The Blood of Dawnwalker · Character Guide
Anca is with Coen from the very first minutes of the game to some of its last, and her questline covers more ground than the romance angle alone suggests. Here's who she is, her full arc, and the choice her story builds toward.
Anca is a former nun turned village herbalist living near Laslea. She spent years at St. Tyna's Convent, not entirely by choice, before leaving to set herself up as the village's healer — growing herbs and treating the sick. She's also the one who taught a young Coen to read and write, and she reappears constantly through the Prologue: she supplies the ingredients for Esme's medicine during Withering Away, and later teaches Coen the Compel Soul witchcraft ability during Smoke and Ashes (see our main story walkthrough for both).
She's written as sharp, patient, and guarded — and she's keeping a secret from the rest of the village that her personal questline gradually reveals.
Beyond the Prologue, Anca continues supporting Coen — helping care for Esme and challenging him to hold onto his human side as his vampiric powers grow. That tension between practical support and moral pressure runs through her whole arc.
The shape of Anca's arc
Reported sequence, starting from the Prologue: Withering Away (Prologue) → Page-Turner (optional, unlocked via a dialogue choice in Withering Away) → Echoes of Silenced Bells → Between the Words → Where Old Devils Lie → Stronger Than Achilles. We haven't independently verified every step of this order ourselves, so treat it as a strong lead rather than gospel until we've confirmed it firsthand.
Anca's questline builds to a decision about the Font of Life — an ancient supernatural source tied to her research. You choose one of three outcomes:
Notably, Font of Life is also the name of a real Witchcraft perk — passive human health regeneration, covered in our skill trees guide — which is also the skill unlocked by letting her use her craft on you during the romance route (see below). Whether the questline choice and the perk unlock are the same moment or connected mechanics isn't something we've verified firsthand yet.
Anca is one of three romance options and is framed as Coen's default route — she's the one who consistently appears in the epilogue with real screentime regardless of what happens with the other two. For the specific dialogue choices that build the relationship (practicing Latin, letting her take notes, the "I love you" moment) and what it rewards, see our full romance guide.
Practical takeaway: keep checking in on Anca throughout the early game rather than treating her as a one-off Prologue character — her questline runs long, ties into a major story choice, and her default-romance framing means she's worth investing in even on a first playthrough where you're not chasing anything else in particular.
Who is Anca?
A former nun turned village herbalist near Laslea who taught young Coen to read and write, treats his mother Esme, and supports him throughout the story.
What is the Font of Life choice?
Near the end of her questline, you decide whether Coen absorbs the Font's power, Anca uses it for research, or it's destroyed.
Can I romance Anca?
Yes — she's one of three romance options and the one framed as Coen's default route. See our romance guide for specifics.