Well, Coen, the hero of its story, is quite lucky on that front as he still retains enough of his humanity to make adventuring in the daytime a possibility, and we’re thankful for that. That’s because he’s essentially two characters in one, with a gameplay loop that looks like it takes full advantage of his abilities.

And contrary to belief, it’s far from restrictive. Speaking to PAP Bisnez, Tomaszkiewicz spoke about the story allowing you a lot of freedom in deciding your approach to getting revenge on Brencis, the vampire who put Coen in his current predicament. We already know that you’re going to have to work to destabilize his regime before you take him on, and that it’s going to be a battle that could go beyond the game’s 30-day time frame. But it’s delightful to know that the team has drawn inspiration from other franchises that put player agency at the forefront of their experiences.

“The Blood of Dawnwalker will be primarily a narrative sandbox, similar to the classic Fallout games. Our goal is for the player to be able to decide which path they want to take to reach the end of the game.”

For some of you, that might mean attacking Brencis head-on, but we’re going to take a more measured approach that lets us explore Vale Sangora to our heart’s content. Of course, the action doesn’t end at launch, with the studio planning free add-ons for after. With quite a few wishlists ahead of its release, The Blood of Dawnwalker could stand out in a busy month when it launches on September 3rd.

However, much of that will depend on the first game’s success. Studio CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz told PAP Biznes that the current goal is to ensure that “Our goal is that after the premiere, the cash balance in the company’s account will allow us to release a sequel and further develop the company. If after the debut of the game it turns out that these financial results are better, we will definitely be happy.” Of course, Rebel Wolves also wants to ensure that that’s a “safe haven that rewards creativity.”

While pre-order numbers haven’t been revealed, Tomaszkiewicz confirmed “about” 1.5 million wishlists. And while happy with the pre-order campaign, he believes it’s “just as important, if not more important for us, to have about 1.5 million wishlist signs, which is a better metric for us, because players tend to be reluctant to pre-order, often waiting for extensive and in-depth reviews.” If anything, this tells us that Rebel Wolves’ immediate future isn’t dependent on selling millions of copies on day one, though that wouldn’t be a terrible outcome.

Of course, for those who pick it up later, there will be smaller free DLCs. The development team is still working on a roadmap with nothing to confirm just yet, but it could follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in terms of scale.

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3rd and will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can check out our feature for all the latest details here.

Speaking to PAP Biznes, CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said the team is working on a schedule for free DLC. “As for whether there will be add-ons immediately or not at all, we have recently started talks on this topic so as to plan a roadmap and timeline of smaller, free add-ons, but we have not yet made a decision.”

Considering how much smaller the team is than CD Projekt RED, it makes sense that it’s currently focused on the game. The Blood of Dawnwalker is admittedly smaller in scale compared to Geralt’s swan song, but it’s already grown beyond Rebel Wolves’ expectations. Initially meant to be completed in 30 to 40 hours, it now takes an average of 50 hours, and that can change depending on the difficulty, how you play, etc.

“Lately, a few persons from our team finished the game… and there are big differences between them. It’s like from 50 hours to around 70,” said creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz.

Of course, if you’re good enough, you can complete the game much, much sooner. It won’t be easy, but it’s possible. And if you’ve seen everything that Vale Sangora has to offer on the first playthrough, try replaying it as an evil Coen, running roughshod through most of the local population.

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out some more extensive gameplay here, including the wolf transformation for getting around faster at night.

We see Coen ordering a very morbid delivery, although it’s one that he desperately needs. He’s in bad shape, and the hapless man who brings his box to him can only watch in horror as he chomps down on a blood bag, his injuries healing quite quickly once he gets his fuel. His vampiric form is on full display, although he’s aged quite a bit.

If you’re wondering if all of this takes place in the present day, it does. But doesn’t this one take place way back in the past? You’re two for one! But it seems that Coen survives his effort to take on Brencis, but that doesn’t mean that the current ruler of Vale Sangora doesn’t put up a good fight. And if the trailer’s any indication, it’s a battle for control of the region that doesn’t end in the thirty days that the game claims, but moves to the shadows as the centuries go by.

How does all of that come together? We’re going to have to wait to find out more about that when this drops in September this year.

