All Swordmastery ability manual locations in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Tracking down Swordmastery manuals in Blood of Dawnwalker will give you more abilities to use when fighting in your human form. While the regular skill manuals appear to be random, the actual ability manuals have fixed locations, so you can track them down whenever you want. Below, I've included manual locations for all the Swordmastery abilities in the optimal order for grabbing them.

All Swordmastery ability locations

There are seven Swordmastery abilities in Blood of Dawnwalker. You start with Dirty Trick already unlocked, but you can get the others through certain quests or by finding manuals, usually in Bandit Camps, Soldier Camps, or purchase via Swordmastery trainers. The trainers I know of are:

You'll need additional manuals to upgrade abilities past Level 1, so I've included the different ways you can get more of them. The good news is that you can grab all of these abilities in the initial regions after Laslea, especially in St. Tyna's Grove, which is useful considering you'll likely want to make your way there for Anca's Echoes of Silenced Bells quest.

Charge manual locations

• Charge dealing damage and stunning a target and everyone in your way.

You get this manual in the prologue by completing the Like Father, Like Son quest. First, you'll have to finish the main quest, Withering Away, so leave yourself plenty of time to make sure you can do this one as well. You don't have to beat your father in the fight to get this reward.

1. You find another Charge manual in the chest of the Soldier Camp to the east of Parlita in the Boar's Back region on the west side of the map.
2. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
3. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Broad Swing manual locations

• Swing your sword in two circular arcs, damaging all enemies in the area of effect.

You can get this manual from the chest in the Bandit Camp east up the hill from Laslea, near the Outlaw's Gorge shrine. Though you can do this in the prologue, you can still do it after, so it's a bit more efficient time wise to tackle the camp then instead.

1. There is another Broad Swing manual at the Soldier Camp south of Maragir in the Maragir Wealds, right next to the Lower Maragir Wealds shrine.
2. You can get another manual by completing The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in the northwest of Svartrau
3. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
4. You can buy two manuals from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Swiftness manual locations

• Boosts attack speed after Perfect Block.

You can loot this manual from the chest in the Bandit Camp in the forest to the northwest of Stoneward Post (the big fort in Briar Sloughs). Briar Sloughs is the region directly to the southwest of Laslea, close to where you start on Day 1.

1. You can find another in a chest in the room where you fight Svetlana, The Dark Prodigy in Silts Tower in the south of The Silts region, in the south of the map.
2. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
3. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Adrenaline Rush manual locations

• Increases attack damage after using active abilities.

You can find this manual in the chest in the Bandit Camp in the far south of the Maragir Wealds, south of Maragir itself, and southeast of the Eerie Knoll shrine in the woods, past one of Ambrus's blood cellars. Maragir Wealds is the region directly to the southeast of Laslea.

1. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
2. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Artery Strike manual locations

• Critical strike with a chance of decapitating the target.

You can loot this manual from the chest in the Soldier Camp in St. Tyna's Grove, heading southeast on the road that takes you down towards the convent. It's also directly north of the big Ambrus fort you can see on the map. The St. Tyna's Grove region is south of Maragir Wealds and directly east of Svartrau.

1. You can also get this manual for progressing the Buried Past quest and helping, then sparring, with Volk. You can start this quest by talking to the grocer in Maragir in Maragir Wealds.
2. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
3. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Walking Fortress manual locations

• Perfect Block restores a portion of Activation Charge.

You can get this manual from the chest in the Soldier Camp in St. Tyna's Grove, south of the Stuga Marshes shrine. From the camp in the previous entry, follow the road southeast, passing the Ambrus blood cellar on your left until you hit the camp. As mentioned above, the St. Tyna's Grove region is south of Maragir Wealds and east of Svartrau.

1. You can also buy this manual by freeing the swordsman, Ursul, in the Ambrus Prisoners: Lucky Crossing north of Svartrau in the northeast Svartrau Outskirts. He'll invite you to his camp, fight you, and then sell you a selection of manuals, including this one.
2. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
3. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.

Dirty Trick manual locations

• Stuns and damages a target and makes them vulnerable to active abilities.

You start Blood of Dawnwalker with this skill unlocked, but you can get an additional manual from the chest at the Bandit Camp in the northeast of St. Tyna's Grove, across the river in the woods. If in doubt, head northeast from the patch of dead trees and pools you can see on the map, east of Ambrus's fort. As mentioned above, the St. Tyna's Grove region is south of Maragir Wealds and east of Svartrau.

1. Another manual sold by Ocha after you complete The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants quest at the tavern in Altenmarkt in northwest Svartrau
2. You can buy another manual from Drogos if you join the Manumits in the Where Loyalty Lies quest (after The Firebrand) and follow their questline until you complete What Moves the Dead.