The Blood of Dawnwalker: How to complete Vicho's questline

Vicho is an intriguing vrakhir ally in The Blood of Dawnwalker who not only sells useful items to Coen, but also stars in a questline that serves as a window into the darkness that swirls around our intrepid protagonist.

It can be tricky to complete Vicho's quest in full, however, as his story has several possible ends, including a tragic finale where the tormented vampire-in-hiding decides that he no longer belongs in this world. It's also possible to play through the entire game without finding Vicho, particularly if you don't explore Svartrau thoroughly or complete Lacra's quests.

In this guide, we'll give you all the details on how to find Vicho, complete his questline, and ensure that he stays alive in The Blood of Dawnwalker.

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How to complete Vicho's questline

To find Vicho, complete his questline, and keep him alive in The Blood of Dawnwalker, follow these steps:

1. Find Vicho.
2. Complete A Study in Crimson (part 1).
3. Complete The Good Samaritan.
4. Complete A Study in Crimson (part 2).

Take care when you start Vicho's questline An extra tip from Jeremy

Don't wait too long to begin Vicho's story. It requires you to run around Svartrau at night, which gets difficult once your Infamy is too high, as extended guard patrols are present and they'll begin attacking you on sight. This was unfortunately how I experienced his questline, which meant that there was some ludonarrative dissonance present as well, since Vicho was helping me in combat, but his story arc is about how he's reluctant to shed blood.

However, it's also worth noting that one of the outcomes of Vicho's questline involves you finding blood for him for the rest of the game, which is an interesting twist, but one that some players may find annoying. This means that it's not necessarily the best idea to begin his quest too soon either, lest you become a glorified babysitter for most of your playthrough.

To give yourself the best narrative experience, I recommend searching for Vicho after you've defeated one or two of Brencis' Boyars, but not all three. If you follow this method, your Infamy should still be low enough to explore Svartrau freely, and you won't have to necessarily take care of Vicho for very long.

1. Find Vicho.

Vicho owns an emporium of curios in northern Svartrau, and if you meander around the area long enough, you're bound to hear about him. I first became aware of Vicho when I rescued a young man from some guards during the quest Bakir's Pillories: Out of Love, which can be found near Altenmarkt, and appears if you've completed any of Bakir's other pillory quests. If you're completing Lacra's questline, she'll also mention Vicho as a potential ally after you've hung out with her enough.

You can head to Vicho's emporium any evening as long as you know of its location. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

If you just want to locate Vicho's shop yourself, then wait until evening and investigate the area between the Svartrau Cathedral and Altenmarkt. Vicho's emporium has a note on the door saying that he's out, so use Shadowstep to reach the balcony on the second floor. This will start the quest A Study in Crimson. Once inside, examine your surroundings to find signs of a very devout man. Then go downstairs and speak with Vicho himself.

Mark step as finished.

2. Complete A Study in Crimson (part 1).

Vicho is suspicious that you've caught him unawares, but he'll calm down when you choose the following dialogue options:

• "Please, I mean no harm!" OR "Wait, Lacra sent me!" (The latter is only available if you've heard about Vicho through Lacra.)
• "It's Coen."
• "That's right." OR "How can you tell?"
• "I'm looking for help." OR "Lacra told me you might help." (The latter is only available if you've heard about Vicho through Lacra.)
• "Alright, I'm listening."
• "Ignorance breeds fear."
• "I'm sorry to hear that."
• "Very well. Tell me more."

As you might be able to guess from this picture, Vicho is one tormented guy. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

Shortly after this exchange, Vicho will ask you to accompany him as he goes to the house of his murdered friends, Devora and Eli. The two of you will take to the rooftops and head towards the Jewish section of town.

Once you get there, you'll enter a house with a broken door and find signs of chaos and blood inside. Vicho asks you to check the surroundings while he stays away from the blood. Tell him "I'll take a look around" and head upstairs.

Be sure to inspect all of the elements of the crime scene, as well as the corpses of Devora and Eli. You'll find a Jeweller's Key in the hand of Eli; this unlocks a chest under the stairs that contains a Lump of Silver and a Silver Cross, which can be sold to Svartrau's silver vendors. In Devora's hand you'll find a suspicious Letter from Doctor Simeon.

Go tell Vicho of your findings. When you exit the house, several city guards will emerge. As long as your Infamy level isn't too high (see the author's tip above), you'll be able to pay the guards 200 denarii to leave you alone and bury Devora and Eli.

After filling Vicho in, it's off to check out what Doctor Simeon was up to. Follow Vicho to the doctor's house, then knock on the door a few times before entering via the back route. Give the house a thorough exploration and be sure to examine all of the medical equipment and notes. Eventually you'll find a property deed indicating that Doctor Simeon has purchased a nearby warehouse building.

