Sword Shards in The Blood of Dawnwalker are needed to build the Sword of St. Mihai, a weapon that'll give you a serious edge against Brencis. You'll likely end up around Val Songara's Svartrau Cathedral following the A Monk and a Saint questline that has you following the footsteps of St Mihai, said to have battled Vrakihiri himself. Find where he's buried, and you may find the perfect vampire hunter gear, including the legendary silver sword of St. Mihai, which is arguably the best weapon in The Blood of Dawnwalker.
The road to the best gear is never simple, however, and this is actually a multi-step process that, once started, you may need to come back to later on. The quest markers themselves don't give you an awful lot of guidance, meaning you'll have to figure out some steps yourself or by poking around Vale Sangora. Or, simply ask us. As, below, I have collected together steps that'll ensure you get your mitts on this legendary sword for yourself.
The main quest to track down the Sword of St Mihai, and St Mihai's crypt, is called "A Saint and a Monk". This takes place in Svartrau, and has you tracking down a scholar by following markings in Focus mode within the Middles District around the city walls before heading to the unmissable Svartrau cathedral.
If you don't have this quest yet, one way to get it to appear is to follow Anca's questline past your excursion to St Tryna's, clearing Echoes of Silenced Bells and researching books with her in Beyond the Words. There may be other routes, but this one definitely works, and it allows you to build up one of The Blood of Dawnwalker romances along the way, if you're interested.
Once A Saint and a Monk takes you to Svartrau Cathedral at night, you'll find the quest marker is quite big, and there are some dead ends that can make progression unclear. Though the crypts outside the cathedral are obvious and glow yellow, Coen won't be able to decide on which one is St Miha's until you obtain more information, especially his emblem. Even though you can find caves within a nearby well that go near the crypt, and research about St Mihai in the library (entered through the unlocked door on the balcony), these don't progress the quest.
Instead, you'll need to gain access to the cathedral via the scaffolding on the belltower (on the opposite side to the crypts). Inside, you'll find Xanthe, who is quite dangerous. She can be avoided, and studying the frescos on the interior roof will reveal St Mihai's mark.
Pick up the rooftop key to exit near the crypts, and explore within. After some fighting you'll obtain the Broken St Mihai's sword. It needs to be restored by collecting three silver shard pieces, and getting a blacksmith specialist to repair it – kicking off the "Forge It Anew" quest line.
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/action-rpg/blood-of-dawnwalker-sword-shards-st-mihai
