The wait is over! Rebel Wolves just revealed the first real look at The Blood of Dawnwalker, and it is a big one. In a 21-minute gameplay overview, Design Director Daniel Sadowski walks us through a mid-game quest featuring Coen, a newly-turned vampire navigating a sinister, medieval, vampire-infested Europe.
Currently in pre-beta, this dark fantasy RPG looks to mix rich storytelling, heavy tactical combat, and a unique day/night gameplay loop into a serious contender for your RPG playlist.
Here’s a breakdown of everything we learned from the gameplay showcase!
Quick Highlights
- Combat is tactical – directional sword strikes, parries, and a magic system that eats away your health (yup).
- The world is alive – bustling cities, eerie swamps, hidden ruins, and a ton of interactions everywhere that will reveal more lore.
- You play as Coen – human by day, vampire by night. Each form has distinct skills and completely changes gameplay.
- Narrative sandbox – no strict main or side quest divide. Your choices shape everything, from who lives to how the world reacts.
- Vampire powers = cool traversal – use Shadowstep or Planeshift to teleport, stealth, and explore vertically. As a Human, you enter through doors, as a Vampire, you enter through the roofs.
- Time matters – the game tracks days passing and quests have deadlines. You won’t be able to save everyone.
- Releases 2026 – for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
Gameplay Details: Combat, Exploration, and Powers
Combat leans heavily into strategy: no button-mashing here. You will need to read enemies, time attacks and parries, and manage abilities that come at a cost. Hexes, the game’s magic system, use your HP to cast, so you will be balancing power and survival constantly.
You have different skill trees:
- One for your Human abilities
- One for the Vampire
- And one shared by both
In vampire form, the real fun begins: teleportation, wall-scaling, air-dashing, stealth takedowns, it is basically parkour meets bloodlust. But it’s not all chaos. You will need to manage your hunger too, because skipping meals (aka not feeding) weakens you over time. But be careful who you feed on! If you eat an important NPC, it may change the course of your story.
Day vs. Night: Dual Gameplay Loops
During the day, Coen is human. You interact with people, do standard quests, fight normally. At night? You become a Dawnwalker: more powerful, more agile, and far more feared.
This split identity system is not just a gimmick. Some areas and secrets are only accessible at night using vampiric skills, while certain NPCs or events only appear during the day. It adds a layer of tactical planning to when and how you explore.
Choices That Actually Matter
This is not just another “your choices matter” RPG. The devs made it clear: every quest, every delay, and every action you take (or don’t) pushes the world forward.
Some quests have countdowns. Help one village, and another might fall. Be too aggressive, and you might burn a bridge someone needed later. You are not here to 100% the game in one run. You are here to live with your decisions.
Will you complete the game as a Human, or a Vampire?
Characters, Bosses & Lore
We got a look at Xanthe, a vampire lieutenant with her own questline and epic boss fight. Think blood whips, shields, multiple combat phases, and moral dilemmas.
NPCs you meet all seem to have lives of their own, reacting to your actions and the changing world. Even side characters are not just background filler: they can become allies, enemies, or casualties, depending on how you play.
You can even use your Vampire abilities to discover information on the lore through blood and dead bodies.
The World: Vale Sangora
The open world is broken into regions like Silberkreis and the Middens, each with a unique vibe, layout, and faction presence. Expect swamps, ruins, crowded districts, and creepy forests full of secrets and optional content.
The attention to environmental storytelling is strong, too: guards knocking on doors, citizens gossiping, and hints at deeper world-building through casual dialogue.
The Blood of Dawnwalker already feels like a love letter to classic RPGs, but with modern systems and new ideas. It is giving The Witcher 3 meets Castlevania, and that is honestly a vibe we are here for.
With a two very different and unique identities of the protagonist, a world that moves with or without you, and an emphasis on meaningful choice, this one might be worth the long wait till 2026!
You can watch the full gameplay overview here as well:
And for more information on the game, feel free to check out our latest news!
