The Blood of Dawnwalker Devs Explain Notoriety System Among Other Complex Mechanics
Final Boss Won’t Just Sit Around
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s developers recently talked about the game’s notoriety system, revealing that the main antagonist will not be passively awaiting the hero’s arrival but will instead influence the world depending on players’ actions.
Throughout dark fantasy RPG, protagonist Coen will become increasingly known to the land of Vale Sangorra should players take their time within the world. Coen’s notoriety will increase as the player completes quests and interacts with NPCs, leading the game to shift and change in several different ways—some negative, others positive.
As Coen grows in power and establishes alliances, Brencis, The Blood of Dawnwalker’s primary antagonist, will use his position of power to actively hamper progression and make gameplay more difficult by reinforcing patrols, implementing curfews, and more.
It's not only Brencis that will be affected, however, as players can also expect civilian NPCs to react differently to Coen, possibly showing fear or support. For the latter, creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewics explained in an interview with IGN that Coen is not alone in his stand against the tyrannical vampire and that gaining notoriety will help players form alliances with those brave enough to revolt.
Beyond notoriety, Rebel Wolves has already revealed several other game-changing systems that look to make for an interesting playthrough, including a gameplay-defining day/night cycle, a high-stakes hunger system, and a 30-day time limit.
Dynamic Systems Set The Blood of Dawnwalker Apart
Revealed back in January, The Blood of Dawnwalker immediately captured fans’ attention with its strong "Witcher vibes" and team of ex-CD Projekt Red developers. Instead of the usual open-world formula of a main questline with side content sprinkled throughout, however, Rebel Wolves have designed a "narrative sandbox" where player agency is front and center.
One of the ways that the game will stay true to that definition is by allowing players to bypass the majority of content and make a beeline straight to the final boss, à la The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This means players can forgo gaining notoriety altogether, miss out on the differences day and night offer, and laugh at the face of the 30-day countdown.
Next, the day progression system and hunger go hand-in-hand, as Coen will find himself going from a measly human to a bloodthirsty vampire come nightfall in what the developers call a "dual gameplay loop." Should gamers choose not to sate Coen’s vampiric needs, they can find themselves losing control and involuntarily killing both nameless and story-relevant NPCs, further shaping the experience around players’ choices.
Lastly, Coen will have a limit of 30 days to break Brencis’ iron grip on the land. Rebel Wolves has clarified, though, that the deadline can be seen as a major narrative choice, resulting in different outcomes and consequences should Coen meet or miss it, rather than a strict timer.
Additionally, while the everpresent countdown looms large, players need not worry too much as exploration does not advance the clock. Instead, quests and certain decisions will dictate how much time elapses, limiting players in what they can choose to dedicate in-game days to before time runs out. "It’s more of a resource than a racing clock," the devs said in their official gameplay overview.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is set to release sometime in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. For all the latest on the Rebel Wolves project, check out our article below!
Sources:
YouTube | The Blood of Dawnwalker — Gameplay Overview
IGN | The Blood of Dawnwalker Interview: Killing Time and Major NPCs in Ex-CDPR Devs' New RPG
