Here is a complete breakdown of all endings for each of the characters in As Dusk Falls.
As Dusk Falls introduces some complex characters whose lives have been forever altered due to a tragic incident. Unlike every generic crime drama where the story is told from the perspective of the “good guys,” As Dusk Falls’ narrative also sheds light on what it is like to be on the other side of the law.
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As the game challenges the player’s morals, the central characters’ lives continue to evolve from all the critical decisions taken. As such, the story branches out more and more with the possibility of some of your characters dying along the way. In this guide, we will go over the fate of all the characters in As Dusk Falls and the major endings of the game. Caution: Major spoilers ahead!
Jay Holt Endings
Jay is one of the game’s two central characters apart from Zoe, and his fate is largely tied to the major endings of As Dusk Falls. Jay, who is the youngest of the Holt siblings, can have five different endings depending on your decisions throughout the game. And among them, two endings lead to his untimely demise.
- Ending #1 – Jay flees to Canada and stays there (without Venessa)
- Ending #2 – Jay flees to Canada but is later arrested by the Canadian police
- Ending #3 – Jay faces execution in prison
- Ending #4 – Jay’s execution is halted
- Ending #5 – Jay commits suicide after not being forgiven by Zoe
It doesn’t matter if you manage to sway Venessa’s heart or not. The truth of the matter is that even if she crosses the border with Jay, she will always leave him in Canada. Her absence is later explained in a cutscene where Jay tells Zoe that after staying in Canada for a few years, Venessa eventually returned to the States. Moreover, Jay can get caught by the police even after fleeing Canada, as Zoe eventually tracks him down.
If you choose not to forgive Jay when playing as Zoe, he will either kill himself or be arrested by the Feds if you choose to call the cops on him. Furthermore, even if Jay gets an order of execution, it can be called off at the very last moment. However, this ending is only attainable if you don’t kill or hurt anyone up until the point of your arrest.
Zoe Walker Endings
Zoe is the game’s narrator, so naturally, we can expect her to stay alive until the story reaches the present timeline. She is the story’s central protagonist, and almost all her endings are tied to Jay Holt. Despite having four major endings, and slight variations in her career path, none of them result in her death.
- Ending #1 – Forgive Jay
- Ending #2 – Hand Jay over to the police
- Ending #3 – Attend Jay’s execution
- Ending #4 – Don’t attend Jay’s execution
As Jay flees to Canada, Zoe will track him down to confront him. It turns out that Jay had been sending Zoe letters all these years to express his remorse for his and his family’s crimes and how they impacted her life.
If Zoe doesn’t hate Jay, she will reassure him that he’s not messed up and subsequently share a meal together. Alternatively, you may also tell him that everyone messes up and go back home. But if your choices during the game have made Zoe angry at Jay, you can choose to forgive him or turn him in, ultimately leading to his arrest and execution. Finally, if you choose to forgive Jay, the two characters will hug in the end.
However, Jay will ask you to witness his execution if you choose to turn him in. How the conversation goes depends on whether Zoe is angry at Jay or if she doesn’t hold any hatred towards him. If she doesn’t hate him, Jay will ask her to be there at the execution as a friend. And if Zoe hates Jay, she can witness the execution for closure. In both cases, you can choose not to attend Jay’s execution.
As for her career path, if Zoe has made peace with her past and moved on, she will continue to pursue her Journalism degree. However, if her mental health is really poor by the end of the game, she will drop out of college.
Vince and Michelle Walker Endings
Vince and Michelle are Zoe’s parents, and both of their fates can drastically diverge based on your choices. Although Vincent has more death encounters than his wife, you have to worry about the fate of their marriage in case they both survive.
