The bosses, and the three times you meet Brencis
Three boyars stand between you and him. Leave Ambrus or Bakir alive and they are waiting inside the castle. How the last fight goes depends on who you brought.
Brencis, three times
- After the prologue. OSLink calls it a scripted loss, and PC Gamer says it is incredibly hard even on the lowest difficulty. It can be won — Rock Paper Shotgun quotes Bandai Namco saying so — and winning ends the game there. There is no quicksave between his two stages, so every attempt restarts at the first.
- The parley. At maximum Infamy he invites you to talk, and GameSpot says you can fight him or side with him against a crowd of spectres. Siding with him is the deal that costs you the Manumits.
- The finale. Inside Greifberg Castle. When his human form falls he drags you into Anachora and becomes the Grotesque Ascendant.
What changes the last fight
- Boyars you left alive. PC Gamer puts Ambrus in the entrance hall, Bakir in the dungeon forcing you through prisoners, and Xanthe in the throne room. Kill Xanthe beforehand and you face her trap sequence instead; spare her and IGN says her Blood Guard withdraws and the trap is skipped.
- Day or night. By day you cannot drink a boyar’s blood or invite them in during the assault — you can only kill them. By night every battle is fought in vampire form. Both per PC Gamer.
- Boyars you invited. GameSpot says they manifest in the Anachora stage and fight for you, each with a signature move.
- Who you came with. Lacra's line brings her into the fight; betray her for your family and PC Gamer says Brencis wins and drinks her. Crake's line sets the fight in a room with your family tied to chairs, with no deal on offer.
Tactics for the human form
These tactics are OSLink’s, from a boss guide that works from a transcript of the fight, so treat them as one guide’s read rather than settled advice. Its points: he jumps and teleports to make distance, so use a gap-closer rather than chasing him; Piercing Shriek can stagger him into an opening, and pairs well with Slow; a silver sword and your weapon art do well against him; back off during long combos, and survive a health-draining attack before healing. It also notes that a Xanthe present in the fight can heal him, and that hitting her stunned both — which it warns a patch could change.
Piercing Shriek is reported two ways: GameSpot has it from a Phial of Brencis' Blood in the Beast of Balaur's lair, and Eurogamer has it unlocking when you finish Our Rotten Roots. GameSpot's broader advice is simply to arrive in legendary gear with your best perks, which is what the gear page is for.
Inside the castle
PC Gamer says you always fight the Unblinking Blasphemy on the way, even if you did the Manumits’ tower quest; OSLink says two Blasphemy fights, alongside any boyars still alive. Polygon adds that a boss fight starts the moment you enter, and that it is not Brencis. The game warns you before the point of no return.
The court
| Boss | Quest | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ambrus | The Gilded Gauntlet | GameSpot says his soldiers hold the north, so you run into them early. IGN suggests being near level 15. |
| Bakir | The Lunar Game | TheGamer calls him one of the tougher fights and puts him around level 30. |
| Xanthe | The Cycle of Love | GamesRadar calls her the game's highest-difficulty boss fight and TheGamer the most difficult of the three. Can also be fought early in Svartrau Cathedral at night. |
Each fight, what drinking or sparing does and what they drop are on the boyars page and the Xanthe page.
Story and optional bosses
| Boss | Quest | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| St. Mihai | A Monk and a Saint | The crypt beneath Svartrau Cathedral. Polygon says wait for night to fight him with vampire powers. |
| Leonica | Echoes of Silenced Bells | She Who Speaks With the Devil. Polygon: Voracious Bite works on her, so you can heal off her. |
| Isbrand | Our Rotten Roots | Fought in Anachora on Lacra's line. One Reddit player ranks him the hardest boss in the game. |
| Keeper of Nightmares | Home Sweet Home | Polygon: parry it while it is in the air to bring it down. |
| Chonk the Insatiable | Hive and Seek | IGN recommends level 22 or higher for the quest. A near twin of Munch-Munch. |
| Munch-Munch | Forge It Anew: Hostile Takeover | GameSpot: open to Dirty Trick. IGN found it much harder by day, when healing is scarce. |
| Guardians of the Font | Stronger Than Achilles | Waves of ancient undead before the Font of Life, per TheGamer. |
| Almshouse Monstrosity | A Monk and a Saint | Method says it behaves like a Murohn; TheGamer suggests a manual save first. |
| Ursine Apparition | A Bulwark Against Darkness | The bear at the end of the Arbiter ritual. |
| Headhunters | Open world, from Infamy 7 | Named elites — Yaromil, Osterhild von Teschen, Jutta — that each carry a legendary piece, per GameSpot. |
Arguments about the finale
- How many stages the finale has. GameSpot describes two forms; Polygon calls it one big fight with the final boss as its second stage; PC Gamer, writing about the prologue version, describes second and third health phases in his later form.
- Whether invited boyars stay loyal. GameSpot and IGN say they help. PC Gamer says Ambrus helps a little but can be turned against you in the fight itself.
- What sparing Xanthe is worth. GameSpot says she helps you in the finale; PC Gamer says you get no Blood Guards and some advice, and asks whether that is worth it.
Beating Brencis early, and when to go to the castle
- Who is the final boss in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
- Brencis. GameSpot counts three occasions to fight him: a scripted loss after the prologue, an optional parley at maximum Infamy, and the finale in the depths of Greifberg Castle, where he has a second form, the Grotesque Ascendant.
- Can you beat Brencis in the prologue?
- Yes, but it is built to be lost. Rock Paper Shotgun quotes Bandai Namco confirming it is possible and extremely hard, and PC Gamer says one hit kills you in the second stage even with the best early gear. Doing it ends the game early.
- Do you have to kill the boyars before the final fight?
- No. Polygon says you are free to challenge Brencis any time after the prologue, and Eurogamer says the same of the court. PC Gamer's catch is that Ambrus or Bakir, if still alive, turn up as bosses inside the castle; Xanthe works differently.
- What level should you be for Brencis?
- Polygon gives a rough benchmark rather than a level: about thirty hours of play leaves you strong enough to fight through the castle.
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