The modification project Das Wappen (eng. Insignia) for Gothic 2: Night of the Raven is known among players from the prologue released back in 2014. The logo of the modification is the title insignia. 10 years have passed since the release, and work on the full modification is still ongoing. That’s 16 years of work done by one person – Aebo.
The author shared footage with players video last year, and in the latest of these he was satisfied to announce that completion is on the horizon. The article will show what Insignia was and what it has become; you will also see the latest screenshots from the modification’s production, taken especially for the article. And the latest trailers, which have also been given English subtitles for the occasion of publication.
The prologue
The story begins on the farm where the main character lives with his father. They are visited by two strangers. The father, not wanting to appear as a bad host, sends his son to fetch water to drink. When he returns, he sees his father drop dead and one of the strangers teleports away. He kills the other, who did not manage to escape, and finds a teleportation rune with him, as well as the eponymous insignia. Finding no other clue, he uses the rune he found to get the other of his father’s murderers.
Naturally, in order to complete his revenge, the origin of the insignia will have to be explained. After being teleported, the protagonist, unknown by name, ends up in the vicinity of a stone circle in – as it will later turn out – the Ostagard valley. This is the focus of the prologue’s events, and gaining the trust of the locals, particularly from the town of Utschar, will allow the pursuit of the murderer to continue. It requires getting beyond the pass, which temporarily becomes the main objective for the protagonist.
Full version
This prologue is a snippet of what we will experience in the full version. And literally – the Ostagard valley is separated from the rest of the kingdom by hills, which can be overcome by a pass. However, the content of the prologue will not simply be carried over into the full version – the entire world, albeit altered, and some of the quests will be there.1
The full modification is expected to offer:
- up to 100 hours of gameplay
- 6 completely new worlds
- countless new characters with complex dialogues
- three paths of hero development (Warrior/Mage/Hunter)
- complete dubbing (German)
- intro i extro
- Easter eggs
Aebo managed to create a prologue in 6 years – albeit with a big break in between2 – that provides up to 20 hours of gameplay. Given the experience he has gained, the declaration about the features of the modification is plausible. To get an idea of the current state of the modification, footage – two trailers released last year – can definitely help. And also the most recent shots from the game world – created for the purposes of this article.
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Latest shots
The comment
I was very lucky to play a manual translation of the prologue in my native language, Polish. A prologue is complete and actually provides up to 20 hours of gameplay – unless the acceleration plugin is used.
It feels starkly Colony-like in its atmosphere – both in terms of aesthetics and difficulty level. This level is surprisingly satisfying. A prologue contains many references to the first two parts of the Gothic series. If you’re looking for a modification that will reward your curiosity – Insignia is it. Decide to explore the most dangerous edges of the hills – you will be rewarded.
If a prologue will receive English version, you will see English translation of this article on the main page. And below you will find the author’s contact and more information.
Further links
- Announcement of the author’s work on World of Gothic
- The author’s site
- Author’s post in the modification topic on World of Gothic forum [Access at: 23-06-2024] ↩︎
- Author’s post about the release of the prologue on World of Gothic forum [Access at: 23-06-2024] ↩︎