“We track your choices individually on a more detailed level,” he told Game Informer. “Because of that, we have a lot of reactivity to your choices in the quests. NPCs might remember certain things you do and react to them in other places.”

“You can build relations in our game, not only through normal dialogue, but also action,” adds game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. “We have a lot of different activities and quests in the game. Some of them are flashy and you have combat or magic, and some are subtle or more calm, but you have people with whom you can speak or do some other thing to help them and build your relations.”

Of course, it’s implied that those connections extend to the sub-bosses working under Brencis, like Xanthe the Dark Mistress. We’ve seen Coen try to go toe-to-toe with her in a losing effort, but if you pursue her side quest, the result may change. And the only way to find out is by building Infamy, i.e. doing all the things that she would hate.

We’ll find out how much more reactive the world can be when The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3rd. A typical playthrough will take about 50 hours or so to complete (if you don’t skip everything), much more than Rebel Wolves initially aimed for, but the deadline to save Coen’s family isn’t where things end. For all the latest details, check out our feature.

Noting that he is excited about the modern gaming trend of “maximizing player agency”, Tomaszkiewicz brought up Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 in particular.

“I love the games that did this in the past, and I loved what they did with Baldur’s Gate 3, for example, with this – kind of mixing this narrative experience and maximizing your freedom of choice: what do you want to do, which plot lines do you want to do or not do, and how does the game world react to this? I think this is very exciting,” he said.

With this emphasis on player agency, Tomaszkiewicz brought up the fact that while other games “can have a super well-crafted, very emotional, cinematic experience,” not giving players enough freedom ultimately means that “you’re basically like an observer with extra steps.” He went on to say, “to me, it’s not as exciting as really participating and leaving my mark on the game world.”

As for the scope of The Blood of Dawnwalker, Tomaszkiewicz said that he has been finding large open-world games tiring, especially since he doesn’t have much free time these days and instead prefers “more condensed experiences.”

“I feel tired with games that are way too big,” he said. “I don’t have that much time, and I prefer more condensed experiences, but I still enjoy open worlds. One of my favorites from the past were the Gothic games, for example, and they were much smaller worlds, but they were so dense with detail, quests, and characters, and it felt like you really inhabited that space. This is something I really enjoy also.”

“Obviously we are kind of also doing it because we wanted to keep the scope contained to the specific size of the team, and we wanted to produce this in a reasonable way and so on,” Tomaszkiewicz continued. “But I think it has this effect of having this smaller world that is dense with content, and you get a lot of the good stuff – you don’t feel like you’re just traversing empty spaces that much.”

Tomaszkiewicz recently also confirmed that The Blood of Dawnwalker will have full support for players who want to run through the game as an evil character, thanks in large part to the level of freedom offered by the RPG.

“Evil run. Generally speaking, you can kill off the majority of NPCs,” he said during a Q&A. “Maybe not every single one; there are specific cases where, for narrative cohesion, we had to limit that. But we tried to make sure you can kill off most NPCs if you want to, and the main story handles it: you get different outcomes, different endings for different plot lines. It was actually a big point of discussion in the studio: ‘Is this true to Coen? Would he do these things?’”

The Blood of Dawnwalker is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release on September 3rd.

Here are some of the coolest things about this interesting take on vampires that might help you decide if it’s worth your time and money.

1. Tailor Your Approach

Vale Sangora is the perfect stage for Coen’s adventures, as he tries to save his family from the clutches of Brencis, a vampiric overlord who uses a deadly plague to bully the populace of the region to submit to his will. Your time with Coen lets you tackle situations as either a human who’s pretty skilled with a blade during the day, or as a vampiric hybrid with some very nifty abilities at night.

The Vale is an open-world that places an emphasis on how you approach your objectives instead of simply focusing on where you go. Typically, you’re going to have varying options depending on whether you try achieving a goal by day or at night, with different avenues opening themselves up to you based on the abilities you have available. It’s a part of the core gameplay loop, and one of the game’s biggest draws in our opinion.

2. A World Full of Possibilities

Coen’s journey through Vale Sangora is filled with opportunities to engage with the game’s systems. You could explore ancient ruins to find blueprints and manuals for new abilities, find cool weapons, or even sabotage Brencis’s Blood Transports as and when you find them out in the world.

