Quick Answer
There are 13 Ancient Circles in The Blood of Dawnwalker, spread across Vale Sangora.
To complete an Ancient Circle:
- Visit the Ancient Circle during the day.
- Inspect the mural at the site.
- Use Focus Mode on the altar in front of it.
- Use Astral Communion to begin the trial.
- Defeat the summoned spectral and undead enemies.
- Open the reward chest that appears.
Each Ancient Circle costs one Time Segment to activate, so completing all 13 requires 13 Time Segments in total.
Ancient Circles are especially useful for obtaining Witchcraft and combat manuals, Epic equipment, crafting recipes, and other high-rarity gear.
Where Are All 13 Ancient Circles?
There are 13 Ancient Circles spread across Vale Sangora. Below are all 13 locations and their notable rewards. You can complete them in any order.
- Northern Swamps — Mercurial Favor Manual, Red Darksteel Bracers, Potent Revitalizing Tonic Recipe
- Northwest Pass — Cycle of Ruin Manual
- The Wallows — Cycle of Ruin Manual
- East of Parlita — Burning Blood Manual, Burnished Battlesword, Potent Fortitude Paste Recipe
- Maragir Wealds — Burning Blood Manual, Tempered Cuisses
- East of Maragir — Mercurial Favor Manual, Tempered Long Basilard
- St. Tyna’s Grove — Soul Reaping Manual
- Tantari Vista — Cycle of Ruin Manual, Unbreakable Veteran’s Sword
- Silts Overgrowth — Perfect Riposte Manual, Red Darksteel Bracers
- Hills of Tantari — Perfect Riposte Manual, Highland Noble Surcoat
- Southern Swamps — Stinging Blade Manual, Amulet of Crimson Steel
- Blind Gorge — Artery Strike Manual, Sanguine Bladedancer’s Tunic, Mortal’s Blood Infusion Recipe
- Southwest Silts — Restless Blade Manual, Potent Vigor Infusion Recipe
You do not need to complete them in this order. The numbers are simply a convenient way to keep track of all 13 locations.
How Do Ancient Circles Work?
Ancient Circles are optional open-world trials found throughout Vale Sangora.
At each location, look for the mural and altar.
Inspect the mural first, then enter Focus Mode and examine the glowing altar. Coen can use Astral Communion to activate the Ancient Circle.
Starting the trial summons several supernatural enemies, which can include:
- Vidmos
- Psoglavs
- Guardians
Defeat all of the summoned enemies and a reward chest becomes available.
Make sure you open the chest before leaving. The reward chest is the final part of completing the Ancient Circle.
Can You Complete Ancient Circles at Night?
No. Ancient Circles can only be activated during the day.
They require Astral Communion, which is part of Coen’s Witchcraft abilities and therefore used in his human form.
If you discover an Ancient Circle while exploring at night, remember its location and return during the day.
This also means it can be efficient to group several Ancient Circles together when planning your daytime activities.
Do Ancient Circles Cost Time?
Yes. Activating an Ancient Circle costs one Time Segment.
Simply traveling to the location does not consume a segment. The cost occurs when you begin the trial.
That means:
- 1 Ancient Circle: 1 Time Segment
- 5 Ancient Circles: 5 Time Segments
- All 13 Ancient Circles: 13 Time Segments
Because completing every Ancient Circle represents a significant time investment, you do not necessarily need to clear each one as soon as you discover it.
If you are mainly interested in a particular manual or piece of equipment, checking the reward first can help you decide which Circles to prioritize.
Which Ancient Circles Have the Most Useful Rewards?
Some Ancient Circles stand out because of the equipment or manuals found there.
Southern Swamps
The Southern Swamps Ancient Circle is particularly notable because its rewards include:
- Stinging Blade Manual
- Amulet of Crimson Steel
The Amulet of Crimson Steel is a Legendary amulet, making this one of the more attractive Ancient Circles if equipment is your main priority.
Northwest Pass
The Northwest Pass Ancient Circle rewards the Cycle of Ruin Manual.
More importantly, the Durandal Legendary sword can also be found in the same ravine.
Durandal is not the Ancient Circle chest reward itself, but if you are already traveling there, it is worth searching the ravine before leaving.
Hills of Tantari
The Hills of Tantari Ancient Circle rewards:
- Perfect Riposte Manual
- Highland Noble Surcoat
One of the enemies in this encounter can also drop a Sharp Eye Manual, so make sure you check the defeated enemies rather than immediately leaving after opening the chest.
