Choices are a big thing in Blood of Dawnwalker, and the Xanthe's Recruiters: Taste of Power choice might be one of the first you stumble upon without knowing what will happen.
Thankfully, we've got you covered. There's a clear good option and a distinctly meh one here, so we'll walk you through both before you commit to something you'll regret.
Short answer: Collect the Vrakhiri blood. It hands you the Phial of Brencis's Blood, which unlocks the Piercing Shriek skill in the Vampirism tree. Only destroy the Reliquary if you're dead set on keeping your Corruption low and steering clear of the vampire playstyle entirely.
Xanthe's Recruiters: Taste of Power Choice
Firstly, for those who are here by mistake. You get this quest by going to the middle of Svartrau City at night when the Blood Guard Recruiters for Xanthe are active. Deal with them, and you are left with a Reliquary and two choices.
Taste of Power choices explained
You've got two options once the Reliquary is in your hands. Here's how they shake out.
Destroy the Reliquary
Destroying the Reliquary ends the quest then and there and, well, spills some blood. This is the option for you if you don't fancy leaning into the Vampire style of play at all, or if you're trying to keep your Corruption down.
It's not a "wrong" choice as such. It just gives you a lot less than the alternative.
Collect Vrakhiri blood (recommended)
This is the one you want, trust us. Collecting the Vrakhiri blood nets you a legendary consumable, the Phial of Brencis's Blood, which unlocks the Piercing Shriek skill in the Vampirism tree. You'll also rack up a chunk of Corruption for drinking it
Once you drink it, that's basically your lot. You bag your new skill, you annoy Xanthe a little more, and you carry on with your night a touch more Vampired up.
| Destroy the Reliquary | Collect Vrakhiri Blood | |
| Reward | Nothing, just spilt blood on your boots (well, you get some XP) | Phial of Brencis's Blood and Piercing Shriek |
| Corruption | Nothing added | Gain around one level of Corruption |
| Best For | Those looking to keep Coen in the light and away from the Vampire way of life | People who want to become a Vampire |
What is the Phial of Brencis's Blood?
The Phial of Brencis's Blood is a legendary consumable and your reward for taking the blood. Drink it, and you unlock Piercing Shriek in the Vampirism tree.
The good news if you fumble this one: it isn't a one-time-only pickup. You can get your hands on the Phial of Brencis's Blood again later in the game (The Beast of Balaur quest), so a missed choice here isn't the end of the world.
Pro Tip: Consuming the Phial of Brencis's Blood took our Corruption from three to four, meaning it likely gives you a free level. It's like a Rare Candy from Pokemon, but filled with blood.
Unlock Piercing Shriek
Piercing Shriek is one of the active abilities in the Vampirism skill tree, and the Phial of Brencis's Blood is a way to get it. So, just do what we suggest above, and you'll get yourself a nice new skill. The skill itself is very strong. It stuns all enemies in front of you, weakening their defense and attack damage. It also lets your blocks against them damage them back, so it's a very strong ability if you are facing up against a large group of enemies at once.
Future levels of this just require you to hit the next level of corruption, so it will just improve over time.