Gothic 1 Remake Bran Location — Up to His Neck Guide

Up to His Neck is a New Camp quest in Gothic 1 Remake that centers around finding Bran, the Rice Lord’s foreman. While this quest provides clues about where Bran went, finding the cave by the pond and figuring out how to enter Silas’s basement can be a bit confusing.

This guide explains how to start Up to His Neck in Gothic 1 Remake, where to find Bran, how to enter Silas’s basement, and how to open the locked chest that you find there.

How to Start Up to His Neck in Gothic 1 Remake

To start Up to His Neck, speak with the Rice Lord in the New Camp after completing A Few Drops Too Much. That quest also comes from the Rice Lord, and he can be found in a structure that overlooks the Rice Fields. If you need help reaching this location, see our How to Get to New Camp guide.

Ask Malon About Bran

The quest’s first objective indicates that the farmers may know something about Bran, and you can complete it by finding Malon. This NPC will either be working in the Rice Fields or in the farmer’s residential area nearby, and you should ask him about Bran.

This will lead to a fight with Malon, and you should knock him down and speak with him again to learn that Bran was headed to a cave by the pond, which the NPC notes Jacko and Renyu use for their swampweed business. If you ask him more about the cave, he’ll reveal that it’s just outside the camp, by the pond with the Bloodflies.

Where to Find the Cave by the Pond

The cave that Malon is referring to is just south of the New Camp, and its position has been marked on the map above. To reach it, simply leave through the New Camp’s front gate and head straight forward. You’ll see the cave on your right as you approach the pond, and Renyu is standing at its entrance.

How to Get Inside the Cave

Talk to Renyu about Bran to gain access to the cave, and follow the path all the way to the end. Here, you’ll find Jacko, and he’ll initiate a fight as you approach him. This fight can be difficult in the very early game, but it’s manageable if you have followed our Best Start guide, gained some levels, and trained a few early skills.

After beating Jacko, speak with him to learn that Bran may have gone after Silas’s stash in his basement. If you ask Jacko how to get into the basement, he’ll just say that you need to look around.

How to Get Into Silas’s Basement

The quest log makes it clear that “Silas’s” refers to the tavern in the New Camp, something that players will have learned when completing the A Few Drops Too Much quest. However, the way to get into Silas’s basement is not explicitly stated.

You can learn an entrance method by talking to Rayk in the tavern. Give him a beer and pay him 30 nuggets to find out that the basement can be entered through the lake. If you’re short on nuggets, see our How to Get Ore Fast guide.

Now head outside the tavern and go to the back side of the building, which faces the lake. Jump into the water and dive, which is bound to C on a keyboard by default, to find an opening under the tavern. A visible current can be seen going through that opening, and you should follow it all the way to the end to reach a flight of stairs leading into the basement.

Where to Find Bran

Bran’s corpse is at the top of the stairs. Loot the body to get the Tavern Warehouse Corpse Note, then read the note from your inventory. Reading the note confirms that the body belongs to Bran and advances Up to His Neck.

How to Open the Chest in Silas’s Basement

There is also a chest in Silas’s basement, and you may want to open it before leaving. This container holds Bran’s Axe, 4x Rice Schnapps, 2x Pure Alcohol, and 3x Rice, and here’s a possible solution if you haven’t put any LP toward lockpicking:

Plate 3 → Right x3

Plate 6 → Right x6

Plate 4 → Left x4

Plate 3 → Right x6

Plate 4 → Left x3

Plate 1 → Left x2

Plate 5 → Left x2

Plate 6 → Right x3

Plate 2 → Right x2

Of all those items, Bran’s Axe is the most important, as it acts as evidence that Silas killed Bran. While this evidence is not required to complete Up to His Neck, it does have a small effect on the reward at the end of the quest.

Should You Give the Rice Lord Evidence Against Silas?

After finding Bran’s body and reading the note, swim out of the basement, return to the tavern, and question Silas. Then go back to the Rice Lord and tell him what you discovered.

If you’ve looted Bran’s Axe, you can give the Rice Lord evidence that Silas killed Bran during this conversation. Doing so leads to 50 ore that you won’t receive if you do not provide the evidence, and the Rice Lord indicates that there will be consequences for Silas.

Up to His Neck Reward

Completing Up to His Neck rewards 300 XP and a Blue Handle Axe. The Rice Lord is willing to put in a good word with Lares upon completion of the quest, which is a requirement for advancing the Admission to the New Camp quest. You’ll also receive 50 ore if you provide evidence against Silas.