Dawn Master
What it is
The Dawn Master fights with light. It holds its ground like the Stone Master: it braces after every attack and hits about 10% harder than most Masters. It moves at the Ember Master’s pace: wind-ups of about 0.25 to 0.7 seconds, and an opening of about 0.75 seconds after a chain. It has 23 named techniques.
At the start of the trial it tells you its lesson: when its sun gathers, turn your eyes away, then dodge and counter.
How to get it
No wandering duelist breathes Dawn. To call this Master, breathe Dawn yourself. Then sneak and use a wandering duelist of any method except Starlit, Hourglass, Crimson, Tide, Iron or Dune, since those always call their own Master. You can also type /master challenge dawn. You need Aura Form or Heart Circle VIII. See Sword Masters for the full trial rules.
To train for it, look for a Star Terrace in cherry groves or plains. Its reading room is sealed with arcane: hit every seal block with an arcane spell within 10 seconds. See Masters’ sites. Cherry groves also hide a Dawn Pavilion with Dawn manual pages. See wild places.
Noon Glare
Noon Glare is one of the Master’s named techniques: a rising cut, then a high sweep. The banner reads “Look away from the light!”
- A small sun gathers about 3 blocks above the Master.
- Each of the two strikes hits every challenger within 12 blocks who is looking at the Master, no matter where they stand. A hit blinds you for 2 seconds and deals damage.
- The answer is to look away, more than about 60 degrees off the Master. Moving farther away doesn’t help while you are within 12 blocks.
- Together the two strikes deal about 40 damage before armor. The second one lands at about 1 second, and the Master is open for about 0.75 seconds after.
It needs a clear line to you, so solid cover blocks it.
Other moves
- Techniques: chains of two to four strikes. Read each strike’s shape. See Reading a Master.
- Pursuit dash: if you hold a spell too long, it may dash up to 3.6 blocks at you, at most once every 8 seconds.
- Crescent volley: flying blades if you stay far away or high up.
Rewards for a clear
- Your first Dawn clear teaches the Ward technique part.
- The win goes into your lore journal. Type
/master victoriesto see which Masters you have beaten.
The Dawn breathing method
Dawn is an Arcane method. Its passive makes foes glow and burns the undead, and from Flow onward it also heals you a little. Its arts unlock as your aura grows:
| Art | Opens at | Input |
|---|---|---|
| First Light | Glow | swing, swing, low swing |
| Sunrise Arc | Flow | leaping swing, then low swing |
| Halo Guard | Edge | first swing after a perfect Aura Guard |
| Dawnbreak Rush | Form | first swing after an Aura Step |
| Noon Zenith | Sovereign | three full swings, then low swing |
See Breathing Methods for the full numbers. A Star Terrace’s Dawn chest can hold Halo, Grace and Beacon Swell runes.
Tips and counterplay
- When the sun gathers, turn your camera away and keep moving. Turn back once the light fades, then counter.
- Its guard comes up after every attack, so hits from the front are halved most of the time. Flank it, or bring an axe to break the guard.
- It hits harder than most Masters. Don’t trade blows; wait for the opening.
- In a group, call out the glare. It hits everyone who is looking at the Master.