The Cycle Of Love Quest Guide In The Blood Of Dawnwalker

TL;DR

• The Cycle Of Love is a main quest that unlocks after you max out Xanthe’s anger by completing at least 12 of her 15 Court Activities.
• A soldier named Leonard gives you Xanthe’s Lantern to enter Howling Keep in the south of the map.
• The main mechanic inside is placing lanterns on statues to burn away corrupted vines and unlock doors.
• The quest ends in a three-phase boss fight against Xanthe.
• After the fight, you must choose to kill Xanthe or spare her — each path has real consequences for the endgame.

The Cycle Of Love quest in The Blood Of Dawnwalker is one of the most important missions in the whole campaign. It is the culmination of your long conflict with Xanthe, one of Brencis’ most dangerous Boyars. The quest takes you inside Howling Keep, a mansion wrapped in corrupted vines, where you must solve a series of lantern puzzles, fight through supernatural enemies, and finally go head-to-head with Xanthe herself. But the most interesting part comes after the fight, when you have to decide her fate. This guide covers everything — how to unlock it, how to get through the keep, how to beat Xanthe, and what happens depending on your choice. If you are new to these kinds of decisions in this game, it helps to first check out how to ally with Xanthe in Blood Of Dawnwalker before you get too deep in.

The Cycle Of Love Quest — Basic Info

Before diving in, here is a quick overview of what this quest looks like on paper.

• Starting Location: Howling Keep (southern part of the map)
• Requirement: Max out Xanthe’s anger via Court Activities
• Fail State: None
• Time Cost: 4 segments
• Reward: 500 XP, Blood Surge Vampirism Ability (if you drink Xanthe’s blood), The Dark Mistress trophy/achievement
• Quest Description: Young women are going missing in the valley. Soldiers believe Xanthe is behind it and want you to investigate her keep.

The Cycle Of Love Quest Guide In The Blood Of Dawnwalker

How To Unlock The Cycle Of Love Quest

The Cycle Of Love does not just pop up on its own. You have to earn it. To trigger the quest, you need to antagonize Xanthe by working against her during the campaign. This means completing Court Activities tied to Xanthe until her anger level hits its maximum. You need to complete at least 12 out of her 15 associated side quests and activities. These include things like disrupting her blood transports, stealing her research notes from ancient ruins, and taking out her blood guards across Vale Sangora.

Once you hit that threshold, a soldier named Leonard will approach you. He works under Brencis but clearly has no love for Xanthe. He will ask for your help and, in exchange, hand you Xanthe’s Lantern. This special lantern is the key to getting past the corrupted vines that seal Howling Keep shut. You can also read more about the broader world of quests in the game, like the Echoes of Silenced Bells quest in Blood Of Dawnwalker, to get a fuller picture of the storyline.

How To Get To Howling Keep

Howling Keep is found in the southern part of the map. Once you have Xanthe’s Lantern in hand, make your way there. When you reach the entrance, you will find a couple of enemies waiting for you outside. Deal with them first. Then interact with the statue at the entrance and place the lantern in its hands. This removes the corrupted vines blocking the door and opens your way in.

Take note of this mechanic now because you will be repeating it constantly throughout the keep. Blue lanterns placed on statues clear the red vines. Without the light, the vines stay, and doors stay shut.

The Lantern Puzzle Walkthrough Inside Howling Keep

The interior of Howling Keep is dark, confusing, and filled with supernatural enemies. The puzzle is not impossibly hard, but it is easy to get turned around. Here is a step-by-step path through it.

Step 1 — Enter And Head Upstairs

After getting inside, you will immediately face more enemies. Take them out. Then head toward the stairs on the left (south side). At the top, there is a room with a door open to the northwest. Go there first and you will find a woman inside, clearly not in her right mind, making dresses. You can talk to her, but she will not give you anything useful. What matters here is that you pick up the lantern in this room before leaving.

Step 2 — Use The Lantern On The Balcony Statue

Step back out and find the statue on the balcony near the stairs. Place the lantern there. This clears the vines on a nearby door and keeps it open. Now go back into the room with the woman and grab the second lantern from the statue just outside her door. You can now exit with both lanterns in hand.