There’s also the chance to come across locations that let you discover more about Vale Sangora or the sub-region you’re in, providing more context on Coen’s fight and the world he inhabits in his new form. There’s every chance that digging up new knowledge could send you towards other objectives, and we’re going to be as diligent as we can be when we’re out and about in the world.

3. An Interesting Approach To Combat

Whether you’re using Coen’s sword as a human or his claws as a vampire, combat in Dawnwalker follows an interesting rhythm. You’re going to have to pay attention to which direction your enemy is attacking and respond with the right directional inputs to either block or parry the attack. Doing so lets you accrue Activation Charges, which you can then use to unleash some devastating special abilities that can turn the tide in your favor.

And before we move on to those abilities, know that you can use your sword as a vampire, and that your moves are going to be faster and more fluid as a result of your enhanced abilities while in that form.

4. Active Abilities

Coen’s got an expansive bag of tricks to use against anyone foolish enough to get between him and Brencis. For instance, the Voracious Bite ability lets you chomp down on an opponent to attempt to stun them as you control how much of their blood you drain. There’s also Boiling Blood, a magical Hex that causes a useful damage-over-time effect when you use it in a fight. It does come with the caveat of putting a timer on Coen at the end of which he explodes, so you’re going to have to be smart about using it.

Indeed, most Hexes in the game affect your health, although an ability called Frugal Witchcraft reduces the amount of health you lose per cast. That’s worth making a beeline for if you decide that Vale Sangora is somewhere you want to be, since Coen’s health doesn’t regenerate during the day. We’re also quite eager to try out Artery Attack, which can be a very useful finisher if you use it well in combat.

5. Multiple Skill Trees

Doubling down on the duality between your human and vampiric sides, the game has distinct skill trees for both of them, while another shared tree is also available for you to explore. Your Active Abilities get their own tab, and we think that there’s a lot of scope for creating a build that suits your playstyle.

Want to be a master of the blade, ignoring your vampiric nature? That’s an option. Or perhaps you believe Coen should strike a balance between them? Go right ahead!

6. Your Vampiric Abilities Come With A Cost

When you start each night as a vampire, you’re going to be hungry for blood, which is represented by your vampiric health bar. You can choose to sate that hunger by feeding on either humans or animals, and you’re going to have to pay attention to it, as letting Coen get too hungry is going to erode away at his self-control to the point where he becomes a slave to his base appetites and drain potentially important characters as a result.

But there’s also the fact that you need to feed in order to sustain your vampire powers, which we’re getting to in a minute. Voracious Bite lets you control how much blood you’re draining from your victims, and could be a potentially safe way to balance your hunger out. You could also use it to knock out crucial targets without killing them, draining just enough of their blood to make them lose consciousness.

7. Embodying A Vampire Hybrid

Although story details are understandably scarce at this point, we know that Brencis has turned Coes into something akin to a vampire-human hybrid. It’s the reason why he’s able to walk in the sun while retaining his abilities at night, after all. But when the sun sets, you become a whole lot more mobile with abilities like Planeshift that let you climb walls and ceilings in a jiffy, or Shadowstep, which lets you teleport to out-of-reach places that you couldn’t get to during the day.

You also get to use your claws to slide down from high places in case you spot something interesting on the ground. Of course, all of the powers we’ve spoken about also come into play, making for an interesting dichotomy that you must use to your advantage.

8. The Blood Guards

Early gameplay showcases gave us a peek at Blood Guards, who are individuals given improved abilities by one of Brencis’s cohorts via a ritual that robs them of their free will in exchange. They are loyal to Brencis as a result, and wield their dual weapons with extreme prejudice against those who might oppose their ‘boss’.

Of course, your time in Vale Sangora is bound to put you on a collision course with more than a few of them, and you’re going to have to use every advantage you have if you want to prevail against them. We think Coen’s up to the challenge, though.

9. Brencis Takes An Active Role In The Game

Brencis is quite a unique antagonist. He’s not content to sit idly by while Coen dismantles his operations. The more you act against the interests of his so-called kingdom, the harder you make your travels through it. He ensures that Coen is well-known throughout the land, and guards get more suspicious and aggressive towards you as a result. You could choose to take the vampires head-on, or lie low and prepare yourself for a better shot at victory.

