The Imbued Sword of St. Mihai is the legendary greatsword most guides name as the best blade in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and it is also one of the easiest rewards to lose track of. It is split across two side quests and three hidden sword shards, and the game never marks the blacksmith on your map. This guide walks the whole chain in order. It was checked on October 30, 2026, against Update 1.1 (released October 22), which fixed several bugs that could stall this exact questline.
Quick answer (as of October 30, 2026, Update 1.1): Finish Anca's Echoes of Silenced Bells and Between the Words to unlock A Monk and a Saint (or take the Night Terrors shortcut at the Svartrau Cathedral courtyard well). Open St. Mihai's grave (second from the right, facing the cathedral) and beat Mihai for the Broken Sword of St. Mihai, 1,000 XP and 1 Skill Point. That starts Forge It Anew: collect 3 sword shards (Do Not Disturb in Maragir Wealds, Hostile Takeover in Rockfalls, Executive Order east of Svartrau). Take them to the Uriashi blacksmith in northwest Briar Sloughs, then temper the blade in the cave northwest of her hut. The reward is the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai and the Arbiter's Blade achievement. You cannot save Mihai himself.
- Quests involved: A Monk and a Saint → Forge It Anew (3 sub-quests, any order)
- Recommended level for the Mihai fight: 22+ (IGN)
- Time cost: about 12 time segments for Forge It Anew alone, 3 per shard pickup (Polygon)
- Sword stages: Broken (base) → Restored (epic) → Imbued (legendary)
How do you start the St. Mihai sword quest?
There are two ways in, and which one you use only changes how much walking you do.
The full route (Anca's questline). Anca's chain runs Withering Away → Page-Turner → Echoes of Silenced Bells → Between the Words. During Between the Words she points you to a monk in the Middens, the slum on the west side of Svartrau City, and A Monk and a Saint begins. If you are following Anca anyway (she is also one of the three romance options), this is the natural route.
The shortcut (Night Terrors). Walk into the Svartrau Cathedral courtyard and approach the well north of the main building. That triggers Night Terrors, which also leads into A Monk and a Saint. Polygon says it "seems to be the only shortcut if you don't want to do the lengthy 'Echoes of Silenced Bells' quest." You can also pick up Forge It Anew early by stumbling onto a sword shard in the wild. You still need A Monk and a Saint to own the sword itself.
One Update 1.1 change matters here. The patch notes say Rebel Wolves "nerfed one of the guards in the cathedral courtyard so he can no longer kill Coen in one hit when approached before level 30." If an early visit to the courtyard ended in an instant death, that is why, and it no longer happens.
How do you complete A Monk and a Saint?
Step 1: Make Albertus talk. Follow the charcoal scribbles through the Middens in Focus Mode to a corner house covered in them. Albertus will only answer in writing. Pick up the charcoal and choose these lines in order:
- "Abelard the Sorrowful."
- "Svartrau plaza."
- "...his penance, the place of his redemption."
- "...never once set foot inside it."
- "St. Mihai, a great warrior, arrived at Vale Sangora…"
IGN notes you earn 150 XP for this step, and that the books beside Albertus hide a Witchcraft Manual, so loot them before you leave. He tells you the sword lies under Svartrau Cathedral.
Step 2: Find St. Mihai's symbol. This is where day and night split.
- At night (faster): Shadowstep up the cathedral tower and stay on the upper balconies and scaffolding. Xanthe is performing a ritual below and will ignore you as long as you don't drop down. (You can fight her here, but IGN's walkthrough advises against it, and our Xanthe boss guide explains why going in under-levelled is a bad trade.) Examine the fresco that depicts St. Mihai, then go out to the courtyard and clear the guards.
- By day: Speak with the Deacon and the craftsman inside. Polygon's day route has you find the missing caretaker through the almshouse (100 denarii to the resident for the tip, then the hidden wing behind a bookcase), restore the window with the glass shards, and read the right book in the library. The restored window shows you the symbol.
Step 3: Enter the crypt. In the courtyard, jump into the well and examine the body (1 time unit). Clear the kobolds in the next room, loot the skeleton for the Noctis Scapulare amulet, and push the boulder out. Back outside, face the cathedral: St. Mihai's grave is the second from the right. Open it and descend.
Step 4: Prepare, then touch the cracked wall. Interacting with the back wall (1 time unit) starts the boss fight. Save first.
How do you beat St. Mihai?
