“The Heart Wants What It Wants” is a side quest in Svartrau City that ends with the local crime lord Andrei dead and the Uriash Ocha choosing a new life. It is one of the longer optional chains in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and a few small decisions along the way determine whether the hex works, whether Nora survives, and which ending Ocha picks.
Quick answer: Win the tavern duel against Ocha, wait for night and climb into Andrei’s room with vrakhiri, loot Andrei’s Ring and hand that to Ocha, free the pigs to pull the guard away, then draw the hex sign on Andrei’s window frame.
How to start the quest in Svartrau City
The quest begins in the Tavern in Svartrau City, marked on the map with a cup icon. Fast travel to the Altenmarkt Shrine, walk to the Tavern, and use Focus Mode inside to pick Ocha out of the crowd.
Talking to her leads to a shove and two replies, “I don’t want any trouble” or “Hands off, cow!” Neither changes anything. Ocha starts the brawl regardless, and you have to beat Ocha, Heir of Clan Bakr, in a duel before the quest moves on.
Nora breaks up the fight afterwards and invites you upstairs, where she and Ocha explain that Andrei extorts them both. Ocha proposes killing him with a hex, which needs an object Andrei cares about. The dialogue choices here have no lasting effect. You leave with three objectives: acquire Andrei’s memento, find a way into Andrei’s hideout, and ask around to learn more about Andrei.
Three ways into Andrei’s hideout (and the safest one)
The hideout sits behind a butcher’s shop, and there are three separate entry routes. They differ mainly in cost and in how much risk they create for Nora.
| Route | Cost | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Climb the balcony at night with vrakhiri | None | Lowest. Skips the dialogue gauntlet entirely and Nora is never taken hostage. |
| Pay the beggar outside the butcher | 50 Denarii | Reveals the butcher’s door. Going through it puts Nora in danger. |
| Pay Katja near the hideout | 400 Denarii | Same butcher’s door route. Requires bringing up Nora and asking about Andrei first. |
Waiting until night and climbing in through the upper window is the cleanest option. It costs nothing, avoids the conversation with Andrei, and leaves Nora out of the confrontation. Entering through the butcher’s door leads to Nora being held hostage later, and she can die there.
Note: to use the front door you need a piece of silver in your inventory and the line “I have some silver to sell” when the butcher stops you.
Front-door dialogue: Choices that avoid a fight with Andrei
If you do take the butcher’s door, Andrei has a short temper and several replies will start a brawl. These are the lines that keep the meeting calm.
| Moment | Safe reply |
|---|---|
| Speaking to the butcher | “Here it is.” / “Alright, here.” |
| Seeing a man’s hand being cut off | [stay silent] |
| After telling Andrei to leave the man alone | “Sorry. Do what you will.” |
| Selling the silver | “Here’s what I’ve got.” |
| Andrei says you look nervous | “Who wouldn’t be? What we’re doing here is illegal.” or “I don’t trust you, is all.” |
| Andrei threatens you with his cleaver | “No wonder people don’t want to work with you.” or “You know how to handle it, that’s for sure.” |
The lines that lead straight to a fight are “Just move,” “I said let him go,” “You don’t impress me,” “Your threats bore me,” and anything after “I’m here to talk about Ocha.” Two more are risky rather than certain: “I’ll show it to Andrei” and “Leave that man alone.”
Which memento to take: Cleaver, pendant, or ring
Take Andrei’s Ring. It is the only object the hex works with. The cleaver means little to him, and the pendant was stolen from Katja, so neither carries the personal connection Ocha needs.
Through the front door you only get a few seconds to grab one item. Climbing in at night is more relaxed, and the room also holds Andrei’s Pendant, a Recipe for Powder of Sharp Mind, the Ring of Quick Strikes (a Level 24 Legendary Ring), and his journals. Whatever else you pick up, hand the ring to Ocha when you meet outside.
Returning the pendant to Katja is possible, but it makes the hex fail and changes nothing in the story. If you hand Ocha the wrong memento, Nora can die during the fallout unless you speak up with “Step away from her!” instead of staying hidden.
Distract the guard and draw the hex sign
With the ring handed over, Ocha tells you to draw a magical sign on the wall beside Andrei’s window. A guard is standing right there, so he has to be moved first.
Ocha’s three endings by the river
The final meeting happens by the river outside Svartrau. Loot the nearby traps for three crayfish so the two of you can eat, then talk. The conversation is a scoring system, and Ocha’s decision goes to whichever option accumulates the most points.
| Prompt | Reply | Point |
|---|---|---|
| First choice | Do you miss home? | Home +1 |
| First choice | Do you like the city? | City +1 |
| First choice | Why do you want to travel? | Explore +1 |
| Second choice | New things can be exciting, sure. | City or Explore +1 |
| Second choice | Meh. Nothing better than homemade food! | Home +1 |
| Third choice | Our neighbours helped a bit. | City or Explore +1 |
| Third choice | Other villagers just cared about themselves. | Home +1 |
Two of the three endings have conditions attached. Returning to her village is always available. Staying in Svartrau City to take over Andrei’s business only unlocks if the hex killed him, and setting off to explore the world only unlocks if you killed him yourself.
Quest rewards
The conversation by the river closes the quest. You earn the “The Outcast” trophy and the Broad Swing Manual, an Epic Greatsword development that unlocks a skill dealing 525% weapon damage.
Andrei’s death also removes the man extorting Nora and the rest of the district, which shifts who controls that corner of Svartrau City depending on the ending you steered Ocha toward.
