Blood of Dawnwalker Secret Ending - A Hero They Deserve Guide

A Hero They Deserve is the secret ending almost nobody finds by accident — because it asks you to do the one thing an RPG never asks: give up. No boss, no quest completion, no hidden collectible. Coen simply walks out of Vale Sangora, abandons his family, his war, and his 30-day mission, and the credits roll. Here is exactly where the exit is and how to reach it.

What Is the A Hero They Deserve Ending?

Every NPC from outside the valley tells you the same thing: leaving Vale Sangora is not impossible, just extremely difficult. This ending is the game calling that bluff. It is a deliberate “nope” ending in the tradition of the genre’s great joke endings — the game lets you walk away from the entire conflict, and it even rewards you with a trophy for doing it.

The achievement description says it plainly: Escape Vale Sangora and leave everything behind.

You can trigger it as soon as the prologue ends, minutes after the world opens up.

Step-by-Step: How to Leave Vale Sangora

Step 1: Reach the Briar Sloughs

Travel west from Laslea Glen to the western edge of the map. Just past the woods in the Briar Sloughs region, look for a shrine with an aptly chosen name: the Coward’s Path Shrine.

Step 2: Find the Cursed Chasm

Follow the road beyond the shrine to trigger a side area called The Cursed Chasm. You will see a broken bridge and a deep ravine — and across the gap, the road continues toward a large gate that has not been blockaded.

That gate is the way out.

Step 3: Cross the Ravine (Night Only)

The bridge is gone, so you cross as a vampire:

1. Wait for nightfall. Coen needs his vampire form — Shadowstep and Planeshift do not work in daylight.
2. Jump the gap and spam Shadowstep to latch onto the rock face on the far side.
3. Chain Planeshift and Shadowstep to climb the canyon wall. If you drift off the intended line, Clawride handles the sheer stone sections.

Step 4: Walk Through the Gate

Once across, follow the path to the gates. Coen stops on his own and notes that the road out is unblocked. A prompt offers two options:

• [Leave the valley forever] — the ending triggers immediately
• [Stay in the valley] — returns you to normal play with nothing lost

Because the second option is completely safe, you can walk up to the gate purely to see the prompt and back out. Nothing commits until you pick the first line.

What Happens When You Leave

Coen admits he has to find a new home and make a new life. He will not rescue his family, and the valley stays under the vampire Boyars. The full credits roll — and after them, stay seated: a short PRESENT DAY post-credits sequence plays, the same modern-day scene Rebel Wolves showed months before release, connecting the saga to its sequel plans.

Two unlocks pop:

• A Hero They Deserve (Bronze / 10G)
• The Blood of Dawnwalker — the achievement for reaching any ending, this one included

Why the Ending Might Not Trigger

Nearly every failed attempt comes down to one of three things:

1. You came in daylight. The crossing requires vampire mobility skills. Come at night.
2. You chose [stay in the valley]. That option cancels the ending cleanly — walk back to the gate and pick the other line.
3. You are looking for a boss or interaction prompt. There is none. The trigger is the dialogue choice alone.

When Should You Get This Ending?

• Trophy hunters: as early as possible — it takes minutes from the prologue and rolls credits, so doing it early keeps your real run intact. Reload your save afterward and nothing is lost.
• Curious players: any night after the world opens. The second dialogue option makes the trip risk-free.

The current fastest Any% speedruns route through this ending, since it finishes the game in a fraction of the standard time.

Does Leaving Count as Beating the Game?

Yes — it awards the completion achievement and counts as an ending for the seven-ending total. However, like the other secret ending, it does not count toward the stricter completion criteria on the highest difficulties, and it is not one of the four full story conclusions. The main quest, your family, and the revolution all remain unresolved by design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I come back after leaving?

No. Choosing to leave ends the run and rolls the credits. Reload a save to continue playing.

Is this the only way out of Vale Sangora?

It is the only reachable exit. Every other road out of the valley is blockaded or gated by invisible walls.

Do I need to defeat any Boyars first?

No. This ending is available from the moment the prologue ends, before any Boyar falls.

What is the modern-day post-credits scene?

A short PRESENT DAY sequence that Rebel Wolves confirmed is the franchise-teasing end-credits scene shown in pre-release trailers. Watch it to the end rather than skipping at the credits.

Related Guides

• Together Forever Secret Ending — The other secret ending, inside a nightmare
• All Endings Guide — Requirements for all seven endings
• How Many Endings — The full count explained
• Worst Ending — What happens if you stay but run out of time

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Source: GameSpot, IGN All Endings, VGC trophy guide, AllThings.how route guide. Crossing mechanics and trigger conditions cross-verified across four post-launch guides.