Mihai has a large health bar and awkward timing that makes him hard to parry. IGN's walkthrough recommends Level 22 or higher. The fight comes down to three reads:
| Mihai's move | What it looks like | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Jumping strike (unblockable) | He draws his sword back before leaping | Dodge sideways, land one or two hits, return to guard |
| Sliding swipe (unblockable) | He slides across the floor and ends with his back to you | Your best punish window: hit him with Sword Art or Claw Art |
| Fog phase | The arena fills with fog | Don't attack unless you land a Perfect Riposte |
Everything else is block-and-wait. If you have the choice, Polygon suggests fighting at night so you have vampire powers. Our combat guide covers how parries and dodges work if the timing feels off.
Rewards: 1,000 XP, 1 Skill Point and the Broken Sword of St. Mihai (per IGN). Open the chests in the crypt too. One holds the Black Winter Vambraces. You can wield the Broken Sword straight away, and Forge It Anew starts automatically.
Can you save Mihai in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
No. As of Update 1.1 there is no dialogue option, item or choice that keeps Mihai alive after the crypt fight. He gets a brief final exchange with Coen and then dies. Players have tried everything and keep asking why. One frustrated player on the official subreddit wrote: "we have tons of blood vials and other vamp healing items, why not just give him some?" Another said they'd accept it if the developers simply "didn't create an option to save him." That is the situation: it is a fixed story beat, not a missed branch. Don't reload hunting for a different outcome, and don't count it among the game's endings and big choices.
Where are all 3 St. Mihai sword shards?
Kobolds carried off the shards, so all three are tied to dens. Each shard has its own sub-quest that starts when you get close. You can do them in any order. The one detail that saves real time: at the first den you reach, inspect the mural on the cave wall. Both IGN and Polygon confirm it marks the other two shard locations on your map.
| Sub-quest | Region | How to find it | Fight | Time cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do Not Disturb | Maragir Wealds (northeast) | Abandoned campsite northeast of the Upper Maragir Wealds shrine, across the river; follow the blood trail in Focus Mode to a kobold den | Kobold pack | 3 segments to take the shard |
| Hostile Takeover | Rockfalls (west of Svartrau) | Den on the plains east of Westridge Outpost; Polygon says the Giant's Paws shrine is the easiest approach | Munch-Munch mini-boss | 3 segments |
| Executive Order | St. Tyna's Grove, east of Svartrau | Kobold den southeast of the Crossroads Inn; the shard is gone, so follow the trail to a soldiers' camp in the swamp to the southwest, near Tantari | Soldiers' camp | 3 segments |
Shard 1: Do Not Disturb (Maragir Wealds)
Approach the campsite to start the sub-quest. Track the trail to the cave, clear the kobolds, and take the shard from the altar at the back. Read the mural before you leave.
Shard 2: Hostile Takeover (Rockfalls)
There is no kobold pack here, just one oversized corrupted kobold called Munch-Munch. If you met Chonk in Lacra's Hive and Seek, this is the same fight. IGN's walkthrough writer warns that Munch-Munch is "much more difficult" in daylight, because at night you can block to regain health with Scarlet Shield. His long combos punish missed parries, and his unblockable poison spit stacks damage fast. Keep your distance after it instead of chasing a punish. Bring healing items, and use Dirty Trick to stun him if you need room to heal. Loot the nest at the back for the shard (250 XP).
Shard 3: Executive Order (east of Svartrau)
The den east of St. Tyna's Grove is nearly empty because soldiers got there first. Read the letter inside: it names the Uriashi blacksmith you need later. Your marker then moves to a soldiers' camp in the swamp to the southwest, near Tantari. Clear it and open the big chest in the officer's tent for the shard. IGN notes the camp belongs to Xanthe, so raiding it also hurts the boyaress. Update 1.1 fixed a bug where "quest objectives [did] not appear until the 'Forge It Anew: Executive Order' event was completed," so on a patched game, doing this shard first or last no longer matters.
Where is the Uriashi blacksmith, and how do you finish Forge It Anew?
The blacksmith's hideout is in the northwest corner of Briar Sloughs. You can learn this from the Executive Order letter, or by helping the Elder in the Uriash village and asking her about it. You can also just go there without either clue.
- Reforge. When she asks why you want the sword, tell her you want to kill Brencis. Hand over all three shards and the Broken Sword becomes the Restored Sword of St. Mihai (epic quality).
- Temper. She sends you to a cave northwest of her hut. Use the "cut through the veins" interaction prompt on the red veins (hacking at them manually does nothing), then clear the undead horde in the pit, about a dozen enemies. Their charge can be blocked on time.
