Crossing Vale Sangora on a normal sprint eats up real time, and Coen never gets a single permanent speed boost because he switches between human and vampire forms with the day-and-night cycle. To move faster you unlock two separate Haste upgrades, one tied to each form, and each one replaces your standard run rather than sitting on top of it.
Quick answer: Learn Mercurial Fervour in the Witchcraft tree for faster daytime running, and learn Shapeshift in the Vampirism tree to sprint as a wolf at night. Open a shrine, spend one Skill Point on each, and the faster run is active immediately in that form.
The two Haste abilities compared
Both upgrades fall under the game’s Haste category. Neither does anything in combat, so it is easy to skip them for fighting perks, but each one is a flat movement upgrade the moment you unlock it. Pick up the version for whichever form you spend the most time in first.
| Detail | Mercurial Fervour (Haste) | Shapeshift |
|---|---|---|
| Skill tree | Witchcraft | Vampirism |
| Active form | Human (daytime) | Vrakiri / vampire (night) |
| Effect | Superhuman run with the world slowed and a red trail | Transforms Coen into a fast-sprinting wolf |
| Unlock cost | 1 Skill Point | 1 Skill Point |
| Main requirement | Access to the Witchcraft tree | Corruption level 1 |
Unlock faster running in human form (Mercurial Fervour)
The daytime speed boost lives under Witchcraft. Before you can open that tree you need to complete the Blood and Ashes quest, after which the Witchcraft perks become available. Advancing beyond the first tier later requires finding the matching skill Manual, but the base ability only needs one point.
The slowdown effect also makes this the better option for breaking away from a fight you do not want, letting you outrun enemies while exploring.
Unlock the wolf sprint in vampire form (Shapeshift)
After nightfall Coen turns into his Vrakiri form, and Shapeshift becomes his fast-travel tool. It sits in the Vampirism tree, but you cannot buy it until your Corruption reaches level 1, so raise that first.
Note: Shapeshift only works while Coen is in vampire form, so it is unavailable during daylight hours.
How to confirm the speed boost is active
Once either upgrade is learned it replaces your default run for that form permanently, so you never toggle it on from a menu. In human form, double-tapping sprint produces the red trail and the slowed surroundings. In vampire form, holding sprint swaps the two-legged run for the wolf. If neither triggers, check that you are in the correct form for the ability and that you actually spent the Skill Point on the node rather than only highlighting it.
Given how much of the 30-day clock can disappear into plain walking, learning at least one Haste ability early pays off across the rest of your run, and picking up both means you move quickly whether the sun is up or down.
