How to Steal Scatty's Ring Without Getting Caught in Gothic 1 Remake

What the quest is

To earn a vote of confidence from Diego and move toward joining the Old Camp, you have to impress its named members. Diego tells you to improve your reputation at the camp so he can vouch for you, and one of the named NPCs who can help is Fingers, the resident thief. Fingers offers a short but fiddly job: break into a nearby chest and bring back the ring inside, which starts the quest A Ring for Fingers.

Finding Fingers and Scatty's hut

1. Locate Fingers in the Old Camp. He stands outside his hut near where Snaf is stirring his large food pot.
2. Talk to him and accept the job to start A Ring for Fingers.
3. Head to Scatty's hut, which is right next door. It sits inside Scatty's hut, directly to your lower left as you face Fingers, marked by a long red banner by the door, weapons on the wall, and a noticeboard hanging outside.
4. Confirm you are at the right building. In the arena district, look for the house at the top of the hill with the post board and a skull at the entrance.

Stealing it without getting caught

This is the part that trips players up. The chest is guarded property, so timing and stealth matter more than speed.

1. Buy lockpicks first. Most players buy them from Mordrag, the New Camp trader who visits the Old Camp market, for about 13 ore each.
2. Save your game before you try. Always save before picking a lock so you can reload if you break too many picks, especially early on.
3. Wait for the right time of day. Aim for around midday, when no one is there and the guards surrounding the place have gone. Only attempt the lockpick in the morning, when Scatty leaves his hut for the arena, so you have time to crack it without being caught.
4. Enter crouched and stay in stealth. Sneak into the house, because NPCs can still hear you otherwise, then open the chest.
5. Pick the lock (mechanics below), loot Scatty's Ring, and leave.

Why bother sneaking? If you are spotted committing the theft, it goes badly fast. If a guard sees you, they attack to kill, and for minor thefts some NPCs will demand a bribe or fine to look the other way. Doing this while the room is empty avoids all of that.

How the lockpicking minigame works

Gothic 1 Remake replaced the classic click-listening system with a logic puzzle.

1. Your goal is to align every slider so the copper-colored pin sits in the middle hole; when a slider is correct, the pin sticks out.
2. The catch is that moving one plate often moves another, which is what makes it a puzzle.
3. Mind your pick's durability. If a slider hits either side of the lock it rattles and costs one durability; by default picks have two durability, and when a pick breaks the lock resets (you can also reset manually with R).
4. Train it if you plan to do a lot of looting. Upgrading lockpicking with Fingers allows up to four mistakes before a pick breaks, stops your progress resetting when one breaks, and removes a connection between two pieces to simplify the puzzle.

A worked example sequence

Published combos vary between game versions and patches, so treat any written sequence as a starting point and keep that save handy. As one widely cited example for an untrained run, PC Gamer's documented order (plates numbered front to back) is:

If a move rattles instead of clicking, you are going the wrong way on that plate, so reload and adjust.

Rewards

Inside you will find Scatty's Ring to hand to Fingers, which grants 100 XP and his support for joining the Old Camp; you could sell the ring instead if you do not want that faction. The chest also holds junk plus 16 ore nuggets and a pickaxe, worth grabbing if you do not already have one for mining in the Old Mine. Return to Fingers, give him the ring, and the quest closes out.

FAQ

When exactly is it safe to pick the chest? Morning through midday is the window. Scatty leaves his hut for the arena in the mornings, which gives you enough time to open the chest without being caught. By midday no one is around and the guards near the building have left.

Do I have to sneak, or can I just walk in? Sneak. Enter using stealth, because NPCs can still hear you if you do not, then open the chest. Being heard or seen can pull guards on you, who will attack rather than negotiate.

What if I keep breaking lockpicks? Buy spares and lean on saves. Stock up on lockpicks from Mordrag in the Old Camp market. Save before each attempt so you can reload after wasting picks. Training with Fingers later also makes picks far more forgiving.

Can I sell Scatty's Ring instead of giving it to Fingers? Yes. You can sell the ring for quick cash if you do not plan to join the Old Camp, but handing it to Fingers is the smart play because it gives 100 XP and his support for the faction.

Where do I get lockpicks early? You can find them while exploring or buy them from Mordrag in the Old Camp. He usually sits on a bench outside a shack in the market area and charges about 13 ore each.