Blind Gorge
The Blind Gorge Ancient Circle has several notable rewards:
- Artery Strike Manual
- Sanguine Bladedancer’s Tunic
- Mortal’s Blood Infusion Recipe
That makes it a useful stop if you want both combat progression and equipment rather than only another manual.
Which Ancient Circles Give Witchcraft Manuals?
Several Ancient Circles reward manuals connected to Coen’s Witchcraft progression.
The main ones include:
- Northern Swamps: Mercurial Favor
- Northwest Pass: Cycle of Ruin
- The Wallows: Cycle of Ruin
- East of Parlita: Burning Blood
- Maragir Wealds: Burning Blood
- East of Maragir: Mercurial Favor
- St. Tyna’s Grove: Soul Reaping
Some manuals appear at more than one Ancient Circle.
That means if your only goal is to obtain a particular ability, you may not need to complete every Circle that rewards the same manual.
Which Ancient Circles Give Weapons or Armor?
Several Ancient Circles contain notable equipment in addition to manuals.
These include:
- Northern Swamps: Red Darksteel Bracers
- East of Parlita: Burnished Battlesword
- Maragir Wealds: Tempered Cuisses
- East of Maragir: Tempered Long Basilard
- Tantari Vista: Unbreakable Veteran’s Sword
- Silts Overgrowth: Red Darksteel Bracers
- Hills of Tantari: Highland Noble Surcoat
- Southern Swamps: Amulet of Crimson Steel
- Blind Gorge: Sanguine Bladedancer’s Tunic
Equipment obtained from Ancient Circle chests can scale with Coen’s level when the chest is opened.
Because of that, there can be some value in leaving certain equipment-focused Circles until later rather than automatically clearing every one as early as possible.
Where Is the Ancient Circle Near Durandal?
The Ancient Circle associated with the Durandal location is the Northwest Pass Ancient Circle.
Complete the Circle normally to obtain its Cycle of Ruin Manual, but do not leave the ravine immediately afterward.
Durandal can be found nearby in the same ravine, separately from the Ancient Circle reward chest.
So if you are specifically hunting Legendary weapons, the Northwest Pass is one of the Ancient Circle locations worth visiting even if you do not care about completing all 13.
How Do You Reveal Ancient Circles on the Map?
Ancient Circles use a white ruins icon once they have been identified.
The easiest way to reveal points of interest across Vale Sangora is to climb the 11 Scouting Towers.
Scouting from the Towers reveals nearby locations on the map, allowing you to identify the Ancient Circles without wandering across the entire region looking for them manually.
This is particularly useful for Ancient Circles because there are 13 of them spread across both the northern and southern parts of Vale Sangora.
Why Won’t an Ancient Circle Start?
If you have reached an Ancient Circle but cannot begin the trial, check these requirements first:
- You are there during the day.
- You have Astral Communion.
- You inspected the mural.
- You used Focus Mode on the altar.
- You have a Time Segment available to spend.
Astral Communion is obtained automatically through the Prologue, so you do not need to search for a separate manual before completing Ancient Circles.
Once the trial starts, defeat every summoned enemy and open the chest to finish the activity.
Are Ancient Circles the Same as Haunted Sites?
No. They are separate open-world activities, although they work in similar ways.
Both:
- Are completed during the day
- Use Astral Communion
- Summon supernatural enemies
- Cost a Time Segment
- Give manuals and equipment as rewards
The main difference is how you begin them.
Ancient Circles revolve around a mural and altar, while Haunted Sites involve investigating bodies and the deaths that occurred at a location.
There are 13 Ancient Circles but only four Haunted Sites in Vale Sangora.
Do You Need to Complete All 13 Ancient Circles?
No. Ancient Circles are optional.
You do not need to clear all 13 to finish the main story.
And because every Circle costs one Time Segment, completing the entire set represents a fairly substantial investment within the game’s 30-day structure.
If you are not aiming for completion, it can be more efficient to prioritize Ancient Circles based on the rewards you actually want—particularly specific manuals, Epic equipment, the Amulet of Crimson Steel, or the Northwest Pass location near Durandal.
For completion-focused players, however, clearing all 13 ensures you do not leave any Ancient Circle activities unfinished.
