When playing the Gothic series, one could get the impression that its subsequent parts do not fit together. This is evident, for example, in terms of aesthetics. One German modder, Crygreg, set himself the goal of making Gothic 2 a bridge between the first and last parts of the series. This requires understanding the developers’ decisions and detecting inconsistencies. Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition, a modification that gained recognition during the Gothic Fan Project Contest, is supposed to be that bridge.
In this article, you will learn about the aesthetics and storyline behind the modification. I will list the content cut from Gothic 2 Alpha that the production is supposed to restore. I will compare the locations from Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition with the original ones. You will also see one of the quests with which the authors of the modification won third place in the contest organised by THQ Nordic on the occasion of Gamescom in August.
Table of Content
The bridge between parts of the series
The idea behind returning from the Colony was simple. In Mike Hoge’s imagination, after the hardships of life in a dark and dangerous prison, as well as the catastrophe in the Temple of the Sleeper, we find ourselves in an idyllic outside world. Khorinis, with its farms, forests and town, gave players the impression of waking up from a nightmare. That is, if they played the second part right after finishing the first.
However, after the release, the art director admitted1 that he had gone too far in some places. This is where the creators of Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition have room for manoeuvre. However, it is difficult to reconcile the aesthetics of Gothic 2 with the third part of the series. In this case, the connection will manifest itself in the plot.
Cut content
Gothic 2 Alpha is also a source of inspiration for the project. Reviving ideas from the Gothic 2 production period is not limited to the implementation of specific tasks. When playing the original, one could get the impression that the civil war between Onar and the city was left unfinished. There is a discrepancy between what the parties to the conflict said about each other and what they did as a result.
Piranhie certainly wanted to do more work here. After 20 years, modders are coming to the rescue. You can see an example of a task that makes the civil war theme more coherent in the video later in this article. Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition will also feature specific content that was cut from the original. The author shared four examples with us:
- the appearance of Syra from Gothic 1
- The Stone of Wisdom – an artefact that is part of the main quest in the second chapter, to be found in the old tower of Xardas
- the introduction of Isabel in the bandit camp in Jarkendar
- the quest involving the disappearance of the hunter Trokar
whoever uses it, the wisdom that is desired.
I should take this Stone to Xardas as soon as possible!
(Stone of Wisdom’s description)
Old versus new
Below you will see nine screenshots from the Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition modification, as well as the corresponding locations from the original Gothic 2: Night of the Raven. Use the slider to compare the locations before and after the changes. The screenshots from the modification were taken with DX 11 Renderer – Atmospheric Edition, i.e. a variation of DX 11 also created by Crygreg.
Akil’s dilemma
Thanks to this trailer the creators of Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition became one of the five winners of a contest organised by THQ Nordic. Of course, the Nameless Hero will be involved in resolving the titular dilemma. You can watch the video with English subtitles.
Credits
Crygreg started the work on his own, but it would not have been possible to continue without the support of other modders. Currently, the following people have contributed to Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition:
- Crygreg (Lead)
- Ben Kenoobi (Co-Lead since 2025, majority of the new Levelmesh work & 2D artist etc.)
- Allistair Afton (2D work & helping hand)
- MidgardWarrior (3D work & huge rework of Valley of Mines)
- Modder’s Databank on WoG and many of its authors for numerous helpful assets (& Don Esteban for still offering them after almost 25 years)
- Kai Rosenkranz (unused music pieces that were reused in this mod)
- Gothic Reloaded Mod (for the texturework and the baseline that was used for the modification)
- Degenerated (original founder of DX11) & SaiyansKing (for his own work on DX11 which this version is based on)
- GMC (Gothic Modding Community) Server for a lot of helpful and kind people and their advice
Contact
Do you have questions about the Gothic 2 Anniversary Edition mod, or want to stay up to date? You can meet the main author of the remaster on Discord Gothic Up, Phoenix Tales or in the thread on World of Gothic forum. If you are interested in modding, it is also worth checking out the Gothic Modding Community, where you can meet the modders of this production at work.
Disclaimer
Just in case and to clarify: This is not, in any capacity, official work supported by THQ, Alkimia or any associates. This is a fan modification project that has been in development for quite some time now and with which I have participated in 2025’s THQ Fan contest about Gothic.
- According to the film GOTHIC Doku – Aufstieg und Fall eines Rollenspiels on the channel detailLiebe, fragment from 24:18 [Access at: 4.10.2025] ↩︎
