Corruption is the measure of Coen's vampirism in The Blood of Dawnwalker: 15 levels with 460 charge in total, which comes mostly from drinking blood. Every corruption level makes more vampirism perks and active abilities learnable – this tree needs no skill books. At level 15 three ultimate perks wait, and you can learn one of them.
How corruption works
Coen has no class, just one shared pool of skill points for three trees: Swordmastery works at any time, Witchcraft only during the day, Vampirism only at night. Swordmastery and Witchcraft unlock their perks with skill books; Vampirism asks for a corruption level instead. Ranks still cost skill points and time segments at a shrine.
Levels and corruption are separate: by level 50 you collect 76,440 XP and 59 skill points, while corruption rises at night independently of that. All values are on the Levels & corruption page.
All 15 corruption levels
Here is how much charge each level needs and what becomes learnable there. “Further ranks” counts higher ranks of abilities you already know – listed in the next section.
| Corruption level | Charge | Total | Newly learnable | Further ranks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +5 | 5 | Shred, Shapeshift, Restless Claws, Hastened Corruption | – |
| 2 | +10 | 15 | Dimension Reach, Clawpierce, Wild Blood, Crimson Feast | – |
| 3 | +15 | 30 | Death from Above, Crimson Rush, Closing Wounds | 2 |
| 4 | +25 | 55 | Blood Theft, Vrakhiri Might | 3 |
| 5 | +25 | 80 | Lasting Blood | 4 |
| 6 | +25 | 105 | Endless Ferocity | 5 |
| 7 | +25 | 130 | – | 5 |
| 8 | +35 | 165 | – | 4 |
| 9 | +35 | 200 | Dancing Claws | 5 |
| 10 | +35 | 235 | – | 6 |
| 11 | +45 | 280 | – | 6 |
| 12 | +45 | 325 | – | 6 |
| 13 | +45 | 370 | – | 6 |
| 14 | +45 | 415 | – | 6 |
| 15 | +45 | 460 | Renounce Death, Sanguine Renewal, Lethal Crescendo | – |
Which vampirism rank needs which corruption level
The numbers give the corruption level each rank requires. “none” means no corruption level is needed, “–” means the rank does not exist.
| Ability | Type | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voracious Bite | active | none | 3 | 8 | 14 |
| Blood Surge | active | none* | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| Mesmerise | active | none* | 9 | 12 | 14 |
| Piercing Shriek | active | none* | 7 | 11 | 13 |
| Shadowstorm | active | none* | 8 | 11 | 14 |
| Scarlet Shield | passive | none* | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| Shapeshift | active | 1 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Shred | passive | 1 | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| Death from Above | active | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13 |
| Crimson Rush | passive | 3 | 7 | 11 | 14 |
| Nourishing Blood | perk | none | 3 | 8 | – |
| Endless Hunger | perk | none | 5 | 12 | – |
| Shadow Dweller | perk | none | 11 | – | – |
| Razorsharp Claws | perk | none | 4 | 9 | 12 |
| Mandrake Ward | perk | none | – | – | – |
| Restless Claws | perk | 1 | 4 | 9 | – |
| Hastened Corruption | perk | 1 | 4 | 6 | – |
| Dimension Reach | perk | 2 | 6 | 13 | – |
| Clawpierce | perk | 2 | 7 | 13 | – |
| Wild Blood | perk | 2 | 5 | 10 | – |
| Crimson Feast | perk | 2 | 5 | 10 | – |
| Closing Wounds | perk | 3 | 6 | – | – |
| Blood Theft | perk | 4 | 8 | 11 | – |
| Vrakhiri Might | perk | 4 | 7 | 11 | – |
| Lasting Blood | perk | 5 | 10 | – | – |
| Endless Ferocity | perk | 6 | 12 | – | – |
| Dancing Claws | perk | 9 | 14 | – | – |
* Each of these five abilities is taught by a phial of a boyar's blood (see below). Passive abilities work once equipped in the Active Abilities panel; Vrakhiri Might lets you equip more vampiric abilities.
