Finish Smoke and Ashes and complete Ambrus's Court Activities until he is Angered and issues a challenge. Inspect southern Maragir, decide on The Bittersweet Toast, then ring the duel bell at night. Distinguish the poison deadline from the duel itself.

Challenge and optional plan

  1. Check Court progression. Infamy or general Notoriety alone is not the trigger.
  2. Inspect the challenge in southern Maragir. For poison, meet Iulian Codrin at his hunting lodge before duelling.
  3. Follow The Bittersweet Toast. His survival depends on the brew and dialogue, not simply accepting the plan.

Bell and deadline

  1. Ring the bell at night; it spends two time segments.
  2. After the ritual, the documented poison window is three days. Reserve the bell's two segments and check the optional journal objective.
  3. Missing that window changes the poison setup; it does not permanently fail the duel. Daytime availability is a separate restriction.

Before the fight

To have Ambrus drink without Coen drinking first, choose “I don’t trust anything you offer”. Joining the toast poisons Coen too. The refusal-of-human-blood branch kills Iulian and changes the poison effect. Save before choosing.

Read the attack

  1. Keep lock-on. Dodge backwards from the spinning teleport overhead slash; dodge sideways from the straight teleport uppercut.
  2. Retreat through the advancing sequence of sweeping sword attacks instead of punishing the first swing.
  3. Use Perfect Block into a riposte against ordinary attacks, then reassess. A follow-up claw art requires suitable equipment.

Shield and later phase

  1. Stop attacking during Scarlet Shield: the diamond indicator and grey health bar warn that your hits heal him.
  2. Defend through the blood-red teleport flurry; resume damage when ordinary attacks return.
  3. With successful poison, prioritize survival while it drains him. Without poison, repeat the defensive loop.

Blood or kill

Drinking grants Scarlet Shield but can transfer poison. Killing forgoes that feeding reward. Verify Infamy, loot and journal results separately. Keep the pre-fight save to compare later choices; this page does not promise that every invitation decision is consequence-free.

Drinking blood also affects Corruption. Check the current skill tree and choice prompt before committing; the exact increase is not confirmed here.