Updated September 4, 2026
The Court is one of the most important systems in The Blood of Dawnwalker. It connects the three vampire vassals standing between Coen and Brencis with the open-world activities you complete across Vale Sangora.
If you're simply clearing every activity you find, you can easily waste time or miss some of the more interesting rewards and optional quest branches.
The better approach is to understand who each activity belongs to, what it unlocks, which rewards are worth taking, and when to move on to the next vassal.
There are 41 Court Activities in total:
- 14 Ambrus activities
- 12 Bakir activities
- 15 Xanthe activities
Completing activities raises the Anger of the associated vassal. When that vassal reaches maximum Anger, their boss quest becomes available.
This guide explains the Court system, Infamy and Edicts, the three vassals, their important activity rewards, boss quests, and the safest order for tackling them.
📋 Table of Contents
- How the Court System Works
- What Are Court Activities?
- The 41 Court Activities
- Ambrus Court Guide
- Bakir Court Guide
- Xanthe Court Guide
- Important Activities You Should Not Ignore
- The Three Vassal Boss Quests
- Kill or Drain the Vassal?
- Best Vassal Order
- Infamy and Edicts
- How to Manage Your 30-Day Timer
- Before You Kill Each Vassal Checklist
- FAQ
- Final Verdict
How the Court System Works
Brencis doesn't rule Vale Sangora alone.
Three powerful Vrakhiri vassals control different parts of the valley:
- Ambrus
- Bakir
- Xanthe
Each vassal has their own group of Court Activities. When you disrupt their operations, their Anger increases. The important thing is that Anger is tracked separately for each vassal. Completing an Ambrus activity doesn't simply contribute to a universal Court meter; it pressures Ambrus specifically.
Once a vassal's Anger reaches maximum, their confrontation quest becomes available.
The commonly recommended progression is:
Ambrus → Bakir → Xanthe
This follows their difficulty curve and lets you deal with the three Court leaders without rushing into the higher-level encounters too early. It is a recommended progression rather than a hard requirement, since the post-prologue campaign is non-linear.
What Are Court Activities?
Court Activities are open-world objectives connected to the three vassals. They represent the different ways each vassal supports Brencis's rule.
You aren't simply clearing random enemy camps. You're disrupting:
- Blood supply operations
- Blood transports
- Prisoner processing
- Blood Guard recruitment
- Excavation sites
- Rebel suppression
- Distilleries
- Pillories
- Headhunters
- Other regional operations
The activities aren't all automatically displayed as named objectives when you first enter the open world. Many initially appear as Unknown Activity until you discover them.
A useful exploration trick
The game's 11 Towers can help reveal activity locations on the map. If you're trying to complete Court progression efficiently, discovering the towers first can make the activity hunt considerably easier.
The 41 Court Activities
The complete Court structure contains:
You do not necessarily need to clear every activity belonging to a vassal.
The purpose of the activity system is to raise that vassal's Anger until the boss encounter becomes available.
That means the important question isn't:
"How do I clear the entire map?"
It's:
"Which activities give me something worth doing before I push this vassal to maximum Anger?"
That's where the Court becomes much more interesting.
Ambrus Court Guide
Ambrus is the youngest of the three vassals and controls the northern parts of Vale Sangora. His responsibility is closely connected to human blood production and logistics. That includes bleeding prisoners, transporting blood and storing it for Brencis and his Vrakhiri allies.
Ambrus therefore has some of the most straightforward Court Activities.
Ambrus Activities
The 14 activities are built around operations such as:
- Blood Cellars
- Blood Transports
- Draining Dungeons
- Leech Collectors
- Prisoner Processing
- Prisoner Transports
- Other Ambrus-controlled operations
The important thing is that Ambrus's activities are thematically connected: you're attacking the machinery that keeps his blood supply network running.
The Gilded Gauntlet
Once Ambrus reaches maximum Anger, you can trigger:
The Gilded Gauntlet
The quest leads to the confrontation with Ambrus. The encounter also contains an important optional branch.
