How the time system works in The Blood of Dawnwalker.

Published Sep 2, 2026, 6:01 PM EDT How to spend Coen's time wisely Image: Rebel Wolves/Bandai Namco Entertainment The time system in The Blood of Dawnwalker may seem very complex, but you'll be making strategic time-based decisions with complete confidence before long. As time is scarce, with only 30 days to rescue Coen's family, you must allocate your time segments wisely to get as powerful as possible before facing Brencis. From time segments to the day/night cycle, here's how time works in The Blood of Dawnwalker. How to use time in The Blood of Dawnwalker In most open-world games, in-game time automatically advances alongside real time. In The Blood of Dawnwalker, however, it doesn't work like that. If you open the menu and go to your "journal," you will see a day/night cycle at the bottom of the page. As you can see, each day and each night is divided into eight time segments, which means there are 16 segments per cycle and 480 segments (30 days) before Brencis kills Coen's family. The only way to consume one or more time segments, and thus move time forward, is to take certain actions, such as investigating a scene, interrogating an NPC, or fighting an enemy. The game will always tell you the exact time requirement before you commit to a time-consuming action, so it should never come as a surprise. In the example below, you can see that the player is on day 11, which means they have 19 days left until Brencis' coronation. They're halfway through the night, so they have four time segments left to spend before day 12 arrives. If they decide to do the "Defeat Bakir's Headhunters" quest, which costs three time segments, they'll have one time segment left before day 12. Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Rebel Wolves/Bandai Namco Entertainment If you stumble upon an activity that isn't displayed in your journal, the time bar at the top right of the screen may start to glow. When that happens, it means the activity consumes time segments. The number of gray segments on the glowing time gauge will tell you how many segments the task requires. In the example below, Coen approaches a soldier camp. If he engages them in battle, it'll move time forward by one segment. Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Rebel Wolves/Bandai Namco Entertainment Besides activities and quest-related actions, upgrading Coen's skills also costs time. When you go to a shrine and choose "perks," you can spend skill points to unlock new passive or active abilities. While a few such upgrades cost zero or two time segments, most upgrades cost one time segment. Don't let the time cost stop you from getting upgrades, though, as most quests in The Blood of Dawnwalker stay available for many days. You should see time segments as a kind of currency; spend them to make yourself stronger before Brencis' coronation arrives. Whether you spend them on quests, activities, or skill upgrades, is up to you. Remember that you can explore the world for as long as you like without moving time forward. As long as you steer clear of key activities, you won't consume any time segments. Time effects in The Blood of Dawnwalker Beware that the time of day affects the world, activities, and quests in The Blood of Dawnwalker. During the night, most shops are closed, and you'll find fewer people roaming the streets. As a result, quest gameplay may vary depending on whether you do them during the day or night. Whereas you may be able to rely on dialogue during the day, you might find an opportunity for burglary during the night, both leading to the same goal. Some quests are day- or night-only, in which case they'll be marked by a small sun or moon icon in your journal. Besides the world, Coen himself changes depending on the time of day. During the night, as a vampire, he's stronger, can drain blood, and can use the Shadowstep ability (teleporting and walking on walls). During the day, as a human, he can use witchcraft abilities. If you'd like to skip time, you can do so at a shrine, though beware that this brings you closer to Brencis' coronation. Be careful with timed quests, too; if they're marked with a clock icon in the journal, they'll expire after some time. The Blood of Dawnwalker is a time-sensitive, narrative RPG where your actions and decisions matter. If you're just starting out, check out our beginner's guide and our recommended quests to do before mass. After the prologue, you're free to explore Vale Sangora and take on Brencis' boyars however you please, but the freedom can be a bit overwhelming. To help, here's what we recommend doing after the prologue.