In addition to the important choices that directly affect the game's endings, The Blood of Dawnwalker features several other decisions with consequences significant enough that they're worth covering separately. One of them is the option to poison Ambrus before your fight against one of Brencis's lieutenants. Here we'll explain what happens if you do.
To poison Ambrus, you need to complete The Bittersweet Toast. The entire quest revolves around a plan to poison Ambrus before your duel.
It doesn't matter whether you use the Tatzelwurm Gland or not as far as poisoning Ambrus is concerned; that choice affects what happens to Iulian during the plan. As long as you complete the ritual and have Iulian drink the poisoned mixture, you'll be able to poison Ambrus when he feeds from him before the fight.
Poisoning Ambrus has one major advantage: the fight against him becomes considerably easier. The poison gradually drains his health during the duel, giving you a significant edge.
However, there is also one important drawback: if you drink Ambrus's blood after defeating him, you'll be poisoned as well. The poison will continue draining your health for up to 9 time segments. Fortunately, you simply need to advance those segments for the effect to disappear. You can use the time productively by visiting a Shrine, letting time pass or unlocking skills.
Even so, we strongly recommend drinking Ambrus's blood. Doing so allows you to unlock Scarlet Shield, a powerful Vampirism passive that can restore Health after performing a Perfect Block. The benefits of obtaining this ability easily outweigh the temporary inconvenience of being poisoned.