The Bittersweet Toast
During the Ambrus sequence, you can pursue The Bittersweet Toast. This allows you to weaken Ambrus using poison supplied by Lulian Codric, who is connected to Ambrus's blood supply. Codric sacrifices himself to administer the poison.
This is an important example of why you shouldn't treat the Court activities as the entire Ambrus story. The boss sequence itself can contain additional objectives and consequences.
Ambrus: Kill or Drain?
Defeating Ambrus gives you a major choice.
- Kill Ambrus: Increases Infamy, gives rare loot, does not grant his Vampiric ability.
- Drink Ambrus's blood: Grants the Scarlet Shield Vampirism ability, comes with Corruption consequences. If you already obtained Scarlet Shield from Ambrus's blood elsewhere, drinking directly from Ambrus can instead upgrade the ability.
For ability-focused players: draining Ambrus is considerably more attractive. For players prioritizing loot and lower Vampirism investment: killing him has its own advantages.
Bakir Court Guide
Bakir is the Mad Khan and controls the central/southwestern portion of the valley. His Court operations are more focused on control, punishment and suppression than Ambrus's blood logistics.
Bakir's 12 activities include:
- Rebel Hunters: Matter of Honour
- Silent to the Grave
- Smoke Them Out
- Payoff Transports: Curious Shipment
- Fools's Gold
- Distilleries: Ends and Means
- Coercion and Duress
- Offshoot
- Pillories: Out of Love, Familiar Face, Old Hand
- Hidden Activity: A Mother's Plea
These activities are especially interesting because several contain optional interactions rather than simply being enemy-clearing jobs.
Familiar Face
Familiar Face is worth paying attention to because it connects the Court system with characters from earlier content. The activity takes place in Parlita. You'll find a person being held in a pillory and can rescue him by defeating the guards. The man is Vasil, someone connected to the starting village and the earlier Someone Needs a Lesson quest.
This is exactly the kind of Court activity that is easy to overlook if you only think about Anger progression. You're also resolving a character-related thread.
Old Hand → Catalin's Tutor
The Old Hand activity near Lunar Manor contains another optional branch. After dealing with the guards, you can choose:
"I'm not letting anyone hurt this man."
That leads to:
Catalin's Tutor
You can then find the man at his camp, challenge him to a duel, and, after defeating him, he becomes a Swordmastery Teacher.
This is one of the strongest examples of why blindly rushing through Court progression isn't always optimal. The activity isn't only about Bakir's Anger. It can also expand your access to progression resources.
The Lunar Game
Once Bakir reaches maximum Anger, his main confrontation begins with:
The Lunar Game
The quest takes place around Lunar Manor. Bakir is generally treated as a Level 20+ encounter, making him a natural second target after Ambrus.
The Ring
After dealing with Bakir, you'll encounter another important quest:
The Ring
The quest involves Farkas and a purple-gem ring discovered in Bakir's treasury. You can give the ring to Farkas, refuse to give it to him, or take it to Anca. If you give the ring to Farkas, you can later discover that using it resulted in the accidental death of his brother. If you refuse and take it to Anca, she can destroy it, rewarding you with the Quick Fighter's Ring and completing the quest.
This makes The Ring an important piece of the Bakir sequence rather than something you should immediately ignore after defeating him.
Bakir: Kill or Drain?
Bakir's boss encounter offers another major choice.
- Kill Bakir: Obtain Bakir's Armour, a Legendary Medium Chestplate.
- Drain Bakir: Gain Shadowstorm, a Vampiric ability.
So the choice is essentially: Equipment vs Vampiric power. If you're building around Vampirism, draining Bakir has obvious value. If you're looking for powerful equipment, killing him provides a unique loot opportunity.
Xanthe Court Guide
Xanthe is the oldest of the three vassals and controls the southeast. Her activities are considerably stranger than those of Ambrus and Bakir.
Her operations involve:
- Blood Guard recruitment
- Ancient excavations
- Supernatural experiments
- Abducted girls
- Strange ritual activity
Xanthe's territory also contains some of the most unusual optional content in the Court system.
