Coen is certainly going through it, but Blood of Dawnwalker offers a smidge of succor by not making him face the onslaught of horrors alone. You've got three potential romance options for him—one of which seems more 'canonical' than the rest—and the vampy RPG doesn't make you choose just one. When it comes to games like this, I love to kiss and tell. So here are all three of your options for love in a breezy Blood of Dawnwalker romance guide.
Spoiler warning: While we keep details as minimal as possible, this guide follows all three romance plots through the end of the game. That includes details on how to ensure your lover shows up in the epilogue, so keep that in mind before you go skimming through the text.
How romance works in The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Blood of Dawnwalker has three romanceable characters: Anca, Lacra, and Crake. Coen isn't limited to just one partner either, so don't fret over fumbling your shot. RPG veterans won't find much out of the ordinary when it comes to wooing your fantasy lover, but here's the gist of how romance works in Blood of Dawnwalker:
- The most important step is knowing where to start each romance and prioritizing chances to flirt with your love.
- Requirements to woo each character mostly boil down to 'follow the questline,' so no need to worry about hidden requirements or other obscure influences.
- You can romance all three characters.
Spoiler warning: It's worth highlighting that one romance is clearly favored as something long-term for Coen. I'll highlight which character gets additional screen time with minimal spoilers in the details below, but it's worth noting if you only make time to romance one option.
How to romance Anca
Anca is Laslea's friendly local witch and a lifeline for people in need of medieval medical attention. The Blood of Dawnwalker prologue introduces you to her almost immediately through the main story by tasking Coen with retrieving medicine for his mum. Anca grows just the herb she needs (plus a whole lot else), and if you've got time to spare, Coen can flirt a little with her on day zero.
I'll lay out the path to romancing her below. Not all of these dialogue options are necessary for the romance, but they include flirting and confessions, so I'll include them below each step:
- Complete Withering Away: Page Turner
- You can begin this quest by visiting Anca on the outskirts of the village in the prologue, and then hanging around to learn some latin.
- When offered which book to study, choose the "How about this book with the red cover?" option and insist on it for some flirting.
- Complete Echoes of Silenced Bells
- Note that the final choice of this quest, detailed in that guide, will not impact your ability to romance Anca.
- Complete Between the Words
- Brew Anca a tea and choose "It's my pleasure" for some flirting.
- After you read the book, choose "Always, what do you mean?" and then "Your feelings towards me - it's more than just faith" for an early all-but confession.
- Complete Where Old Devils Lie
- At the start of the quest, choose the white dialogue option "Thank you for trying to help me" and then "That's what you see me as - a friend?" which gives you a second confirmation Anca likes you.
- After you look at the map, choose the "Who knows what else I have in store for you" for more flirting.
- When you sit at the mountain pool, choose the white dialogue option "Something troubling you?" and then "I care about you" to confess.
- Complete Stronger Than Achilles
- When it comes to placing your hand in the hole, either of you seem to be able to do it, but I suggest doing it yourself so you can choose "Better me than you" option afterwards.
- When Anca reveals her desire for The Font, choose "I'd do anything for you" and then "I love you". This moment is referenced later so I think it's quite important.
- Let Anca use The Font
- While you can fully romance Anca whatever you choose at the end of Stronger Than Achilles, the happiest ending for her character is linked to letting her use The Font. You'll also get additional dialogue in the next part.
- Complete the romance
- When you return to the inn after Stronger Than Achilles, you'll be able to discuss the fact you said "I love you" in the ruins.
- Choose "I beg to differ" then "Screw decency, I want you too".
- After that, Coen and Anca will kiss and the sex scene will play out.
Note: While other romanceable characters can appear in the epilogue, Anca is the one who will always appear, and who gets the most screentime. She's kind of framed as the canon romance, while Crake and Lacra are more one-night stands.
How to romance Crake
Crake (or Marat) is the mortal rebel leading the Manumits against the Vrakhiri Court lording over Vale Sangora. He's well aware his adversaries wield otherworldly powers, so he (understandably) has trust issues. Win him over by demonstrating just how far you're willing to go to rise against Brencis, and Crake may show you his vulnerable side. His romance is very simple to achieve:
- Complete The Firebrand
- You can get this quest in the prologue either by saving Vlad or investigating his house in Laslea if he dies.
- Speaking to Mert at the end of the quest will start Shadows in the Woods.
- Complete Shadows in the Woods
- Meet Sara in the woods and then Crake for the first time.
- Complete Where Loyalty Lies
- This will let you join the Manumit rebels.
- You can also start Where Loyalty Lies by going straight to the Manumit hideout in Svartrau, but you will skip some scenes.
- If Vlad survived, you can also do the short Old Friends, New Friends quest by talking to him here.
- Complete What Hunts the Night
- You can have your first intimate sharing moment with Crake when you're both hiding in the ruined house.
- Complete What Moves the Dead
- After you save Crake from the Murohn, walk him back to the hideout, help him take his armour off, and agree to patch him up.
- He'll give you the Distant Shadows quest, which is vital to his romance.
- Complete Distant Shadows
- Crake asks you to follow an old man called Askar in Tantari.
- When the soldiers start giving him trouble, you can hop out and save him.
- Complete A Closer Look
- When you report back to Crake, he'll be angry with the outcome and will run off outside the city, starting the A Closer Look quest.
- Meet him there and when you get the opportunity, choose "Hey. Nothing you say can change the way I see you". Marat will try to kiss you, you'll back off, but then you can choose to kiss him back and have sex. You'll talk a bit afterwards.
Note: As far as I can tell, the only way to get Crake to appear during the epilogue, is if you complete the final quest, Rise at Dawn, effectively following the Manumit questline through to an ending. That said, I wouldn't encourage you to choose that ending just for Crake, as you'll still get to hear about what happens to him either way.
How to romance Lacra
Lacra is the only vrakhiri romance option, though her vampire status doesn't necessarily mean she's aligned with Dawnwalker's big bad. It's quite the opposite in her case, as Lacra has her own reasons for hating Brencis and is willing to find some common ground with Coen to achieve their shared goal.
- Complete A Friend Like This
- You can get this quest by defeating Ambrus in The Gilded Gauntlet and reading the note on his corpse.
- Or you can get it by helping Ocha become boss in The Heart Wants What It Wants, asking her about people who could help you, and then going to see Vicho and completing A Study in Crimson. Afterwards, Vicho will tell you about Lacra.
- Complete The Song of the Mountain
- If you helped Ocha (mentioned above) it works out well here, as this will give you access to the Uriashi enclave and prevent any confrontations involving Lacra, though I'm sure there are other methods.
- Complete Hive and Seek
- At that start of this quest, Lacra will blast open the cave entrance. Select "Now you're just showing off" and then "Quite so" for a bit of flirting.
- Whatever choice you make regarding the Kobolds doesn't impact your ability to romance Lacra.
- Complete Our Rotten Roots
- Choosing to veer off the path to view Lacra's memories in spite of her warnings doesn't impact your ability to romance her, but will give you more of her backstory.
- I chose to invite Isbrand in, but I assume, as with Anca's Font decision, it doesn't ultimately impact your ability to romance her either way. If in doubt, invite Isbrand yourself.
- Complete The Night of Horrors
- The most important part of this quest is eating the Mandrake flower at the end. After this, you can drink Lacra's blood, kiss, and have a very messy sex scene.
Note: The only requirement for Lacra appearing in the epilogue is completing her questline up to the final Midnight Reckoning quest. As long as you've finished all her others, she'll drop in even if you don't pursue an ending with her.
