During the Withering Away quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker, after you deal with Anca’s payment options and decide if you should practice your Latin with Anca, you return home to brew the medicine for Coen’s mother, Esme. Anca gives you a written note (herbs recipe), and it’s up to you to brew the correct medicine, but once the cooking dialogue starts, the game locks you into dialogue choices without letting you check your bags. If you didn’t memorize the steps beforehand, you are forced to guess.
How to Prepare Anca’s Recipe in The Blood of Dawnwalker
Before you speak to Pieter or interact with the pot over the hearth, open your inventory and tab over to your quest items. Read Instructions from Anca, which say:
“Brew three scoops with water that’s hot, but not quite boiling. Give to Esme before mass, then twice daily.”
Preparing Anca’s medicine is one of the few Prologue choices in The Blood of Dawnwalker where I wouldn’t gamble. To brew it right, select these exact options at the workbench:
- Water Temperature: Choose [Use hot water]. (Anca mentions hot water, not boiling or cold).
- Herb Dosage: Choose the [Add three spoonfuls of herbs] option.
Once you’ve tossed in the herbs, Coen will say that the mixture needs to steep for a while. Unlike the earlier call on whether to force feed Esme, this is a strict recipe check.
Even if you get the medicine wrong, there are no major consequences in the story, but your mom’s life is at stake. Esme drinks the concoction regardless and will attend the Mass event later. However, brewing it right gives Esme the relief Anca intended and keeps her from having a bad reaction when you feed her. Even if you fess up to Anca about the wrong dose, she will just brush it off. So far, the error leaves Esme exactly as she was before, plagued by her ailments, but nothing worse.
What Happens After You Brew the Medicine?
Once the brew is ready, Coen gives the medicine to Esme in a cutscene, helping her calm down enough to endure the upcoming Blood Mass. Immediately after she drinks it, your father Pieter forces you into a must-have combat duel in the yard. Either reject him, or if you lose the fight, the story will progress normally to complete the Withering Away quest.
For more walkthroughs, choices, quest guides, and tips, visit our The Blood of Dawnwalker guide hub.
