While Blood of the Dawnwalker's Eastern European folklore setting and its developers' pedigree—many hailing from CD Projekt Red—inevitably invite comparisons to The Witcher, the game also shares a surprising amount of DNA with Dragon Age: Inquisition. This influence is not found in narrative elements or romantic pursuits, but rather in the frequent and brutal encounters with the local fauna. Players may find themselves unexpectedly bested by bears, boars, wolves, or demon dogs, regardless of their progress against the game's titular vampires.
This was a stark lesson learned early in the playthrough. After clearing out a bandit camp, a treasure map led to a cave guarded by a bear. Blood of the Dawnwalker employs a color-coded difficulty system for enemies, but the bear bore no red or orange skull marker, suggesting an approachable challenge. However, the encounter proved far more difficult than anticipated. The bear repeatedly defeated the player, necessitating a return much later with a significantly stronger character, echoing the notorious difficulty spikes found in Dragon Age: Inquisition's Hinterlands region, albeit on a larger scale throughout the entire game.
It is not just the combat prowess of these creatures, but also their tendency to ambush players, often when already engaged with other enemies. Fights against soldiers can quickly escalate if they stray too close to the wide aggro zones of nearby wildlife packs, leading to overwhelming odds against players and any companions they might have.
Despite the challenging nature of these encounters, the overwhelming combat scenarios are presented as a fun aspect of the game. Blood of the Dawnwalker features a distinctive combat system centered on directional attacks and parries. A user interface element indicates the direction of incoming attacks, guiding players on where to block. While a simple block can be executed by holding the button, adding a directional input not only blocks effectively but also briefly weakens the opponent and accelerates the ability meter's charge. This mechanic encourages a more deliberate, fencing-like combat experience that requires players to read their opponents' moves and react accordingly, rather than relying on simple button mashing.
However, the intense focus required for this system can sometimes lead to players losing track of their health or the number of enemies present. The developer notes that they have more frequently fallen victim to wolf fangs than to the vampire threats the game is named after.