Corruption is a key leveling system in The Blood of Dawnwalker, directly influencing the vampiric skills available to players. As corruption increases, players can unlock abilities such as transforming into a wolf for faster map traversal, gaining lifesteal, or boosting the corruption gained from drinking blood. This mechanic is essential for embracing the character's Vrakhiri nature and becoming a formidable vampire.
There is primarily one method to increase corruption: by consuming blood. This can be achieved through the "Voracious Bite" ability or by using vials of blood found within the game. Voracious Bite can be used on both humans and animals during combat, or by focusing while moving around the game world. The amount of corruption gained appears to scale with the size of the enemy, with smaller creatures like rabbits and rats yielding less corruption than larger prey such as deer or humans.
Players can continue to gain corruption even when their health is full, so utilizing Voracious Bite whenever it is available is recommended. Looting defeated enemies may also yield blood vials. While these vials can be consumed directly to increase corruption, it is often advisable to save them for healing during battles or for crafting purposes. Using a vial of blood is most effective when players have an abundance of them, as Voracious Bite offers a free alternative for gaining corruption.
It is important to note that only blood vials that restore vampiric health will contribute to corruption levels. For instance, "beast's bane brew," which appears blood-like and offers a damage bonus against animals, does not restore health and therefore does not increase corruption. Similar to Voracious Bite, however, blood vials will still grant corruption even if the player's health is at maximum.
For those seeking to accelerate corruption gain, the "Hastened Corruption" skill within the Vampirism tree can be acquired. This requires investing a point into "Nourishing Blood" and reaching corruption level one. Hastened Corruption offers several tiers of upgrades:
- Tier 1: Provides a +30% corruption filling speed, costing one skill point and one time segment.
- Tier 2: Allows players to "overfeed" by drinking blood at full health, granting a temporary health segment and a +50% corruption filling speed while overfed. This costs one skill point and one time segment.
- Tier 3: Offers a +50% corruption filling speed and an additional 5% vampiric health for each corruption level. This upgrade costs two skill points and one time segment.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a narrative-driven RPG where player choices have significant consequences. After completing the prologue, players are given considerable freedom to explore Vale Sangora and engage with its inhabitants, which can be an overwhelming experience for new players. Understanding core mechanics like corruption is vital for progression.