Withering Away is the opening quest of The Blood of Dawnwalker. After Coen wakes from his nightmare, his father hands him a list of chores: split firewood, then collect fresh medicinal herbs from Anca the herbalist at the bottom of the village. The part that trips people up is the brew itself, because Anca expects you to repeat her instructions back correctly, and the measurements matter. Below you get every step of the quest, the route that avoids the boars, how the time blocks work, the full recipe as Anca gives it, and what happens if you brew it wrong.
Short on time? Three scoops of dried herbs, hot water poured over them, the first cup right before mass, then twice a day from then on.
Related Guides:
Like Father, Like Son
Sacred Covenant
The Blood of Dawnwalker Guides Hub
1 – Split Logs for Firewood
Mission Text:
“My father has a list of chores ready for me, as usual. I better get to it.”
Before you head out to chop wood, take Coen’s clothes from the chest in his bedroom and put them on in the inventory. Then leave the room. The chopping block sits right outside the bedroom, and you split three logs by following the on-screen prompts.
The logs are picked up automatically. Walk into the other part of the house and drop them at the kitchen fireplace. The room opposite the kitchen holds a chest you can loot if you want the extra pickings. The family then sits down to breakfast, where Coen’s mother refuses to eat.
2 – Pick up Your Sword
Mission Text:
“I should get my sword – it’s a dangerous world out there”
The sword is in the room opposite the kitchen, so if you skipped the chest earlier this is your second chance at it. Remember to equip the sword in the inventory menu before you leave.
Picked up:
Training Sword
3 – Obtain Medicinal Herbs from Anca
Mission Text:
“I need to go to Anca and fetch new herbs to help my mother. She’s getting worse and it’s Blood Mass tonight …“
Anca lives at the bottom of the village. The front door is open now, so you can leave the house freely. Cut through the forest and two boars will attack you, which is what the Training Sword is for. Follow the path south instead and you get there without a fight.
As you approach Anca’s home the game introduces time progression. Activities and quests eat time blocks off your day bar, and this visit costs one block as a minimum, or two if you choose to stay longer. There is a shrine in front of Anca’s hut where you can spend Perk Points, fast travel, or reach your storage.
You can knock on the door, but Anca is down by the stream. Talk to her and follow her back to the house, where she hands over the herbs and the recipe.
Three scoops of herbs in hot water, the first cup right before mass, then twice daily after that. Keep the recipe handy so you can repeat the instructions back correctly when asked.
If you stay for two time blocks, you first get to pick what to read: the Poem, or the red book, Catullus. Insist on Catullus if you like a romance storyline.
The storm then interrupts the reading, and you help Anca rescue the herbs from her collapsed shed in the middle of the thunderstorm. Head into the shed and take the herbs off the drying beams.
Pick up all of the herbs to keep Anca happy. While you are in there she trips and hurts her back, and Coen treats her by following the on-screen prompts.
Village Quests
Decide to not wait with father to complete some of the quest in the village. Here are the available Village quests in the Prologue. Not all quests can be completed in the provided time until mass so choose wisely:
Blasphemy
The banner for the evening mass is missing.
Deep Down
Gavril needs help to find Lazar in the Peat Bog.
Disturbed
Find Kvet’s silver crucifix
Enter Not
Fulfil Ursula’s last request.
If a Tree Falls in a Forest
Find three dead soldiers in the Logging Camp.
Into the Den
Find the hidden loot from someone who died in the den.
Live Bait
Coen goes fishing with his siblings.
On the Run
Find and return a pig.
Someone Needs a Lesson
Run after Vasil and teach him a lesson.
What Happens If Time is Running Out
When all day time slots are spent, Coen will get a cutscene where he will go attend church. This can happen any time, even in the middle of a quest. In the worst case, Coen won’t bring the Herbs back to calm his mother and she gets the worst outcome.
4 – Bring the Herbs Back and Read the Recipe
Mission Text:
“I have the herbs from Anca – now I need to bring them back to Dad and read the recipe.“
Return to Coen’s house at the top of the village and brew the herbs exactly as Anca described: three scoops of dried herbs, no more and no less, with hot water poured over them. If you did not memorise it, the note “Instructions from Anca” is in your inventory and you can read it before you start.
What Happens if You Get the Recipe Wrong?
Brew the herbs correctly and Esme survives Mass and returns home with the family.
Get the measurements wrong and Esme is killed during Mass in the follow-up quest, Sacred Covenant. The story then carries on the same way either way, and the group still heads to the mines afterwards.
So the recipe changes whether Esme lives, not where the story goes next.
About The Blood of Dawnwalker
Release: September 3rd, 2026
Developer: Rebel Wolves
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Official Website: https://dawnwalkergame.com/us/en/home
