Gothic Remake Theory: Ravens and Xardas’ Hidden Painting

In the Gothic remake, one small detail inside Xardas’ tower—and a constant soundtrack of cawing ravens across the Myrtana colony—has sparked a fresh fan theory about how the reclusive master stays informed. Players who explore carefully can find a hidden room with a painting of the Nameless Hero at the exact moment he’s thrown into the barrier, while ravens throughout the region seem to act like Xardas’ eyes and ears.

Key takeaways

A hidden level in Xardas’ tower contains a bed room with a painting showing the Nameless Hero being cast into the barrier.
That hidden floor can only be accessed in chapter 5, using the spell scroll “Transformation: Harpy.”
Players can also earn the achievement “Der Dänenbeschwörer” by completing the tower access via the harpy transformation.
Ravens are seen all over the Myrtana region, from the Old Camp palisades to ruins and during key exploration moments.
In Xardas’ private quarters, there are numerous bird cages, and the game’s trailer imagery highlights a watchful raven connected to him.

A painting in Xardas’ hidden room

After close inspection of Xardas’ tower, players can uncover a secret floor where the demon summoner appears to spend time—separate from his usual routine of reading old tomes or sending his tower guardians into action. The standout clue is a painting placed beside his bed.

The artwork depicts the Nameless Hero precisely at the moment he is thrown into the barrier. The macabre timing is part of what makes the find so unsettling, because it implies Xardas had a clear view of the hero’s arrival and knows exactly what happened.

How to reach the hidden floor

The secret area isn’t available immediately. According to the in-game route players discovered:

The hidden floor can only be entered in chapter 5.
To get there, you need the spell scroll “Transformation: Harpy,” which is sold by Cronos in chapter 5.
After transforming into a harpy, you fly up to the top of Xardas’ tower, but you must be careful—NPCs can react aggressively to your new form.
If you complete the effort, you receive the achievement “Der Dämonenbeschwörer.”
For the return path, you can find another transformation scroll inside the tower, or simply use teleportation.

Ravens as Xardas’ surveillance network

Exploration across the colony reveals another recurring motif: ravens. Players notice them perched on the palisades of the Old Camp, circling over the ruins of the mountain fortress, and showing up repeatedly wherever the Nameless Hero travels.

One particularly noticeable example comes up during focus rock scouting, where a larger raven appears to watch the hero’s progress. The game also provides a stronger connection to Xardas: in his private chambers, players can find multiple bird cages with a handful of ravens inside.

Fans connect these observations into a single theory—Xardas uses ravens as spies to monitor events throughout the colony. The earlier trailer imagery reinforces the idea, showing a prominent raven acting like a vigilant observer for the Schwarzmagier before release.

Within that theory, the painting beside Xardas’ bed becomes less like random set dressing and more like evidence of long-term awareness. If the ravens truly keep him updated, then Xardas could have “watched” the Nameless Hero from the moment of arrival, and later recreated that scene in artwork.

It also remains unclear whether Xardas personally painted the image or created it through magic, though the frame appears to glow—supporting the possibility of a supernatural origin. Either way, between the hidden artwork and the constant presence of ravens, the takeaway for players is clear: in the Myrtana colony, someone—or something—is paying close attention.