QUESTS · CORE GUIDE
The Blood of Dawnwalker Walkthrough
Find the opening route, Court progression and named side quests in this walkthrough. Quest entries explain where to start, which objectives connect and what can affect your next step.
Finish the Prologue objectives you want, then build the first vassal route around Ambrus → Bakir → Xanthe. This is a practical level-and-travel recommendation, not a claim that the game removes all freedom.
Opening and core progression
Start with the Prologue walkthrough for the opening objectives. After the Prologue, Court progression and side quests can be pursued alongside each other. The quest directory groups related objectives, not a mandatory order for clearing the map. Balance the family objective with Court progression, equipment and relationship quests. These are planning considerations, not separate types of quest: a side quest can provide equipment and also affect a story or ending route.Route-planning advice
First hour after the Prologue
Make a post-Prologue save
Keep the opening route separate from your open-world route. If you later decide a relationship or missed quest matters, this save is your clean restart point.
Read the Court screen before travelling
Identify which vassal is currently useful to pursue and which nearby activity markers can be grouped into one trip.
Choose a single region loop
Visit a vendor or shrine, complete one main objective and take only the Court Activities that sit on the way back. Avoid zig-zagging for a single chest.
Return to the story with your reward
Once you have gained a key, skill, relationship result or Court threshold, stop exploring and push the main thread. This prevents “preparation” from becoming a second untracked campaign.
Vassal route: Ambrus, Bakir and Xanthe
The current launch route reference groups Court progression by three vampiric vassals. The order below keeps the early levels and travel pressure manageable, while still leaving you room to respond to the story.
| Stage | Focus | Route rule | Do not forget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Ambrus | Early Court Activities | Use nearby activities to learn the system. | Read each activity's location and cost first. |
| 2 · Bakir | Mid-route pressure | Move on when the local loop stops paying for itself. | Carry a manual save before a boss commitment. |
| 3 · Xanthe | Late preparation | Arrive with the build and gear route already chosen. | Keep an ending plan separate from boss preparation. |
Exact level recommendations are useful as a warning, not a wall. If your build or difficulty changes the risk, use the nearest safer activity and return after gaining the missing tool.
The Court Activity loop
Court Activities are the bridge between exploration and the main story. A good loop looks like this:
- Open the activity entry and note the vassal, region, time cost and expected reward.
- Mark a safe return route before you leave the settlement.
- Complete nearby activities in one direction rather than backtracking.
- Return to the Court menu and check whether the next story trigger is ready.
- If the next activity asks for a long trip with no meaningful reward, push the main route instead.
The separate Court Activities guide has the activity count and vassal-by-vassal reference. Use this walkthrough for order; use that page for location detail.
Quest triage: what to do now
| Quest signal | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Named person asks for immediate help | Check the Prologue or current region checklist. | Relationship and timed tasks are the most likely to close. |
| Court Activity is adjacent to your story path | Take it in the same loop. | It advances a useful meter without a second trip. |
| New region, distant reward | Bookmark it and keep moving. | The reward may be good, but the travel cost is hidden time. |
| Choice with an ending hint | Save, record the outcome and stop for the day. | Do not let a later combat overwrite the branch you intended. |
| Unknown objective with no visible deadline | Test it only after a clean save. | Unclear mechanics are a poor place to spend your only route window. |
Update before retrying a blocked route. The hotfix prevents Coen from becoming stuck in the Deep Down cave, keeps one Hive and Seek solution from ending early and removes the infinite load when advancing On the Run. It also makes the rag investigation optional in Smoke and Ashes and fixes a progression blocker in The Heart Wants What It Wants.
Side Quests & Questlines
Choose a questline for its starting point, prerequisites and key choices. Optional branches are marked separately from required steps.
Lacra · Anca · St. Mihai’s sword · Uriashi & Ocha · Mert & the Manumits · Other side quests
Lacra questline
Lacra’s story route is easiest to follow as one chain rather than a set of unrelated map markers: A Friend Like This, Song of the Mountain, Hive and Seek, Our Rotten Roots, then The Night of Horrors. Keep a separate save before each handoff, especially if the next objective consumes time or starts a long combat sequence.
| Quest | Route reminder |
|---|---|
| A Friend Like This | Use it to establish the route before moving into the mountain and hive objectives. |
| Song of the Mountain | Finish the current objective and make a fresh save before advancing the chain. |
| Hive and Seek | Complete this step before expecting the next Lacra objective to become available. |
| Our Rotten Roots | After Hive and Seek, allow an in-game day to pass before returning to Lacra; the quest then leads through Isbrand’s memories and an optional detour. |
| The Night of Horrors | Treat the follow-up as a story commitment: refresh supplies and keep the pre-quest save until you are happy with the result. |
Optional village branch: A peaceful visit during Song of the Mountain also opens A Mother’s Plea; that branch is separate from continuing Lacra’s chain.
The last quest in the chain is the only source of the Mandrake Ward perk. Finish it before Midnight Reckoning, or Lacra does not survive the castle.
