Prepare the medicine and finish training before committing to optional prologue detours. The main sequence is All Good Things → Withering Away → Like Father, Like Son → Sacred Covenant → Bad Blood → Smoke and Ashes. This is a navigation route, not a promise of every possible outcome.
Medicine and training
- During Withering Away, read Instructions from Anca before returning the herbs. Follow the medicine choices: hot water, then three spoonfuls.
- If Esme refuses, tell a story and ask her to take a sip. Continue Pieter's training through Like Father, Like Son.
- Check for the Charge manual afterwards. Reading a manual and purchasing its skill are separate steps.
Optional routes before Mass
- For Lazar, check Deep Down early. The exact survival cutoff is not confirmed consistently across sources.
- For the grave investigation, follow Dead Drop through to the final letter.
- Review each quest separately. Into the Den has a different postponement rule from prologue story missions.
Save before a commitment
Keep a separate save before major story transitions and inspect unfinished journal entries. A completed choice cannot be assumed reversible by revisiting the NPC. Preserve the save from before the decision if you want to compare outcomes.
After the prologue
After Smoke and Ashes, use the Court activity guide. Complete the marked objective, then inspect the Court state. Travel, waiting, and quest completion are different time decisions.