The most annoying companion in the Old Camp
Gothic 1 Remake drops you into the Old Camp with very little hand-holding, and one of the first NPCs you meet is Mud. He seems harmless enough at first, but once he starts following you, the charm wears off fast. He interrupts conversations, wanders into your fights, and no amount of telling him to leave actually works. This guide covers every method to deal with him, a hidden reason to keep him around longer than you want to, and what the game ultimately does with him regardless of your choices.
Mud's dialogue in Old Camp
Is Mud actually dangerous?
No. Mud poses zero threat to you or any other NPC in the Old Camp. Some of his dialogue sounds alarming at first, like when he mentions getting into trouble with ruffians from the New Camp on your behalf, but that's just stock chatter. He can't volunteer you for fights.
New players sometimes panic when Mud suggests going somewhere quiet or mentions sleeping. In Gothic, those are usually red flags that an NPC is about to stab you. With Mud, they're not. He genuinely just wants to talk at you in private. You can sleep near him, walk down dark alleys with him, and nothing bad will happen.
His ambitions to "take over the camp" are equally empty. He's harmless, just relentlessly present.
Do this before getting rid of Mud
Before you send Mud packing, there's one thing worth knowing: Mud is tied to an achievement and trophy called Mud Freak. To unlock it, you need to hear all 24 of his unique dialogue interruptions. Several of these lines only trigger after you speak with specific NPCs or choose particular dialogue options during conversations, at which point Mud jumps in with his own commentary.
If you get rid of him before hearing all 24 lines, you lock yourself out of the trophy entirely. So if you're going for full completion in this RPG, exhaust his dialogue first.
Mud Freak trophy unlock
How to get rid of Mud in Gothic 1 Remake
There are three ways to deal with him. Here's how each one plays out:
Option 1: Beat him up
Lead Mud away from the camp to a spot with no guards or witnesses nearby. Once you're alone, hit him a few times with your fists. He'll decide you're not worth the trouble and run away permanently. He won't follow you after that.
The story continues normally after this. Mud's fate in Chapter 4 plays out regardless of whether he's been scared off or not.
Option 2: Kill him
Mud won't put up much of a fight. You can kill him outright, and doing it away from other NPCs means no one reacts. Loot his body afterward and you'll find Water, a Club, and 5 Ore Nuggets. Not much, but it's something.
Option 3: Let wildlife do it
This is the hands-off approach. Leave the camp with Mud in tow and head toward an area with aggressive creatures. Once enemies notice you, run until they shift their attention to Mud. He'll take damage and die, and you technically never touched him. The Snappers in the moat surrounding the camp are particularly effective for this.
The catch: make sure you can handle whatever creature you're using, otherwise you'll end up dead and unable to loot anything.
Mud's loot after death
Comparison: Which method should you use?
Can you save Mud?
No. Mud dies no matter what you do. If you protect him through the entire game, he's killed by another NPC in Chapter 4. It's a scripted story event that communicates something deliberate: there's no room for innocence inside the barrier. The world of Gothic is bleak, and Mud is the game's way of showing you that early.
The majority of players won't even reach Chapter 4 with Mud still alive. He tends to run into monsters on his own and get killed long before the story catches up with him.
Mud trailing outside camp
What Mud actually drops
If you kill him yourself rather than letting wildlife handle it, Mud's inventory contains:
- Water
- Club
- 5 Ore Nuggets
None of it is particularly valuable later in the game, but the ore nuggets matter at the very start when every resource counts.
For more help navigating the Colony's NPCs, quests, and systems, the full Gothic 1 Remake guide collection covers everything from skill trainers to lockpicking.