When you're ready, talk to Vicho to head to the warehouse. You'll need to Shadowstep onto the balcony to reach the upper floor door once again. After doing so, follow the usual routine of inspecting everything that you can interact with in the house; signs of unsettling vrakhir experimentation abound.

That sure is a lot of teeth...and this Doctor Simeon isn't a dentist. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

Be sure to pick up Simeon's Key as you explore, which can be used to open a lockbox on the second floor. Inside the lockbox is A Letter Found in the Warehouse, which mentions a couple living on a farm outside the city that both Vicho and the doctor knew.

Keep heading downstairs, and eventually you'll run into Simeon, the Good Doctor himself. Combat will ensue, and Vicho will reluctantly help you defeat his former friend. The fight isn't very difficult, but keep in mind that the doctor will target you most of the time.

It seems as if the doctor used a fang extracted from Vicho to turn himself into a vrakhir, gadzooks. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

When the bloodshed is over, Vicho will blame himself for the doctor's death. I recommend the following dialogue options:

• "He wanted this curse?"
• "That's a cruel fate." OR "He paid for his own arrogance."
• "It does make sense."

The quest will finish after this, and Vicho will believe that he's in the clear. He'll give you the Mercenary's Amulet for your trouble, which isn't really that great of a reward, but hey - now you can visit Vicho as a shopkeeper! He sells several Legendary items, including goodies like the Relic of St. Dasius, which increases Witchcraft ability damage, and the Corrupted Ring, which boosts your max health as a vampire.

Mark step as finished.

3. Complete The Good Samaritan.

The mystery seems solved, but during the next day, The Good Samaritan will become available if you visit the Medic residing in central Svartrau. You'll be tasked with delivering medicine to the farm south of the city, and ironically, it's the same one mentioned in that letter we found earlier.

In my playthrough, I chose not to wait to talk to the Medic and just went to the farmhouse myself. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

You can also head straight to the farmhouse if you'd rather not wait around. The quest will unlock as soon as you arrive, and it's clear that not all is well. Check out the bodies nearby, inspect all surrounding items, and if it's day, you can use Compel Soul on the corpse in the hut along with the Farmer's Sword and the Wedding Headband to learn more about the scene of the crime.

Ultimately, you'll need to follow tracks and reach a body that lies south of the farm in a field with two wolves. Kill the wolves, then inspect the body to find A Warning from Dr. Simeon. Oh no...it looks like Vicho was the one responsible for the deaths of Eli and Devora after all.

Poor Vicho. That said, this Doctor Simeon is kind of an arsehole, wouldn't you say? | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

Mark step as finished.

4. Complete A Study in Crimson (part 2).

A Study in Crimson will now re-open, meaning that it's time to return to Vicho and confront the truth. Return to his emporium, and tell him "Vicho, we need to talk."

If you want to see this questline to its end and keep Vicho alive, be sure to choose the following dialogue options. The wrong choices will make Vicho feel he's a monster who cannot be trusted, and he'll choose to die by suicide.

• "You don't remember?"
• "I'm sorry – but I think you're the killer, Vicho."
• "What happened to you - it's terrible."
• "Don't do it, Vicho."
• "You can change."
• "But you have me now."
• "I'll provide you with blood."
• "From blood transports."
• "I don't think you're a monster."

With your help and friendship, Vicho can get through this curse that's been tormenting him for 137 years. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Rebel Wolves

After hearing all of this, Vicho will think twice about ending his life. You'll unlock the Unquenchable Thirst quest, which will stay with you for the remainder of the game and regularly refresh. To keep Vicho alive and avoid failing this quest, simply return to your friend from time to time with vials of blood, which are relatively easy to obtain as long as you're fighting Brencis' men and completing Boyar quests.

To thank you for helping him, Vicho will give you Vicho's Cross, a Legendary amulet that provides a host of benefits, including increased damage against supernatural enemies and Activation Charge restoration from perfect blocks.

What happens if Vicho dies? An extra tip from Jeremy

If you messed up on the dialogue choices above - or would prefer to see Vicho take matters into his own hands in order to avenge his victims - he'll ask you to bear witness to his sunlight demise. This consumes four segments of your in-game clock and is a very sad moment. You can still get Vicho's Cross afterwards from his emporium, however.

It's up to you whether Vicho lives or dies - however, it's worth noting that if he lives, he'll make an important appearance in the game's epilogue, which hints that he eventually learns to moderate his bloodlust. Considering that Coen has very few vrakhir allies during his mission, I chose to let Vicho live.

Mark step as finished.

That finishes our guide on Vicho's questline in The Blood of Dawnwalker. For more help on the quests in this expansive RPG, see our guides on A Pilgrimage for Power, Forge It Anew, and A Bulwark Against Darkness. And if you'd rather have some advice for dispatching Brencis' boyars, refer to our guides on how to defeat Ambrus and how to defeat Bakir.