What to do first after the prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Which open world quests to pick first?

Finding the best things to do first in The Blood of Dawnwalker's open world is tricky. Once the prologue has concluded, you're completely free to go wherever you want, taking whichever quest you stumble upon, but such freedom can also feel overwhelming, especially since some quests and activities are more useful than others, and you only have 30 days before Brencis' coronation.

If you're unsure where to start, here's a list of activities and quests to prioritize after the prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker.

[Ed. note: This guide contains spoilers for The Blood of Dawnwalker, so continue at your own risk! Feel free to follow along or bookmark this page and come back if you get stuck.]

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What to do first after the prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Before we recommend specific early-game quests, here are a few general activities to partake in after finishing the prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker. They range from the best regions to explore first to the essential exploration skills to unlock.

• Explore Briar Sloughs, Maragir Wealds, St. Tyna's Grove, and Svartrau City. Some regions are more dangerous than others, as indicated by the skull icons on the map, so it's best to stick to the least deadly ones for now. Briar Sloughs, Maragir Wealds, St. Tyna's Grove, and Svartrau City shouldn't be too hard for a freshly turned Vrakhir. To discover points of interest within these regions, climb and interact with the watchtowers marked on your map (only available at night). This won't move time forward.
• Unlock the Mercurial Fervour witchcraft ability and the Shapeshift vampire ability. They'll allow you to use haste during the day and night, respectively. This means you can sprint much faster, making exploration way easier. Unlike most skill upgrades, this won't require any time.
• Increase corruption. Encounter any animals? Monsters? Or better yet, human enemies? Use Voracious Bite to drain their blood and grow your corruption, which unlocks new vampire abilities. Go for corruption level 1 at the very least, which unlocks the handy Shapeshift travel ability mentioned above, but don't limit yourself; increasing corruption requires a lot of blood, so try to boost it at every opportunity.
• Upgrade your skills. Besides the Mercurial Fervour and Shapeshift, spend some time upgrading other abilities. Don't worry about the time cost; upgrading a few skills won't lock you out of any essential quests. That said, it's best to prioritize skills that are always useful, no matter your play style, such as Vigour, Endless Effort, and Sustained Focus in the swordmastery skill tree. That way, you won't "waste" any time segments.

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Which open world quests to do first in The Blood of Dawnwalker

While you upgrade your first abilities and grow your corruption, it's time to grab your first post-prologue quests. This list of recommended quests shows missions with a geographical advantage, as they start in the "easier" regions near Laslea Glen. On top of that, they'll either lead to an important quest line or unlock a handy ability.

1. "The Firebrand": This quest starts in Laslea Glen, just north of the Laslea Centre shrine, where you must visit the ruined house behind the yellow banner at the end of the prologue. If you already did this, the next part of the quest takes you to Mert's Mill south of Laslea Glen (see location marker on the map above). "The Firebrand" leads to many new quests, so it's a great place to start.
2. "A Pilgrimage for Power: Bear Trouble": This is a fairly short quest that'll unlock the Ravenous Flock witchcraft ability, an area-of-effect attack that should come in handy during daylight battles, especially against multiple enemies. "Bear Trouble" unlocks the greater "A Pilgrimage for Power" quest line, but there's no need to rush the remaining objectives.
3. "A Pilgrimage for Power: Fanatics": Another brief quest you can pick up on your way to "Echoes of the Silenced Bells." This will get you the second Ravenous Flock Manual.
4. "Echoes of Silenced Bells": This quest leads to many follow-up missions, some of which are very useful in the fight against Brencis. Provided Anca is alive, pick it up at the old inn (Crossroad Inn) on the east side of the map. It's best to improve a few combat abilities before you start.
5. "A Friend Like This": Visit Svartrau City and walk to the alley north of Svartrau Cathedral, where this quest will begin automatically. It may seem minor at first, but it actually leads to a very large and important quest line.
6. Any Ambrus-related sabotage mission, such as "Ambrus's Collectors," "Ambrus's Cellars," and "Ambrus's Dungeons." They're fairly short, but more importantly, they'll anger Ambrus, which eventually unlocks a new quest line. While you're free to sabotage Xanthe or Bakir as well, focusing on one member of Brencis's court means you can start the first Vrakhir quest sooner. Ambrus is the best target since he operates in the least dangerous regions (the northern ones).

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The Blood of Dawnwalker is a time-sensitive, narrative RPG where your actions and decisions matter. If you're just starting out, make sure to check out our beginner's guide. After the prologue, you're free to explore Vale Sangora and take on Brencis' boyars and turn into a powerful vampire.