Xanthe's Recruiters
Three particularly valuable activities are:
- Taste of Power: Defeat the Blood Guard and interact with the golden box. You can take the Vrakhiri blood to receive: Phial of Brencis's Blood. There is also a document in the nearby chest that can reveal another Xanthe event.
- Just a Bit More: Defeat the Blood Guard and interact with the golden box. If you want to steal the blood, you'll also have to deal with the blood addict. Reward: Phial of Ambrus's Blood.
- Come Home: Provides Phial of Bakir's Blood. Again, the nearby chest contains information that can reveal additional Xanthe activity.
The three recruiter activities and their rewards are documented in the current Court activity walkthrough. For more on Vampirism, Corruption and blood mechanics, see our dedicated guide.
Xanthe's Excavations
Xanthe's ancient excavation activities contain some of the best exploration-oriented rewards. They include:
- Unsealed Secrets
- Malevolent Presence
- Bloodied Dagger
Bloodied Dagger is one of the Xanthe activities you should pay particular attention to. After defeating the enemies and the boss, there is a locked chest. The chest contains Legendary Boots. But you can't simply open it normally. Use Focus Mode to locate the Ritual Dagger in the room. Then collect it and use the nearby body to unlock the chest.
Home Sweet Home
One of Xanthe's most unusual activities is:
Chosen One
This leads into the strange sequence associated with Home Sweet Home. The activity recreates elements of Coen's earlier family experience and can initially feel like a repetitive dream sequence.
There is a particularly important hidden route involving the well. During the repeating sequence, instead of continuing normally, turn toward the well and interact with it. This leads to another sequence involving a cave, a portal, a church memory, a specific interaction order with the characters Alin, Esme, Coen, and a final route back into the world.
Completing the special sequence can eventually reward you with the Astrologer's Ring. There is also an even more unusual outcome associated with repeating the sequence multiple times and the Together Forever achievement/secret ending.
The well route is particularly important because it is easy to miss if you simply continue following the normal dream sequence. This is the Xanthe activity you should not rush past. If you're interested in exploration, hidden content or completion, Home Sweet Home deserves attention before you simply push Xanthe to maximum Anger.
The Cycle of Love
Once Xanthe reaches maximum Anger, her boss quest becomes:
The Cycle of Love
- Starting location: Howling Keep
- Recommended level: 25+
- Time requirement: 4 segments
- Reward: 500 XP
- Drain reward: Blood Surge (Vampirism ability)
Xanthe: Kill, Drain or Make a Deal?
Xanthe presents a particularly important choice. During The Cycle of Love, you can ultimately:
- Kill her
- Drink her blood
- Spare her / make a deal
Drinking Xanthe's blood grants Blood Surge. If you spare Xanthe, however, the later situation surrounding Griefberg Castle changes. If you spare Xanthe, the later assault on Griefberg Castle is easier: you won't have to fight the Blood Guards in her section, and you can avoid the nightmare sequence she triggers if you kill her.
Important Activities You Should Not Ignore
If your goal is simply:
Reach maximum Anger as quickly as possible
then you can concentrate on the Court Activities required to advance the meter. But if you're trying to get the most useful content out of your playthrough, several activities deserve special attention.
These are the activities where the reward or hidden interaction makes them more valuable than simply treating them as another Anger source.
The Three Vassal Boss Quests
Here's the basic progression:
- Ambrus: Court Activities → Maximum Anger → The Gilded Gauntlet → The Bittersweet Toast. Ambrus is the natural first target because he is the earliest and lower-level vassal.
- Bakir: Court Activities → Maximum Anger → The Lunar Game → The Ring. Bakir is the natural middle encounter and is recommended around Level 20+. He also has several useful side branches such as Familiar Face, Old Hand, and The Ring.
- Xanthe: Court Activities → Maximum Anger → The Cycle of Love. Xanthe is generally the final vassal because her encounter is recommended around Level 25+. Her hidden rewards and Home Sweet Home sequence make her particularly valuable to explore carefully rather than rushing directly to her boss.
