A Hero’s End Quest In The Blood Of Dawnwalker — Full Walkthrough Guide

TL;DR

• A Hero’s End is a side quest in The Blood Of Dawnwalker that follows directly from the In The Name Of The Father quest involving Father Florin.
• It takes place in ancient ruins beneath Svartrau City, filled with undead enemies, Kobolds, and a miniboss called Rigoz, The Betrayed Hero.
• The main rewards are the Ancient Hero’s Armor (legendary heavy chestpiece) from defeating Rigoz, and The Hand of Fate (legendary sword) from a locked chest using the Stone Key.
• Completing it gives Father Florin the proof he needs — and unlocks a secret side entrance into Greifberg Castle for the endgame.
• The quest also triggers the follow-up quest Champion of Old and yields 250 XP upon completion.

A Hero’s End quest in The Blood Of Dawnwalker is one of the most rewarding side quests in the game. It hides two legendary items inside a forgotten ruin beneath Svartrau City and also affects how you can approach the final assault on Greifberg Castle. The quest is connected to a morally complex character called Father Florin — a priest with ulterior motives who wants Coen to prove himself by completing an ancient trial. This guide covers the full walkthrough from how to meet Florin, what to do in the cathedral, every choice at the critical moment, and a step-by-step path through the ruins to all the best loot. If you enjoy exploring the Svartrau City region for quests and legendary gear, our guide on A Pilgrimage For Power quest in Blood Of Dawnwalker covers another strong exploration chain that rewards you with powerful Witchcraft abilities.

A Hero’s End Quest — Basic Info

• Quest Type: Side Quest
• Starting Location: Svartrau City (Altenmarkt district) — beneath Carpenter’s Row
• Quest Giver: Father Florin (via In The Name Of The Father quest)
• Requirement: Complete or discover the In The Name Of The Father quest
• Fail State: Yes — can be failed by missing the coronation deadline
• Reward: 250 XP, Ancient Hero’s Armor (Legendary), The Hand of Fate (Legendary Sword via Stone Key), secret route into Greifberg Castle
• Bonus Quest Unlocked: Champion of Old (inspect the strange mural inside the ruins)
• Missable: Yes

Background — Who Is Father Florin?

Father Florin is a priest who appears briefly during the prologue in Laslea Glen. After the prologue ends and the open world opens up, he is nowhere to be found until you come looking for him in Svartrau City. He has been busy. Beneath the streets of the city’s Altenmarkt district, Florin and a small group of devoted followers have discovered a long-forgotten temple complex — ancient ruins that predate the current regime entirely. Florin believes that if Coen can complete a trial inside those ruins, he will come out equipped with something powerful enough to challenge Brencis.

The deal is straightforward: Coen proves his worth, Florin tells him how to get into Greifberg Castle through a side entrance that bypasses the main defenses. It is a useful deal — but Florin is not entirely trustworthy, and the game gives you the option to handle him in several ways.

Step 1 — How To Start A Hero’s End (Via In The Name Of The Father)

A Hero’s End does not trigger in a vacuum. It is the direct continuation of a quest called In The Name Of The Father, which itself begins when you find Father Florin in Svartrau Cathedral.

A Heros End Quest In The Blood Of Dawnwalker

Finding Father Florin In The Cathedral

Make your way to Svartrau Cathedral in the eastern part of Svartrau City. The large tower makes it easy to spot. Arrive during the day and walk inside. You will see Father Florin mid-sermon, baptizing a child with blood in a scene that sets his character up perfectly. He will notice Coen and approach him, eventually offering to hear his confession.

If you agree to confess, it costs 1 Time Segment. Confess all three sins — Wrath, Envy, and Gluttony — and when Florin offers further guidance, choose “Tell me more.” This kickstarts the In The Name Of The Father quest and marks his hideout on your map. You can also refuse the confession and simply find his hideout on your own, which skips the 1 Time Segment cost.

