Gaming How-To

The Blood of Dawnwalker: How to Confront Vicho in A Study in Crimson

The exact night-time dialogue path that keeps Vicho alive, plus where Vicho's Cross ends up either way.

The exact night-time dialogue path that keeps Vicho alive, plus where Vicho’s Cross ends up either way.

The Confront Vicho objective is the point where the Vicho storyline stops being a murder investigation and becomes a decision about whether a character survives. Coen already knows what happened at the farm, and Vicho does not. Say the wrong thing in the shop and he asks you to walk him into the sunrise.

Quick answer: Return to Vicho’s Emporium after dark, Shadowstep onto the second-floor balcony, open with “Vicho, we need to talk,” and follow it with the chain ending in “I don’t think you’re a monster.” Any other route through that conversation ends with Vicho burning to ash.


Requirements before the Confront Vicho objective unlocks

The objective does not appear straight after the Doctor Simeon boss fight. A Study in Crimson is flagged complete at that point, but the questline continues through The Good Samaritan, and only after you return to the medic does the game push you back to the shop.

RequirementDetail
Quest progressDefeat Doctor Simeon in the warehouse basement, then finish The Good Samaritan and report back to the medic in Svartrau City.
Time of dayNight only. Vicho is a vrakhiri and will not be there during daylight hours.
Entry pointThe ground-floor door stays locked permanently. You need Shadowstep in vampire form to reach the balcony.
Save fileSave manually before you talk to him. The conversation is the branch point and there is no second attempt.

Note: earlier in the questline, Vicho refuses to start the investigation unless you have at least 4 Time Segments left in the night. Budget your time before heading over so you are not turned away at the door.


How to get back inside Vicho’s Emporium

The shop sits in the northern part of Svartrau City, west of Market Tower, in the market district. It is a two-storey wooden building with a balcony hanging over a narrow alley, and that balcony is the only way in.

Open the map and set the tracker to the Confront Vicho objective. Fast travel to the closest point in the market district and head down the alley behind the shopfronts on foot.
Coen running down a dark alley with the tracked objective marker showing 18 metres ahead
Following the tracked marker down the alley behind the shop. Image: Rebel Wolves
Stop under the balcony and look up. Trigger Shadowstep to teleport onto the balcony railing, then use the door up there to get inside. Nothing on the ground floor will open for you.
Interior of Vicho's shop after entering through the upstairs balcony door
Inside the upper floor of the emporium after the Shadowstep onto the balcony. Image: Rebel Wolves
Work your way through the unlit rooms upstairs and take the stairs down. The interior is deliberately dark, so lean on the objective distance on your compass rather than the lighting.
Coen moving through an unlit interior with the quest HUD and compass guiding the route
The compass distance is the reliable guide through the darkened rooms. Image: Rebel Wolves
Follow the marker until it drops to a few metres. Vicho is on the lower floor among his curios, highlighted in yellow so he stands out against the gloom.
Objective marker showing 4 metres as the player closes in on Vicho's position
The marker counts down to single digits once you reach the lower floor. Image: Rebel Wolves
Interact with Vicho to open the dialogue wheel. He greets Coen normally and offers the usual shop options, including trading and trinket enhancement. Ignore those and pick the talk option.
Player standing a few metres from Vicho with the Moonrise quest tracker on screen
Vicho stands ready for conversation, with the shop and dialogue options available. Image: Rebel Wolves

The dialogue chain that keeps Vicho alive

Once the conversation starts, the branch is decided entirely by your replies. Pick these in order, exactly as written. The chain admits the truth, then immediately gives Vicho a reason and a practical means to keep going.

  • “Vicho, we need to talk.”
  • “You don’t remember.”
  • “I’m sorry – but I think you’re the killer, Vicho.”
  • “What happened to you – it’s terrible.”
  • “Your condition – it’s a gift.”
  • “But you have me now.”
  • “I’ll provide you with blood.”
  • “From blood transports.”
  • “I don’t think you’re a monster.”

You know it worked when Vicho drops the request to see the sunrise, stays standing in his shop, and hands you Vicho’s Cross himself. The Unquenchable Thirst quest then stays open in your journal instead of closing out.


What happens if Vicho decides he is a monster

Deviate anywhere in that chain and Vicho stays convinced he murdered his own friends and cannot be trusted with anyone else. He asks Coen to accompany him to watch the sun come up, which costs 4 Time Segments, and he burns to ash at the end of it. He is gone from the game after that, along with his shop stock.

That stock matters more than the story beat for some builds. While he is alive, Vicho sells legendary curios at night, including the Relic of St. Dasius, Corrupted Ring, Ring of Focus, Mindbrace Amulet, and Ring of the Night. If you want anything from that list, buy it before you trigger this conversation.


Vicho’s Cross: where to pick it up in either outcome

The legendary amulet is not tied to the survival branch. You get it whether Vicho lives or dies, only the delivery changes.

OutcomeWhere Vicho’s Cross ends up
Vicho survivesHe gives it to you directly at the end of the conversation.
Vicho burns at sunriseLeft on a bench on the second floor of his shop. Go back up and grab it.

The amulet rolls weapon critical hit damage, damage against supernatural enemies, Activation Charge restoration from perfect block, and physical damage reduction.


Feeding Vicho after Unquenchable Thirst starts

Keeping him alive is a commitment, not a one-off choice. Because you promised him a blood supply, Unquenchable Thirst stays active and he asks to feed every couple of nights. Hand him blood items such as a Vial of Human Blood, Tainted Marrow, Murohn Blood, or Kobold Blood when the prompt appears.

The requests are time-sensitive, so do not let the clock roll from night into day with a pending feeding prompt. Blood barrels found at Ambrus’ camps are the most consistent way to keep a stock on hand.


If the conversation goes sideways, the only fix is the save you made before walking in. Vicho makes up his own mind after the Simeon fight regardless of what you say there, but this final exchange is the one place your replies genuinely decide the outcome.