New Camp

The New Camp is the second of the three convict settlements in the Valley of Mines in Gothic 1 (2001) and its 2026 remake, founded approximately five years before the game’s events by a breakaway group that rejected Gomez’s authoritarian rule. Concealed within a large cave system to the west of the Valley, it is the most freedom-oriented of the three factions and the only one whose stated goal is an immediate, physical escape from the Barrier.

Founding and Composition

The New Camp was established when the Water Mages — priests of the god Adanos led by Saturas — fell into irreconcilable conflict with Corristo and the Ore Barons and chose to leave. They took with them the rogue Lares and a significant number of convicts disillusioned with the Old Camp’s hierarchy. At the cave site they brokered a three-way governing pact: Saturas and the Water Mages would study the Barrier and develop a means to destroy it; Lee, a former Myrtanan general and the most respected fighter in the colony, would lead the mercenaries in providing security; and Lares would organize the Rogues as couriers, smugglers and traders. The mine the camp operates — the Free Mine — is worked by Scrapers, whose conditions and pay are notably better than those the Old Camp provides its Diggers, reflecting the New Camp’s more egalitarian ethos.

The Breakout Plan

The New Camp’s singular purpose is the breakout, and Saturas has developed the theory that drives it: the Barrier, being powered by the same magical ore it was created to mine, can be destroyed by accumulating a single enormous quantity of ore and detonating it in one catastrophic discharge. Executing this plan requires the five Focus Stones used in the Barrier’s original creation — each held or hidden somewhere in the Valley — and an almanac detailing how to restore the stored energy within them. During the main quest, the Nameless Hero is tasked by Saturas with recovering all five stones and the almanac, a mission that forms the backbone of the New Camp questline across the game’s first several chapters.

Joining as a Player and Available Guilds

A player can join the New Camp as a Mercenary (the combat path, under Lee) or as a Water Mage (the magic path, under Saturas). Joining as a Mercenary requires bringing Lares something of sufficient value — the most common early route is presenting Mordrag’s ring after letting Mordrag escort the Hero to the camp, after which Lares may demand 400 ore nuggets earned from swampweed sales, the Old Mine goods manifest from Ian, or both. Mercenary trainers include Lee and senior fighters; Water Mage advancement proceeds through the circles under Saturas.

Ideology and Outcome

Unlike the Old Camp’s enforced hierarchy or the Swamp Camp’s singular spiritual devotion, the New Camp is loosely organized around one shared objective: freedom. Its members include pragmatists, survivors and opportunists who share little beyond that goal. When the late-game revelations about the Sleeper reframe the situation, Saturas proves flexible enough to support the Hero’s confrontation with the demon — a pragmatism that reflects the camp’s character. In the 2026 remake the Free Mine and cave complex are expanded as part of the roughly 20% world enlargement, and approximately 15 hours of new camp-specific late-game content have been added.