The Blood of Dawnwalker walkthrough: the opening hours

The opening of The Blood of Dawnwalker is longer and more structured than the free-form middle game, so it helps to know how it is arranged before you start picking fights. The prologue is effectively a small, complete story that teaches the time system, the two forms and the tone of the world.

The prologue quests in order

1. The intro cinematic sets up the plague, the vampire takeover and Coen’s family.
2. You’re Awake, followed by the first village sequence and your difficulty choice.
3. Medicine for Mother, the first real errand that sends you out of the house.
4. Sword Training with Coen’s father, which doubles as the combat tutorial.
5. The Robbed Grave and Dead Drop, which open up the surrounding area.
6. Fishing with Family, the quiet scene placed just before the prologue ends.

Two ways the prologue can end

The opening can resolve well or badly, and that outcome depends on how you handle the people around Coen rather than on one obvious dialogue option. A bad ending changes how the valley sees him and colours the first hours afterwards, which is also why many players keep a save from before the final prologue choice.

The first chain after the prologue

Difficulty and early build advice

Four difficulty options are on offer, with the second acting as a normal setting and the third already punishing. Combat rewards directional parries over plain blocking, so the early fights are a tutorial whether the game calls them one or not. Bank experience before a shrine trip so a single visit buys a perk you will actually use, and keep one save before major commitments so you can compare outcomes instead of guessing.

Sources

• Walkthrough part 1
• Game Rant: where to go after the prologue
• Polygon: what to do first after the prologue
• DTGRE: Court and vassal order