Are you wondering about how to defeat all major bosses in The Blood of Dawnwalker? These creatures of the night have lorded over the valley, murdering and punishing those they deem unfit to serve them. Now, they’ve also taken Coen’s family, and you must find a way to bring them down. Our guide has all the details that you need, but be forewarned that there will be major spoilers ahead.
The Blood of Dawnwalker vampire court bosses – Brencis, Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe
Three of the four major bosses in The Blood of Dawnwalker can be fought as part of general campaign progression. The last one, their leader, Brencis, is pretty much part of the game’s finale. The game basically ends once you beat him.
In the case of Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe, they have their own operations/activities that you can disrupt. We discuss these facets in detail in our Infamy Edicts guide, but here’s a quick summary nonetheless:
- As you keep sabotaging each boyar’s domain, their anger will rise.
- At maximum anger level, you receive an important quest that allows you to fight that boss.
- Once that boss has been defeated, you can kill them outright or drink their blood to obtain a unique vampiric ability. You may also invite their soul into your very being. They’ll just make snide remarks and off-handed quips from time to time.
Note 1: These foes are quite challenging, so we advise you to equip legendary weapons and armors, as well as pick the best skills/perks, before facing them.
Note 2: There’s another powerful vampire lord somewhere in Vale Sangora, though you only meet him during a companion’s quest. You can learn more about this sequence in our Lacra: Our Rotten Roots guide.
How to defeat Ambrus, the Right Fist of the Knyaz
Ambrus controls the northern part of Vale Sangora, so you’ll probably run into his soldiers early on after the prologue. His quest leads to a one-on-one duel and, during the battle, you have to beware of his martial prowess. He certainly emphasizes finesse over brute strength with his abilities:
- Cleaving Lunge – Ambrus moves backward then switches to a ready stance, before teleporting and cleaving the area where you’re standing.
- Eightfold Slice – Similar to the above, Ambrus will prepare to strike, and he’ll do multiple slashes while moving forward.
- Peerless Bladesman – It’ll be hard to get past Ambrus’ guard, so you have to do a perfect block followed by a riposte to deal damage.
- Scarlet Shield – Ambrus’ protection also heals him if you attack him while it’s active.
- Terror in the Shadows – When Ambrus is low on health, he’ll start teleporting continuously while stabbing at your position.
The Ambrus fight in The Blood of Dawnwalker is all about landing strikes with deftness and precision. However, if you do a related quest, you’ll inflict him with a debilitating poison. You just need to dodge his attacks until he’s dead. You can learn more about this method in our The Gilded Gauntlet/The Bittersweet Toast guide.
How to defeat Bakir, the Mad Khan
Bakir was once the leader of a long-forgotten khanate. Now, he just toys with his opponents, goading them into joining deadly contests.
- Fists of Fury – Bakir is vicious at close range, attacking with a flurry of blows.
- Flying Kick – Bakir can also teleport and kick Coen in the face.
- Ground Cascade – Bakir’s favorite move involves slamming the ground and creating a bloody eruption that travels in a straight line.
In Bakir’s boss quest, The Lunar Game, you participate in a battle royale of sorts where you start with low-tier/common gear. All the while, you have to avoid raising his suspicion, which means you can’t use your vampiric abilities.
How to defeat Xanthe, the Dark Mistress
Xanthe is a master of the arcane arts, using her knowledge of sorceries to experiment on women and her own malevolent contraptions. The Xanthe boss fight in The Blood of Dawnwalker takes place in the Howling Keep. It’s part of a quest called The Cycle of Love, where your initial goal is to use lanterns to reach other rooms in the fortress.
Xanthe’s abilities include:
- Wicked Tendrils – Lashes out with whip-like tentacles/tendrils in succession. You can hold down the block button, then press directional prompts depending on where each tendril is coming from. She’ll get staggered momentarily if you can block several attacks.
- Boiling Blood – Xanthe causes exploding glyphs to appear on the ground.
- Life Leech – Xanthe will leech your health to restore her own.
- Life Orbs – Xanthe has a couple of health thresholds. Upon breaking these thresholds, she’ll spawn several orbs that regenerate her health. You have to destroy these to prevent her from healing back to full.
- Blood Rush – Once the boss’ HP is down to the last segment, she’ll often rush to your location and then do Boiling Blood at close range.
It’s also worth noting that Xanthe appears in another location: the Svartrau City Cathedral. We’ve seen her there at night and fairly early in the campaign. You can try to defeat her there–i.e. try to use Death From Above to deal tremendous damage at the start.
How to defeat Brencis, the Knyaz of Vale Sangora
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s final boss is Brencis, the leader of the cadre of boyars ruling over Vale Sangora. There are three occasions where you’re able to battle him:
- Prologue – This is when Coen gets turned into a vrakhir. Brencis is too powerful at this stage, so trying to beat him here is next to impossible.
- Parley – Upon reaching maximum Infamy, Brencis will invite you to a parlay. There’s an option to fight him, though it’s also possible to team up with him against several spectral foes. In the end, he’ll offer a deal before leaving: He’ll free your family, but you have to betray the Manumit rebels.
- Finale – This is the conclusion of the campaign and how it happens is entirely up to you. You can either strike out on your own or look for allies that can assist you. You then infiltrate Castle Greifberg, face off against corrupted soldiers and monstrosities, and duke it out against Brencis in the depths of the citadel.
Brencis’ humanoid form isn’t the only one that you need to contend with. After fully depleting his health, he’ll transport you to Anachora, a realm that’s considered the “hell” for the souls of vampires. Brencis reveals his Grotesque Ascendant form, which has the following abilities:
- Many-Limbed Horror – Several melee attacks where he utilizes his malformed limbs are unblockable.
- Belching Blood – Brencis will spew forth a torrent of blood from his mouth.
- Displacement – The screen will flicker, and Brencis will follow up with a teleport to your location.
The aforementioned vampire boyars–Ambrus, Bakir, and Xanthe–can, surprisingly, help you during this encounter. If you managed to invite them in–i.e. their soul is now part of Coen’s very being–they will manifest in the Anachora portion of the fight. Ambrus will do his Eightfold Slice, Bakir will zip around with his Flying Kick, and Xanthe will strike with Wicked Tendrils.
Once you defeat Brencis, that’s it, the game is over. You don’t continue exploring the rest of Vale Sangora and there’s no New Game Plus mode to look forward to. All that’s left is to experience the conclusion of Coen’s journey…at least for now.
That does it for our guide on how to defeat the Vampire Court bosses in The Blood of Dawnwalker. How you advance through to the finale is entirely up to you. That said, you might want to know about all the endings in the game, including secret outcomes.
