In the Gothic Remake, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz shows up as an exclusive NPC Easter egg trainer in the Valley of Mines. He’s a beast at bare-knuckle fighting and can teach you some serious fist-fighting skills. Here’s how to find Jan and complete the side quest “The Gloves Are Off” to max out your Fists skill.
What You Will Find Here
Where to Find Jan in Gothic Remake (Location)
Jan is chilling by a lake west of the Old Camp. You can also get there by heading south from the New Camp entrance toward the old dock area around the big pond. Look for his hut, it’s the first one on your left as you approach.
How to Complete The Gloves Are Off Quest
Talk to him and he’ll mention that he messed up his knuckle punching a rock. He needs a special remedy from the Water Mages. Offer to help and the “The Gloves Are Off” side quest kicks off.
To get the remedy, head to the far west side of the map and find Cronos on the ground floor in the New Camp. Buy the remedy quest item, then bring it back to Jan. Simple as that, quest complete.
How to Unlock Master Fist Fighting Skill
Once his hand is healed, you can spend 5 Learning Points to pick up the first tier of the Fists skill. Jan gives you some solid advice about how a boxer’s eyes are his best weapon for dodging and reading opponents. If you want to fully upgrade the skill, you’ll have to beat him in a fight.
After learning the first tier, he’ll challenge you. This can happen as early as Chapter 1, even before joining a camp. Win the fight and you can upgrade to Master level for another 10 LP.
How to Beat Jan: Best Fight Strategies
The easiest way is to cheese it with magic. Before the fight starts, slap a Sleep spell on him, which only costs 3 Mana, and work on him while he’s out cold. If you have decent Mana, around 60, you can also try Control since he’s level 12. Swamp Camp builds that boost mana and strength, plus any +15 mana rings, make this much easier.
Why is Jan Blachowicz in Gothic Remake? Easter Egg Explained
Jan Błachowicz isn’t just a former Polish UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, he’s also a huge fan of the Gothic series. In this interview, he speaks openly about his love for Gothic 1 and how excited he was for the Remake. He’s also a fan of other big titles like The Witcher series, which makes sense given that both games come from Polish developers.
The team at Alkimia Interactive clearly wanted to pay tribute to that passion by including him as a hidden NPC. They added the Polish Power as a secret fist-fighting master in the Valley of Mines which was a brilliant touch. It perfectly blends his real-life fighting reputation with the tough, unforgiving world of the Colony.