- The ritual. In the next chamber, spend 3 time segments on the ritual at the red orb. Several waves of undead attack, and each wave you clear drains the health bar of the Echoing Anger. Area-of-effect Witchcraft or Vampirism abilities make this much easier.
Survive the waves and you get the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai, a legendary greatsword. Forge It Anew completes and the Arbiter's Blade achievement/trophy unlocks. It is one of the legendary-gear trophies in our trophy and Platinum guide.
Is the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai worth it?
Yes, for almost every build. GamesRadar calls it "the best sword," and it tops our best weapons ranking. The finished blade boosts four stats that never go to waste:
- Swordmastery Ability Cooldown
- Weapon Critical Hit Chance
- Weapon Critical Hit Damage
- Damage against Supernatural Enemies: a big deal against vrakhiri and late-game bosses
The catch is timing. The sword's item level depends on when you finish the questline: guides list it at around Level 21 for an early finish and up to Level 50 at endgame. One player on the official subreddit put it simply: "get this sword late or be prepared to level it up." That leaves you two choices:
- Rush it for a strong mid-game weapon, then pay to upgrade it with Denarii at a smith (see our crafting and upgrade guide). You get the most use out of it.
- Finish it late for the highest base numbers. You only get a few hours with it before the final fight with Brencis.
Most players are better off finishing it once they are comfortable fighting at Level 22+, so they can actually use the sword. Keep in mind that the whole chain costs time segments you could spend elsewhere in your 30 days. Our time system explainer covers how to budget that.
What did Update 1.1 fix in the St. Mihai questline?
If you got stuck on this chain at launch, it probably wasn't your fault. The Update 1.1 notes (October 22, 2026, Steam) list these fixes for A Monk and a Saint and Forge It Anew:
- "Fixed an issue that caused the objective to find Mihai's chalice in the 'A Monk and a Saint' quest to be impossible to complete if the crypt was discovered earlier."
- "Fixed an issue that caused the quest objective to disappear after interacting with Mihai's grave during the 'A Monk and a Saint' quest."
- "Fixed an issue that caused the enemy to become stuck inside walls when attacked with Voracious Bite during the 'A Monk and A Saint' quest."
- "Fixed an issue that caused quest objectives to not appear until the 'Forge It Anew: Executive Order' event was completed."
- "Fixed an issue that caused the scaffolding tables in the cathedral to lack their focus mode highlight at night."
- The one-shot courtyard guard nerf described above.
If your quest log was broken on a pre-patch save, update the game and reload. Our Update 1.1 patch notes breakdown covers the rest of the patch, including the new Draught of Mind Rebirth respec.
FAQ
How many sword shards are there for St. Mihai's sword? Three. They come from the sub-quests Do Not Disturb (Maragir Wealds), Hostile Takeover (Rockfalls) and Executive Order (east of Svartrau, near St. Tyna's Grove). The mural in the first den you visit marks the other two on your map.
Can you save St. Mihai in The Blood of Dawnwalker? No. As of Update 1.1, Mihai always dies after the crypt fight. He gets a short final conversation with Coen, and no item or dialogue option changes that.
Where is the Uriashi blacksmith? In the northwest corner of Briar Sloughs. The letter in the Executive Order den points you there, but you can travel there without the clue. Tell her you want to kill Brencis and she will reforge the sword.
What level should I be for the St. Mihai sword quest? IGN recommends Level 22+ for the Mihai fight. Munch-Munch in Hostile Takeover is the other tough fight, especially in daylight. The sword's own item level depends on when you finish the questline.
What trophy do you get for the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai? Arbiter's Blade. It unlocks when you finish tempering the sword at the end of Forge It Anew, not when you first pick up the Broken Sword.
Is the St. Mihai sword missable? It is not tied to a deadline you can see. But the chain costs time segments, and the 30-day calendar keeps running. Start it once you reach Svartrau so the end of the story doesn't arrive first. Our missable items guide lists what else to grab before you run out of time.
Looking for the next fight or build? Browse more The Blood of Dawnwalker guides, starting with the side quests that are actually worth your time.
Sources: IGN (A Monk and a Saint and Forge It Anew walkthroughs), Polygon (A Monk and a Saint and Forge It Anew walkthroughs), GamesRadar (sword shards and weapons coverage), PC Gamer and Game8 (Do Not Disturb location), Rebel Wolves' Update 1.1 patch notes on Steam, and player reports on the official subreddit. Verified October 30, 2026, on Update 1.1.
