Who is the main character in Duskfade?
Zirian, a Tick Town workshop apprentice. You do not pick a class. He always wields Minutero.
Duskfade Characters
Duskfade characters wiki: playable Zirian, sister Allira, mechanical bird Cuckoo, Despair, Gramps, and named Tick Town NPCs. No classes, no pet RPG.
Official launch trailer for the clockpunk cast: Zirian, Cuckoo, and the Clock Tower stakes. Named NPCs and spoiler-gated roles sit in the tables below.
~8 min read
At A Glance
This Duskfade characters wiki lists faces confirmed by official copy and trophy text. You control Zirian only. Cuckoo is a companion, not a second player and not a pet RPG. There are no classes. Dialogue and quest steps that are not in those sources stay TBA. Verified August 16, 2026 · Steam.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Playable | Zirian only — workshop apprentice, Minutero |
| Rescue goal | Sister Allira, held via the Clock Tower / Despair |
| Companion | Cuckoo — mechanical bird Allira built; support tree, not a pet |
| Family | Grandfather Tristan / Gramps — Minutero was his |
| Antagonist | Despair — Steam copy: took Allira |
| Lore | Master Clockmakers shaped the clockpunk realms |
| Hub | Tick Town Cloudie townsfolk + named NPCs below |
| Run length | About 11–16 hours main · ~16 hours toward 100% |
Who is the main character in Duskfade?
Zirian is the main character. Searches for Duskfade characters almost always mean him first. He is a young workshop apprentice from Tick Town, Allira’s brother, and the only person you steer. Official Q&A is blunt: he always wields Minutero.
| Field | Confirmed | Do not invent |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Playable protagonist | A second hero select |
| Home | Tick Town workshop family | A class hall with jobs |
| Weapon | Minutero — grandfather’s clock-hand blade | A loot pool of swords |
| Kit | Jump, Dash, Grapple, gadgets, three upgrade trees | Element loadouts |
| Goal | Rescue Allira and restore time | A published ending recap on this page |
| Spelling | Zirian (this wiki) | ASR “Zorian / Zera” from auto-captions |
You do not pick a build at the door
Movement, combat, and Cuckoo support are Duskfade upgrades on three trees, not a character-creation screen. Spend order: upgrades. First hours: beginner guide.
The story is his, not a party RPG
Xbox and PlayStation copy frame the run as loss, love, and moving forward. Bosses often stand in for emotional hurdles. That is theme, not a dating meter. Region order: walkthrough.
Zirian does not travel alone. The next table is the rest of the core cast.
Who are the companions and the antagonist?
The core Duskfade characters roster is small: one lead, one sister, one bird, one named threat, plus the Clockmakers in the lore. This table is the wiki layer. Later identity guesses wait behind the spoiler warning two sections down.
| Name | Role | What is confirmed | Leave TBA |
|---|---|---|---|
 Zirian | Protagonist | Workshop apprentice; only playable; Minutero | Inner monologue dumps |
| Allira | Sister / rescue goal | Held through Clock Tower / Despair; Cuckoo’s maker | Exact capture scene beyond “explosion / disappearance” coverage |
| Cuckoo | Companion | Mechanical clockwork bird; assist, talk, support tree; skins in coverage | Pet stats, hunger, evolution |
| Despair | Antagonist | Steam copy: took Allira; “We’re coming for you, Despair” opens the Tower doors | Move list, whether a final-arena name matches the copy |
| Master Clockmakers | Lore | Shaped the realms; “12 clock makers” appears in coverage | A named roster of twelve |
| Gramps / Tristan | Grandfather | Minutero was his; trophies name a Veil crossing and a “big secret” | What the secret is — see spoiler section |
Allira is the goal, not a party member
You do not play as Allira. Coverage places her disappearance at the opening explosion; Steam places her with Despair and the Clock Tower. Rescue is the spine of the walkthrough. This wiki uses Allira (not Alera / Alira from mixed captions).
Cuckoo is built, not hatched
Allira made the bird. Cuckoo helps in exploration and combat, talks about the road, and has a support tree. I missed you is a story reunion, not a collectible. Skins exist in coverage; that is cosmetics, not a pet raiser.
Despair is the named threat
Steam says Despair took Allira. Trophy copy uses that name again when the Tower doors open. This page will not promote a fan final-boss movelist. Fight grammar when a HUD name appears: bosses.
Tick Town is full of smaller names. Those are the NPC table.
Which Tick Town NPCs are actually named?
