The Blood of Dawnwalker Anca’s Recipe: Step-by-Step Guide

As you are settling into The Blood of Dawnwalker, players face one of the game’s first meaningful choices, and it’s easy to get wrong. During the quest “Withering Away”, the protagonist Coen must brew medicine for his ailing mother, Esme, using a recipe handed over by the herbalist Anca.

The catch is that once the brewing begins, the game won’t let you re-check the written instructions, so you need to know the water temperature and the exact number of herb spoonfuls beforehand.

Where to Find Anca’s Recipe in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Anca | Credit: Rebel Wolves

Coen is sent to fetch stronger medicine for his mother from Anca, the local herbalist, early in the prologue. After collecting the herbs, the quest updates and directs players to head back toward the family home, following the same route used to reach Anca’s cabin.

Before leaving, try opening the note that Anca provides. The instructions are stored in the inventory under the quest tab as “Instructions from Anca,” and the game treats reading it as entirely optional, but also never repeats the detail later.

Because the brewing sequence locks you in once it starts, checking this page is your only safe way to guarantee you’ll pick the correct option at the cauldron. Once you reach the house, Pieter is waiting outside, and handing him the herbs triggers a short cutscene before Coen is sent in to prepare the medicine himself.

How to Brew The Medicine Correctly

The Blood of Dawnwalker | Credit: Rebel Wolves

To brew the medicine right, you will have to follow Anca’s exact instructions:

• Use three scoops of herb mixture
• Use hot water

Give it to Esme before Mass and then twice daily afterward. Translating that note into the in-game dialogue choices comes down to two decisions at the cauldron.

First, when prompted about water temperature, select the hot water option rather than boiling or cold. Second, when asked how many spoonfuls of herbs to add, choose three, matching what the note says.

Getting this combination right isn’t just a matter of following orders correctly, since it directly shapes the prologue’s outcome. Brew the medicine as instructed, and Esme doesn’t fully recover, but her condition improves enough that she survives the Mass, even though Brencis remains dissatisfied and threatens to cull the herd without following through.

However, if you end up choosing the wrong number of spoonfuls or the wrong temperature of water, then the medicine fails outright, meaning Esme will stay dangerously weak, ultimately resulting in her death.

Anca also happens to be one of Coen’s three romance options available in the game, and you can read about all of them here. What would you like a guide on next? Make sure to let us know about it in the comments below!