It’s an interesting dynamic that makes your adventure a sort of tug-of-war for control of the regions you explore, and we can’t wait to see how that dynamic plays out in the final game.

10. Finish The Game Early If You Can

This is an interesting one. We already know where Brencis is: he’s at his main castle in Greifberg. You could, in theory, storm the place and try to end him once and for all. That might even be an effective way to circumvent the limited time you’re given to complete Coen’s adventure, but it isn’t going to be an easy fight.

Dawnwalker isn’t kind to those who go into a fight unprepared, but we’re sure that some of the more daring ones among you are going to attempt this direct approach, and might even walk away from it victorious.

11. Coen Isn’t The Only One Who’s Against Brencis

While there is an argument in favor of taking Brencis on early, we’re probably leaning toward a more methodical approach thanks to the presence of people in Vale Sangora whom Coen can recruit to his cause. We’re speculating that getting them on your side takes a bit of effort and is probably going to be an opportunity to see more of Vale Sangora in the process.

Given what we’re about to cover in the rest of our list, that might be the better strategy, given that you get to enjoy more of the game before you take the fight to the vampires.

12. The Capital Of Vale Sangora

Svartrau is one of the bigger cities you’re going to explore, and it’s quite a large one. It’s got different boroughs, and we’re seeing evidence of a social hierarchy that you could possibly get to engage with over the course of your adventures.

The city also has a medic, merchants, a blacksmith, and an armorer, which points to a crafting system that you could then use to give yourself better gear and a distinct edge over your enemies if your claws aren’t getting the job done.

13. A New Approach To Quest Designs

Dawnwalker isn’t interesting simply because it’s an awesome take on vampires. The game doesn’t demarcate main and side quests; instead choosing to present an experience where different stories are constantly woven together, with your choices affecting the world state in ways that are tangible. Aside from having different ways to approach objectives based on the time of day, fulfilling them takes time forward, meaning that you’re going to have to be strategic about what you’re taking on.

What’s more, community events might uncover new information or open up new paths to existing objectives. They could even give you entirely new quests to take on!

14. Explore The World To Learn More About Your Adversaries

Taking on new quests might also let you discover more about Brencis’s operations, and those of his lieutenants. You could also explore the world to find out more about the vampires’ plans, and things like covered-up frescoes are just waiting out there in Vale Sangora for you to discover.

Coen’s mission isn’t just a war of attrition, but one of information, and you’re going to want to track down as much information as you can if you want to dismantle what Brencis has built since he took over the region.

15. Focus Mode

Coen isn’t just a vampire-human hybrid who can tear through enemy ranks. He’s also a reasonably good investigator, which makes him quite a tenacious individual. Your Focus Mode can highlight objects of interest, loot, and even lead you to hidden areas once you get into the habit of using it well.

It’s especially useful when you’re trying to recreate past events, with it letting you zoom in on key clues and save time in a story where it is of the essence.

And that’s about it for this one. We can’t wait to set foot in Vale Sangora and become a thorn in Brencis’s side once we do, and we’re sure a lot of you are as eager to end his reign of terror as we are! Well, all we can do right now is cross the days off our calendars as we wait for more information to drop. Rest assured, you’ll be hearing from us when it does!

Speaking to Eurogamer, lead quest designer Rafał Jankowski confirmed that you can attempt to beat the game after the Prologue. How? It ties into Coen’s mission to save his family within 30 days and 30 nights. That entire process allows him to become stronger, gather allies, and even disrupt the vampire overlords’ infrastructure.

But you’re not beholden to that time limit. “It is possible to miss a lot of content. After the Prologue, there is nothing stopping you from going straight to Brencis’ castle and trying to defeat the big bad vampire and his vampire officers. It is difficult, of course, but it is physically possible – the content is there waiting for the players. The enemies are there waiting for the players. It is absolutely possible to skip everything, like all these quests,” said Jankowski.

“If you are skilled enough… I don’t know, I didn’t personally try it, I’m not exactly sure how difficult that is. But the idea was to make it difficult enough for this not to be a path that we encourage the players to do on their first try. But we are hoping to see this done soon after the release of the game, because with many players out there, many of them are probably skilled enough or patient enough to try and do it. But it is possible.”

