The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos is a long-awaited total conversion mod for Gothic 2, a cult-classic game that took Western RPG fans by surprise all the way back in 2002. Although it didn't really make waves in the United States, the Gothic series holds a special place in the hearts of many European gamers.
Archolos was developed by a Polish team of Gothic enthusiasts, and it is a passion project that has been years in the making. It adds an entirely new island for players to explore alongside the biggest city in the franchise's history, not to mention an original storyline that takes up well over 50 hours. The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos is more of a full game than a mere mod. The whole thing takes place within the engine of a 20-year-old title, so players unfamiliar with Gothic 2 might want to pick up some pointers before firing up Archolos.
8 Be Prepared For A Tough Challenge
Gothic 2 was an old-school, unforgiving RPG with a steep learning curve. The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos, while adding some important quality of life improvements, doesn't make the game any easier. Nor did they waste any of their time altering the game to appeal to the standards prevalent in modern role-playing games. Players should forget about waypoints, respeccing, or being able to take on any enemy from the start with the right reflexes.
The vast majority of the first chapter will consist of gathering valuable information, talking to NPCs, and picking up unpleasant jobs that will earn Marvin (the main character) some brownie points with key characters. The combat can also feel archaic at first, and will only really get satisfying after leveling up quite a bit. However, those willing to put up with Archolos' steep learning curve will be rewarded with an enthralling story and a world of surprisingly unique and innovative RPG mechanics.
7 Turn On The Polish Voiceover
Another really impressive thing about Archolos, and one of the many reasons why it won ModDB's Mod of the Year Award for 2021, is the sheer amount of extra work the dev team put into the mod in order to make it as fleshed-out and professional as possible.
This includes hours of authentic voiceover recordings. Unfortunately, they're only available in Polish, but the alternative is no voiced dialogue at all, which can be immersion-breaking for some people. Additionally, the team behind Archolos enlisted the services of real voiceover actors, so the quality of the recorded dialogue matches that of the original.
6 Find (Or Buy) A Map
As mentioned earlier, The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos is a relic of the past -- there are no easy shortcuts for progression (at least not ones intentionally included by the developers). A part of this old-school approach is the fact that players start the game without a map of the game's world.
Nowadays, not having an in-game map from the get-go is almost unthinkable. In Archolos, though, players need to rely on following NPCs with more knowledge of the terrain or finding their way by using the few signposts scattered across the island. As part of keeping the Gothic's hardcore-realistic traditions alive, maps can only be obtained by completing certain quests or shelling out some gold and purchasing them from merchants.
5 Talk To Everyone On The Ship
The game starts with Marvin and his brother on board a ship, eagerly waiting to arrive at the Archolos island with hopes of building a new life for themselves. Before the ship docks, however, it is suggested that players take their time and explore the ship. It's possible to rush past all the NPCs and trigger the cutscene to progress further, but those who go down that route will miss out on important early-game bonuses.
Speaking to certain NPCs will trigger simple quests like cooking a dish out of ingredients easily found on board, or helping a traveler find a box with her valuables inside. As a reward for completing these side quests, players will receive hundreds of experience points and valuable items that will make the first couple of hours a lot easier.
4 Make Use Of The Shrines
Anybody who's played any of the Gothic games will know that the in-game mythology and religions play an important role not only in terms of building a believable world with rich lore but also when it comes to actual gameplay benefits. This is manifested in The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos by the many shrines scattered all over the island.
There are three gods players can pray to in the game, each one offering a different set of benefits. Offering gold at shrines of Inos restores health, while Adanos shrines refill Mana (no offering required). Finally, there are also shrines devoted to Beliar, the god of darkness. When praying to Beliar, players can give up 50 health points in exchange for a hefty sum of 500 gold.
3 Plan Out Your Progression
The respec mechanic is one of the many modern RPG conveniences players take for granted nowadays. Alternatively, games offer up so many skill points and level-up moments that filling up the entire skill tree is merely a matter of time. These role-playing mechanics do away with forcing players to make radical choices that will determine their playstyle for the duration of the entire game.
In The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos, level progression and learning points are limited. Reckless choices can lead to developing an underpowered character, unnecessarily raising the title's difficulty. Players can even break their characters to the point where completing the game is no longer possible! Adopting a certain set of attributes and sticking with it throughout the game to create a distinct playstyle is of utmost importance for players wanting to avoid frustration in the later chapters of the game.
2 Hidden Stat Boosters
This is actually a mechanic taken straight out of Gothic 2. Not many players were aware of it back when the game was released, and newcomers to the franchise will surely appreciate learning about these hidden stat boosts beforehand, instead of stumbling upon them organically.
Boosting Marvin's attributes without spending any learning points will surely come in handy, given how limited these points are, as well as how expensive it can get to pay NPCs to train these attributes in the late game stages. Players can gain 1 strength point by eating 25 apples throughout the entire game, as well as 5 Mana points by consuming 50 dark mushrooms. These boosts may not seem like much, but they can mean the difference between being able to upgrade to a stronger weapon or not.
1 Join A Guild As Soon As Possible
Linking up with one of the two guilds in The Chronicles of Myrtana may not technically be required to complete the main quest, but choosing to do so is definitely the intended way to play the game. Aside from adding entire quest lines to the game, becoming a member of either the City Guard or Araxos Merchant Guild provides Marvin with armor and weapons.
Most importantly, however, guild members will no longer have to pay certain NPC teachers for training, provided that they belong to the same guild as the player. It can lead to a lot of savings and ease up the steep progression mechanisms a bit.