Stronger Than Achilles Quest Guide – The Blood of Dawnwalker

TL;DR

• Stronger Than Achilles is the final quest in Anca’s storyline — it starts immediately after Where Old Devils Lie.
• You need at least 6 time segments left in the day when you begin Where Old Devils Lie, as both quests run back to back.
• The quest takes place in ancient ruins near St. Tyna’s Grove — fight through undead, blood sacrifice trials, and Guardian enemies.
• At the start you receive the Runic Enchantment — a Legendary light chestpiece with lifesteal, magical damage reduction, and Witchcraft damage.
• The key decision is at the Font of Life: let Coen use it, let Anca use it, or destroy it.
• Coen uses it: Unlocks the Font of Life passive perk — daytime health regeneration in human form. Unique, no other source.
• Anca uses it: She loses her witchcraft but gains peace. Best outcome for her story and romance dialogue.
• Destroy it: Reveals the Ancient Greaves — Legendary heavy trousers with Witchcraft damage and Activation Charge restoration.
• Rewards: 500 XP, 1 Skill Point, Sins of the Past achievement, and one of the above depending on your Font of Life choice.

The Stronger Than Achilles quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker is the conclusion to one of the best companion storylines in the game. It sends Coen and Anca deep into ancient ruins to find the legendary Font of Life — a power source that only one of them can use. The dungeon combat is steady work, but the real weight lands at the very end, where a single choice locks in both your reward and Anca’s fate. This guide walks you through the full quest, every trial, and exactly what happens with each Font of Life option.

If you’re working through Anca’s full questline, our Where Old Devils Lie guide covers everything leading into this quest. And for the companion quest that runs alongside this part of the game, check out our Ring quest guide for the Bakir storyline.

Prerequisites — What You Need Before Starting

Stronger Than Achilles does not appear on its own. You have to complete Anca’s full questline in order. Here is the complete chain:

• Echoes of Silenced Bells — start this at the Crossroads Inn after leaving Laslea Glen
• Most Precious Thing (optional)
• Between the Words
• Where Old Devils Lie — this leads directly into Stronger Than Achilles
• Stronger Than Achilles (Sins of the Past achievement)

Anca must be alive throughout. There are two hard fail states to know early: Anca dies if Coen talks to the wrong people at the wrong time in the earlier quests, so follow the chain carefully and keep her alive.

Critical timing note: When you start Where Old Devils Lie, make sure you have at least 6 time segments remaining in the current day. Both Where Old Devils Lie and Stronger Than Achilles run back to back in real time. If you don’t have enough time, you’ll get cut off mid-chain. Speak to Anca at the Crossroads Inn only when you have a full block of time available.

How Stronger Than Achilles Starts

Stronger Than Achilles begins automatically and immediately as you finish Where Old Devils Lie. There is no gap between the two quests. Here is how the handover works:

At the end of Where Old Devils Lie, you arrive at the entrance to the ancient ruins near St. Tyna’s Grove. An ancient door requires someone whose body is covered in protective runes to open it. Anca paints those runes on Coen’s torso and arms — this costs one time segment and grants Coen the Runic Enchantment legendary chestpiece the moment the door opens.

Equip the Runic Enchantment right away. Its lifesteal effect and Witchcraft damage bonus are both useful for the Guardian fights coming up inside.

Runic Enchantment – Free Legendary Reward at the Start

You get this at the very beginning of the quest just for going through the door. Here are its stats:

• Magical damage reduction
• Damage against supernatural enemies
• Witchcraft ability damage
• Lifesteal from attacks

It is a Legendary Light Chestpiece with no armor value and no weight — Coen wears it as a topless rune-covered look. The lack of armor is offset by the lifesteal keeping you topped up in combat. It pairs exceptionally well with the Font of Life perk if you choose to have Coen drink from the Font later.

Stronger Than Achilles Quest Guide–The Blood of Dawnwalker

Full Walkthrough — Inside the Ruins

Step 1 – Clear the Entry Chambers

Head down into the ruins and fight through the undead guarding the area. Move northwest, go downstairs to open a door, and keep clearing enemies as you go deeper. These early undead are straightforward — use Focus Mode to spot any hidden paths or lootable items as you push through.

