Main Quest vs Side Quest: How to Tell Which Is Which

One of the first confusions in The Blood of Dawnwalker is that the journal never prints the words “main quest.” Rebel Wolves built a narrative sandbox where the only spine is the family rescue — everything else is a bid for your time. Learning to read what the journal does show you is the actual answer to “which quests are mainline?”

The Icon Language

The journal communicates through icons, and the community-documented set (per PowerPyx’s walkthrough verification) is small and precise:

• Hourglass (⌛) with a number — the quest spends time segments when confirmed. The number is the cost. Time in this game does not advance on its own; it is spent like currency, and the hourglass marks every transaction.
• Blue clock — the quest, once started, has a time-sensitive objective that can fail if you wander off too long. The blue clock is a warning, not a cost.
• Sun icon — the objective is day-only. Night-only content carries a moon icon.

Notice what is absent: a main-story banner. There isn’t one, by design.

What Actually Counts as Main

The main quest list defines the story spine, and it begins in the prologue: All Good Things through Withering Away, Like Father, Like Son, Sacred Covenant, Bad Blood, and Smoke and Ashes. The prologue is the one phase with a hard split — its quests are timed and missable, vanishing once you leave for the Blood Mass — and it is also where the game hides its most consequential “side” beat, the medicine choice.

After the prologue, the structure opens: the mainline becomes a goal rather than a chapter list — anger the three Boyars, survive their duels, and answer A Deal with the Devil. Everything feeding that arc, from court activities to the ally chains, is mechanically “main” even when the journal files it as a side thread.

The Practical Rule

If you are deciding what to pursue: follow what the family clock demands. The ending checklist is the real quest log of the endgame — ally chains, mercy decisions, and the finale version all live outside anything labeled “main.” The best quest order converts the whole board into a day-by-day route precisely because the journal itself will not.

And the inverse rule matters too: jobs with no hourglass are the safe filler — rumors, inspections, shrine discoveries, most roaming encounters. Untimed inspection and travel are free, per the game’s own economy. When the journal shows no price, the only cost is your attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a main quest tracker or marker? No banner, no golden trail — the journal’s icons and the court menu are the full UI. The court menu, not the journal, is where the mid-game’s true progress (Boyar anger, Infamy) is displayed.

Can you miss main story quests? The prologue’s set is missable and vanishes after the Blood Mass. Post-prologue, the spine cannot be lost — but its quality depends on side content like the ally chains you finish before the finale.

Do side quests expire? Once started, blue-clock objectives can fail; unstarted quests stay available until the point of no return. The hidden quests guide covers the ones with no marker at all.

How do I know what to do first? The beginner guide and the quick quests ranking answer that directly — and the short version is: prologue first, everything timed before anything untimed.