All Bosses

The Blood of Dawnwalker Brencis: Prologue Duel & Final Boss

Can you beat Brencis in the prologue? Learn the Bad Blood duel, the immediate Grotesque Ascendant fight and how winning both ends The Blood of Dawnwalker early.

9/6/2026 1.0.0 Last updated: 10/4/2026 8 min read

FAQ

Where do you fight Brencis?

The prologue version is fought at Laslea Glen during Bad Blood. His true form, Brencis Grotesque Ascendant, is fought in Anachora through the Griefberg Castle finale. Winning the prologue duel sends you directly to that second fight.

Can you block Brencis's attacks?

No for his blood-magic attacks — Dashing Slash, Blood Javelin and the three-hit combo are unblockable and must be dodged. His regular sword swings (Slash, the backspin in Spinning Slash) can be parried for a retaliation window.

Is Brencis the final boss of The Blood of Dawnwalker?

Yes. The prologue fight works as a test of your combat fundamentals, and the game's true final boss is his transformed true form, Brencis Grotesque Ascendant, fought at Griefberg Castle.

How do you avoid Soul Drain in the final boss fight?

Soul Drain starts with a blood-magic snare. Keep moving and dodge the initial snare — if it connects you are pinned and take heavy drain damage. The drain does not restore his health, but the snare alone can cost a large chunk of yours.

How do you kill Brencis in the prologue?

Defeat Brencis at Laslea Glen during the Bad Blood prologue duel by waiting for his charge, parrying Slash and the backspin in Spinning Slash, and dodging his conjured blood weapons. Dashing Slash, Blood Javelin and the three-hit combo are unblockable; punish their recovery windows instead of trying to block them.

Can you beat Brencis in the prologue, and what happens if you do?

Yes. Defeating his first form immediately starts the Grotesque Ascendant fight in Anachora. You must win that second fight too to finish the game early. Completing both skips the normal open-world campaign, its 30-day clock and the three-vassal progression.

Who Is Brencis in The Blood of Dawnwalker?

Brencis, the Knyaz of Vale Sangora is the vampire overlord of the valley and the central antagonist of The Blood of Dawnwalker — the vampire who abducted Coen’s family, and the reason the 30-day clock is ticking. His three vampiric vassals hold the region’s strongholds during the ordinary campaign. The exceptional prologue victory route can bypass that campaign entirely.

You cross swords with him twice in very different contexts:

Brencis, the Knyaz of Vale Sangora — a fast, teleporting duelist fought at the end of the prologue, during the main quest Bad Blood at Laslea Glen.
Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant — his transformed true form and the game’s final boss, fought in Anachora through the Griefberg Castle finale, or immediately after a prologue win.

This guide covers both encounters with every documented attack and its counter.

Can You Beat Brencis in the Prologue?

Yes — and winning both forms ends the game early. Bandai Namco confirmed this possible ending to Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun. The first win alone is only the halfway point:

Prologue outcome	What happens next
Lose the intended Bad Blood duel	Continue into the ordinary open-world campaign
Defeat Brencis’s first form	A cutscene takes Coen directly to Anachora for Grotesque Ascendant
Defeat Grotesque Ascendant too	Finish the game through an early ending, skipping the open world, 30-day route and vassal progression

The second stage is extremely difficult with prologue equipment and health. Its attacks can kill an under-levelled Coen in one hit; no universal damage figure is established here. If your aim is to explore the valley and its quests, follow the ordinary campaign route. Check prologue missables before committing to either path.

How to Kill Brencis in the Prologue — Fight 1

The prologue duel takes place at Laslea Glen during Bad Blood, the final main quest of the prologue. Brencis is a highly mobile boss: he closes distance with quick dashes, teleports away when you commit to aggression, and mixes sword work with conjured blood weapons.

For the first form, wait for Brencis to charge, react to the attack, and spend each recovery window on a short punish. Save resources where you can: a successful duel leads straight into the much harder second form, with no normal open-world preparation between the two.

The core discipline of this fight is patience. If you overextend, Brencis simply weaves away from your combos and answers with javelin stabs of his own. Instead, wait for him to charge at you, react to the attack, and use his recovery frames to retaliate. His long-range teleporting dashes are his most predictable actions — you will have time to react to them every time.

