Home Sweet Home: Escaping the Dream Loop

The nightmare repeats on purpose. Finish it once, then take the well on your second run and the way out opens. Here is that route, the fights you have to win without your vampire form, and the secret ending hiding four cycles deep.

The Way Out: The Well, Then the Sermon

The loop is not a bug and grinding it longer will not end it. Five steps close the quest.

Play the dream through once. The well only becomes interactive from the second run onwards.
On the second run, after you free your siblings from the spectres, turn right instead of climbing the hill. Inspect the well in Focus Mode (L2 / LT) and it lights up yellow.
You land in front of a cave. Walk to the end and step through the portal into the church.
In the church, examine the mourners in this order: Alin in the coffin, then Esme on the right, then Coen the small child on the left. The locked door opens.
Cross the meadow, inspect the glowing tree stump, clawride down to the river and finish the conversation with your sister.

Where It Starts

The Silts Tower sits at the southwestern edge of the map. Climb to the top floor and interact with the door there, which costs four time segments. The quest is unmarked, so most players walk into it while clearing Aurelius during Who Pulls The Strings. It also counts as the Xanthe Court Activity Gargoyle Manufacture.

Make a manual save before you touch the door. The dream strips your gear, the southwestern region is high level, and reloading is the only clean way back out if you are undergeared.
Bring damage abilities before you go in. Artery Strike, Broad Swing and Burning Blood all carry their weight here.

The dream is at its harshest on the top presets, and you cannot swap gear once you are inside. If you are weighing a drop before you try it, our difficulty presets breakdown covers what each one changes and confirms you can switch at any time, and the combat and parrying guide covers the directional inputs these spectres punish.

You Fight This Without Your Vampire Form

The dream takes your equipment and your night form. You get a basic sword, and food is your only healing.

Sweep barrels and containers with Focus Mode for food. There is a potent vitality balm in the cart nearest the house.
Witchcraft costs health, which is the scarcest resource in here, so spend it on the fights that stall.
First group: four specters with swords. Clearing them frees your mother.
Second group: three specters. Clearing them frees your siblings.
Boss: the Keeper of Nightmares, the insect that took your family. Burning Blood or a clean parry brings it down from the air, and your melee still reaches it while it flies. Killing it frees your father.

The Secret Ending Is Missable

Beat the Keeper of Nightmares four times and the fifth cycle opens with the Together Forever ending and its trophy, triggered when you talk to your family. Escaping through the well ends the quest for good and it is not replayable, so keep a save before the fourth kill if you want both.

What You Walk Away With

Once the dream releases you, an enemy attacks the moment you respawn in the open world. Kill it and loot the body for the legendary ring Astrologer's Ring.