Trophy text is the clean source for named Duskfade characters outside the core cast. Tick Town’s Cloudie townsfolk talk, and dialogue updates after story beats. Unverified lines and quest steps stay TBA — this wiki will not invent a fetch-quest script.
| NPC | Tied trophy / role | What to do | Unverified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arpeggio | Find in the caves; return all Music Boxes | Meet first; full set later | Cave pin, box count |
| Tailord | Help leave the Academy; catch all kittens | Story talk ≠ kitten gold | Kitten total, spawn rules |
| N1-C0 | Befriend N1-C0 | Talk until the bronze pops | Friendship steps |
| Wally | Find all hiding spots | Dedicated hunt, not a chat | Spot count |
| Traveler | Buy all objects and upgrades | Hub shop — upgrades | Stock list, prices |
| Palette | Dazzle with your finest outfit | Show an outfit you actually have | Which outfit counts |
| Cloudie Guard | Break the poor Cloudie guard’s jars | One-off bronze | Jar count, which Cloudie |
| Wilson | Kill Wilson | Separate bronze — identity TBA | Fight vs environmental kill |
| Canyon Granny | Pocket money in the canyon | Talk / receive | Amount, missable or not |
| Desert Explorer | Meet the mysterious desert explorer | Meet — “Don’t talk to strangers” | Name beyond the trophy |
Story talk and full-set hunts are different
Arpeggio, Tailord, Gramps, and Cuckoo each have a meet / help pop and a harder follow-up (boxes, kittens, stained glass, reunion). Do the talk. Leave the pile for gadgets. Pickup types: collectibles. Trophy grouping: achievements.
Cloudies are townsfolk, not a species wiki
Tick Town residents are conscious cloud-folk in reviews. One trophy is a crowned Cloudie confrontation; another is the guard’s jars. This page will not build a Cloudie Pokédex. Hub geography: locations.
Some names get heavier later. That is the spoiler gate, not a cast list encore.
Map the hub or run the story
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.
Which later identities should I treat as spoilers?
Stop here if you only wanted names. The rest of this Duskfade characters section flags late-story roles that trophy copy already hints at. It does not recap the ending, the Tower escape, or what happens after the doors close.
| Topic | What trophy / copy already says | What this page will not say |
|---|---|---|
| Allira’s location | Clock Tower rescue; “Stick with me” is escape-with-Allira | How the rescue plays, who she “really is” |
| Cuckoo gap | “I missed you” = reunite with Cuckoo | Why the bird leaves, what the reunion speech is |
| Gramps | Help Gramps cross the Veil; Master XII’s secret = uncover Gramps’ big secret | The content of the secret, a Clockmaker identity claim |
| Despair | Took Allira; Tower doors open “for” Despair | Final-arena identity, last cutscene |
| Master Clockmakers | Shaped the realms; coverage mentions twelve | A fan chart mapping each Clockmaker to a living NPC |
| Wilson / crowned Cloudie | Kill / confront trophies exist | A lore essay built from a bronze name |
Achievement names are hints, not a lore dump
Master XII’s Secret is a stained-glass hunt tied to Gramps. The Veil crossing is a separate silver. This wiki will not collapse those two lines into “Gramps is Clockmaker number twelve.” Wait for a captured in-game line.
Skip this table on a blind first run
If you are still in Tick Town, you already have enough: play Zirian, follow Cuckoo, aim at Allira. Come back after the Tower doors trophy if you want the hunt names without an ending recap.
The last mechanical question people ask is whether any of these faces become playable.
Can I play as Cuckoo or pick a class?
No. Duskfade is a single-protagonist action-platformer. Duskfade characters searches that want a roster, a job board, or a pet barn will not find one in the live build.
| Question | Answer | Where the system actually lives |
|---|---|---|
| Second playable character? | No verified swap | Cuckoo assists; you steer Zirian |
| Classes / jobs? | None | Three upgrade trees, one blade |
| Pet raising? | No | Cuckoo support nodes + skins |
| Romance routes? | Not a dating sim | No affinity meter in official materials |
| Party AI loadout? | Unverified | Do not invent Cuckoo equipment slots |
| New Game+ hero select? | Unverified | Do not assume a post-credits roster |
Skins are not classes
Zirian outfits (Palette) and Cuckoo skins are cosmetics. Heartless-style looks appear in coverage. They do not change the control scheme. Shop and trophy notes: upgrades and achievements.
Talk, then move
Named NPCs are errands and flavour, not a second campaign. When a gadget opens an old street, walk it. Map: locations.
If a face is still missing from your HUD, the FAQ is the short version of this page.
Duskfade characters FAQ
Who is Allira?
Zirian’s sister and the rescue goal. Steam copy ties her to Despair and the Clock Tower. This wiki spells it Allira.
Who is Cuckoo?
A mechanical bird Allira built. Companion, talk, support tree, skins. Not a second player and not a pet RPG.
Can I play as Cuckoo?
No verified multi-character control. Cuckoo assists. “I missed you” is a story reunion, not a swap.
Who is Despair?
The named antagonist. Steam: took Allira. Trophy copy uses the name when the Tower doors open. Move list TBA.
Who is Gramps / Tristan?
Zirian and Allira’s grandfather. Minutero was his. Trophies name a Veil crossing and a “big secret.” Content of the secret stays behind the spoiler section.
Are there romance routes?
No. Not a dating sim. Do not invent affinity meters.
Where do the named NPCs live?
Mostly Tick Town and region overlaps (caves, Academy, canyon, desert). Exact pins TBA. Map: locations page.
Related pages
Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.