One rule overrides everything else: attacks made with his conjured blood weapons are unblockable. When you see blood magic, dodge — and dodge toward him where possible, so you stay in range to punish the recovery.

All Attacks & Counters (Prologue Duel)

Attack	What it looks like	Counter
Dashing Slash	Holds both swords forward, vanishes, then dashes through you with a slash	Unblockable — strafe sideways to avoid the linear dash, or dodge as the slash lands
Slash	Winds back the right-hand sword, swings across his front	Parryable — parry it and land a few hits while he recovers
Spinning Slash	Crouches, vanishes, dashes forward, ends with a backspin slash	The backspin at the end is blockable — parry it for a punish window
Blood Ball	Conjures a ball of blood and hurls it at you	Extremely linear with a small trajectory — dodge sideways as it is thrown
Claw Slash	Close-range uppercut with his left claw	Dodge backward or step out of range, then walk back in and retaliate
Blood Javelin	Jumps into the air and stabs down with a conjured blood javelin	Unblockable — move to his right side to avoid it, then punish the long recovery
Three-hit Combo	Two slashes into a cross slash, all unblockable	Short reach — back away during the string, then punish after the cross slash
Side Stab	Weaves one of your attacks, then stabs the javelin forward	When he weaves you, hug his left side to dodge the impale and counter immediately

What happens if you kill Brencis at the start of The Blood of Dawnwalker

Fight 2 — Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant (Final Boss, Griefberg Castle)

After a prologue victory, the transition to Anachora starts Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant immediately. On the ordinary campaign route, this is the true-form fight reached through the Griefberg Castle finale. The attack counters below cover that form; the prologue route gives you far less health and equipment to work with.

This fight rewards a defensive, reactive style. Ascendant fights at range with the tendrils growing from his back: he whips them across the arena, slams them into the ground, and several of these attacks can reach you even when you keep your distance. Do not rely on blocking — the tendril attacks are unblockable, and trying to tank them leaves you exposed. Learn the wind-ups, dodge on timing, and take your damage from the brief openings between his abilities.

All Attacks & Counters (Grotesque Ascendant)

Attack	What it looks like	Counter
Tendril Whip	Whips the back tendril toward you	Unblockable — time your dodge for the moment of impact
Claw Swipe	A swipe with his left claw	Dodge to your left; it can also be parried, or blocked to reduce damage
Tendril Slam	Raises the left tendril, then slams it into the ground	Unblockable — dodge to your left as the tendril is raised
Tendril Tantrum	Alternately slams his tendrils into the ground	Unblockable — reposition to his sides while the tantrum runs
Soul Drain	Restrains you with blood magic, then siphons your soul while you are immobilized	Dodge the initial snare — if it connects, the drain is guaranteed heavy damage (it does not heal him)
Bakir’s Bats	Summons Bakir, who sends waves of diving bats at you	Dodge to either side as the bats dive in

The Blood of Dawnwalker final boss: Coen vs Brencis (PS5 Pro)

Beating Brencis Without Losing the Clock

The 30-day time budget applies to the ordinary campaign after the intended prologue loss. Preparing for the vassals and the Griefberg Castle assault involves time-consuming quest steps, so plan the route before committing. Completing the two-stage prologue victory skips that open-world clock altogether. Other ending branches and trophy conditions are covered in the endings guide and trophy guide.

More The Blood of Dawnwalker Boss Guides

Every documented encounter, indexed: /bosses/
Ordinary campaign vassal fights: Ambrus, Xanthe and Bakir on the /bosses/ index
Preparation hub: /guides/skill-trees/ and /guides/best-weapons/

Sources and Verification

Rock Paper Shotgun: Can you defeat Brencis in the Prologue? — the immediate Anachora transition, true-form fight and publisher-confirmed early completion.
Eurogamer: Complete the game before the prologue ends — Bandai Namco’s confirmation that this is a possible, extremely difficult ending.
Deelegend: What happens if you kill Brencis at the start — Grotesque Ascendant is visible at 3:40, followed by the victory aftermath at 4:19.

bosses brencis strategy prologue vampire

bosses