is genuinely no catch. Reach the Old Camp, then find the ladders near the shacks built against the Southern Wall. Climb up to the ramparts, keep going up a couple more ladders until you reach the bridge above the gate. There is a lit torch and some crates up there. The Shortsword is leaning against the box on the left side. Pick it up and never look back.
Shortbow
The only ranged option on this list, and it comes in two flavors: free with some light burglary, or purchased from Fisk for 29 Ore Nuggets.
For the free route, turn left after Diego's intro cutscene and head toward the Exchange Zone. Two guards patrol the area. Wait for the guard near the crates to move away from the hut, slip inside, and loot the Exchange Zone Key from the chest. Return to the first area and wait until the guard with the parchment starts running his inventory check. That is your window to open the gate and collect the Shortbow and Arrows sitting right there.
Morning Star in the storehouse
The Shortbow handles wolves, lizards, and Mole Rats at a safe distance, which matters a lot in the first few hours. The downside is that bows scale with Dexterity, and the game strongly favors Strength and Magic builds over the long run. Treat it as a utility tool rather than a primary weapon. If you want to see how different weapon types fit into a longer strategy, the Gothic 1 Remake best build guide breaks down which stats are worth investing in.
Nail Club
The Nail Club is a straight upgrade over the starting Wood Club and comes from knocking out Grim, a hostile NPC working for Bloodwyn. You will meet Grim near Diego at the Northern entrance of the Old Camp when you refuse Bloodwyn's 10 Ore "protection" offer.
Talking to Grim triggers a quest called "The Amulet," which is a trap designed to get you isolated outside camp. Accept the quest, walk far enough from the guards that they cannot intervene, then put Grim on the ground. Once he is knocked out, loot the Nail Club from his pockets.
Free Shortbow in Exchange Zone
Hand Axe
Head to the Arena district inside the Old Camp and find the house with the large entrance and a second floor. Use Stealth (C on PC) to slip inside without drawing attention, then look for a Target Practice Board on the wall. There is a Hand Axe stuck in it. Pull it free and you have a solid one-handed weapon that costs nothing and draws no quest consequences.
Rider's Bow
This is the stronger bow option and it can be found in the first hour of the game if you know where to look. After meeting Drax, return to the river and dive underwater. There is a cave entrance that is easy to swim straight past. Take the underwater passage on your right, swim through it, and walk up the ramp inside the cave. A chest at the top contains the Rider's Bow, which deals 24 damage and requires 14 Dexterity to use.
If your Dexterity is not at 14 yet, you probably have not reached the Old Camp. Once you do, find a skill trainer and spend your Learning Points there.
Morning Star
A powerful blunt weapon sitting in a two-story storehouse in the Market District. From the market area where Dexter and the traders operate, climb up to the ledge overlooking the stalls. Spot the balcony and rooftop nearby, climb onto the roof, then drop down to the balcony. Enter Stealth and go inside the storehouse. Head down the ladder and look to the left side. The Morning Star is on the ground there. It is one of the strongest weapons you can carry at this point in the game.
Withered Axe
The best two-handed weapon available in the early game, but getting it requires clearing out a Mole Rat nest. Start by talking to Sly and picking up the Missing Warder Quest. Then go to the South Gate (the opposite side from where you first entered the Old Camp) and follow the road until you can turn right. Three Mole Rats are guarding a cave entrance.
The cleanest approach is to bait them one at a time and kill each individually. You can also kite them back toward the South Entrance and let the guards finish them, but you will not earn the experience from those kills. Once the Mole Rats are down, go inside the cave and find Nek's body. Loot everything from his corpse, then check the ground to his right. The Withered Axe is lying there.
What about Whistler's Sword?
This one deserves its own section because it involves a genuine decision with lasting consequences. Whistler is one of the key figures in the Old Camp whose approval you need to access the inner circle. He will give you 100 Ore Nuggets and send you to buy a specific sword from Fisk. Do not hold onto those Nuggets too long or you risk failing the quest.
Fisk is refusing to sell to Whistler directly, so do not reveal who sent you. The dialogue option "I thought you were selling it for 100 Ores" fails the quest immediately. Go back to Whistler for an extra 10 Nuggets, since Fisk is now asking for 110.
Here is the choice: return the sword to Whistler and stay in his good graces, opening the path into the Old Camp's inner circle. Or keep the sword, which locks you out of Whistler's approval but gives you an extremely powerful Bastard Sword at a point in the game where most players are still fighting with axes and short blades. Whistler will come after you if he catches you off guard, but the sword is strong enough that winning that fight is possible with some preparation.
Which weapon is actually the best?
For pure safety and zero cost, the Shortsword is the best early pickup. It requires no quest, no stealing, and no combat to obtain. The Withered Axe wins if you want raw two-handed power and do not mind clearing three Mole Rats. The Rider's Bow is the best ranged option if you have the Dexterity to use it, though it is a secondary tool rather than a primary damage source.
If you are willing to burn a questline for a weapon, Whistler's Sword is the most aggressive early-game power spike available. Just know what you are giving up.
For more on how these weapons fit into full character builds and what to prioritize as you level, check out the full Gothic 1 Remake guides collection covering everything from armor to faction choices.