Racing Against the Clock: How to Master the Prologue Quests and Avoid Permanent Mistakes in The Blood of Dawnwalker
THE PROLOGUE MISTAKE THAT IS RUINING THOUSANDS OF SAVE FILES IN THE BLOOD OF DAWNWALKER!
Ever since Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco dropped their dark fantasy epic, players have been diving headfirst into the brutal 14th-century world. But community forums are currently melting down over a hidden time trap in the prologue that most gamers are accidentally triggering on day one!
Did you know that taking the wrong dialogue option during Anka’s quest or failing to manage your precious hourly segments before the village mass locks you out of key storylines forever? Players are screaming about missed romance paths, lost loot, and permanent character fates—all because they didn’t map out their route through the valley efficiently. Are you optimizing your time correctly, or are you walking straight into a narrative dead end?
Find out the optimal prologue routing and see what everybody is arguing about right here 👇
The launch of The Blood of Dawnwalker has introduced players to a punishing, atmospheric dark fantasy sandbox set in 14th-century Europe. Developed by former CD Projekt Red veterans at Rebel Wolves and published by Bandai Namco, the title immediately establishes a rigid rule: time is a finite and unforgiving resource. Nowhere is this design philosophy more evident—or more stressful for newcomers—than in the game’s dense opening hours.
As detailed in recent comprehensive routing breakdowns circulating across the community, managing the prologue efficiently requires meticulous planning. Failing to prioritize key objectives before the pivotal village mass can result in missed rewards, dead NPCs, and locked narrative paths.
The Opening Hours: Unlocking Fast Travel and Managing “Live Bait”
The prologue begins right after Coen steps out of his house. While siblings waiting down the path initiate the “Live Bait” quest, seasoned players recommend a specific detour to maximize efficiency. Heading immediately to the center of the village to unlock the first shrine is critical, establishing a fast-travel point that saves hours of backtracking later [00:20].
Once the fast-travel network is seeded, players can engage the siblings to start “Live Bait,” which costs a single hour of the day [00:31]. During the dialogue sequence, choosing to scold the younger siblings rather than playing tag avoids wasting an additional hour [00:36]. Down the line, a guard approaches the family; engaging in combat here provides early practice without altering the core rewards [00:51].
Before diving deeper into narrative threads, players should swing west of the village to unlock a secondary shrine, then head south to pick up the unmarked free quest involving an abandoned house [00:56]. By climbing the side of the house to bypass the locked front door, players can use Focus Mode to retrieve a hidden figurine and loot the interior chest before returning north to fast-travel back to the village [01:14].
Saving Lazar: Navigating the Forest and “Deep Down”
One of the prologue’s most critical time-sensitive hurdles is the “Deep Down” quest, which tasks Coen with locating Lazar. Initiated southwest of the village shrine, this mission costs one hour [01:45]. Using the forest shrine enables quick access to the woods, where Focus Mode tracking leads past wolf encounters toward a cave system [01:55].
Before descending into the cave hole, players can efficiently trigger another free quest, “If a Tree Falls in a Forest,” by heading north near the local shrine [02:07]. Following the clues with Focus Mode uncovers a final fallen soldier corpse to report later [02:20].
Returning to Lazar’s cave before the five-hour mark is mandatory; delaying past this threshold results in Lazar’s death [02:35]. Inside the cavern, players must inspect the final wall painting to learn that bracers lie inside the sarcophagus, enabling interaction [02:52]. Preparing a quick save before entering the final chamber is strongly advised to handle the ensuing mini-boss encounter smoothly [03:09].
The Anca Dilemma: Romance vs. Optimization
Upon returning to the village, players encounter Anca southwest of town to initiate “The Withering Away” quest, gathering vital herbs for Coen’s mother [03:36]. This moment presents a major branching choice: players can acquire the herbs directly, consuming one hour, or choose to spend two hours learning Latin with Anca to initiate the “Page Turner” quest line and open up a romance path [03:42].
For those pursuing the romance route, navigating the library requires specific choices:
Selecting the book with the red cover and insisting on it three times [04:18].
Choosing the dialogue options “kisses” and “grains of sand” [04:24].
Collecting the required herbs in the shed using Focus Mode [04:32].
Concluding the conversation by stating that Coen enjoyed her company more than the books [04:41].
Opting out of the romance saves an hour of time, which can later be reinvested into chasing Vassel during the post-prologue phase [04:07].
Wrapping Up Free Quests and the Village Mass
Before concluding the prologue’s narrative arc, players should clear remaining regional tasks:
“If a Tree Falls in a Forest”: Report the dead soldier to Islab north of the village [05:05].
“Disturbed”: Head to the church graveyard to take on Krina’s search for a stolen crucifix, tracking clues to the house west of the blacksmith to recover the item [05:20].
“Blasphemy”: Investigate Gremla’s stolen banner near the central shrine, tracking footprints and cane marks northwest to confront Frenzil and secure its return [06:03].
“Dead Drop”: Inspect the grave east of Coen’s house, grab upgraded shoes from the nearby cave chest, and follow the footprints to the final marked tree [07:15].
Finally, completing “The Withering Away” requires mixing the medicine with hot water followed by three spoonfuls of herbs [07:54]. A mandatory sparring session with Coen’s father follows immediately after [08:06]. Win or lose, the rewards remain identical, seamlessly steering the narrative into the village mass and opening up full exploration of The Blood of Dawnwalker [08:15].