While this could mean sub-30-minute speedruns of players completing the game, it’s something that he’s looking forward to. “Again, we do put some thought into making it difficult, but I’m sure if it can be done, it will be done.” The real question is: How will this affect what’s supposed to happen after the 30 days are up? A question for closer to release.

Of course, you might want to play the game as intended on the first run, if only to see what Brencis and his goons will throw at you as Coen’s infamy rises. Bounty hunters are one thing, but creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz also confirmed that “in the extreme version, he can just put the city on lockdown.”

Continuously pushing against the vampire leadership, even if it makes things less convenient, has its upsides, like the rebellion “respecting” you more. Whether this means they’ll lend aid or become more likely to help out in certain scenarios remains to be seen.

The Blood of Dawnwalker launches on September 3rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out the PC requirements and Coen’s cool-looking wolf transformation for getting around at night.

If you’ll recall, creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz revealed last year that the campaign would require 30 to 40 hours to complete. But now? In a Q&A session attended by Gamereactor, he revealed that it takes around 50 hours on average to complete, though it depends on one’s approach.

“It’s funny, because when we first started to work, we planned it for 40 hours. Right now, the average is around 50 hours, but it depends on which difficulty level you play, how picky you are, how much you explore, and how much you upgrade your gear, and so on,” he revealed.

“Lately, a few persons from our team finished the game… and there are big differences between them. It’s like from 50 hours to around 70.” The latter could indicate the amount of side content that players engage with, but with the different ways to approach quests (as illustrated here), there’s more than enough reason to replay. For instance, you can play as an evil Coen throughout, and it is apparently glorious.

The Blood of Dawnwalker arrives on September 3rd, retailing for $69.99 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Thus far, we’ve seen Coen’s wolf transformation – a callback to Bram Stoker’s Dracula – and how he can earn infamy from different vampire lords. This subsequently opens up quests for them that can influence the ending, but you need to be mindful of the time limit, as even unlocking new perks can advance the day.

“Evil run. Generally speaking, you can kill off the majority of NPCs,” he said during a Q&A, which you can check out below. “Maybe not every single one; there are specific cases where, for narrative cohesion, we had to limit that. But we tried to make sure you can kill off most NPCs if you want to, and the main story handles it: you get different outcomes, different endings for different plot lines. It was actually a big point of discussion in the studio: ‘Is this true to Coen? Would he do these things?'”

“But it’s always this tug of war between player agency and narrative cohesion of the character. We believe we managed to satisfy both, but because of our narrative sandbox approach, we leaned more toward player agency most of the time. I really want to see evil Coen playthroughs and see how people react.”

Tomaszkiewicz had confirmed the ability to kill important NPCs in The Blood of Dawnwalker back in February 2025. He noted that, since studio Rebel Wolves wants to give players a sandbox with an emphasis on player agency, being able to kill NPCs is an important aspect of the RPG.

“It’s a sandbox, meaning we’re trying to maximize the options of your choice in the game,” Tomaszkiewicz said. “But it isn’t purely focused on gameplay. We were trying to play to our strengths, because our past projects were very focused on narrative, on good storytelling, interesting characters, and a lot of lore to find.”

This ties into the studio’s larger ambitions to offer a “narrative sandbox” with The Blood of Dawnwalker. Tomaszkiewicz discussed this in January 2025, where he explained that players should have the ability to affect the story by interacting with the in-game world.

“So narrative sandbox refers to the way we craft our content,” he explained. “It’s how we allow you, the player, to interact with it. So the core of it is maximising players’ agency and freedom of choice, while, at the same time delivering the high-quality narratives that we are known for crafting in the past. Dawnwalker is not going to be a game where it’s a pure sandbox, where you’re just focusing on the gameplay. We do want you to experience these moments with the world of the characters, and the emotions that these situations can evoke, and so on, and so forth. But, at the same time you are looking for ways of maximising freedom as you do.”

The Blood of Dawnwalker is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 3rd. For more details, check out its PC specifications, which reveal that players will need an RTX 5090 if they want to play at 4K/60 FPS.