"The Blood of Dawnwalker" puts players in control of Coen, a warrior who gains powerful vampiric abilities while fighting to save his family. His transformation isn't simply a way to make combat easier, as his powers, weaknesses, and abilities change depending on the time of day.
Understanding the vampire system is essential for making the most of Coen's abilities and surviving the dangers of Vale Sangora. This guide explains how his vampiric powers work, what changes between day and night, and how players can use his abilities effectively.
How Coen's Vampiric Powers Work
Coen's vampiric powers are tied directly to the game's day-and-night cycle. According to Bandai Namco, Coen is human during the day but becomes a vampire at night, giving him access to a separate set of supernatural abilities. The publisher also confirms that players can develop these powers through the Vampirism skill tree, alongside Swordmastery and Witchcraft.
At night, Coen can use his vampiric abilities both in combat and while exploring the world. These include enhanced mobility such as walking on walls and using Shadowstep to teleport, as well as transforming into a wolf to move through the environment. He also fights with his claws and can bite enemies to restore his health, giving nighttime encounters a distinctly different feel from his daytime swordplay.
Players aren't locked into a single set of powers, either. Bandai Namco's Skills & Power guide explains that Coen earns one shared pool of skill points that can be spent across his three skill trees, allowing players to decide how heavily they want to invest in Vampirism. This means you can build Coen around his supernatural abilities while still developing his swordsmanship and witchcraft skills.
What Changes Between Day and Night
During the day, Coen retains his human side and can rely on his swordsmanship and Witchcraft abilities. Bandai Namco explains that Witchcraft is available during the day, while Coen's vampiric powers awaken at night, giving players two distinct sets of abilities to work with.
Once night falls, Coen's vampiric nature takes over and unlocks abilities unavailable during the day. These include supernatural traversal skills such as Shadowstep, Clawride, and Planeshift, while his heightened senses allow him to detect things such as heartbeats; he can also feed on humans, animals, and other creatures to satisfy his Blood Hunger.
The difference between day and night also affects how players approach "The Blood of Dawnwalker." Bandai Namco describes the two periods as separate gameplay loops with different abilities, mysteries, and ways to accomplish objectives, while certain actions advance the game's limited 30-day-and-night timeframe.
How Players Can Use Coen's Skills Effectively
Coen's skills are most effective when players build around the strengths of his different skill trees instead of treating his vampiric abilities as a replacement for his human abilities. Bandai Namco says the Vampirism, Swordmastery, and Witchcraft paths can be developed independently or combined, while all three draw from the same pool of skill points. This allows players to create a specialized vampire build or a more flexible setup that works across different situations.
At night, players can take advantage of Coen's mobility and supernatural abilities to approach encounters differently. Bandai Namco's gameplay reveal highlights skills such as Shadowstep and Clawride for moving across rooftops, while feeding lets Coen manage his hunger; using these abilities together can make nighttime exploration and combat more effective.
Players should also pay attention to Coen's Corruption, as it determines access to increasingly powerful Vampirism abilities. According to Bandai Namco, feeding on blood increases Coen's corruption, while stronger vampiric powers can come with a sacrifice, so players should balance the benefits of embracing his vampire side with the resources and consequences involved.
Watch the official console gameplay trailer for "The Blood of Dawnwalker" can be found below to get a better grasp of Coen's abilities and skills.
