A Deal with the Devil is one of the most important quests in The Blood of Dawnwalker. It brings Coen face-to-face with Brencis and forces him to make a decision that can completely change how the story ends.
Unlike many quests in the game, the choices here have major consequences. You can choose to make a deal with Brencis to save your family, or refuse him and fight for the future of Vale Sangora.
Here is everything you need to know about A Deal with the Devil, including how to unlock it, where to go, the major dialogue choices, and what happens with each route.
How to Unlock A Deal with the Devil
You won’t immediately receive this quest after starting The Blood of Dawnwalker. It becomes available near the end of the main story.
To unlock it, you need to:
- Defeat Ambrus.
- Defeat Bakir.
- Defeat Xanthe.
- Reach maximum Infamy.
- Advance to the following day.
After reaching maximum Infamy, a cutscene will play in which the Infamy Edicts are read. Shortly afterward, Brencis will contact Coen and request a parley.
The A Deal with the Devil quest will then be added to your journal.
Make a Manual Save Here
This is one of the best points in the game to create a manual save.
The decisions during this quest can lead to different endings, including The Turncoat, The Folk Hero, and routes involving Lacra or Crake.
Keeping a save before the quest lets you return and experience the other outcomes without replaying the entire game.
Head to Shrike’s Crag
Once the quest starts, travel to Shrike’s Crag.
The meeting with Brencis takes place at night, so you need to reach the location during the required night phase.
Head toward the top of the tower and interact with the fire signal when the objective becomes available.
Lighting the signal triggers a cutscene. Brencis arrives with Coen’s father, Pieter, giving Coen a chance to finally see his family member again.
The meeting quickly becomes a negotiation. Brencis explains his plans for Vale Sangora and makes it clear that the growing Manumit rebellion is something he intends to eliminate.
This is where the quest’s biggest choice begins.
Should You Make a Deal With Brencis?
After speaking with Brencis, you will have several dialogue options.
If your goal is to make the deal and save your family, choose: “I just want my family back.”
Continue the conversation and choose: “What do I have to do with it?”
Brencis will then offer Coen a deal. He promises to free Coen’s family, but Coen must betray the Manumits and help Brencis deal with the rebellion.
At this point, you can accept or hesitate.
Choose: “I’ll do it.” This puts you on the Turncoat route.
What Happens If You Accept?
Brencis will ask Coen to identify the Manumit hideout.
This eventually leads into the objectives involving The Firebrand, Shadows in the Woods, and Where Loyalty Lies.
You will eventually gain access to the hideout and be given the opportunity to mark it for Brencis.
Choosing to mark the hideout commits you further to the deal.
This route ultimately leads toward The Turncoat ending, in which Coen betrays his allies in exchange for his family’s safety.
What Happens If You Refuse the Deal?
If you don’t want Coen to betray the Manumits, you can refuse Brencis.
The most direct hostile option is: “Enough. Time to End this.”
Choosing this option causes the negotiations to break down and sends Coen into a confrontation with Brencis.
This route keeps you on the path toward defeating Brencis rather than accepting his offer.
Brencis Boss Fight Tips
Brencis is a dangerous opponent, so don’t treat this like a normal encounter. The fight can be particularly punishing if you enter it without enough healing items or with damaged equipment.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Keep your distance when necessary. Brencis can punish you heavily if you stay in front of him for too long.
- Don’t get greedy with attacks. Wait for an opening, land a few hits, then back away.
- Watch his attack patterns. Learning when Brencis is about to attack is more important than simply trying to overwhelm him.
- Use your Dawnwalker abilities carefully. Save your strongest abilities for openings where you can deal damage safely.
- Heal before you’re critically low. Don’t wait until Coen is one hit away from death.
- Use the arena. Keep moving rather than allowing Brencis to corner you.
- Prioritize survival over damage. The fight becomes much easier once you learn Brencis’ attack timing.
How to Beat Brencis
The safest strategy is to play this fight patiently.
Start by watching Brencis rather than immediately attacking. Let him commit to an attack, dodge or move out of its range, and then punish him during the recovery animation.