Anca questline
Sequence: Echoes of Silenced Bells → Between the Words → Where Old Devils Lie → Stronger Than Achilles. Most Precious Thing is an optional task within Echoes, not a required step in the chain.
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| Echoes of Silenced Bells | Speak with Anca at Laslea Glen’s village gates after Smoke and Ashes. Reach St. Tyna’s monastery and recover the forbidden books. | The listed route uses 8 time segments including optional chapel and curse objectives. |
| Most Precious Thing | Speak to Brencis’s soldiers in the monastery infirmary during Echoes. Find St. Tyna’s necklace in exchange for passage to the library. | Optional. Giving them the relic secures passage; refusing to hand it over starts a fight. The chapel search costs 1 segment within the monastery route. |
| Between the Words | After Echoes, return to Anca at St. Tyna’s Grove / Monastery to study the recovered books. | The listed 4 segments include the optional warm drink. The chain continues toward Where Old Devils Lie. |
| Where Old Devils Lie | Meet Anca at the Crossroads Inn after Between the Words, travel with her to the lake and investigate the entrance to the ruins. | Costs 4 segments and has no fail state. Start the conversation with at least 6 segments left in the current day; entering the ruins launches Stronger Than Achilles immediately. |
| Stronger Than Achilles | Continue through the ruins with Anca, complete the trials and reach the Font of Life. | Costs 6 segments. Coen can consume the Font for the exclusive Font of Life daytime-regeneration perk, let Anca use it for an epilogue variation, or destroy it to receive the Ancient Greaves. |
The three Font choices are mutually exclusive for this playthrough. Stronger Than Achilles also awards 500 XP, 1 Skill Point and Sins of the Past when the questline ends, but the perk, epilogue variation or legendary trousers depend on the final choice.
St. Mihai’s sword quests
Connection: A Monk and a Saint can be opened through A Dubious Gift or through Night Terrors; completing it supplies the broken sword for Forge It Anew. You can start collecting Forge It Anew’s pieces before completing the cathedral route.
A Dubious Gift is permanently missable. Receive the A Monk and a Saint lead without discovering the crypt, speak with Albertus in the Middens, then visit the Cathedral deacon during the day. Learning about the crypt another way — including starting Night Terrors or entering the Treasury or Library yourself — blocks this route. Maximum Infamy locks the Cathedral during the day, so finish A Dubious Gift before reaching it.
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| A Dubious Gift | After receiving the A Monk and a Saint lead, talk to Albertus in the Middens without first discovering the crypt, then speak with the Cathedral deacon during the day. Search the almshouse for caretaker Radu and report back. | Costs 3 time segments. Rewards 150 XP and the Library Key, and completes Xanthe’s Cathedral Ritual Court Activity. |
| Night Terrors | At night, investigate the well in the courtyard north of Svartrau Cathedral and explore below it. | Alternative route into A Monk and a Saint, but starting it closes A Dubious Gift. Costs 1 time segment. |
| A Monk and a Saint | Follow the Cathedral lead, identify Mihai’s symbol, find his grave and enter the crypt. | Defeat Mihai to obtain the Broken Sword of St. Mihai. Costs 1 time segment. |
| Forge It Anew | Collect any sword piece after the Prologue to start. Gather three shards and Mihai’s broken sword, then visit the uriashi blacksmith and complete the tempering ritual. | Its full route is listed at 14 time segments, including the sword-hilt quests above; do not add their costs twice. The final reward is the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai. |
Uriashi & Ocha quests
A Mother’s Plea connects the village Elder’s request to Ocha’s story. It is not required to start Ocha’s quest directly in Svartrau.
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| A Mother’s Plea | Speak with the Uriash Elder in Uriashi Village after Song of the Mountain and investigate her request. | Available only after entering the village peacefully. Costs 3 segments plus the time spent on The Heart Wants What It Wants. |
| The Heart Wants What It Wants | Meet Ocha in Svartrau City. Help her obtain Andrei’s mementos and follow her requests. | No prerequisite quest is listed. Costs 4 segments and awards the Broad Swing Manual and The Outcast achievement. |
Mert & the Manumits questline
Sequence: The Firebrand → Under Watchful Eyes. Saving Mert before the execution deadline opens the prison-break follow-up.
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| The Firebrand | Approach Vladimir’s hut near Mert’s Mill after Smoke and Ashes, then travel to Stoneward Post. | Mert is executed exactly 64 time segments after the post objective appears unless you speak to him first. |
| Under Watchful Eyes | Starts from The Firebrand when Mert survives and you promise to free him. | Take the Prison Keychain and use the rear exit beside Friedo’s tower to skip the main gate. |
Crake & Manumit questline
Crake’s late questline connects the Manumit route to The Knyazmaker ending. Protect a save before the last handoff because optional Manumit work can close once the ending route becomes available.
