The Blood of Dawnwalker: Broad Swing Manual Location (Outlaw’s Gorge)

Broad Swing is one of the earliest crowd-control tools Coen can pick up in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and it is gated behind a book rather than a skill point. The Broad Swing Manual is an Epic-rarity Swordmastery manual, and the first copy most players run into sits on a corpse in the opening hours of the game.

Quick answer: Loot the Broad Swing Manual from the bandit leader at Outlaw’s Gorge in Leslya Glen — the body in the open vest lying outside the small wooden cabin — then read it from your inventory to make Broad Swing available in the Swordmastery development tree.

Broad Swing Manual location at Outlaw’s Gorge, Leslya Glen

This pickup is available during the prologue, while the “Rescue your family” quest is still driving the story forward. You do not need any prerequisites, a specific level, or a particular time of day — just the ability to survive a small bandit camp.

Coen stands beside a wounded companion with the Rescue your family quest active — The manual is reachable early, while “Rescue your family” is still the active quest. Image: Rebel Wolves

Open the world map and look for the Outlaw’s Gorge marker in the Leslya Glen region. Selecting it brings up the location panel with the fast-travel and Track options, so you can pin it before you set off.

World map with the Outlaw's Gorge location panel open and the Track option available — The Outlaw’s Gorge panel on the map screen, with fast travel and Track available. Image: Rebel Wolves

Travel east from Coen’s house and follow the road past the nearby shrine. The camp sits just off that path, and the bandits there attack the moment they spot you, so sneaking past is not really an option.

Kill the dog first, then peel the bandits off one at a time. On higher difficulties this fight bites early; a pack of bears wanders the slopes nearby, and pulling them into the camp will let them do some of the work for you.

With the camp clear, search the bodies outside the small wooden cabin. The one wearing the open vest — the camp’s leader — carries the Broad Swing Manual alongside coin and odds and ends like a Minor Keen Eye Potion, a Vial of Human Blood, and Hunter’s Trousers.

Coen outside the bandit camp hut with the Reach the tower objective on screen — The wooden cabin at the camp — the manual is on the bandit lying outside it. Image: Rebel Wolves

Tip: While you are inside the hut, the Bandit’s Treasure Map is sitting on the table next to an onion. It points to a cave treasure and is worth grabbing on the same trip.

How to read the manual and unlock Broad Swing

Picking the book up does nothing on its own. Open your inventory, select the Broad Swing Manual, and read it. The item is tagged as Epic Character Development, and its description is a short account of a soldier’s exploits that ends with the line about making a new ability available in the development tree.

Inventory screen with the manual selected and its character development details shown — Reading the manual from the inventory screen unlocks the ability for learning. Image: Rebel Wolves

Reading it only makes Broad Swing available. To actually learn it, interact with a Shrine, open the perks screen, switch to the Swordmastery tree, and spend a Skill Point on Broad Swing. You will know it worked when the node stops showing as locked and the ability can be slotted into your Active Abilities panel.

Character development screen with a skill tree tab open and perk details in the side panel — The character development screen, where manuals feed into the skill trees — the Witchcraft tab is shown here. Image: Rebel Wolves

Broad Swing ability stats and cost

Broad Swing is a weapon area attack built for groups. The base hit is strong on its own, and the damage scales up the more bodies you catch in the arc, which is what makes it worth the charge cost against packed camps.

Detail	Value
Type	Weapon Area Attack (Swordmastery)
Base damage	300% weapon damage
Bonus	+20% damage per enemy hit, up to +100%
Cost	2 Activation Charges
Cooldown	15 seconds
Manual rarity	Epic
Manual value	177

Other ways to get the Broad Swing Manual

If you missed the Outlaw’s Gorge body or want extra copies, the manual is not a one-time item. Swordmastery manuals drop from enemies at soldier and bandit camps, sit in the chests those camps guard, and turn up in merchant inventories later in the game.

Source	Where / how
Renegade Bruiser	Enemy drop
Soldier Camp chest	Southwest of Lower Maragir Wealds Shrine
Soldier Camp chest	West of Burner’s Clearing Shrine
Drogos	Svartrau City, Silberstein — during the Manumit questline
Catalin’s Tutor (Baltzer)	Northeast of Oghasti — free the captive outside Lunar Manor
Ocha	Location depends on your ending; unlocked via The Heart Wants What It Wants

Note: Merchant stock is partly randomized. A vendor who sells the manual on one save may not have it listed on another, and revisiting after some time can change what is on the shelf.

Because manuals keep dropping from camp enemies for the whole game, there is no hard limit on how many you can collect — far more exist than you need to fill out the trees. The only thing that makes the Outlaw’s Gorge copy special is timing: it hands you a reliable area attack while you are still swinging a starter sword.