Step 2 – The Stone Idol and Blood Sacrifice

Continue through the ruins until you reach a stone idol blocking the way forward. Investigate it — you discover it needs a blood sacrifice to open the path. Here you make your first choice of the quest: who takes the blood sacrifice hit.

• “Alright… Wish me Luck.” + Keep still: Coen does the bloodletting alone, without Anca’s help. This is the best option if you are pursuing the Anca romance — it unlocks the dialogue line “Better me than you” later in the quest.
• “Alright… Wish me Luck.” + Take your hand out: Coen starts the bloodletting but Anca finishes it. Both help.
• “Hell no. I’m not doing that.” + “If you think that’s the best.”: Anca does the bloodletting on Coen’s behalf.

All three options open the way forward. The difference only matters for romance dialogue later. If you care about romancing Anca, choose the first option — Coen alone.

Step 3 – Defeat the Fallen Hero

After the blood sacrifice opens the path, continue forward until you encounter the Fallen Hero — a boss enemy blocking the next section of the ruins. Defeat him to clear the area and access the next chamber. He is a tough but readable opponent — parry directional attacks and use your best abilities.

Step 4 – Navigate the Next Chamber

Once the Fallen Hero is down, a cutscene plays. Take the path on the right and cross the broken floor. Follow it around to the other side of the blocked door at the entrance — unblock the door here to open a shortcut back to the start. This saves time if you need to backtrack.

You’ll have a chance to tell Anca you love her at this point in conversation. Your answer doesn’t affect the romance outcome — you get another opportunity at the very end of the quest — so answer however feels right for your playthrough.

Step 5 – The Rune and Astral Communion

Explore the next chamber and push forward until you reach a glowing rune on the wall. To activate it, you need the Astral Communion witchcraft ability. Use it on the rune to trigger the next trial.

Activating the rune spawns a wave of Guardians of the Font — enemies who died in battle here long ago, their bodies repurposed as protectors and their blood drained into the Font. Fight through them. Anca helps in this fight, so coordinate your attacks and use parries on their directional swipes. There is also a chest with a Soul Stigma Manual in this room — grab it before moving on.

After all Guardians are defeated, a passage unlocks deeper into the ruins.

Step 6 – Reach the Font of Life

Follow the passage to the final chamber. You and Anca discover the truth: the Font of Life is filled with the blood of fallen warriors. Every contestant who died in Bakir’s games was brought here, turned into a guardian, and had their blood extracted to feed the Font. It is a grim revelation.

There is enough blood remaining for only one person. This is the main decision of the quest.

The Font of Life Choice – All Three Options and Outcomes

Option 1 – Let Coen Use the Font of Life

Coen drinks from the Font and unlocks the Font of Life passive perk in the Witchcraft skill tree. This perk grants automatic health regeneration during the daytime in human form. This is the only source of this perk in the entire game — there is no other way to get it.

As a Dawnwalker, Coen does not naturally recover health in human form. He normally needs food, consumables, or specific items to heal. The Font of Life removes that limitation passively during daylight hours, freeing up item slots and reducing the pressure of managing human form health.

For Anca: She retains her witchcraft abilities but does not get her “sins” erased. In the romance scene, the dialogue is still available, but her attitude is slightly more reserved than if she had used the Font herself.

Verdict: Best pure gameplay choice. The Font of Life perk is unique, permanent, and pairs extremely well with the Runic Enchantment chestpiece’s lifesteal. If you’re optimising Coen’s combat survivability in human form, this is the pick.

Option 2 – Let Anca Use the Font of Life

Anca drinks from the Font and achieves what she has been searching for throughout her entire questline: her witchcraft is purged, her past “sins” are erased, and she finds peace. She loses her magical abilities, but she is free from the burden she carried.

Coen receives no gameplay reward from this choice. No perk, no item.

For the romance: This is the best outcome for Anca’s story. The subsequent romance scene at the inn has additional dialogue, and Anca’s attitude is noticeably happier and more open. She ultimately decides to stay in the village in the epilogue.

