The Blood of Dawnwalker has some interesting characters you will come across. One of them is Xanthe, who is one of the three vampiric boyars who extend Brenci’s rule over Vale Sangora. I found her personal questline, The Cycle of Love, most interesting when I came across all the choices Rebel Wolves included. These are difficult choices and have vastly different outcomes.
Given her story, it is not really about whether she deserves mercy, but what Coen is willing to trade for it. In this guide, I will walk you through all the available options for the questline and explain the outcome.
A Quick Comparison Between Sparing and Killing Xanthe in The Blood of Dawnwalker
| Fates | Sparing Xanthe | Killing Xanthe |
| Xanthe’s Fate | Becomes an ally to Coen | Coen can drain blood at night; she dies |
| Chariklea’s Fate | Lives, but her condition is unresolved | You still get to choose: either leave her or mercy-kill her |
| Castle Assault | Xanthe assists and Coen does not have to fight Blood Guards | Assault becomes difficult, and Coen must fight Blood Guards |
| Unique Reward | The Dark Mistress Trophy | Blood Surge ability, if drained blood, along with Corrupted Pendant, Potent Aetheric Attunement |
| Moral Cost | She continues to kill women elsewhere | She is stopped permanently |
Who is Xanthe in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and How Does Her Choice Appear
Xanthe is responsible for controlling Vale Sangora’s southeast region for Brencis in The Blood of Dawnwalker. She runs supernatural experiments and forcibly hardens Blood Guards through rites. These experiments strip away their humanity. When going through the lore, I was also able to learn that she was the oldest vampire in Brencis’ force and a former priestess from Ancient Greece. That said, her original name and lifestyle have not been mentioned, and possibly lost to time.
After provoking enough of her Court operations on the map, I was able to trigger her personal questline, The Cycle of Love, which led me to Chariklea, her daughter. The game doesn’t hold back in telling a tragic story about her daughter, who is kept alive through dark magic and stolen bodies. If you talk to her, Xanthe will eventually come crashing into the scene, triggering a boss fight.
I found her fight to be quite balanced and enjoyable. Xanthe can fight at a range with the help of her corrupted vine whip and will jump around the arena frequently. I personally loved using Shadowstep during this boss fight, as it allowed me to reposition with ease, rather than out-walk her.
If you are looking to drain her blood, you must do that at night, because that’s when the option is unlocked. After you defeat her, you are given two choices: spare Xanthe or kill her.
What Happens If You Spare Xanthe in The Blood of Dawnwalker
If Coen picks the mercy option, both Xanthe and her daughter will live. In return, the vampire pledges her services to us in our fight against Brencis. Here’s what you can expect:
- She clears the way during the castle assault, allowing you to practically breeze through areas without facing Blood Guards.
- Xanthe will personally meet you inside the castle and will offer you advice before the final confrontation.
- She will also help during the Brencis fight, while guiding you through the final maze section.
- You get to completely skip the nightmare sequence that plays out if you kill her.
- The Dark Mistress trophy is unlocked for finishing the quest this way.
That being said, you must remember that sparing her does not erase her wrongdoings. In the epilogue tableau, which appears if you pick this option, it will be revealed that Xanthe continues her carnage against women wherever she goes, trying to keep her daughter alive. While mechanically this looks like an ideal outcome, it can be uncomfortable for you, morally.
What Happens If You Kill Xanthe
If Coen kills Xanthe, her storyline is ended for good. With this option, you can expect its own set of rewards.
- The Corrupted Pendant: It is a legendary amulet that boosts max vampiric health, health segment regeneration, ability cooldown, and damage against mortals.
- Potent Aetheric Attunement: This is a legendary consumable that grants +15% witchcraft ability damage.
- Blood Surge: One of the best vampiric abilities in the game that makes your targets explode, but for 3x Activation Charges.
The Blood Surge ability is only available as a reward in The Blood of Dawnwalker if you drain Xanthe’s blood during the fight rather than killing her outright, so keep this in mind if you aim to get this ability.
After you have killed Xanthe, the game will offer you another clear choice. It is to decide the fate of her daughter, Chariklea. You can either leave her alone inside the mansion, where she is implied to eventually die once the magic runs out, or end her life then and there to end her suffering. The latter option is mercy killing her.
The Blood Surge Ability and Its Trophy
If you drink Xanthe’s blood, it doesn’t end her story, but it unlocks Blood Surge. It is a night-only vampiric ability that can make your enemies explode outright and damage anything nearby based on the level of the ability. It will, however, cost you 3 times the Activation Charge to use, and against specific bosses, it only deals damage rather than triggering a full explosion.
Once you have the ability, you can equip it under an active skill slot from the Vampirism tree. Using the ability against a regular enemy without a skull icon and successfully getting them to explode will unlock the “Make It Rain” trophy.
While trying out this route, I found something interesting as well. Even if you spare Xanthe, you are not permanently locked out of this ability. A phial of her blood can be found inside Svartrau Cathedral’s Treasury, which gives you a second way to unlock Blood Surge without killing her.
Which Choice Should You Make Regarding Xanthe in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
If you are going for an optimized route that results in a smoother endgame, I would recommend sparing Xanthe, as it is undoubtedly the stronger pick in The Blood of Dawnwalker. This is purely because it removes a strong wave of enemies from the castle assault section, while also giving you a powerful ally during the final boss itself.
But if you want to go for a more morally correct option and see Xanthe held accountable for her cruel actions across the world, killing her comes with its own good rewards that can benefit you. The legendary amulet, consumable, and one of the most powerful vampiric abilities in the game, Blood Surge, will be yours. While this option will make your final stretch a little bit tedious, it can be worth it in its own way.
I must also say that neither option is clean or guilt-free, and that’s the clear point Rebel Wolves tries to make with this questline. Cariklea’s fate will always stay grim, whether you leave her to fade in the mansion, mercy-kill her outright, or kept alive through Dark Magic by her mother.
That wraps up every outcome in Xanthe’s quest, The Cycle of Love in The Blood of Dawnwalker. Whichever path you pick, I recommend paying close attention to the dialogue and entering the questline with open eyes, as it is easy to miss crucial story details among so many choices. The game surely does a wonderful job of making you feel the weight of the paths either way.