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| Old Friends, New Friends | After Where Loyalty Lies, find Vladimir in the basement of the Manumit Hideout and commit to the optional drink. | Costs 3 time segments and rewards 250 XP. Finish it before the 32-segment wait after starting Rise at Dawn ends: it automatically fails when Crake’s ending meeting becomes available, not simply because other time passes or the main route advances. Helping Vladimir fight or letting the rebels handle him both complete the quest; if he survived the Prologue, how you talk to him here also shapes the Knyazmaker assault. |
| Who Pulls the Strings | Complete What Moves the Dead, then return to Crake in Svartrau and follow the plan to recover Silas’s Book. | Costs 7 time segments and rewards 1,000 XP plus the Life Lock Witchcraft ability. Finishing it starts Rise at Dawn immediately; the ending step becomes available after a further 32 time segments. Dedicated guide: Who Pulls the Strings walkthrough. |
Other side quests
| Quest | Start and key objective | Key reminder |
|---|---|---|
| Buried Past | After the Prologue, speak to the merchant near the well in Maragir Wealds and follow the lead to Volk. The reported total is 16 time segments when every optional chore is included, with next-day waits between visits (totals vary between guides; the dedicated page keeps a per-step ledger). | Rewards 250 XP, 1 Skill Point, the Artery Strike Manual and Pieter’s Garb. Complete every optional chore and agree to search for Pieter’s treasure for Volk’s best outcome; skipping the help or refusing the search leads to his betrayal branch. Dedicated guide: Buried Past walkthrough. |
| Home Sweet Home | Enter the door at the top of Silts Tower in The Silts to enter the dream sequence. | Repeating it four times leads to Together Forever. To leave instead, inspect the well on the second replay. See the endings guide before choosing to stay. |
| A Pilgrimage for Power: Dark-Thing | Follow the windchimes north of Westridge Outpost Shrine, using the left-wall mobility route at night or the right-hand ledge by day. | Defeat the Essence of Grief, settle the pilgrim encounter and copy the glyph for 250 XP + a Ravenous Flock Manual; costs 2 segments. |
| A Pilgrimage for Power: Fanatics | Climb east of Woodland Outpost Shrine near the bandit camp, following the windchimes through the wolves to the destroyed sacred stone. | Inspect the bodies, central cross and paper on its right for 250 XP + a Ravenous Flock Manual; costs 2 segments. |
| In the Name of the Father | Enter the house directly north of Svartrau West Gate through its balcony, then descend through the floor opening to Father Florin’s congregation. | The direct route costs 2 segments and awards 250 XP + 1 Skill Point. Take the Ancient Key from Florin or the left-side barrel to start A Hero’s End. |
| The Price of Magic | Find the unmarked stone circle southwest of The Swamp Menhirs Shrine, collect the five ritual clues and use Compel Soul on the corpse. | Must be finished during the day. The Astral Communion ritual costs 3 segments and awards 100 XP + the epic Mysterious Bracelet. |
| A Bulwark Against Darkness | After Infamy Level 4, wait for a messenger’s letter. Collect the listed armour components and return to the uriashi blacksmith. | Costs 5 segments plus material collection time. Rewards the Enhanced Arbiter’s Armour set. |
| Lost Blood | In St. Tyna’s Grove, inspect the destroyed blood cart north of the Pilgrim’s Trail Shrine with Focus Mode, follow the trail west to a cave south of the path and kill the murohn inside. Pick up A Letter From Father, then find its author: the Silberstein General Trader in the southeastern part of Svartrau, near the entrance to the Manumit hideout. | Costs 3 time segments of activity plus a 16-segment wait — one in-game day — until the merchant reopens, 19 segments in total on the listed route. Rewards the Medicus II manual and XP; the murohn also drops the Mysterious Ring and a Phial of Ambrus’s Blood, and consuming the phial unlocks the Scarlet Shield power. Choose “The symbol behind you looks familiar,” then “I found a ring with your family’s emblem” when you speak with the trader. |
| Distant Shadows | After What Moves the Dead, speak with Marat at the Manumit Hideout, then travel to Tantari during the day. Find Ascar’s beehive-ringed hut on the south side, watch through the east window, shadow him from cover and follow the snares when he enters the woods. | Costs 3 time segments and rewards 500 XP plus 1 Skill Point. The hut search, woman’s conversation and beehive are optional; take the Bee Smoker before checking the hive to collect 25 denarii. Being spotted or intervening against the soldiers does not fail the quest or change its rewards. |
After reporting Distant Shadows to Marat, Drogos interrupts the conversation. Choose “I’ll go talk to him.” Choosing “I’ll leave him be” permanently closes A Closer Look for that playthrough, cutting off the optional continuation tied to the Realmwalker route.
Deep Down: If your route points toward Gavril and Lazar, prepare before pursuing the Ancient Guardian encounter. Save before the location objective so you can return with a different combat setup if needed.
Preparing for the final push
Once the story starts pointing toward the last stage, stop treating the open world as an unfinished checklist. Complete the relationships, gear route and Court preparation that your chosen ending needs, then make a dedicated final-preparation save.
- Review the All Endings Guide before the final quest.
- Confirm your chosen vassal and relationship objectives are complete.
- Spend remaining skill points only after you know the next combat demands.
- Keep one save before the last irreversible conversation and one after it.
- Do not assume a completed map equals a completed ending route.
