The Blood Of Dawnwalker: Should You Kill Or Spare Xanthe?

Published Sep 4, 2026, 8:37 PM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

The Blood of Dawnwalker players will have the opportunity to take on three different members of Brencis' Court during the course of the campaign. Xanthe is one of these vassals who controls the Eastern region of the map, and Coen will need to infiltrate her mansion eventually, but will first need to find a way to pass through the corrupted vines growing over the entrance.

After angering Xanthe by completing a handful of her associated missions around the map, Coen will at some point be approached by a group of Brencis' soldiers who have growing concerns over young girls disappearing. They expect that Xanthe is the one responsible, and entrust Coen to investigate the mansion by giving him a unique lantern that will cause the roots to disperse when placed on the holder outside the entrance. So begins Coen's main encounter with Xanthe, where he will eventually have to decide her fate once and for all.

How To Open The Painted Door In Xanthe's Mansion

Once you enter Xanthe's mansion, you'll find several different doorways or openings that are blocked off and can only be accessed if you place one of Xanthe's lanterns on the nearby figures with their arms out. First, you'll need fight off the first wave of enemies in the room with the tree, then head up the stairs to grab the Lantern in the room with the NPC Iasmina.

Afterward, head back to the tree room and place a lantern on the figure by the tree on the ground level. There's a group of enemies in this room, clear them out then head into the door at the far end of the area. Grab the lantern in this room, then drop down the hatch into the basement.

Defeat the enemies in the area and make your way to the kennels, grabbing the key from the corpse in the corner after defeating the dog enemies in the kennel room. Exit the kennels, then head back into the main tree room, where you'll have to fight another round of enemies. Afterward, grab the lantern nearby, and you'll now have two lanterns you can place outside the Painted Door.

What Happens If You Kill Xanthe?

After meeting Xanthe's daughter, Chariklea, you'll automatically enter a fight with Xanthe, which can be difficult if you are underleveled but shouldn't be much of a challenge if you're properly equipped and have a good handle on the game's combat mechanics. After defeating her, however, Coen will have an important choice to make: kill Xanthe or allow her to go on living and caring for Chariklea.

I'd recommend going into the Xanthe battle at night so you have the option to drain or kill her, and so you can teleport easily using Shadowstep as she tends to jump around the arena a lot.

If you choose to kill her, Xanthe will appear in the endgame as your opponent and make the final encounter slightly more difficult. You can kill her normally or drain her blood if it's nighttime, and you'll be able to invite her in if you so choose as well. If you kill her and invite her in, she will not appear in the endgame sequence either, though she won't help you, and she sees this as a worse punishment than being left to rot in Anachora.

You'll also have the choice to spare or kill Chariklea, and no matter your choice there, there are no additional benefits either way in terms of gameplay itself, though I'd recommend ending her suffering if you've decided to go this route anyway.

What Happens If You Spare Xanthe?

Sparing Xanthe has several unique consequences, starting with the fact that she and her daughter will stay alive, and she will stop murdering innocent girls around the area. Further, she will aid you in the final encounter against Brencis. Before you enter the final battle, she will appear and offer you unique help. However, you won't gain any benefits from drinking her blood such as additional unlocks in the vampire skill tree.

Further, sparing Xanthe will result in Brencis's soldiers attacking you later once you enter the city, so be prepared for a fight or try to avoid them if you can.

You Should Spare Xanthe

Sparing Xanthe is the ideal option because, despite her evildoings, it's arguably better to leave her alive to stay with her daughter as long as she agrees to help you during the final encounter. Killing her and inviting her in once you reach Anachora seems a bit cruel, and while it will technically save her, she won't aid you in the endgame at all, though you won't have to fight her again either.

If you kill her and leave her in Anachora, you'll have to fight her during the final fight with Brencis, and if you ignore the encounter all together, you'll have to fight her before facing Brencis in the real world. Sparing her results in her showing up before the final encounter against Brencis and allowing Coen to pass unhindered, plus advice on how to defeat Brencis during the final showdown in The Blood of Dawnwalker.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

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