Surviving the opening hours of Gothic 1 Remake without a weapon is a short and painful experience. The Colony does not ease you in, and the creatures roaming between the Exchange Point and the Old Camp will end your run before you've learned a single skill. The good news is that there are more weapons sitting around the early areas than the game lets on, and most of them cost nothing to grab.
Why is getting a weapon so hard in Gothic 1 Remake?
Unlike most rpg games that hand you a starter weapon in the first five minutes, Gothic 1 Remake treats your armament as something you have to earn, steal, or pry from a dead enemy's hands. Ore, the Colony's currency, is scarce early on, and even killing a group of enemies might net you only 50 to 100 Ore total. Spending that on a weapon from a vendor is a real sacrifice, which makes knowing every free option ahead of time so valuable.
First free sword location
A molerat guards the Rusty Sword near the hanging bridge and can kill you in two hits. Never try to land two strikes in a row, and consider luring it away before picking up the sword.
How do you get your first weapon before reaching the Old Camp?
The earliest weapon opportunity appears on the road between the Exchange Point and the Old Camp. Diego will mention an abandoned mine down the canyon if you press him for advice, but that mine is locked and you won't have the key. What you can do is pick up the Pickaxe sitting in front of the locked door. It's not glamorous, but it keeps you alive long enough to reach the real prize.
Cross the hanging bridge after picking up the Pickaxe. On the far side, a Rusty Sword is stuck in the ground directly ahead. A molerat patrols the area, so either bait it away from the sword before grabbing it, or use the dodge-swing-retreat pattern with the Pickaxe to wear it down first. The Rusty Sword deals more damage than the Pickaxe and swings faster, making it a meaningful upgrade the moment you pick it up.
Closer to the crossroads near the Old Mine, just a few meters from where Diego pointed you, there's an Old Sword near a hanged man. The area is littered with Pickaxes and the Rusty Sword mentioned above, but the Old Sword is the better choice for clearing Scavengers and Molerats in the surrounding area.
What free weapons can you find at the Old Camp?
Once you reach the Old Camp, the options expand considerably. Several weapons are sitting in plain sight or tucked away in spots that reward a bit of exploration.
Shortsword (Southern Wall ramparts)
The Shortsword is the best free one-handed weapon available at this stage, and grabbing it requires nothing more than climbing. Head to the Southern Wall and use the ladders near the shacks to reach the ramparts. Climb a second set of ladders to access the bridge above the gate. There's a lit torch and a couple of crates up there. The Shortsword is leaning against the box on the left side. Pick it up and keep moving.
Shortsword on the south ramparts
Nail Club (from Grim)
The Nail Club is an upgraded version of the Wood Club and comes from knocking out Grim, a hostile NPC you'll encounter near Diego at the Northern entrance of the Old Camp. Grim appears after you reject Bloodwyn's protection scheme of 10 Ore. Talking to Grim triggers a quest called "The Amulet," which is a setup for an ambush. Once you're far enough from the guards, beat Grim down and loot the Nail Club from his inventory.
Hand Axe (Arena district)
Head to the Arena district and look for a house with a large entrance and a second floor. Enter using Stealth (C on PC) and find the Target Practice Board inside. A Hand Axe is embedded in it. Take it. It's a solid one-handed option for dealing with Scavengers.
Morning Star (Market District)
The Morning Star takes a bit more footwork. Go to the Market District and climb the ledge overlooking the trading area. Spot the two-story storehouse with a rooftop and a balcony nearby. Climb to the balcony, enter Stealth, and go inside. The Morning Star is down the ladder on the left side. It's a powerful blunt weapon and worth the effort.
Morning Star in the market storehouse
What about ranged weapons and two-handed options?
Shortbow (Exchange Zone or Fisk)
The Shortbow is available almost immediately if you're willing to do some careful burglary at the Exchange Zone. After talking to Diego in the intro, turn left and head toward the Exchange Zone. Two guards patrol the area. Wait for the guard near the crates to move away, enter the hut, and loot the Exchange Zone Key from the chest inside. Return to the first area, wait until the guard with the parchment starts doing his inventory check, then open the gate to claim a free Shortbow and Arrows.
Alternatively, Fisk at the Old Camp sells the Shortbow for 29 Ore. That's a steep ask for early players, but achievable through selling looted items.
The Shortbow requires Dexterity investment to get real mileage from it. Gothic 1 Remake, like the original, heavily favors Strength and Magic builds in the long run, so treat the bow as a utility tool for keeping dangerous enemies at range rather than a primary damage source.
Withered Axe (Mole Rat cave near the South Gate)
The Withered Axe is the most powerful two-handed weapon you can get for free this early. Start by talking to Sly and picking up the Missing Warder Quest. Head to the South Gate (opposite from the main entrance) and follow the road until you spot a group of three Molerats guarding a cave entrance on the right side. Pull them one at a time, or run back toward the South Entrance and let the guards handle them (though you won't earn any experience that way). Inside the cave, find Nek's body and loot the items from his corpse. The Withered Axe is lying on the ground to his right.
Withered Axe near Nek's body
Whistler's Sword: the risky high-reward option
Whistler's Sword is technically a quest reward, but it comes with a choice that has real consequences. Talk to Whistler, one of the key figures in the Old Camp, to start the quest of the same name. He'll give you 100 Ore Nuggets and send you to buy a sword from Fisk, who refuses to sell it to Whistler directly. Don't mention Whistler's name to Fisk, and avoid the dialog option "I thought you were selling it for 100 Ores" or the quest fails immediately.
Fisk will ask for 110 Ore instead of 100. Go back to Whistler for the extra 10 Ore, then return to Fisk. At this point you face a decision: return the sword to Whistler and earn his approval for access to the Old Camp's inner circle, or keep the sword for yourself. Keeping it means losing Whistler's backing and dealing with his aggression if he catches you off guard, but the sword itself is a powerful Bastard Sword available far earlier than you'd normally see one.
Don't carry Whistler's 100 Ore Nuggets around longer than necessary. Losing the quest by getting robbed or killed while holding them is a painful setback.
Early weapon comparison
How should you manage Ore while gearing up?
Ore is tight throughout the early game, so every purchase matters. Killing wildlife and looting enemies covers basic expenses, but the margins are thin. Cooking raw meat before selling it increases its value with almost no extra effort. Locked chests scattered around the Colony hold useful loot, though picking them requires at least 1 Lockpick and a clear line of sight, since any NPC who witnesses you breaking in may turn hostile.
The priority should be skill training over weapon purchases, since most of the weapons listed above are free. Save your Ore for trainers and consumables rather than spending 29 Ore on a Shortbow when you can steal one from the Exchange Zone in the first ten minutes.
For more strategies covering the Colony's early challenges, the Gothic 1 Remake guides collection has you covered on everything from lockpicking to skill trainer locations.