Yes. You can beat Brencis during the Prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker, even though the fight is designed for you to lose.
If Brencis defeats you, the story continues normally. But the fight is not completely unwinnable—you can actually reduce his health and defeat him if you play well enough.
There is one big catch: beating the first Brencis fight is not the end of the challenge.
What Happens If You Beat Brencis?
If you defeat Brencis in the first fight, the game does not simply let you skip into the normal open world.
Instead, a cutscene plays and you are taken into another fight against Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant—the much more powerful form of Brencis that is normally associated with the end of the game.
So there are effectively two challenges:
- Beat Brencis during the Prologue.
- Survive the much harder fight that comes immediately afterward.
The first is difficult but possible.
The second is where things become extreme.
How Hard Is the Second Brencis Fight?
Extremely hard with Prologue equipment.
PC Gamer tested the encounter after collecting some of the strongest equipment available that early and reported doing very little damage to Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant, while his attacks could effectively kill Coen in one hit.
That means simply proving you can beat the first Brencis fight does not mean you can easily finish the game during the Prologue.
The game is clearly built around most players losing here and continuing into the main story.
Do You Have to Beat Brencis to Continue?
No.
Losing the first Brencis fight is the intended way to progress.
If Brencis defeats Coen, a cutscene plays and the story continues. You are not expected to restart the fight until you win.
So if this is your first playthrough, there is no reason to worry that you failed the Prologue by losing to him.
Should You Try to Beat Him?
You can if you want the challenge, but you do not need to beat Brencis during the Prologue to progress normally.
The encounter is deliberately stacked against Coen, especially once you reach Brencis’ stronger form.
For a normal first playthrough, losing the fight and continuing the story is exactly what the game expects you to do.
Quick Answer
Yes, you can beat the first Brencis fight during the Prologue in The Blood of Dawnwalker.
However, winning sends you into an even harder fight against Brencis, Grotesque Ascendant.
If Brencis defeats you during the initial Prologue fight, don’t reload because you think you did something wrong. Losing is an intended outcome, and the main story continues normally.