What gives how much corruption
Drinking blood
How much a drink gives depends on the creature – and on whether Coen takes a quick sip, drinks until unconsciousness or drains it fully.
| Creature | Short | Until unconscious | Full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murohn | 2 | – | 4 |
| Blood guard | 1.2 | 2 | 3 |
| Uriash | 1.2 | 2 | 3 |
| Human | 0.5 | 1.3 | 2 |
| Kobold abomination | 0.9 | – | 2 |
| Vrakhir | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Cow, horse | 0.25 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Kobold | 0.5 | – | 1 |
The remaining animals, from boar to rat, give at most 0.25 for a short drink, at most 0.5 until unconsciousness and 0.2 to 0.75 when drained fully. With small animals such as cats, rabbits or rats, drinking until unconsciousness actually gives more than draining them.
Phials and bottled blood
The five phials with the boyars' blood charge corruption by 20 in one go and teach an ability:
- Phial of Ambrus's Blood → Scarlet Shield
- Phial of Bakir's Blood → Shadowstorm
- Phial of Xanthe's Blood → Blood Surge
- Phial of Brencis's Blood → Piercing Shriek
- Phial of Lacra's Blood → Mesmerise
Bottled blood charges only a little: Supernatural's Blood Infusion, Murohn Blood and Tainted Marrow +2 each; Anachora Ivy, Flower of Anachora Ivy, Uriash's Blood, Kobold's Blood, Mortal's Blood Infusion, Blood Leeches, Vial of Human Blood and Small Vial of Vrakhiri Blood +1 each; Animal Blood Infusion and Vial of Animal Blood +0.5 each.
Hastened Corruption
The perk Hastened Corruption (requires Nourishing Blood, 4 skill points for all ranks) speeds up charging:
- Rank 1 (corruption level 1): +30% corruption filling speed.
- Rank 2 (corruption level 4): you can drink blood at full health to overfeed. That gives a temporary health segment and +50% corruption filling speed while overfed.
- Rank 3 (corruption level 6): +50% corruption filling speed and +5% vampiric health for each corruption level.
Ultimate perks at corruption level 15
In Swordmastery and Witchcraft, 35 points in the tree open the ultimate perks; in Vampirism only corruption level 15 does – points in the tree do not count here. Each ultimate perk has one rank and costs 4 skill points and 2 time segments; only one can be learnt per tree.
- Renounce Death: once per combat, instead of dying, you gain lifesteal on attacks and immortality.
- Sanguine Renewal: Voracious Bite resets the cooldowns of all your active abilities.
- Lethal Crescendo: more claw damage until the end of combat after you kill an enemy or deplete a health segment of a boss; the effect stacks and resets when combat ends.
Corrupted enemies in the bestiary
The bestiary marks four enemies as “Corrupted”: Brencis's Soldier and Soldier (humans) as well as the Psoglav and the Undead Dog (animals). Corrupted enemies are immune to bleeding – so Shred's bleed chance does nothing against them. The Psoglav also has a boss variant, its blood is drinkable, and its special loot includes Tainted Marrow, which charges corruption by 2.
How the build planner counts corruption
In the build planner you spend points freely; it tracks what each rank requires in the game:
- Corruption needed sits at the top next to points, time and skill books: the highest corruption level any of your chosen ranks requires.
- The Check reports “Requires corruption level …” and links to the corruption calculator.
- In the Roadmap, every step shows whether it needs a corruption level. Enter Coen's level and corruption level under “Your progress” to see what already works and what is still locked – for example “Mesmerise (rank 2) – needs corruption 9”.
- For the vampirism ultimates, corruption level 15 applies, not the points in the tree.
Frequently asked questions
How does corruption rise in Dawnwalker?
Mostly by drinking blood: a full drink from a Murohn gives 4, from a human 2. The boyars' phials charge 20 each, bottled blood 0.5 to 2, and Hastened Corruption speeds it up.
How many corruption levels are there?
15. Together they need 460 charge: level 1 takes 5, levels 11 to 15 take 45 each.
Which vampiric abilities need no corruption?
Rank 1 of Voracious Bite, Nourishing Blood, Endless Hunger, Shadow Dweller, Razorsharp Claws and Mandrake Ward, plus rank 1 of the five abilities taught by a phial: Blood Surge, Mesmerise, Piercing Shriek, Shadowstorm and Scarlet Shield. Every higher rank requires a corruption level.
What does corruption level 15 unlock?
The three ultimate perks Renounce Death, Sanguine Renewal and Lethal Crescendo. Each costs 4 skill points and 2 time segments, and you can learn only one of them.
Does Shred work against corrupted enemies?
No. Shred gives a bleed chance, and corrupted enemies such as the Soldier, Brencis's Soldier, the Psoglav and the Undead Dog are immune to bleeding.