Once you’ve landed your attacks, immediately create some distance again.
Trying to chain attacks for too long can leave Coen vulnerable to a counterattack, especially if Brencis catches you during an animation.
If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to play defensively. There is no benefit to rushing the fight. Learning the boss’s attack patterns and taking advantage of the openings between his attacks is the key to winning.
What Happens After Defeating Brencis?
Defeating Brencis means Coen rejects his offer and continues on his own path rather than becoming his ally.
This choice can lead toward The Folk Hero ending if the other requirements for that ending have been met.
However, simply defeating Brencis does not automatically guarantee a particular ending.
Your previous choices, completed character storylines, alliances, and other decisions throughout the game can still influence the final outcome.
If you’re specifically going for The Folk Hero, make sure you’ve completed the relevant requirements before committing to the fight.
Should You Fight Brencis?
If you don’t want Coen to betray the Manumits, fighting Brencis is the straightforward choice.
The deal route can offer a way to prioritize Coen’s family, but it comes at the cost of betraying the rebellion.
Refusing the deal and fighting Brencis allows you to reject his terms entirely and pursue one of the routes where Coen stands against him.
The Hideout Choice: Mark or Leave?
If you accept Brencis’ offer, you’ll eventually reach another major decision involving the Manumit hideout.
You’ll have the option to:
- Mark the hideout
- Leave
If you want to continue the Brencis deal, choose Mark.
Marking the hideout is effectively the commitment point for the deal route. Choosing Leave does not immediately commit Coen to betraying the Manumits.
Because this choice can affect the rest of the game, make another manual save before interacting with the hideout if you want to experiment with different outcomes.
A Deal With the Devil Endings
The quest is closely connected to several of the game’s endings.
The Turncoat
To pursue The Turncoat, make the deal with Brencis.
The important choices are:
- “I just want my family back.”
- “What do I have to do with it?”
- “I’ll do it.”
- Later, agree to mark the Manumit hideout.
This route has Coen betray his allies in exchange for his family’s safety.
The Folk Hero
If you want Coen to face Brencis without siding with Lacra or Crake, refuse the deal and choose: “Enough. Time to End this.”
This leads to Coen fighting Brencis on his own and can unlock The Folk Hero ending.
Lacra and Crake Routes
Refusing Brencis doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fight him completely alone.
Other ending routes involve Lacra and Crake, depending on which character’s storyline you have completed and who you choose to ally with for the final confrontation.
The major endings include routes associated with The Patricide and The Knyazmaker.
Can You Save Your Family?
Yes, but the outcome depends on your route and how quickly you complete the story.
The Blood of Dawnwalker gives Coen a 30-day limit to rescue his family. If the deadline expires before you resolve the main story, the game can trigger the Time Runs Out outcome, where Coen fails to save his family.
If you’re specifically trying to rescue your family, don’t waste too much time once A Deal with the Devil becomes available.
A Deal With the Devil – Best Choice
There isn’t one objectively “correct” choice because the quest is designed around competing outcomes.
If you want:
- Save your family through Brencis: Accept the deal and eventually mark the hideout.
- Fight Brencis yourself: Refuse the deal and choose “Enough. Time to End this.”
- Explore multiple endings: Reload your manual save before the quest and try the different branches.
- Avoid accidentally committing to Brencis: Choose Leave rather than marking the hideout.
The biggest thing to remember is that A Deal with the Devil is effectively an ending-route quest. Don’t rush through the dialogue if you’re trying to achieve a specific ending.
Final Tips
Before starting the quest, make sure you’ve completed any character quests or ending-related objectives you care about.
Most importantly, create a manual save immediately after A Deal with the Devil appears in your journal. That gives you a clean checkpoint before the final series of decisions.
The quest costs time as well, so keep an eye on the 30-day clock. The game gives you plenty of freedom, but wasting too many time segments can eventually cost you the ending you’re trying to achieve.
A Deal with the Devil is where The Blood of Dawnwalker finally makes Coen choose between his family, his allies, and the future of Vale Sangora. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re ready for the consequences.
