The Night of Horrors is one of the more important quests in The Blood of Dawnwalker. It's a key requirement if you wish to romance Lacra; it offers a powerful permanent nighttime perk, and it has a hidden Legendary item that you can grab for free along the way. During this mission, Coen and Lacra travel to a swamp, interact with mischievous creatures known as will-o-the-wisps, and share painful truths about their pasts and their current life as vrakhir, all in hopes of tracking down a mysterious item that could help give them the edge in defeating Brencis.
However, as this quest is optional, has prerequisites to unlock, and requires a bit of time management, you may find it to be a tricky one when it comes to completion. Furthermore, if you fail to progress it in time or make wrong choices along the way, then you also run the risk of failing The Night of Horrors, being locked out of completing it, and permanently shut off from Lacra's romance. Fortunately, this guide covers every step of the quest, including important choices, where to pick up a strong Legendary sword, and how to progress your relationship with Lacra.
Quick Links
- Starting The Night of Horrors Quest
- Navigating the Swamp & Interacting With the Will-o-the-Wisps
- Entering & Navigating the Sunken Crypt
- Lacra Romance Scene & Dialogue Options
Starting The Night of Horrors Quest
Before starting the Night of Horrors Quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker, you must first complete some prerequisites and wait for a few 'cooldowns' related to time and progression. First, you need to have started the Lacra questline. This can be initiated several ways, but the quickest and easiest is to visit Svartrou and investigate the damaged rooftops around the city. By using focus mode, you can track the signs of a struggle, which will lead you Lacra, who is investigating an Uriash named Nish.
After completing this quest, you then need to complete the Hive and Seek and Our Rotten Roots questlines, which will be marked in your journal - but as Lacra is a vrakhir, these quests are locked specifically to nighttime. You can progress them by meeting with Lacra in her specified locations and then working your way through each objective with her at your side. Following Our Rotten Roots, Lacra will tell you she needs some time to rest and research another lead following these events.
Note: You also must complete The Night of Horrors before starting the Midnight Reckoning quest, otherwise you will doom Lacra to an unfortunate fate and lock yourself out of this quest and the loot/perk it offers.
Switch your focus over to other quests and work on progression for those during the next in-game day or two and then return to Lacra. She should now be ready to start 'The Night of Horrors'.
Navigating the Swamp & Interacting With the Will-o-the-Wisps
Confirm with Lacra that you wish to start the quest, and you will be transported to a swamp. Now, head over to the shrine that is marked on your map. Lacra will now explain that you will need to rely on will-o-the-wisps for help, and that they feed on strong emotions such as grief and pain.
In order for the will-o-the-wisps to lead the way, you will both need to take turns sharing personal burdens. After each interval, they will lead you forward to a new clue. They will also play a few tricks along the way and also lead you through some enemy encounters - be prepared to fight!). You'll also need to investigate some items of interest along the way, but for the most part, the wisps will show you the path forward.
When it comes to dialogue options, choose the sympathetic, emotionally honest answers. Acknowledge Lacra's pain and struggles, and do not hesitate to share Coen's - from the burden of taking care of his family, to his fears of losing control with bloodlust, and the memories of his mother's mind deteriorating.
Entering & Navigating the Sunken Crypt
Eventually, the wisps will lead you to a rockfall, but Lacra will quickly use her powers to destroy the rocks and create an entrance. There are no major puzzles at this point, so work your way through the crypt room by room, using focus mode to find murals and points of interest around the walls and statues. Bit by bit, you will continue to progress forward using this method.
Legendary Sword - The Vrakhir
There is also a Legendary sword that can be picked up for free during the exploration of the crypt. Specifically, keep an eye out for a sword sticking through one of the many corpses. You can loot this corpse to get The Vrakhir, a Legendary Greatsword with 321 DPS, bonus damage against mortals, increased maximum vampiric health, shorter vampiric ability cooldowns, and reduced vampiric ability health cost. It's a brilliant choice for your nighttime expeditions and can make a great filler weapon while you work to repair the Sword of St. Mihai - so be sure to make the most of it!
The Sarcophagus & Kallias' Lair
Finally, the wisps will lead you to a sarcophagus in a room. At first, it seems like a dead end, but after Coen shares one last memory, the wisps reveal a secret passage. Once again, Lacra uses her powers to destroy the blockade, finally revealing Kallias' lair.
Inside, you and Lacra will discover the remains of Kallias, still clutching a book containing the notes you were seeking. Furthermore, Lacra notes the discovery of a Mandrake - a plant that blooms from the essence of a powerful, ancient vrakhir.
The Mandrake
Lacra will now instruct you to eat the Mandrake. Here is where some of the most important choices come into play.
Refusing to eat the Mandrake concludes the quest. Choosing to eat the Mandrake causes both Coen and Lacra to feast on it, granting both of them the Mandrake Ward Perk. This is a powerful perk that essentially enables you to avoid death once per night, surviving a lethal blow and recovering a small amount of health. As there is no downfall to this, I'd highly recommend eating the Mandrake. Eating the Mandrake is also require for progressing to the romance scene with Lacra.
| Perk | Description |
| Mandrake Ward | Once per night, upon taking lethal damage, regain 3 health segments. |
Spoiler: Eating the Mandrake allows Lacra to later live a deadly attack by Brencis, as the Perk is activated at this time.
Lacra Romance Scene & Dialogue Options
If you've been waiting to romance Lacra, then this quest is where that romance scene finally happens, but only if you select the right choices during dialogue. Here are the key choices to make during this conversation:
- When Lacra tells you to drink from her, make the choice to drink.
- When Lacra asks, "You know what would feel better than ever right now?" choose to kiss her.
This will lead to an intimate scene between the two of them, concluding Lacra's romance. Coen will wake up the next morning, but Lacra will be gone, as she must avoid sunlight (unlike Coen as a Dawnwalker).
The quest will now be completed, concluding all of Lacra's major quests. All you have left involving Lacra now is Midnight Reckoning. However, you will need to be appropriately leveled before facing Brencis, with strong items and a good combination of skills and perks unlocked. Of course, you should use as much of the allocated 30-day time limit as possible to make Coen as strong as possible before facing your mightiest foe in this showdown, so be sure to take on others quests around the map, weaken the head soldiers of Brencis, and raise your reputation to be a real threat. Only then will you be appropriately prepared for this event.