Cathedral Detour — Pick Up The Stone Key First

Before leaving the cathedral area, it is worth making a detour to the Treasury. You will need the Stone Key inside the ruins, and this is where it is. Here is how to get it:

• Talk to the young acolyte near the main entrance and ask for help opening the storage room — this costs 1 Time Segment but gives you the Treasury Key.
• Use the Treasury Key to unlock the Treasury building on the opposite side of the courtyard from the cathedral.
• On the first floor, move the shelf to find a hidden ladder going down to the cellar.
• Pick up the Stone Key from the altar inside the treasury. You will use this in the ruins to unlock the chest containing The Hand of Fate.

While you are in the treasury, you can also pick up the Recipe for Potent Vitality Balm, Recipe for Potent Balm of Fortitude, Recipe for Powder of Sharp Mind, and a Phial of Xanthe’s Blood (a legendary consumable that teaches you the Blood Surge ability automatically). None of these are required for the quest, but they are valuable pickups worth grabbing before you leave. You can also check our guide on the Svartrau Cathedral Treasury location in Blood Of Dawnwalker for a full breakdown of everything inside.

Step 2 — Find Florin’s Hideout And Make Your Choice

With Florin’s location marked, head to the back of the building indicated on your map in the Altenmarkt district. Enter through a doorway at the rear. Drop down into the basement and you will discover the entrance to a long-forgotten underground temple complex beneath Carpenter’s Row. Florin and his followers are down here.

Head to the inner chamber and speak with Father Florin. He explains his plan — he wants Coen to undergo a trial in the ancient ruins accessible through a locked door nearby. In return, Florin will share knowledge about a secret way into Greifberg Castle.

At this point you have three options:

Option A — Agree To Help Father Florin

Accept the deal. Florin hands you the Ancient Key to unlock the door to the ruins. A Hero’s End begins immediately. You and Florin remain allied, and after completing the trial you can return to him for the Greifberg Castle information. This is the most complete path through the questline.

Option B — Kill Father Florin

You can kill Florin instead. He drops the Ancient Key on death, which still lets you enter the ruins and complete A Hero’s End independently. However, you will have to fight his other followers in the hideout after doing so. The castle shortcut becomes unavailable since Florin is no longer alive to provide the knock sequence. This path locks you out of the alliance benefit but still gives you full access to the legendary loot inside the ruins.

Option C — Refuse And Leave

You can walk away without agreeing or fighting. Florin stays alive and the Ancient Key remains with him. However, you can return at any point before the quest’s coronation deadline to change your mind and accept the deal. Leaving does not permanently lock the quest — only the deadline will.

The recommended choice for players who want everything the questline offers is to agree to help Florin. The Greifberg Castle side entrance is a real and useful benefit that makes a significant difference in how the endgame plays out.

Step 3 — Enter The Ancient Ruins

With the Ancient Key in hand, unlock the large door near the underground hideout and head inside. The ruins are a multi-room dungeon beneath the city, filled with undead enemies and Kobolds. The path is mostly linear but has branching corridors where bonus loot waits.

As you move through the ruins, fight the undead and dogs that block the corridors. The enemies here are dangerous if underestimated — Level 15 or above is recommended before attempting this quest. The ruins also contain a Shrine near the entrance that you can use to upgrade abilities and skip to your preferred time of day before committing to the deeper areas.

Keep pushing deeper into the complex. The path will eventually lead through a large red-glowing corridor — this is impossible to miss and signals that the main chamber is close.

Step 4 — Find The Hand of Fate Using The Stone Key

Before heading to the main chamber and the boss fight, there is an important detour to take for the best weapon reward. This is where the Stone Key from the cathedral treasury comes in.

• Move to the left side of the ruins until you find a chamber with a pit that has a greenish glow coming from below.
• Use your Planeshift ability to safely drop down into the cavern.
• Traverse the lower area and reach a small room guarded by several Hive Kobolds. Kill all of them.
• Use the Stone Key on the locked chest in this room to open it.

