Horatio in Gothic Remake isn’t that blacksmith he used to be, but he’s still one of the most valuable NPCs you can meet early game.
Most players search him for one simple reason: to get a free +5 Strength boost without spending any Learning Points or Ore. Let’s break down exactly how to get that Strength boost and what not to do while dealing with him.
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Who is Horatio? He’s Now a Farmer
Those of you who remember the original Gothic might be confused at first. Horatio was a blacksmith in the New Camp.
In the Gothic Remake, that role is gone. Now, he’s just one of the peasants working in the rice fields of the New Camp under the tyrannical rule of the Rice Lord. He’s given up smithing after a violent incident in his past.
How to Get Free Strength
Horatio matters because we want the easiest power boost early game. It really helps so why you miss that? People may get confused how to achieve it, so I made a simple step-by-step guide for it.
Step 1: Find Horatio
Go to the New Camp and head to the rice fields. It’s a small area, and he’s constantly moving around, so just walk around until you spot him. The location is small, so he won’t be hard to find. The location is obvious in the picture below.
Step 2: Start the Conversation
When you first speak to Horatio, his opening line is essentially asking if you’re looking for trouble. Do not mock him for being a farmer or peasant, this causes a hostile response, and he will refuse any apology. Then the Strength bonus will be locked forever.
Cycle through his dialogue topics normally without choosing any dismissive or aggressive option.
Step 3: Ask For Training
Keep cycling through the dialogue topics. Eventually, ask him to teach you something. It doesn’t matter exactly what you say, he’ll refuse. He won’t train a stranger for no good reason.
Step 4: Get the Intel
Go to Silas’s tavern in the New Camp and find Jeremiah in the distillery area (the back section of the tavern). Talk to him and specifically choose the topic “What can you tell me about the Rice Lord?” He’ll explain how much Horatio despises the Rice Lord and why. This is what you need.
Step 5: Get Your Free Strength
Return to Horatio in the rice fields and start the conversation again. When he asks what you would use the strength for, choose “To take on the Rice Lord and his goons.” This is the only answer that works. Any other response and he declines. After you choose it, he trains you immediately and you receive the permanent +5 Strength at no LP or Ore cost.
That’s it. You’ve just saved yourself some Learning Points and a bunch of Ore on Strength training. This is especially useful early on, as the game’s opening hours can be brutal before you get some upgrades.
Killing the Rice Lord?
After getting your Strength boost, you might agree to actually kill the Rice Lord. This can lead to a frustrating problem. If you attack the Rice Lord, all the other peasants in the fields will turn hostile and attack you.
The solution is to leave the Rice Lord alone for now. You just needed those strength points and now you have them.
I Want to Kill Him: When Can I
The chain of Rice Lord quests is separate from the Strength boost thing we talked about. It starts the moment you talk to the Rice Lord on his watchtower above the rice fields. He’ll give you two quests in sequence: first A Few Drops Too Much then Up to His Neck.
Do not attack the Rice Lord during this time. He is tied to active quests, attacking him early blocks quest progress. The Rice Lord’s fate is resolved naturally through the New Camp faction questline. Once you’ve completed enough tasks for Lares and earned his trust, the story moves forward on its own.
If you really want to kill him, do it after you finished your business with him.
