Some of the best early weapons in The Blood of Dawnwalker can be obtained without completing lengthy questlines. Durandal is the standout choice if you’re willing to brave a dangerous area shortly after the prologue, while Kingslayer offers an excellent alternative for defensive Swordmastery builds. Vampire players should also pick up the Wolven Bracers to strengthen Coen’s Claws at night.
All three pieces can be acquired relatively early, making them useful for building a strong loadout before tackling the game’s more demanding quests.
Durandal
Durandal is one of the best legendary swords you can obtain early in The Blood of Dawnwalker. It’s technically accessible immediately after finishing the prologue, although reaching it at a low level can be dangerous.
The sword is inside a destroyed wagon beneath the broken bridge southwest of Laslea.
Once you reach the bridge, there are two main ways to descend into the area. You can approach the crack from the east or visit at night and use Clawride to make your way down the rock wall.
Look for the wrecked wagon surrounded by corpses at the bottom. Durandal is waiting there.
How to Get Durandal Early
The problem isn’t finding the sword—it’s surviving what happens when you reach it.
A group of monsters appears after you enter the area and quickly forces Coen into combat. If you’re attempting this immediately after the prologue, fighting them may be considerably harder than simply grabbing the weapon and escaping.
Move to the wagon as quickly as possible and collect Durandal before the enemies overwhelm you. Once you have it, head toward the eastern edge of the crack to escape instead of trying to clear the entire group.
You can always return later when Coen is better equipped.
Durandal Stats
Durandal provides bonuses to:
- Damage Against Supernatural Enemies
- Reduced Attack Stamina Cost
- Reduced Dodge Stamina Cost
- Reduced Swordmastery Ability Cooldown
It also comes with a three-hit Weapon Art with a 15-second cooldown.
The combination of increased supernatural damage, better Stamina efficiency, and faster Swordmastery abilities makes Durandal useful well beyond the point where you first obtain it.
More importantly, the weapon itself is free. The only real cost is the risk involved in reaching the wagon at a low level.
Wolven Bracers
The Wolven Bracers aren’t technically a weapon, but they’re one of the most useful early equipment pieces for players who prefer fighting with Coen’s Claws at night.
Their bonuses focus heavily on improving vampire melee combat:
- Increased Claw Damage
- Increased Damage Against Animals
- Increased Claw Critical Hit Chance
- Increased Claw Critical Hit Damage
Equipping the Wolven Bracers also unlocks a Claw Art, giving Coen another offensive option while in vampire form.
For a build that regularly switches from sword combat during the day to Claws at night, they’re worth collecting early.
Where to Find the Wolven Bracers
Head to the southern woods of Rockfalls and search for a wolf den.
As the location suggests, you’ll encounter several wolves around the area. They’re manageable with careful combat, but you don’t necessarily have to kill every animal guarding the den.
If you’re visiting at night, Shadowstep can help you sneak through the area and avoid unnecessary fights while searching for the bracers.
Once obtained, the Wolven Bracers immediately strengthen several aspects of Claw combat, making them especially valuable for Vampirism-focused builds.
Kingslayer Sword
If retrieving Durandal proves too dangerous, Kingslayer is an excellent early alternative.
This sword is buried inside a treasure chest along the riverbank west of Svartrau City.
Search between two rocks for a discolored mound of dirt. Interact with the location to dig up the buried chest and retrieve Kingslayer.
Be aware that digging consumes 1 Time Segment.
Unlike Durandal, Kingslayer is built primarily around defense and Perfect Blocks.
Kingslayer Stats
Kingslayer provides:
- Increased Perfect Block Window
- Reduced Block Stamina Cost
- Increased Stamina Regain from Perfect Blocks
- Reduced Attack Stamina Cost
The increased Perfect Block window makes precise defensive timing more forgiving, while the Stamina bonuses help Coen maintain his defense without exhausting his resources as quickly.
There is one notable drawback: Kingslayer has a slow attack speed.
You won’t be able to fit as many attacks into short openings as you can with faster swords. However, its individual hits are powerful, and the weapon works particularly well when paired with perks that reward Perfect Blocks.
Kingslayer Works Well With Walking Fortress
Defensive Swordmastery builds can get particularly good results by combining Kingslayer with Walking Fortress.
Walking Fortress rewards successful defensive actions, including Perfect Blocks, with benefits such as Activation Charge restoration at different tiers.
Because Kingslayer makes Perfect Blocks easier while reducing their Stamina demands, the sword naturally complements that playstyle.
Instead of relying on rapid attacks, you can focus on reading enemy moves, blocking at the correct moment, and using the resulting openings and resources to activate stronger abilities.
Which Early Weapon Should You Get First?
Durandal is the best general-purpose choice of these early items. Its bonuses work well across a variety of encounters, and its Weapon Art gives you an additional offensive tool without requiring a lengthy quest.
The main issue is the dangerous group guarding its location. If Coen is still underleveled, grabbing Durandal and immediately escaping is safer than trying to clear the area.
Kingslayer is the better choice for defensive players. Its Perfect Block bonuses make it particularly effective with Swordmastery builds centered around blocking and Walking Fortress.
Finally, Wolven Bracers should be a priority for Claw-focused vampire builds. They don’t replace your sword during the day, but their collection of Claw bonuses makes nighttime combat substantially stronger.
Since all three are available relatively early, you don’t necessarily have to choose between them. Picking up Durandal or Kingslayer for human combat and the Wolven Bracers for Coen’s vampire form gives you a strong foundation for both sides of The Blood of Dawnwalker’s day-night combat system.