Once all three vassals have been dealt with, the path toward Brencis opens.
Kill or Drain the Vassal?
This is one of the biggest strategic choices in the Court system. The rewards aren't identical.
The basic rule is simple:
- Choose Kill if you prioritize: Equipment, Loot, A more human-oriented progression, Avoiding additional Corruption from another major blood reward.
- Choose Drain if you prioritize: Vampirism, Unique supernatural abilities, Nighttime combat, Building Coen's Vampire side.
The decision is therefore better viewed as a build choice rather than simply "good vs evil."
Remember that Xanthe is slightly different because her encounter also allows a non-kill outcome, and sparing her can affect the later Griefberg sequence.
Best Vassal Order
For most players, the safest order is:
Ambrus → Bakir → Xanthe
- Why Ambrus first? He's the earliest and lowest-level Court target. His activities also introduce you to how the Court system works.
- Why Bakir second? Bakir's recommended level is around 20+, putting him naturally after Ambrus. He also has several useful side branches such as Familiar Face, Old Hand, and The Ring.
- Why Xanthe last? Xanthe is the highest-level vassal at around 25+ and her activities contain some of the strangest optional content. Her hidden rewards and Home Sweet Home sequence make her particularly valuable to explore carefully rather than rushing directly to her boss.
This order is a recommendation rather than a hard lock. The campaign opens up after the prologue, allowing you to tackle activities in a less rigid order if you want.
Infamy and Edicts
The Court isn't the only system tracking your actions. Your growing campaign against Brencis's regime also increases Infamy.
The Court menu lets you keep track of:
- Vassal Anger
- Your Infamy
- Active Edicts
The Edicts represent the regime reacting to Coen's growing disruption. As your Infamy increases, Brencis responds with increasingly aggressive measures.
This is important because Court progression isn't happening in isolation. You're simultaneously becoming a bigger problem for the entire regime.
How to Manage Your 30-Day Timer
The biggest mistake is assuming that the 30-day limit means the game is constantly counting down while you explore. It isn't.
The game treats time more like a limited action resource. Walking around and exploring doesn't continuously consume your remaining days. Certain quests, activities and progression actions do.
That means you can safely explore → discover activities → investigate locations → plan your route → then spend time on the activities that matter. You don't need to sprint through the world simply because the HUD says you have fewer days remaining.
For more guidance on managing the countdown, see our Beginner Guide: 20 Things The Game Doesn't Tell You.
Before You Kill Each Vassal Checklist
This is the most important practical section of the guide.
Before triggering the final confrontation with a vassal, ask yourself whether you've completed the valuable optional content in their territory.
Ambrus Checklist
Before The Gilded Gauntlet:
- ☐ Explore Ambrus's Court Activities
- ☐ Check blood-related activities for useful rewards
- ☐ Complete any Ambrus-linked side content you want
- ☐ Investigate the optional Bittersweet Toast route
- ☐ Decide whether you want Scarlet Shield or Ambrus's loot
- ☐ Make a manual save before the confrontation
Bakir Checklist
Before The Lunar Game:
- ☐ Complete Familiar Face
- ☐ Rescue Vasil if you want that character connection
- ☐ Complete Old Hand
- ☐ Unlock Catalin's Tutor if you want the Swordmastery Teacher
- ☐ Investigate Fools's Gold
- ☐ Check for the Ill-Gotten Gains branch
- ☐ Decide whether you want Bakir's Armour or Shadowstorm
- ☐ Complete any remaining Bakir-linked activities you care about
- ☐ Make a manual save
After Bakir:
- ☐ Complete The Ring
- ☐ Decide what to do with the purple-gem ring
Xanthe Checklist
Before The Cycle of Love:
- ☐ Complete Taste of Power
- ☐ Collect Phial of Brencis's Blood if desired
- ☐ Complete Just a Bit More
- ☐ Collect Phial of Ambrus's Blood if desired
- ☐ Complete Come Home
- ☐ Collect Phial of Bakir's Blood if desired
- ☐ Search Bloodied Dagger
- ☐ Use Focus Mode to find the Ritual Dagger
- ☐ Open the hidden chest
- ☐ Collect the Legendary Boots
- ☐ Complete Chosen One / Home Sweet Home
- ☐ Investigate the well route
- ☐ Complete the church memory sequence
- ☐ Collect the Astrologer's Ring
- ☐ Decide whether you want the Together Forever secret outcome
- ☐ Make a manual save
- ☐ Decide whether Xanthe's Blood Surge is worth the drain choice
- ☐ Consider the later consequences of sparing her
The key distinction is that these should be treated as priority-before-boss activities, not as a blanket claim that every Court marker permanently disappears after a vassal dies. Current walkthrough evidence indicates that post-prologue activities generally remain available until started, while particular quest objectives can be time-sensitive.
