The Blood of Dawnwalker has 13 Ancient Circles scattered across Vale Sangora, and they're among the best sources of high-rarity gear and skill manuals in the game. Each one drops rewards that scale to your current level, so they're worth tracking down no matter when you find them. The catch is that you can only activate them during the day, and each one costs a time segment, so planning your route matters.
What are Ancient Circles and why should you clear them?
Ancient Circles are marked on the map with a white ruins icon. They appear as open-world activities spread across both the northern and southern regions of Vale Sangora. Clearing one requires the Astral Communion Witchcraft skill, which you unlock automatically during the Prologue, so there's no gating beyond reaching the location itself.
The rewards are genuinely worth the effort. Chests at these sites drop skill manuals, epic weapons, epic armor pieces, and crafting recipes. The gear scales to your level, meaning it typically outclasses anything you can buy from vendors at the same point in your playthrough. If you're trying to find manuals fast to unlock Swordsmanship and Witchcraft skill tiers, Ancient Circles are one of the most efficient methods available.
Blood of Dawnwalker Guide: All Ancient Circle Locations
How do you activate an Ancient Circle?
The activation process is the same at every site:
- Arrive at the location during the day.
- Find the mural and inspect it.
- Hold L2 / LT to enter Focus Mode, then zoom in on the altar in front of the mural.
- Use Astral Communion to summon enemies.
- Defeat all summoned enemies.
- Open the chest that appears to collect your rewards.
The enemies you face include Vidmos, Psoglavs, and Guardians. The encounters are closer in structure to Haunted Site objectives than standard open-world fights, so expect waves of spectral and undead enemies rather than a single boss.
To reveal all circles on the map before hunting them down, climb all 11 Scouting Towers. That's the fastest way to get every ruins icon visible without wandering.
Blood of Dawnwalker Guide: All Ancient Circle Locations
All Ancient Circle locations and rewards
Here's every Ancient Circle with its location name and the notable rewards confirmed in each chest. Some enemies also drop additional manuals outside the chest, noted where applicable.
Northern region circles
| # | Location | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Swamps | Mercurial Favor Manual, Potent Revitalizing Tonic recipe, Red Darksteel Bracers (epic) |
| 2 | Northwest Pass | Cycle of Ruin Manual (note: Durandal legendary sword found nearby in the same ravine) |
| 3 | The Wallows | Cycle of Ruin Manual |
| 4 | East of Parlita | Burning Blood Manual, Burnished Battlesword (epic), Potent Fortitude Paste recipe |
| 5 | Maragir Wealds | Burning Blood Manual, Tempered Cuisses (epic trousers) |
| 6 | East of Maragir | Mercurial Favor Manual, Tempered Long Basilard (epic weapon) |
| 7 | St. Tyna's Grove | Soul Reaping Manual |
Southern region circles
| # | Location | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Tantari Vista | Cycle of Ruin Manual, Unbreakable Veteran's Sword (epic weapon) |
| 9 | Silts Overgrowth | Perfect Riposte Manual, Red Darksteel Bracers (epic) |
| 10 | Hills of Tantari | Perfect Riposte Manual, Highland Noble Surcoat (epic chestpiece), Sharp Eye Manual (enemy drop) |
| 11 | Southern Swamps | Stinging Blade Manual, Amulet of Crimson Steel (legendary amulet) |
| 12 | Blind Gorge | Artery Strike Manual, Sanguine Bladedancer's Tunic (epic chestpiece), Mortal's Blood Infusion recipe |
| 13 | Southwest Silts | Restless Blade Manual, Potent Vigor Infusion recipe |
Which Ancient Circles have the best rewards?
A few circles stand out as priority targets:
- Circle 11 (Southern Swamps) drops the Amulet of Crimson Steel, the only legendary amulet in the Ancient Circle reward pool. That alone makes it worth prioritizing.
- Circle 2 (Northwest Pass) is near the Durandal legendary sword, found in the same ravine. The sword isn't in the chest itself, but if you're in the area, grab both.
- Circle 10 (Hills of Tantari) gives two manuals if you kill all enemies, making it one of the most efficient stops for skill progression.
- Circles 4 and 5 both drop the Burning Blood Manual, so if you're farming that specific skill unlock, those two are your fastest path.
Tips for clearing all 13 circles efficiently
Clearing all 13 circles takes planning because of the time segment cost. Here's what works:
- Reveal the map first. Climb the Scouting Towers before starting your circle run. Trying to find them blind wastes time segments on travel.
- Batch by region. Group the northern circles into one session and the southern circles into another. Backtracking across the full map between single circles burns time you could spend on story content.
- Use movement skills. Shapeshift or Mercurial Fervor cuts travel time significantly. Without them, the distances between circles in the southern region in particular feel long.
- Don't skip Circle 2's ravine. The Durandal sword nearby is easy to miss since it's not in the chest itself. Check the ravine after completing the encounter.
For players working toward full completion, clearing all Ancient Circles ties into the complete trophy and achievement list, so knocking them out methodically saves backtracking later.
If you're still getting your bearings in Vale Sangora, the Blood of Dawnwalker beginner's guide covers the core systems you need before tackling these encounters. For everything else the game has to offer, the full Blood of Dawnwalker guide collection has you covered.
