The Gothic world is constantly changing and evolving: events will occur that can alter the relationships between several groups of characters. NPCs are fully rounded with their own daily habits and relationships: they get up, work, go to bed, chat with each other and so on. More significantly, monsters cooperate with each other and are able to figure things out; they have individual perception. Some can be lured with food or noise, some will run away from bright light. Some can only hear or detect movement.

Each character has the ability, with the correct training, to improve particular skills as the game progresses: training with the master of the sword, for example, will result in a character displaying noticeably more skilled swordsmanship. It is so much more satisfying to witness the effect of the skills you have learnt when they are visible in your character as oppose to a meaningless number rating, improving say, from 8 to 10. These 'optical' improvements are for the whole range of skills included in Gothic. The two different classes of magic (which are absolutely independent from each other) work along the same lines.