How to get free armor in Gothic 1 Remake

Swiney offers to give the hero free Armor in Gothic 1 Remake — (Image credit: THQ Nordic)

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Free armor
Armor locations
Best armor

Armor in Gothic 1 Remake is one of the rarest and most valuable item types in the game, and arguably more important to progression than anything else. The ability to survive more than a couple of hits in the Gothic Remake is a huge game-changer, but getting armor isn't easy no matter how you pursue it. Fortunately not only is it possible to get armor in the game, there's a way to get free armor if you know where to look and who to talk to. I'll lay out all the major ways to find armor below, and in some of them, you won't have to pay a single nugget.

Free armor location in Gothic Remake

The Digger's Dress, the easiest free armor in Gothic 1 Remake — (Image credit: THQ Nordic)

You can get a free armor set in the Gothic Remake by heading to the Free Mine and talking to Foreman Swiney. If you speak to him and say you want to join the mine, he'll give you the Digger's Dress for free. He's usually sat outside his hut near the main entrance to the quarry.

Map to location of free armor in Gothic 1 Remake — (Image credit: THQ Nordic)

Getting to the Free Mine isn't easy, but if you're quick and careful, you can actually run there as soon as the game starts, avoiding and fleeing the enemies along the way and going through the New Camp along the way. There's a path marked on the map above to get you there, though I don't really recommend this as first course of action. Run through our list of what to do first in Gothic 1 Remake and maybe try it then if you're feeling bold.

Armor locations in Gothic 1 Remake

Fisk sells the player armor in Gothic 1 Remake — (Image credit: THQ Nordic)

If you want to get other armor sets in Gothic, there are a few options open to you. Here are some locations and options for getting armor:

Go to Swiney as laid out above and get the Digger's Dress from the Free Mine.
Purchase Digger's Light Trousers from Fisk in the Old Camp (313 Ore Nuggets)
Join any of the three camps. This always comes at the end of various quest chains and is never easy, but you'll get an armor set no matter who you join.

After obtaining them, certain sets of armor can be upgraded with various additions like belts, boots and gloves to further improve their defensive stats.

Best armor in Gothic 1 Remake

An NPC wears the Shadow's Dress, the best early armor in Gothic 1 Remake — (Image credit: THQ Nordic)

So far the best armor set I've found in Gothic is the Shadow's Dress, which you get for joining the Old Camp. It's got high base stats even before you start to upgrade it, as laid out below:

Edge: 10
Blunt: 10
Point: 2
Fire: 2
Wind: 2
Ice: 2
Energy: 2

Want better gear and skills beyond simple protection? Find out how to become a spellcaster with Torrez in Gothic 1 Remake, or the nuances of the Gothic 1 Remake lockpicking system, and why you'll want to avoid it where possible.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.