Claws are Coen’s vampiric weapon in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and they need no unlock at all. Press the weapon-swap input in combat: F on PC, Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox. The catch is that they are night-only, because they come with vampire form. During the day Coen falls back to a sword, or to his fists if unarmed.
How They Work
Claws are not an equippable item you find. They are part of being a dawnwalker, which is why there is no quest to unlock them and no upgrade bench to improve them directly. You can swap between claws and a sword freely mid-fight, so there is no commitment in picking one up.
Notably, the game’s own weapon lists treat swords as the weapon category and do not include claws, which underlines that claws are a form-based ability rather than gear.
Claws or Sword?
This is the real question, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you are building.
Swords deal higher burst damage in most situations, because they have deeper ability and perk support across the Swordmastery tree, and Swordmastery works in both forms. That last point carries a lot of weight: perks that only function at night are worth half as much across a full campaign.
Claws shine specifically in a Vampirism build, because the perks that make them dangerous live in the Vampirism tree and are night-exclusive by design. If you are already leaning into Corruption and night play, claws stop being a novelty and become the point.
Either way, the advice most players converge on is to put points into Swordmastery regardless, simply so daytime combat is survivable. Our best early skills guide covers that opening.
The Claw Perks
The Vampirism tree carries the claw-specific perks: Razorsharp Claws, Dancing Claws, Restless Claws and Clawpierce.
Razorsharp Claws is the interesting one. Players report it levels through raising Corruption, by drinking human, animal and vrakhiri blood including blood vials, rather than purely through skill points. If that holds in your run, it means a claw build strengthens itself through the same behaviour that drives the Corruption meter, which our corruption guide covers.
That is a neat piece of design, and also a warning: the build that makes claws strongest is the build that pushes your story in a particular direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I switch to claws?
Press the weapon-swap input during combat: F on PC, Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox.
Do I need to unlock claws?
No. They are available as soon as you have vampire form.
Can I use claws during the day?
No. They are tied to vampire form, so they are night-only.
Are claws better than swords?
Swords generally hit harder and work in both forms. Claws are better inside a dedicated Vampirism build, where their supporting perks are concentrated.