The Cycle of Love sends Coen into Xanthe’s manor at the Howling Keep, where a series of lamp-carrying statues gate every door and a boss fight with the Boyaress waits at the end. Finishing it rewards experience, skill points, and The Dark Mistress trophy in The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Quick answer: Anger Xanthe to the maximum through her Court Activities, take the lantern the guards hand Coen the next day, then use the manor’s lamps to open each room until you can place two lamps on the final door. Defeat Xanthe and spare her to unlock The Dark Mistress.
How to start The Cycle of Love
The quest does not appear until you have pushed Xanthe’s anger to its highest point by completing her Court Activities. Once her anger tops out, wait for the following day.
Guards then approach Coen and hand over one of Xanthe’s Lanterns. This lamp acts as your invitation. You cannot step onto the Boyaress’ estate without it, so hold onto it and travel to the Howling Keep, where the manor sits.
At the entrance, clear the enemies waiting outside, then place the lantern with the statue at the door to open it. More enemies are inside, so move carefully once you step in.
How the lamp system works inside the manor
Every room in the manor is sealed by vines, and the lamps held by statues keep those vines back. Most doors open with a single lamp. The final room that leads to Xanthe needs two lamps placed at once, so the whole path is really a puzzle of moving lamps from statue to statue.
The three-lamp door trick to reach Xanthe
Return upstairs to the pottery room where you left a lamp earlier. This is the point where the puzzle traps most players, because you need to keep doors open while still carrying two lamps for the final room. There are three lamps in play, and the pottery-room statue is the key.
- You have three lamps total across the manor.
- Give one lamp to the statue inside the pottery room. It holds back every nearby vine, including the vines at that room’s entrance.
- If you get stuck outside, give a lamp to the statue outside, give another to the statue inside, then take the outside lamp back. The door stays open.
With that handled, move to the locked room and place two lamps to open it. Stepping inside triggers a cutscene of a masked girl singing, who turns out to be Xanthe’s daughter. The Boyaress shows up moments later and attacks Coen.
How to beat Xanthe and unlock The Dark Mistress
When the fight begins, focus on bringing the Boyaress down quickly, then choose to spare her. After the conversation, Coen promises to leave her daughter alone and is thrown out of the manor. That ends The Cycle of Love.
You know it worked when the quest closes out and the rewards land. Alongside the experience and skill points, The Dark Mistress trophy pops for neutralizing the threat posed by Xanthe.
Spare Xanthe or refuse her help
The following covers spoilers, so stop here if you want the outcomes to stay a surprise. The final choice changes both an alliance and the epilogue.
| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| Spare Xanthe | An alliance forms between Xanthe and Coen. She appears in the castle during the final battle and lets him pass safely. In the epilogue, a mural reveals she keeps killing women wherever she goes to keep her daughter alive. |
| Refuse her help | You kill Xanthe, and her daughter’s fate is left to you. Coen can leave her alive or mercy-kill her inside her room. |
Both paths close out The Cycle of Love, but only sparing Xanthe brings her to your side for the endgame. Because The Blood of Dawnwalker locks certain choices per playthrough, keep a manual save before the confrontation if you want to see how each ending plays out.
