After the opening FMV (illustrating why your character is stripped of the knowledge and equipment he had at the end of the original Gothic) the necromancer Xardas will explain what has transpired while you were trapped in the collapsed temple. Ask all the questions available.
If you have Gothic II: Night of the Raven installed you'll also be told about the new world found in a mountain, and that you should learn more about the growing danger there too.
Ask Xardas as much or as little as you want. He finishes by saying you can take anything from his tower you think you might need. There are six bookstands in this tower—one beside Xardas, and five at the top of the tower. Reading each earns you 25 EXP for a total of 150 EXP. Anyway, head out to the next room.
In here you'll find a bed. Any time you're hurt you can sleep in a bed to heal, so you can come back here if you want to save your healing items. You can also cook raw meat on the stove here to boost its curative powers.
Grab the healing potion from the bedside table. Now head to the fireplace. Grab the Heavy Branch (10 damage, 10 strength req.) from the woodpile and equip it, this will be your first weapon. Look at the top-right of the fireplace for a stone sticking out (since it's a secret it won't illuminate or display a tooltip name, but it can still be activated). Use it to open the grating behind Xardas, which contains an Essence of Mana potion (+50 mana) and a chest with 20 gold, a Heal Light Wounds scroll and a Fireball scroll.
Head on to the stairwell and go up to the very top of the tower. Here you'll find Xardas' Key. Grab it and read the books for EXP. Open the chest here for 5 gold coins, 2 Lockpicks, 1 Dagger and 1 Scroll of Light.
Now head back the way you came, picking up the healing potion on the cabinet on the way. Now go into the side room (not out the door) and grab the torches and other items on the shelves (turn up the gamma correction or your monitor's brightness if you can't see them). You'll also find a "Lab Water Flask" here which you can use later for brewing potions.
Open the chest using the key for some gold, a couple Fireball scrolls, and a Heal Light Wounds scroll. If you go into the next room with the barrels there are a handful of gold coins on the ground in amongst the barrels if you can be bothered searching for them. When you're ready, head outside.
Outside[edit]
The outside area is full of various plants with restorative properties. They are very plentiful, so this walkthrough won't tell you their locations.
Head down the path until an area opens up on the left. Go down and kill the goblin there. Now turn right and you should see a low-hanging cave entrance. Follow the caves. There are goblins and other creatures to fight in here, but at your current level they may well kill you. Keep looking until you find an opening onto a wooded area. Here you'll meet Lester.
Lester[edit]
Talk to Lester. He tells you a story about a black shadow. Convince him to tell Xardas. Once you complete How to Get Into the City of Khorinis he will move to Xardas' tower, so if you want him after that look for him there. Once you've told him to see Xardas, backtrack up to the path and continue down it.
On the way you'll face your first real enemy, a Young Wolf. You should save first, as the wolf can be quite tricky to fight. Once you've dealt with it grab its meat and head on down the path.
Soon after that you'll see a couple of goblins in a clearing with some skeletons and chests and such. Kill the goblins, loot the chest, grab the Rusty Axe, and continue down the path.
Shortly afterwards you'll see a Bandit, who calls out to you.
Bandit Cave[edit]
When you reach the Bandit Cave, the Bandit outside will pull out a suspicious-looking piece of paper, agree with himself, and then tell you that his buddies want to see you urgently, and that you have a price on your head that they can help you with.
Tell him you don't believe him, and that you've been tricked before in the Valley of the Mines (see Gothic/The Old Camp#Protection). This will change his attitude. It turns out he was a digger in the Old Camp, and he thinks convicts should stick together. Unsurprisingly, he will admit that his fellows were hired to cut you down. Offer him 10 gold for the name of his employer (if you're a miser, drop all your gold before asking him and you won't pay a thing). Turns out it's Dexter, another "friend" from the Old Camp.
Once you've befriended him he won't give you any more trouble. You can ask him for the portrait if you want. After all, it's a very good likeness.
Further down the path you'll reach Lobart's Farm. Be sure to stop in there as there's plenty to see and do (and steal, of course).