Unlocking Mert’s Freedom in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Figuring out how to free Mert in the Blood of Dawnwalker quest, Under Watchful Eyes, took me some time to crack. Initially, I went in guns blazing, taking out every soldier in the fort, but after a grueling battle, I realized there had to be a smarter way. And there is! If you approach it at night, you can significantly cut down on the number of enemies you need to deal with.

In my video walkthrough below, I also demonstrate how to minimize combat even further using some strategically placed Voracious Bites. Here’s how to liberate Mert without turning the fort into a battlefield.

The most straightforward method to free Mert involves taking out all the soldiers in the fort, but that can be quite challenging. Instead, you can sneak in through a back door, which really reduces the number of foes you have to confront.

By following my route in the video, you can bypass the two-on-one encounter in Friedo’s office. To pull this off, make sure to grab the Shadow Dweller and Dimension Reach upgrades from the Vampirism tree. These upgrades are incredibly useful, as they extend your Shadow Reach distance and lower the stamina cost for Plane Walking.

If you skip these upgrades, you’ll end up battling several enemies in the upper courtyard outside Mert’s office, as well as Friedo and the miniboss in his office, plus the prison guard by the cells. Even without the Shadow Step shortcut, you’ll still face far fewer soldiers than if you had taken on the entire fort. Here’s what you need to do if you have the upgrades.

Once you head back upstairs, you’ll need to take on the miniboss, Rayko the Incorruptible, followed by three soldiers and a dog outside.

You can also eliminate one of the outside soldiers with a Voracious Bite before the others notice you (which I demonstrate in the video). After dealing with them, ensure you have more than one health segment left, then exit through the back door with Mert. He’ll express his gratitude and ask where to go, and you can send him to the Almshouse in Svartrau.

Keep in mind that if you’re below one health bar, you might be forced to feed on Mert instead, which would be a disappointing outcome for your efforts. Additionally, whether you took out the soldiers at the mill during The Firebrand will also affect Renna and Mert’s potential happy ending.