Overview
The Blood of Dawnwalker uses three distinct skill trees that reflect Coen's dual nature as a Dawnwalker: a Human abilities tree for daytime, a Vampire abilities tree for nighttime, and a Shared tree accessible to both forms. Leveling up grants skill points, which are spent to learn or upgrade abilities in these trees and the ability panel.
Human Abilities (Day)
Coen's human combat is grounded in medieval fighting styles. Rebel Wolves noted that "we studied medieval fighting styles and even have a few trained swordsmen on the team." The directional combat system is at the heart of daytime fighting, allowing players to choose the direction of each swing to target gaps in an enemy's defense.
The human tree also includes access to Rune Carving and Hex magic. Known Hex abilities include:
Ability | Description |
|---|---|
Acrid Dust | a stun ability that costs Activation Charges |
Burning Blood | boils an enemy's blood and burns the skin, dealing damage over time |
Artery Attack | a finisher/execution move shown to decapitate enemies in gameplay footage |
Vampire abilities (night)
At night, Coen transforms and gains access to a completely different combat toolkit. His primary attacks shift from sword strikes to vampiric claws with greater strength and supernatural agility. The vampire tree includes traversal abilities that open up new areas of the map:
Ability | Description |
|---|---|
Shadowstep | short-range teleportation, transforming Coen into a moving shadow |
Planeshift | walk up walls and across ceilings |
Clawride | high-speed vertical drops |
Vampire form also lets Coen bite enemies mid-combat for health regeneration and perform stealth takedowns. Full exploration of Svartrau is only possible using these nighttime traversal abilities.
Shared Tree
The Shared tree contains abilities that function in both human and vampire forms. While Rebel Wolves has not detailed the full contents of this tree, it provides continuity between the two play styles and ensures that skill investments carry value regardless of the time of day. The shared tree likely includes passive bonuses and utility abilities that complement both combat approaches.
Progression and Time
Because the game uses a 30-day time limit, players cannot max out all three trees in a single playthrough. This forces meaningful choices about which abilities to prioritize. A player who invests heavily in vampire abilities will have a very different experience from one who focuses on human swordsmanship and Hex magic. The shared tree offers a middle ground for players who want versatility across both forms.
Manuals and Shrine Perks
Skill points from leveling up are not the only source of progression. Rebel Wolves confirmed in April 2026 that perks live across two systems: shrine purchases and world manuals. Shrines act as the main perk vendor, with each unlock costing experience plus a small slice of in-game time. Manuals are physical books hidden across Vale Sangora; finding and reading one grants the perk it contains, no shrine visit required. The Precision perk was named as an example of the manual track. This means that combing through ruins, libraries, and quiet villages can produce real character-build progress, not only loot, and it gives daytime exploration a payoff that does not depend on the 30-day clock advancing.