The Blood of Dawnwalker · Romance Guide
Three characters can be romanced in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and the good news is you don't have to pick just one. Here's how each romance starts, what it takes to see it through, and what you actually get for finishing it.
There's no visible approval meter — each romance is driven by following that character's questline and picking the warmer, more honest dialogue option when it comes up. Critically, none of the three are exclusive: you can pursue Anca, Lacra, and Crake in the same playthrough without triggering jealousy or locking any of them out, as long as you keep up with all three questlines before time runs out.
All three romances are non-exclusive — pursue them together if you want
Anca is the first romance option you meet, and the game leans into it from the opening minutes — Coen's siblings already assume he has a crush on her. It's a slow-burn built on repeated flirting rather than one big decision, running through Page-Turner (the missable side quest from Withering Away — see our main story walkthrough), Echoes of Silenced Bells, Where Old Devils Lie, and Stronger Than Achilles.
Along the way, look for chances to agree to practice Latin with her, let her take notes, and prepare tea when offered — then follow through to an explicit "I love you" when the moment comes. Letting her use her craft on you unlocks Font of Life, the passive human health regeneration perk in the Witchcraft tree (see our skill trees guide).
Anca is also the one romance that consistently shows up in the epilogue with real screentime, regardless of what you do with Lacra or Crake — treat her as the "main" route if you only have time to invest in one.
Lacra starts wary of Coen, and the romance builds through honesty rather than flattery — keep your answers truthful as you work through her questline (A Friend Like This through Our Rotten Roots; full order in our main story walkthrough).
The turning point lands near the end of The Night of Horrors: Lacra offers you the Mandrake Flower. Eating it and accepting her blood afterward is what locks the romance in. Completing it rewards Mandrake Ward, the Vampirism perk that lets you survive one lethal hit per night by regaining health segments instead.
Because this questline is also required for The Patricide ending, pursuing Lacra romantically and pursuing that ending naturally happen together.
Crake warms up quickly once you're an official Manumit member, but the romance specifically wants you raising your Infamy toward Notorious and picking compassionate, non-blame-shifting responses when things go wrong during his questline (The Firebrand onward — see our main story walkthrough).
Finishing his arc unlocks a legendary gear vendor at his hideout, on top of the usual ally-for-the-final-fight and cutscene rewards every completed romance grants — see our weapon arts & legendary weapons guide for what's worth shopping for.
Like Lacra's, this questline doubles as the requirement for the Knyazmaker ending.
Practical takeaway: you don't have to choose. Keep flirting with Anca throughout the Prologue and beyond as your low-effort default romance, and layer Lacra's or Crake's arc on top depending on which ending you're already working toward — the romance and the ending payoff come from the same quests either way.
Can I romance more than one character?
Yes — Anca, Lacra, and Crake can all be pursued in the same playthrough with no exclusivity or jealousy mechanic.
Which romance is the "main" one?
Anca — she's set up from the opening minutes and is the one who reliably appears in the epilogue with the most screentime.
Do romance choices affect my ending?
Not directly, but Lacra's and Crake's romance beats sit inside the same questlines required for The Patricide and Knyazmaker endings, so the two naturally line up.