Crafting & Alchemy in The Blood of Dawnwalker: Brewing and Blacksmiths

You can craft from the first hour of The Blood of Dawnwalker — nothing to unlock first. The system sits inside the radial menu, splits everything it makes between Coen’s two forms, and quietly rewards players who gather while traveling. This guide covers the mechanics, the ingredient economy, buff durations, and the one recipe the prologue quizzes you on from memory: Anca’s medicine.

Where Is the Crafting Menu and What Can It Make?

Bottom-left of the radial menu, and it makes consumables. IGN’s crafting guide: crafting “is unlocked right from the get-go” with “its own dedicated menu, which you can find in the bottom-left part of the radial menu.” What comes out of it falls into two buckets — items that heal Coen and items that boost his combat capabilities. IGN’s framing of the growth curve: “Crafted consumables may start out relatively weak, but unlocking new recipes will reveal the true power of the crafting system” — recipes, not raw materials, are the real progression.

The other maker in the valley works differently: blacksmiths forge gear rather than consumables, and the flagship of that side is the legendary Arbiter armor covered in our armor guide. Weapon reforging runs through the same smith family, starting with Forge It Anew.

Why Do Consumables Split Into Day and Night?

Because Coen does. IGN’s key systems rule: “Consumables are split between daytime and nighttime since Coen’s two forms are so different. You can’t use daytime healing items while in vampire form after dark, and vice versa!” Practically, that means a prepared belt bag carries two kits — one for the human daytime loop, one for the vampire night, matching the rhythms of the day and night system.

How Long Do Crafted Buffs Last?

Seconds for heals, time segments for buffs — with a stand-still loophole. Durations are visible in the inventory: “You can see an item’s duration next to its weight and value when hovering over it.” Healing items and stamina regeneration potions last only a few seconds. Stronger buffs work on the calendar instead: “Some consumables, like those that buff Coen’s attack, will last for a few time segments. These have an hourglass icon next to their duration.” And the loophole, straight from IGN: “If you don’t do anything to progress time, you’ll keep the buffs indefinitely” — time only advances when you act, per the 30-day time system, so an hourglass buff holds while you hold still. Reapply after questing.

What Feeds the System: Herbs, Water, and Containers

Loot as you walk. Ingredients need no shop: “Loot boxes and containers to find water, and grab as many herbs as you can while you’re traveling between quests,” IGN advises. The herbs are world-spawn pickups along routes — which makes detour discipline a crafting skill. On a tight day budget, gathering runs cost the same time segments as everything else in the valley.

What Is Anca’s Medicine Recipe in the Prologue?

Hot water, three spoonfuls — and no, you cannot peek mid-brew. During Withering Away, Coen brews medicine for his mother from Anca’s note. GamesRadar’s guide on why this catches players out: “The game doesn’t let you consult the recipe while making it.” The answers:

1. [Use hot water]
2. [Add three spoonfuls of herbs]

The recipe note from Anca’s cabin does live in your inventory — read it before you start. GamesRadar has not tested a wrong brew, but frames it as “a clear correct/incorrect memory puzzle,” so there is nothing to gain from getting it wrong. The medicine then feeds the story’s next beat, one of the first choices that ripples through the missables guide planning.