Here we make sure that we have the needed patches, and then install them in the correct order. There will be minimal changes to any of your gothic ".ini" files.

IMPORTANT!
Before you attempt to install any mods, make sure that ASLR is disabled in Windows Security. By default it is disabled in Windows but some of the patches will never run if you have enabled this setting. The setting can be found in:

Windows security --> App & browser control --> Exploit protection settings -->
Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR).

Files to download
1.1. A fresh installation of Gothic 1
1.2. Gothic 1 Playerkit version 1.08k[www.worldofgothic.de]
1.3. Gothic 1 Systempack version 1.8[www.worldofgothic.de]
1.4. Gothic 1 Playerkit version 2.8[github.com]
(Note: this is not the same patch as in step 1.2.)
1.5. Large Address Aware[www.worldofgothic.de]
(Note: this is needed for the game to utilize more memory and avoid more crashes)
1.6. Gothic Union version 1.0m[www.worldofgothic.de]
1.7. Ninja version 2.7.12[github.com]
1.8. Gothic 1 Definitive Edition[www.worldofgothic.de]
(Note: You should download the current version available, as of now it is 2.2.8. The beta ENG version is optional, but you can install it if you want)
1.9. Gothic 1 Definitive Edition Translation Patch[upload.worldofplayers.de]
1.10. Gothic 1 Community Patch[www.worldofgothic.de]
1.11. Gothic 1 Community Patch Plus[www.worldofgothic.de]
1.12. Gothic D3D11 Renderer[www.worldofgothic.de]

• Gothic 1 Playerkit v1.08k
  
• Gothic 1 Classic Systempack v1.8
  
• Gothic 1 Playerkit v2.8
  
• Large Address Aware
  Note: navigate to your "Gothic\system" folder and check the 6 Gothic .exe files then press "Exit". Here is an example:
  
  
• Union
  
• Ninja
  
• Definitive Edition
  
• Definitive Edition ENG Beta
  Note: ENG Beta is optional, not mandatory
  
• Gothic 1 Community Patch
  
• Gothic 1 Community Patch Plus
  
• GD3D11

Congratulations, you've now successfully installed the Definitive Edition mod! The next step is to use the English translations as the game at this stage is in German.

Start this by opening the English Patch .zip file and extract the "data" folder to your Gothic 1 folder. You can double check to see if you have the English patch (it is called "Definitive_Edition_v2_2_Scripts_patch_en.mod") in "Gothic\Data\ModVDF\" folder.

Next, navigate to the "Gothic\system\" folder and open "Definitive_Edition.ini". In the [FILES] section, you have to add "Definitive_Edition_v2_2_Scripts_patch_en.mod" at the end, just like in the following screenshot. Make sure you have 2 spaces in between to separate it from the previous parameter!

Lastly, if you want to hide bodies that contain no loot, do the following:
Open "SystemPack.ini" in "Gothic\system\" folder. Search for "HideFocus" and set the value to 1.

On your computer, open Settings --> System --> About --> Advanced system settings
In the newly open window, click on "Settings" under "Performance" --> Data Execution Prevention, and add all the Gothic .exe files from the "Gothic\system" folder.

You're now done with the installation process. At this point you can launch the game as it is, but if you want mods, QoL (quality of life) features and/or additional ingame fixes then I will give you a few recommendations and show you how to install mods in the next section.

The Gothic Workshop is a good place to find mods for your game, and at this point you already have Union and Ninja installed which means you can easily subscribe to 1 or multiple items, copy their contents to the Gothic game folder, then safely unsubscribe.

For example, if you go to the "steamapps" folder, you will find all workshop subscriptions under "steamapps\workshop\content\<some assigned number>". One of these numbers is your Gothic 1 subscriptions, and you go into each of those number folders and copy any "Data", "system" or alike that resemble the Gothic 1 structure to your Gothic installation folder. Simple as that.


Here you can browse a list of them.

Always remember to read their description! Some mods require you to make .ini file modifications! Only subscribe to the individual item!


Recommendations:

• Videos Upscaled 720p - English
  
• No Right-Mouse Jump
  
• Fixed Gothic 1 Armors
  
• Trader Weapon Fix
  
• Patch Menu
  
• Advanced Inventory
  
• zBugFixes
  
• zUtilities
  
• zMiscUtils
  
• zTorches
  
• Free Aiming
  
• For textures: Gothic Weapons Rebuilt[www.worldofgothic.de]

There are many others that you can try like Discord Rich Presence or Union Sprint to name a few, but ultimately the choice is yours how much you want to modify your experience.

Thank you for your time if you've made it this far into the guide. This was a somewhat long guide but I tried to keep all information concise and provided a few screenshots for guidance. This is a modification of the game that works without crashes during gameplay, but I can not ensure full or any compatibility with larger mods that overhaul the world or its systems.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here and I will try to answer them to the best of my capability! Until then, have a good one.

May the Sleeper awaken!