At a glance
- Concealed encounter away from the story path. Dusk is absent until you pick up six Firefly Memory Flowers around the Village of Lu, an act that lifts the mist wall blocking the Temple of Blue Fireflies.
- Puppets and decoys are his weapons. Ringing a ritual bell, he sends puppets and enormous cut-off limbs at you, and halfway through he conjures doubles so you cannot tell the true one.
- A pair of rewards. Victory rewards you with the Puppeteer's Bell Phantom Edge along with the Illusory Pipa Head, which is the initial piece of the Illusory Pipa.
- Connected to Firefly. Firefly refers to him as her senior brother, and it is her quest that guides you to him.
Overview
Dusk, the Puppeteer, is a renegade puppeteer who lurks in the Village of Lu and ranks as one of several secret, skippable bosses.
He dresses in saffron-coloured rite garments with an ancient bronze face covering, and his eyes blaze red from behind it. While fighting he keeps his distance, ringing his Puppeteer's Bell to hurl puppet constructs and huge severed limbs at Soul, and midway he creates doubles, leaving you unable to tell which figure is genuine.
Access to the battle is gated by the quest Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, since the road into his ravine opens only once all six of Firefly's Memory Flowers in the village are in hand. A win brings the Puppeteer's Bell and the Illusory Pipa Head, one of three parts required to reconstruct the Illusory Pipa.
Relationships
- FireflyA junior from the same circleFireflyA junior from the same circle
She names him Senior Brother and explains that both of them worked inside the group, seeking the Herald's knowledge of the route to the Heart of the Lake.
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- The HeraldA superior he only feigned to serveThe HeraldA superior he only feigned to serve
He was told to throw the Herald's botched puppet experiments into the pit, and he faked loyalty to the Herald.
- The High ElderLeader of the banned illusionistsThe High ElderLeader of the banned illusionists
Leader of Soulrend Mountain's banned illusionists.
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Background
Acting from the inside
Dusk split from the circle of the High Elders. According to Firefly, who addresses him as Senior Brother, the two of them operated from the inside, hoping to learn from the Herald how to get into the Heart of the Lake.
As a token, the Herald once dispatched the Illusory Pipa Head to the High Elder, and Dusk afterward stole it.
Role in the Story
The Broken Puppet Pit
Dusk has concealed himself in the pit where puppets are discarded for such a long time that his sanity has splintered. Heaped around him lie wrecked bodies, leftovers of the Herald's puppet experiments that retain fragments of villagers' minds, and it was Dusk who received the order to throw them in. Endlessly, those voices implore him to carry them home.
Hoping to stop the Merciful Lady from descending, he chose to go through Transcension and acted as the Herald's servant. To the villagers he promised a remedy against the slumbering sickness; a few of them subsequently attempted a brewed concoction meant to cure it, guided by him. Lan Shaodi states that the Herald and Dusk fell out later, and that the smuggler's tunnel to Pangzhen was sealed after that.
Begging Soul for an ending
His mind has been gnawed by guilt and Sha-Chi. As the battle ends he begs Soul to kill him, and in a last moment of clear thought he incinerates his own body so that Soul can witness the ritual of the High Elders.
Missions Featured
| Appearance | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Secrets at the Heart of the Lake | Side tale | Dusk appears in a journal entry for the quest. Once Firefly's six Memory Flowers have been collected through the Village of Lu, the barrier by the Temple of Blue Fireflies lifts, revealing the path to his ravine. |
| Dusk, the Puppeteer | Boss fight | Found in Chapter 3, Village of Lu. The optional battle is in the ravine beyond Broken Puppet Pit Entrance, and it pays out the Puppeteer's Bell and the Illusory Pipa Head. |
Gear and Transport
Puppets that battle on Soul's side are summoned by the Puppeteer's Bell, a Phantom Edge. Dusk used this very ritual bell against you.
Taken from that same battle, the Illusory Pipa Head is one of three components required to fix the Illusory Pipa. Other encounters supply the Backplate and the Strings.
Quotes
The battle
“So you received her message...”
Dusk, the Puppeteer, Village of Lu.
“The Herald seized it near Vessel Zero... he plans to offer it to the High Elder.”
Dusk, the Puppeteer, Village of Lu.
“Heh... a mistake? With all the ancient texts he's read? Impossible.”
Dusk, the Puppeteer, Village of Lu.
“Heh...It's useless. I already tried... but the old man refused to see me.”
Dusk, the Puppeteer, Village of Lu.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Dusk fight made available?
While doing Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, pick up each of Firefly's six Memory Flowers across the Village of Lu; the mist wall at the Temple of Blue Fireflies then disappears. After that, follow the trail to the angler, pass the Broken Puppet Pit Entrance bell, and leap into the ravine.
What is the reward for defeating Dusk?
You receive the Puppeteer's Bell Phantom Edge and the Illusory Pipa Head.
How can the real Dusk be identified?
He creates doubles partway through, so work out which figure is truly him before spending your attacks.