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DIRECT ANSWER
What the player needs to know
Collect the fixed early manuals
Ability manuals have fixed acquisition routes even though ordinary skill manuals may appear randomly. Finish Withering Away and Like Father, Like Son during the prologue to receive Charge; winning the spar is not required. Broad Swing waits in the Bandit Camp chest east uphill from Laslea near the Outlaw’s Gorge shrine and can safely be collected after the prologue.
Swiftness is in the Bandit Camp northwest of Stoneward Post in Briar Sloughs. Adrenaline Rush is in the far-southern Maragir Wealds Bandit Camp, southeast of Eerie Knoll. Artery Strike comes from the Soldier Camp on the road north of St. Tyna’s Convent, and Walking Fortress is in the next Soldier Camp farther southeast, south of the Stuga Marshes shrine.
| Ability | Fixed source |
|---|---|
| Charge | Complete Like Father, Like Son |
| Broad Swing | Bandit Camp east of Laslea |
| Swiftness | Bandit Camp northwest of Stoneward Post |
| Adrenaline Rush | Bandit Camp in south Maragir Wealds |
| Artery Strike | Northern St. Tyna’s Grove Soldier Camp |
| Walking Fortress | Soldier Camp south of Stuga Marshes shrine |
Use trainers for upgrades and missed copies
Free Ursul during Ambrus Prisoners: Lucky Crossing north of Svartrau, then visit his camp to unlock his inventory. Ocha becomes available through selected outcomes in The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants. Drogos opens later in the Manumit chain after The Firebrand, Shadows in the Woods, Where Loyalty Lies and What Moves the Dead.
Additional copies raise ability levels, so a trainer is useful even after finding the first manual. Check the ability name before buying: unlocking a technique and upgrading an existing technique solve different problems, and both purchases may compete with other resources or time costs.
- Ursul: complete Lucky Crossing.
- Ocha: resolve The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants.
- Drogos: advance the Manumit questline.
- Compare the current ability level before purchasing.
Pick manuals that solve the current fight
Charge damages and stuns targets in Coen’s path. Broad Swing covers groups. Swiftness rewards a Perfect Block with attack speed, while Adrenaline Rush boosts damage after an active ability. Artery Strike provides a critical attack with a decapitation chance, Walking Fortress restores Activation Charge on Perfect Block, and Dirty Trick stuns while making the target vulnerable to active abilities.
A location list is not a tier list. Early access, directional-combat confidence and the enemy group in front of you determine which manual is worth the time. Collect the fixed camps along an existing quest route instead of crossing the map solely for a technique you do not yet need.
The fixed locations and trainer unlocks are compiled from an independent launch-build guide. Each chest, quest reward and merchant inventory will be checked on the current patch, with repeat manuals distinguished from the first unlock. Random generic manuals are intentionally excluded from the location table because a repeatable route is more useful than an unverified drop claim.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you get Charge?
Complete Like Father, Like Son after Withering Away during the prologue. You do not need to beat Pieter in the spar.
Where is the Broad Swing manual?
Loot the chest in the Bandit Camp east uphill from Laslea near the Outlaw’s Gorge shrine.
Who sells Swordmastery manuals?
The named trainers are Ursul, Ocha and Drogos, each unlocked through a different questline.
REFERENCE RECORD
Sources used for this page
Find fixed Witchcraft ability manuals from Ancient Circles, Haunted Sites, Pilgrimages of Power and named Dawnwalker merchants.