Step 3 — Unlock The Room Halfway Down The Stairs

Head slightly down the stairs and look for a door that is now free of vines. Go in, place a lantern on the statue inside, and loot everything in these two connected rooms. You will find the Cycle of Ruin Manual and the Dirty Trick Manual here. There is also a letter from someone called “L” that hints at another vrakhiri in Svartrau City and points you toward a separate quest called A Friend Like This. Once done looting, grab the lantern and head back out.

Step 4 — Use The Lantern On The Stairs Statue (Right Side)

Go to the opposite set of stairs on the right side of the main hall. Place a lantern on the statue at the top. This unlocks two doors on the second floor balcony above. Go into both rooms and loot them. The highlight here is the Relic of St. Dasius, a legendary amulet sitting on a bench in the left room. This is a great item with witchcraft damage bonuses and can be used as part of the Arbiter’s Armor set. Also grab the Recipe for Venom Claws Ampoule (epic) and the Recipe for Potent Aetheric Attunement (legendary) from the other room.

Step 5 — Access The West Room And Find The Trapdoor

Come back down to the main ground floor with your lanterns. On the west side, there is another statue. Place a lantern there to open the door on the west wall. Head into the building at the back. Clear the supernatural enemies inside. In the back room, pick up another lantern from a statue. Then use your focus mode to reveal a trapdoor hidden in the floor. Drop down into it. This leads you to the Dog Kennels.

Step 6 — Fight Through The Dog Kennels

The Dog Kennels are a lower underground area. Fight through specters and hellhounds as you move forward. At the end of the kennels, you will find a glowing body on the ground. Loot it to get the Key to the Kennels. Use this key to open the nearby wooden door, which loops you back into the main courtyard. As you come back in, grab the lantern from the statue on the right.

Step 7 — Unlock Chariklea’s Room

Now you have enough lanterns to reach the final locked room. Head up the stairs on the left side. Give a lantern to the statue on the stairs. Then run inside and place a lantern on the statue near the door of the NPC’s room (the woman making dresses). Run back out and grab that lantern again. Finally, go through the far door past the woman’s room. At the end of the corridor on the second floor, you will find two statues standing on either side of a large door. Place one lantern in each statue’s hands. The door, called the Painted Door, will open.

Meeting Chariklea — And Triggering The Boss Fight

Walk through the Painted Door and you will automatically begin talking to a mysterious girl named Chariklea. She is Xanthe’s daughter, though that is not immediately clear. Your responses during this dialogue do not change the outcome. No matter what you say, the conversation ends the same way. Xanthe bursts in, tosses Coen down to the courtyard, and the boss fight begins.

How To Beat Xanthe — Boss Fight Guide

The Xanthe boss fight in The Blood Of Dawnwalker is split into multiple phases. She uses witchcraft and vampiric magic, so this is not a simple sword fight. Here is how each phase works.

Phase 1 — Vine Whip And Ground Hexes

Xanthe starts by hovering and attacking with a corrupted vine whip. It has range, so you cannot simply stand far away to stay safe. She attacks from the left, right, or above, and each can be blocked or perfect-blocked to interrupt her rhythm. Stay patient and block when the attack comes. She also lays blood hexes on the ground — dark glyphs that explode after a short delay. As soon as you see them appear, move out of the marked area. The window is tight but readable.

Keep attacking to wear down her yellow stamina bar first. Once that reaches zero, you have a short window to deal damage to her actual health bar. Be aggressive immediately during this opening.

Phase 2 — Blood Orbs And AOE Burst

When Xanthe’s health crosses the first red marker, she teleports away and summons red blood orbs across the arena. These orbs restore her health if you leave them alone. Do not focus on Xanthe during this moment. Stop attacking her and immediately run around the arena destroying every single orb. She can only do this twice across the whole fight, so the health she gains is finite, but letting her heal freely makes the fight much longer and harder.

In her second phase, she also gains a new attack — a wide AOE burst marked by a large red circle on the ground beneath you. It covers a big area, so start moving out of it the moment you see the indicator. Do not stand still or wait too long.

