How to heal in The Blood of Dawnwalker: prepare medicine by day and blood by night

Check your current form first. In human form by day, food and human healing items can restore health. In vampire form at night, use feeding or blood-based supplies. Set the right item on your quick bar before a fight instead of discovering the wrong form cannot use it.

Before you leave

1. During the day, open your inventory and read the healing items' descriptions and quantities. Put the supplies you want in quick slots, then check the input for your platform and control settings.
2. Human food generally heals over time; a healing ointment is useful when you need an immediate recovery. Check the item's actual effect and restrictions on its tooltip.
3. At night, check the blood supplies or feeding abilities you can use. Feeding on people or animals may affect Corruption and story choices. Avoid important quest characters; consider manageable enemies or animals instead of attacking an NPC just to heal.
4. Merchants may close at night. While passing an available shop by day, look for food, ointments and recipes. Stock and prices can vary by vendor and progress.

Make a basic ointment

The documented Minor Mending Ointment recipe uses 2 Ribwort Plantain and 1 Canteen of Water. Gather the herbs and find or buy water, open the radial menu's crafting section, select the recipe under healing items and hold the craft input. If it is missing or unavailable, check that you have the recipe and sufficient ingredients; follow the current in-game prompt for your version.

Ointments have similar names, so check their description and permitted form before buying or crafting. Blood items can also have other uses: read their effect before consuming them instead of immediately drinking every vial.

Can't use a healing item?

Check whether it is day or night, whether the item works in your current form, how many you have and whether it is in the correct quick slot. Ordinary human healing supplies are not a substitute for blood in vampire form. Feeding can have story or character consequences, so consider the target first.

Sources: day and night healing, making the ointment, recipe ingredients.