The colony in the Gothic 1 remake is an unforgiving place, but it’s somewhere a sneaky rogue character can really thrive. Knowing how to sling spells and handle an axe can get you far, but so can a quiet arrow in the dark. Luckily, Gothic lets players craft some rather fun dexterity builds, which makes it a very different playstyle from the path of a warrior or a fire/water wizard.
Below, we’ll walk you through the best dexterity build in the Gothic 1 remake, including the best weapons to target, the best camp to choose, and who can train you in the best skills to make you the best sneaky character in the whole colony. Remember, for this build, we’ll be totally ignoring the strength and magic skills.
Best camp to choose for dexterity build
- New Camp
The best camp to join for a dexterity build in Gothic is undoubtedly the New Camp. Sure, NPCs like Diego in Old Camp can train your dexterity, but New Camp has NPCs who offer this and all the skills that complement it.
So, abandon Old Camp, and join the New Camp as soon as you’re able/ready. There may be some Old Camp quests you want to do first, which makes sense.
Best training for a dexterity build in Gothic
- Dexterity
- Bow Combat
Every trainer you’ll need for the best dexterity build is located in the New Camp. For this version of the Dexterity build, we’re going to pump the majority of our points into dexterity and bow combat to make sure we’re on the path to becoming the best archer in the colony.
To do this, seek out Lares to train you in dexterity, and you’ll also need to speak to Wolf to train you in bow combat. Wolf will also sell you bows, but these will age out once you reach the endgame. More on that later.
As this is a sneaky build, if you’re playing as a thief and intend to join the Thieves Guild, you can also ask Wedge to train you in pickpocketing and lockpicking. However, it depends on how much you, as a player, want to engage in these activities. It certainly helps keep your arrows stocked up.
But we do recommend you pump some points into acrobatics by speaking to Buster. This will help you be more nimble. You’ll be playing as a glass cannon after all, so this will make you harder to hit and kill.
Adding some melee to the build
If you want to incorporate some melee combat into your build, you can speak to Cord to train you in one-handed weapons. This is purely optional and depends on how you want to play, but it can be helpful when surrounded by enemies who have got too close.
However, if your main combat strategy is to move and shoot arrows, then go for it. Remember, the more you commit to one-handed weapons, the more you may need to consider levelling your strength stat to hold better gear. So, the path of the pure archer may be better, just be aware you’ll be useless in close combat and will need to get to safety to be effective.
Best weapons for dexterity build in Gothic
The more powerful you get, as you get further in the game, you’ll want to switch out your bow for a better one at certain points. This is never set in stone, but the table below should work as a useful guide for which bows you should get and when.
These are the weapons you should hunt down in Gothic for this build:
| Point in the game | Weapon name | Damage | Required Dexterity | Location |
| Very start | Starter Bow | 20 | 10 | Sly in the Old Camp after completing his quest |
| When you find/can wield it | Rider’s Bow | 24 | 14 | Upgrade by buying it from traders or finding in the wild |
| When you’re ready | Oak Bow | 52 | 38 | Can be looted or purchased from hunters |
| The second you get a chance | Demon Bow | 85 | 70 | Can be found within the Sleeper Temple |
Of course, this build also works with crossbows, but we found bows more fun and effective to use. Crossbows feel a bit clunky in comparison, but the same rules apply.
It’s still a dexterity build, but you’ll need the NPC called Scorpio from the Old Camp to train you instead of Wolf. Our advice is to stick with bows, but it’s your journey!