Inside the chest you will find The Hand of Fate — a legendary sword with bonuses to Witchcraft ability cooldown, Witchcraft ability damage, Activation Charge restoration (actions), and Activation Charge restoration (passive). It is one of the strongest Witchcraft-oriented weapons in the game and the primary reason to bring the Stone Key from the treasury.

After looting the chest, check the shallow pit nearby for a ladder. Climb out and pick up the Old Key at the bottom of the pit. This key opens a door that connects back to the main temple complex, so you do not need to backtrack through the Kobold room.

Step 5 — Inspect The Strange Mural (Starts Champion Of Old)

While navigating the connecting rooms of the ruins, keep Focus Mode active and look for a strange mural on one of the walls. It is an optional interaction but an important one. Inspecting the mural gives Coen a new quest called Champion of Old and a Decrepit Key.

Champion of Old can be tackled later — you do not need to complete it during A Hero’s End. The mural inspection simply unlocks it and adds it to your journal. Make sure you examine it before leaving the ruins or you will have to come back for it separately.

Step 6 — Defeat Rigoz, The Betrayed Hero

The main chamber of the ruins is where the climax of A Hero’s End takes place. When you arrive, you will encounter Rigoz, The Betrayed Hero — a miniboss surrounded by a number of weaker undead enemies. This fight has two layers to manage.

How To Beat Rigoz

The moment the encounter begins, rush Rigoz immediately and begin attacking. He can be stunlocked for a significant window at the start of the fight — if you land your hits fast and consistently, you can take off roughly 40% of his health before the situation changes. Do not waste this opening.

Shortly after the initial exchange, the undead scattered around the arena will begin to rise and move toward Coen. At this point you need to back away from Rigoz and deal with the pressure. The undead are slow, so step back, let them walk toward you, and cut them down before they swarm. Do not ignore them — too many undead at once will overwhelm you and prevent you from managing Rigoz properly.

Rigoz has a self-healing ability. When he moves away from Coen and stops attacking, he is attempting to regenerate health. Do not let this happen. The moment he retreats to heal, rush back to him and interrupt the process with any attack. Even a single hit breaks his healing. Keep pressure on him whenever he tries to recover.

Outside of the heal interrupt, Rigoz fights like a Forgotten Warrior archetype — sword-based attacks, manageable combo patterns, and no unblockable spam. Stay mobile, interrupt his heals, and he will fall without too much trouble.

Loot After Defeating Rigoz

After Rigoz is defeated, loot the room thoroughly. The rewards include:

• Ancient Hero’s Armor — Legendary heavy chestpiece with 91 Armor, bonuses to human health restoration, Witchcraft ability damage, damage against supernatural enemies, and Activation Charge restoration (actions)
• Soul Stigma Manual — Skill manual that unlocks a new ability
• Recipe for Potent Balm of Fortitude

After looting, look for a gap in the wall on the southern side of the arena. Squeeze through it and you will find a corpse holding a Simple Key. Use this key to open the door at the top of the steps nearby. This creates a shortcut back to the initial entrance area, saving you from backtracking through the full dungeon.

Step 7 — Return To Father Florin

With the trial complete, head back to Father Florin in his underground hideout. Tell him you have succeeded. He is impressed and holds up his end of the deal. Florin tells you about a secret knock sequence that grants entry into Greifberg Castle through a side passage during the day. This is a meaningful benefit — it lets you enter the castle without having to climb up the walls at night using vampiric abilities, and it circumvents several of the tougher enemy encounters that block the main approaches.

Completing A Hero’s End and reporting back to Florin earns you 250 XP. The alliance with Florin is now established and will carry forward to the endgame.