Verdict: Best story and romance choice. If you’ve invested in Anca’s questline and care about her character arc, let her use the Font. She earns this moment more than anyone.

Option 3 – Destroy the Font of Life

Coen and Anca tip the Font over and smash it. No one drinks from it. Destroying it reveals a hidden niche underneath the altar containing the Ancient Greaves — a Legendary heavy trousers piece.

Ancient Greaves stats:

• Witchcraft ability damage
• Activation Charge restoration from blocks
• Passive Activation Charge restoration
• Magical damage reduction

For Anca: She does not get her witchcraft purged. She remains a witch and still leaves the village in the epilogue to search for a cure — the same ending she gets if you follow her questline but don’t let her use the Font. The romance scene still happens, but her outlook is less settled.

Verdict: Weakest overall choice. Legendary trousers are available from other sources in the game. The Font of Life perk is not. And the story outcome is the least satisfying for Anca. Only pick this if you specifically want the Ancient Greaves and have already found better trousers alternatives for both the perk and Anca’s arc.

After the Font of Life – The Romance and Quest End

Whatever you choose at the Font, Coen and Anca make their way out of the ruins. The quest ends with a conversation as you return to the inn. This is where the Anca romance scene can trigger.

To get the romance scene, use these dialogue options when back at the inn:

• “I enjoyed chasing a mystery with you.”
• “There’s a conversation we need to finish.”
• “I meant what I said.”
• “Screw decency. I want you, too.”

After the romance scene, you can continue:

• “You never said you loved me back.”
• “My question still stands. What now?”

The romance triggers regardless of your Font of Life choice. However, if you let Anca use the Font, she is noticeably more joyful and at ease during these scenes. If you’d like a full breakdown of all Anca romance dialogue, check out our romancing Anca guide.

Once this conversation concludes, the quest ends and you unlock the Sins of the Past achievement/trophy. Anca’s questline is now complete.

Full Rewards Summary

• 500 XP
• 1 Skill Point
• Sins of the Past achievement/trophy
• Runic Enchantment (Legendary Light Chestpiece) — awarded at quest start regardless of Font choice
• Soul Stigma Manual — from chest in the Guardian room
• Font of Life perk (if Coen uses the Font) — passive daytime health regen in human form
• Ancient Greaves (Legendary Heavy Trousers, if you destroy the Font) — Witchcraft damage, Activation Charge restoration, magical damage reduction

Tips for Stronger Than Achilles

• Start with enough time. You need at least 6 time segments when beginning Where Old Devils Lie — both quests run without a break. Starting too late means getting cut off at a bad moment.
• Equip the Runic Enchantment immediately. As soon as Anca draws the symbols and you receive it, put it on. The Witchcraft damage bonus and lifesteal help with every fight inside the ruins.
• Use Focus Mode constantly. Hidden paths, lootable items, and the chest with the Soul Stigma Manual are all easier to spot with Focus Mode active.
• Take the blood sacrifice alone (first dialogue option) if you’re pursuing the Anca romance. It unlocks better dialogue choices later in the quest and makes the romance scene more natural.
• Decide your Font of Life choice before you enter. There is no going back once you commit. Know whether you want the perk (Coen), the best story outcome (Anca), or the Ancient Greaves (destroy).
• The romance is not locked by the Font choice. You can romance Anca regardless of what you choose at the Font. The quality and tone of the dialogue differs, but the scene itself is accessible in all three outcomes.
• Grab the Soul Stigma Manual from the chest in the Guardian room before leaving — it’s easy to walk past in the middle of combat.

More Blood of Dawnwalker Guides

• Echoes of Silenced Bells walkthrough — start of Anca’s chain
• A Bulwark Against Darkness – Arbiter armor guide
• Mysterious Instruction and Initial Instructions solution
• Night of Horrors – Mandrake Ward perk guide
• How to ally with Xanthe
• Best skills to level up first
• How to get more ability slots
• All Infamy Edicts explained
• Svartrau Cathedral Treasury location
• Blood of Dawnwalker review

The Blood of Dawnwalker is available on PC via Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.

Frequently Asked Questions