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The Blood of Dawnwalker (Amazon) features three skill trees—Swordmastery, Witchcraft, and Vampirism. This guide covers all three, along with how to develop Coen.
I’ll continue adding and updating information on each skill’s effects, unlock requirements, upgrade priority, and possible builds based on my own playthrough and testing.
Skill Trees and Progression System Overview
Coen’s abilities are divided into three skill trees: Swordmastery, Witchcraft, and Vampirism.
| Skill Tree | Main Uses |
|---|---|
| Swordmastery | Attack techniques, additional defensive effects, increased Activation Charge generation, increased carrying capacity, and boosts to maximum Health and attack power |
| Witchcraft | Improved item use, information gathering, offensive spells, damage reflection, lifesteal, and debuffs |
| Vampirism | Teleportation, wall traversal, attacks and healing through feeding, self-buffs, and mind control |
The Witchcraft and Vampirism trees remain locked until you complete the quest Smoke and Ashes.
Each skill tree contains two broad types of skills: Perks, which take effect once learned, and Abilities, which must be assigned to a limited number of slots.
Learning and upgrading skills costs both Skill Points and time. The exact Skill Point and time costs vary depending on the individual skill and its upgrade rank. Coen gains 1 Skill Point each time he levels up.
Abilities are further divided into Active Abilities, which you activate manually, and Passive Abilities, which trigger their effects automatically.
You begin with only one Ability slot. By learning Perks that expand your Ability slots, you can eventually equip up to four Abilities.
Several achievements are tied to learning or using skills. You can find them all in the Steam Achievements List.
Swordmastery
Swordmastery Skill Tree and Skills
Swordmastery Skills List | Effects & Unlock Requirements – Kaburanai Games
Swordmastery is the skill tree that improves Coen‘s swordsmanship and melee combat abilities.
Unlike the other two trees, Swordmastery can be used both during the day and at night.
Melee combat in The Blood of Dawnwalker can be played in two ways: the standard control scheme, where you choose attack and defense directions and react to enemy movements with attacks, dodges, and blocks, or a simplified mode that removes directional inputs.
For the fundamentals of melee combat, see the Combat System and Controls Guide.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft Skill Tree and Skills
Witchcraft Skills List | Effects & Unlock Requirements – Kaburanai Games
Witchcraft is a skill tree centered on magical abilities, ranging from placing curses on enemies to communicating with the dead.
It can generally only be used during the day.
Only some perks related to items, crafting, buying, and selling can be used both during the day and at night.
Even Burning Blood, one of the first Witchcraft abilities you learn, is extremely powerful and reliable as a source of damage over time.
I’ve also written about the role of magic in the world of The Blood of Dawnwalker if you’re interested in the setting and lore behind it.
Vampirism
Vampirism Skill Tree and Skills
Vampirism Skills List | Effects & Unlock Requirements – Kaburanai Games
Vampirism is the skill tree that strengthens Coen’s vampiric powers at night.
Vampirism can only be used at night.
Voracious Bite, one of the first Vampirism abilities available to Coen, both damages enemies and restores Health, making it one of the game’s relatively rare active healing options.
For more on feeding and hunger, see Blood Hunger and Feeding Mechanics. For the differences between Coen’s daytime and nighttime abilities, see the Day and Night System Guide.
Recommended Early-Game Skills
In our Beginner Guide: What to Do First & Early-Game Tips, we’ve handpicked skills that are especially valuable when acquired early in the game.
Be sure to check it out if you’re deciding which skills to prioritize at the start of your playthrough.
Build Ideas
I’ll add this section once I’ve progressed a little further.
Game System Guides
The Blood of Dawnwalker Gameplay System Guides
Sources
Choices and consequences in The Blood of Dawnwalker, out September 3 – PlayStation.Blog
Community Bulletin Board #10 – Swordmastery | Bandai Namco Europe
THE BLOOD OF DAWNWALKER – Gameplay Reveal Recap | Bandai Namco Europe