Champion Of Old — The Follow-Up Quest

If you inspected the strange mural inside the ruins, Champion of Old is now active in your journal. Travel to the location marked on the map. To enter the area fully, you will need to cut through some vines — this costs 3 Time Segments, so plan accordingly.

Inside, loot the available items including another Soul Stigma Manual. Then inspect all the additional murals in the chamber. After examining all of them, a miniboss named Erkas The Repenter emerges. He is a Forgotten Warrior type — comparable in style to Rigoz but a standalone fight. Defeat him to receive Erka’s Sword, a legendary weapon with bonuses to maximum human health, weapon critical hit chance, weapon critical hit damage, and damage against supernatural enemies.

Should You Help Or Kill Father Florin?

This comes down to what you want out of the quest. Here is the short version:

• Help Florin: You complete the trial, return with proof, and he gives you the secret knock to enter Greifberg Castle through a side passage during the day. This makes the final assault significantly easier and opens a unique route. You also keep the alliance active for the endgame.
• Kill Florin: You still enter the ruins and get all the legendary loot inside. You lose the castle side entrance information, meaning you have to approach Greifberg through harder methods. All item rewards from the ruins remain accessible regardless.
• Refuse and leave: You can come back later before the deadline expires and change your mind. Nothing is permanently locked by walking away.

For players who want the most loot and the most endgame options, keeping Florin alive and completing the alliance is the best outcome. The Greifberg side entrance is one of the easiest ways to enter the castle solo if you are not bringing allied NPCs to the final fight.

All Rewards From A Hero’s End And The Connected Quests

• 250 XP — Completing A Hero’s End and reporting to Florin
• Ancient Hero’s Armor (Legendary Heavy Chestpiece) — 91 Armor, Witchcraft damage bonus, health restoration, supernatural damage bonus, Activation Charge restoration — from defeating Rigoz
• The Hand of Fate (Legendary Sword) — Witchcraft cooldown, Witchcraft damage, Activation Charge restoration — from the Stone Key chest in the Kobold room
• Soul Stigma Manual — From the ruins (found in both A Hero’s End and Champion of Old)
• Recipe for Potent Balm of Fortitude — From the ruins
• Simple Key — From the corpse post-Rigoz; opens the dungeon shortcut door
• Greifberg Castle side entrance information — From Father Florin if kept alive
• Erka’s Sword (Legendary Weapon) — From Champion of Old, after defeating Erkas The Repenter
• Champion of Old quest unlock — From inspecting the strange mural inside the ruins

Tips For A Hero’s End Quest

• Pick up the Stone Key before entering the ruins. The key comes from the Cathedral Treasury and is the only way to access the chest with The Hand of Fate. If you enter the ruins without it, you cannot open that chest and will miss the legendary sword.
• Be at least Level 15 before attempting the ruins. The enemies inside are scaled above the open-world early content. Going in underpowered makes the dungeon significantly harder than it needs to be.
• Rush Rigoz at the very start of his fight. The stunlock window at the beginning is the best opportunity to deal heavy damage before the undead activate. Use it fully.
• Interrupt Rigoz’s healing immediately. When he moves away and stops attacking, he is healing. Run to him and hit him with anything. One attack breaks the heal animation.
• Use the Shrine at the ruins entrance. There is a Shrine near the beginning of the dungeon where you can upgrade abilities and advance time if needed. Use it before committing to the deeper sections.
• Do not miss the mural for Champion of Old. Keep Focus Mode active throughout the ruins and look for the glowing mural on the walls. Missing it means you have to return to the ruins to unlock the follow-up quest separately.
• Pick up the Simple Key after the boss fight. It is on a corpse through the gap in the southern wall of the boss room. The key unlocks a shortcut back to the entrance, saving a long backtrack through the dungeon.
• Keep Florin alive if you want the castle shortcut. The knock sequence he shares is a genuine benefit at the endgame. Players who want the smoothest approach to the final assault on Greifberg should keep the alliance intact.

Frequently Asked Questions