The Blood Of Dawnwalker: Should You Poison Or Save Iulian?

Published Sep 2, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. Players seeking to eliminate Brencis' vassals in the Vrakhiri Court during The Blood of Dawnwalker's main storyline will find unlikely help along the way against each member. In the case of Ambrus, players will eventually be approached by the nobleman Iulian Codrin, one of Boyar Ambrus' vassals who traded his blood in order to keep his status and possessions. !!! WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE BLOOD OF DAWNWALKER !!!While Iulian may appear to be on the side of the Vrakhiri Court being so close to Ambrus, he has a devious plan to help Coen take the corrupt villain down. However, at a certain point during this process, Coen has an important choice to make that is literally a matter of life and death for Iulian. What Happens If You Save Iulian? Seeing as Ambrus has a taste for Iulian's noble blood, Iulian believes he can aid Coen in taking the vrakhir down with a poisonous concoction. Iulian knows that Ambrus will feast on his blood before a battle, and therefore can poison Ambrus by poisoning himself. Players will soon learn that this process will inevitably kill Iulian, and while it's a bit sinister, it happens to be something he desires due to his sense of shame from the decisions he's made in allying with the vrakhir. However, during "The Bittersweet Toast" quest where Coen creates the concoction, he will have an opportunity to use Vera's original recipe that she ended up dying trying to create, one that would end up sparing Iulian's life instead of him dying from the poison. You will need to acquire a Tatzelwurm Gland before taking the last steps in brewing the potion, but will be able to add the lizard gland to the mix without Iulian knowing. Importantly, if you want Iulian's plan to work and Ambrus to be weakened by poison in the fight, you'll need to select the "I don't trust anything you offer," dialogue option so that Coen isn't poisoned as well and so that only Ambrus drinks the tainted blood. Doing so ends up saving his life after the Ambrus fight, and will result in him raising questions about how he was able to survive. Coen has the choice to lie to Iulian and deny any culpability, or to confess that he did it on purpose. Lying to Iulian will result in him feeling confused and despondent, lost as to what to do now. Confessing that you saved him on purpose will result in Iuliand getting quite angry and severing ties with Coen altogether. There are no unique rewards for going against his wishes and sparing Iulian's life. What Happens If You Let Iulian Die? If you decide not to put the lizard gland in the poison concoction and the fight with Ambrus proceeds as planned, Iulian ends up dying afterward as he wished. Coen will have the choice to bury him as well, and also to partake in a moment of silence or give Iulian a prayer. No matter what you do, there is also no reward for allowing Iulian to die, and ultimately the decision comes down to player preference. You Should Let Iulian Die From The Poison Should you decide to save Iulian from being poisoned, he will actually be alive in the epilogue after the game ends, though he is still a bit lost and uncertain of what to do with himself. Even then, there are no rewards or bonuses for finding him and speaking with him. Considering 1) there are no unique rewards for saving Iulian, 2) saving him requires a bit of extra effort in tracking down the lizard gland, 3) you'll waste the lizard gland on the poison instead of using it for a consumable of your own, and 4) Iulian actually wants to die, as messed up as it is, I think it's better to just let the man go out on his own terms. Further, should you choose to bury Iulian, you're out another hour of precious time, which is a valuable resource already. Ultimately, this decision will come down to whether or not you feel emotionally and morally invested enough in the story to take the extra steps to save Iulian, but otherwise, this is one of the more macabre quests in The Blood of Dawnwalker where the grim choice may end up being the best one. The Blood of Dawnwalker Systems 8/10 Released September 3, 2026 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content Developer(s) Rebel Wolves Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Studios Engine Unreal Engine 5