FAQ
How many Court Activities are there in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
There are 41 Court Activities in total: 14 connected to Ambrus, 12 to Bakir and 15 to Xanthe.
Do I need to complete all 41 Court Activities?
No. The purpose of the activities is to raise a vassal's Anger until their confrontation becomes available. You don't necessarily need to clear every activity on the map.
What is the best vassal order?
For most players: Ambrus → Bakir → Xanthe. This follows the recommended level progression of the three encounters, but it isn't a mandatory order.
What level should I be for Bakir?
Bakir is generally recommended around Level 20+.
What level should I be for Xanthe?
Xanthe is generally recommended around Level 25+.
What do I get for draining Ambrus?
Draining Ambrus grants the Scarlet Shield Vampirism ability. If you already acquired the ability from his blood, drinking from him can upgrade it.
What do I get for draining Bakir?
Draining Bakir grants Shadowstorm. Killing him instead allows you to obtain Bakir's Armour.
What do I get for drinking Xanthe's blood?
Drinking Xanthe's blood grants Blood Surge.
Should I complete Home Sweet Home before fighting Xanthe?
Yes, if you care about its hidden content. The sequence contains a special well route, a church memory sequence, the Astrologer's Ring and a separate achievement/secret outcome.
Is The Ring connected to Bakir?
Yes. The Ring follows the Bakir sequence and involves Farkas, a purple-gem ring from Bakir's treasury and an optional route involving Anca.
Does the 30-day timer constantly run?
No. Exploration itself doesn't continuously consume the story timer. Time is spent through particular quests, activities and other actions. For more on this, see our Beginner Guide.
Final Verdict
The Court system in The Blood of Dawnwalker is much more than a checklist of enemy camps.
The 41 Court Activities are the mechanism for angering Ambrus, Bakir and Xanthe, but several of those activities also hide characters, side quests, legendary equipment, special blood and optional story branches.
For a normal playthrough, the simplest progression is:
Ambrus → Bakir → Xanthe → Brencis
But don't rush each vassal just because their Anger meter is nearly full. Before each boss, take a moment to check for the activities that offer something beyond Anger progression.
The biggest ones to watch are:
- Ambrus: The Bittersweet Toast
- Bakir: Familiar Face
- Bakir: Old Hand → Catalin's Tutor
- Bakir: The Ring
- Xanthe: Taste of Power
- Xanthe: Just a Bit More
- Xanthe: Come Home
- Xanthe: Bloodied Dagger
- Xanthe: Home Sweet Home
And when the boss finally falls, remember that kill vs drain isn't simply a morality choice. It can determine whether you receive unique equipment or a powerful Vampirism ability.
If you're building Coen around the Vampire side, draining the vassals can be extremely valuable. If you're prioritizing equipment and a different progression path, killing them can be the better choice.
For Xanthe, remember that there is also a spare/deal option, and her survival can affect the later Griefberg sequence.
Most importantly, make a manual save before each major vassal decision.
The Court is designed around choices, limited time and consequences. You don't need to complete everything—but you should make sure the things you do spend your limited time on are worth it.
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