Brew the medicine with water that is hot but not boiling, and add three spoonfuls of herbs. Those are the only two choices that matter in The Blood of Dawnwalker quest “Withering Away,” and the game deliberately refuses to let you re-read Anca’s instructions once you start brewing.
Why This Quest Matters
Withering Away is a Prologue quest, and it is missable. Coen’s mother Esme is dying, and the medicine is the only thing that helps her. Get the brew wrong, or let the quest deadline pass before the Sacred Covenant and the Blood Mass, and the medicine fails. Esme dies during the Blood Mass.
There is no retry. The game does not offer a second attempt at the cooking prompt, so the only recovery is reloading a manual save from before you started. If you care about this outcome, make a manual save before you cook. Our save guide covers how the system handles that.
Step-by-Step
- Find Anca. She is not at her herbalist hut. Use Focus Mode and look for her at the river, gathering water.
- Take the herbs and listen. She hands them over with verbal instructions: brew three scoops of the mixture with water that is hot, but not quite boiling. This is the only time you hear it.
- Return to Coen’s house. Pieter tells you to make the medicine there.
- At the cooking spot, choose “Use hot water.” Not boiling, not cold. Boiling ruins it.
- Choose “Add three spoonfuls of herbs.” Not two, not four.
That is the whole puzzle. It is a memory test dressed up as a cooking step, which is why so many players fail it: they skip the dialogue, then find the prompt offers no reminder.
Tips Most Players Miss
- The quest costs a Time Segment. Every day and night in Vale Sangora is divided into segments, and this one spends one of them. Our time limit guide explains why that pressure matters across the whole campaign.
- Staying to talk opens Anca’s romance. After she gives you the herbs, you can stay and practise Latin with her. That conversation is the entry point to her romance arc, covered in our Anca romance guide.
- Do the quest early. The deadline is the Blood Mass, and the Prologue gives you other things to spend segments on. Players who leave it late tend to lose it to the clock rather than to the brewing.
- Anca may charge for ingredients in some versions of the meeting, with a figure of 50 Denarii reported by players. If you are short, our money guide covers early income.
Frequently Asked Questions
What water temperature does Anca’s recipe need?
Hot, but not quite boiling. Selecting boiling water ruins the medicine.
How many spoonfuls of herbs?
Three.
Can I ask Anca to repeat the instructions?
No. The game does not let you re-read them once brewing begins, which is why a manual save beforehand is worth the few seconds.
What happens if I get it wrong?
The medicine fails and Esme dies during the Blood Mass. There is no in-game retry.
Is Withering Away missable?
Yes. It must be completed before the Sacred Covenant and Blood Mass, and the Prologue clock will run out if you ignore it.