Phase 3 — Spectre Kamikaze Rush

In the third and final phase, Xanthe pulls a desperation move. She vanishes from the arena and sends waves of spectre enemies charging at you. These spectres explode when they get close, acting like living bombs. The key is timing your dodges correctly. Watch the incoming enemies, dodge at the right moment, and avoid getting caught in a cluster of explosions. Once you survive this, Xanthe reappears and the fight enters its final stretch. Keep depleting her white health bar until it is empty.

Once her health hits zero, Xanthe is defeated. But the quest is not over yet.

Kill Or Spare Xanthe — Quest Endings And Consequences

After defeating Xanthe, she makes an offer. Instead of begging for mercy, she proposes an alliance. What you decide here has real effects on the rest of the game, especially the final battle against Brencis.

If You Spare Xanthe

If you accept her offer and let her live, Xanthe will become an ally. She will show up during the final assault on Brencis’ castle at Greifberg and remove the supernatural enemies from inside, making your path through much easier. She also helps you navigate a confusing maze section in the finale. This is the easier route through the endgame for most players. The downside is that she walks free, continues her dark practices, and her daughter Chariklea remains in her tragic condition. The epilogue mural shows Xanthe continuing to hunt young women to sustain her daughter — so the cycle goes on.

If You Kill Xanthe

If you choose to kill her, you can drink her blood immediately after and gain the Blood Surge Vampirism Ability. This is the only point in the game where you can get this ability by defeating her in person. After this, you have a couple of extra choices to make. You can decide whether to invite her spirit inside Coen (letting her exist as a voice in his head, similar to how some games handle companion spirits), and you can also choose the fate of Chariklea — either spare her or mercy-kill her.

If you kill Xanthe, the supernatural enemies will remain inside Greifberg Castle during the finale, making that section more difficult. So killing her for the Blood Surge ability comes at a cost in combat difficulty later.

The Dark Mistress Trophy/Achievement

Completing The Cycle Of Love quest earns you The Dark Mistress bronze trophy on PlayStation or achievement on Xbox and PC. It does not matter whether you kill or spare Xanthe — both paths count toward this reward.

Bonus Loot — Vhakhir Treads

No matter which ending you choose, after the fight you can head back up to Chariklea’s room. Inside a chest there, you will find the Vhakhir Treads, a set of legendary boots worth picking up before you leave.

Quick Loot Summary For The Cycle Of Love

• Cycle of Ruin Manual — Room halfway down the left stairs
• Dirty Trick Manual — Same room as above
• Relic of St. Dasius (Legendary Amulet) — Left balcony room, right side stairs
• Recipe for Venom Claws Ampoule (Epic) — Right side balcony rooms
• Recipe for Potent Aetheric Attunement (Legendary) — Right side balcony rooms
• Key to the Kennels — Glowing body in the dog kennel area
• Vhakhir Treads (Legendary Boots) — Chest in Chariklea’s room
• Blood Surge Vampirism Ability — Only if you kill Xanthe and drink her blood

If you are still working through other parts of the game alongside this quest, the full list of Infamy Edicts in Blood Of Dawnwalker is a good resource to keep track of everything tying into Brencis’ court.

Tips For The Cycle Of Love Quest

• Do not rush the lantern puzzle. Pick up and put down lanterns methodically. It is easy to lock yourself out of a section if you grab the wrong one at the wrong time.
• Use Focus Mode often. The trapdoor in the west building is hidden and only visible in focus mode. You will miss it without it.
• Destroy the blood orbs immediately. The moment they appear in Phase 2, stop everything and destroy them all. Letting them sit even for a few seconds lets Xanthe recover a huge chunk of health.
• Save before the final choice. Make a manual save before you decide to kill or spare Xanthe. This lets you see both outcomes and pick the one that fits your playstyle.
• Block Xanthe’s vine attacks. She only attacks with them from left, right, or above. Knowing the directions makes it much easier to perfect-block and interrupt her flow.
• Loot Chariklea’s room no matter what. The Vhakhir Treads chest is there regardless of your ending choice. Do not leave without it.

Frequently Asked Questions