- Vince Walker Endings:
- Ending #1 – Vince dies in Desert Dream (Electrocution or Drowning)
- Ending #2 – Vince sues the airline and opens a flight school
- Ending #3 – Vince takes the settlement offer by signing the NDA and takes a corporate job
- Ending #4 – Vince dies in the car crash after being taken hostage
- Michelle Walker Endings:
- Ending #1 – Michelle dies in Desert Dream (Gunshot wound)
- Ending #2 – Michelle escapes unharmed
- Ending #3 – Michelle gets engaged to someone else as a result of Vince dying or getting divorced
- Vince and Michelle’s relationship outcomes:
- Ending #1 – Vince and Michelle resolve their issues and stay together
- Ending #2 – Vince and Michelle get divorced, and Michelle moves on with a new partner
- Ending #3 – Vince is left all alone after Michelle’s death
- Ending #4 – Michelle starts a new family after Vince’s death
- Ending #5 – Vince and Michelle both die
How Vince reacts to Michelle’s affair plays a big role in the fate of their marriage. Moreover, it is important to note that you might completely miss out on discovering Michelle’s infidelity. If you fail to save their marriage, Michelle will get engaged to another person despite Zoe’s disapproval.
Since Vince can die in three possible ways, you must pass all the QTEs during your encounter with Dante in the motel bathroom and during your standoff with Tyler by the pool. Moreover, you also have to sneak out of the backseat as Vince when you get taken as a hostage in chapter 4. Otherwise, Vince will die in the car crash.
Saving Michelle, on the other hand, is fairly easy as she only has the possibility of dying in chapter 1. To save her, you must not run for the door when playing as Vince, as running out will result in Michelle being shot. In case she does get shot, you have to choose to let Michelle out when presented with the choice of releasing a single hostage. That way, she can get treated for her injuries instead of bleeding out.
Tyler Holt Endings
Tyler is the oldest son of the Holt family and has three possible endings in the game. However, none of them are happy endings as he either ends up in prison, goes into hiding and is estranged from his family, or dies.
- Ending #1 – Dante kills Tyler at the Holt family cabin
- Ending #2 – Tyler gets caught and is sent to prison
- Ending #3 – Tyler escapes and lives as a fugitive while working on an oil rig
If Ash tips off the police about the Holt family cabin, Dante will find Tyler there and kill him. On the other hand, Tyler can avoid death by being sent to prison instead. For this ending, Tyler can either surrender when the police find him at the cabin or if Jay allows Tyler to fall down from the tree. However, if you pass all the QTEs during your escape, you can avoid imprisonment altogether and live your life as a fugitive.
Sharon Holt Endings
Sharon Holt is the mother of Jay, Dale, and Tyler Holt. There are three possible endings for Sharon in this story.
- Ending #1 – Sharon flees the country with Paul
- Ending #2 – Sharon flees the country alone
- Ending #3 – Sharon gets caught and is arrested by the police
There are no death encounters for her in the story at all. That said, her character ending is not a happy one if she can’t persuade Paul to help her escape. That’s because, without Paul, she either ends up alone and separated from her family or rots in prison.
If you want to ensure Sharon can escape with Paul and live her life enjoying on a beach, then you must hide the bra and pack of cigarettes from Dante which serve as proof. Moreover, you also have to hide the cups as Dante makes coffee. Lastly, you have to assist Sharon when playing as Paul and steal his revolver.
Dale Holt Endings
Dale Holt is the middle child of the Holt household. Unlike his two brothers, Dale has no way of making it to the end. That’s because no matter your choices, Dale is destined to die in Chapter 1.
- Ending #1 – Dale is shot in the head by a sniper
- Ending #2 – Dale dies in the motel shootout
Although you cannot prevent Dale’s death, you can influence when it happens. There are two possible death encounters for Dale. One is when he takes Vince hostage, and the other during the motel shootout. If you don’t warn Dale about the police sniper when playing as Vince, he will be shot in the head. However, if you do choose to warn him, you can converse with him a bit longer until he inevitably dies in the shootout.
Joyce Endings
Joyce is the manager of the ill-fated Desert Dream motel. Although she is a minor character, your choices will determine whether or not she makes it out of the hostage situation.
- Ending #1 – Joyce is shot dead by Tyler
- Ending #2 – Joyce survives the hostage crisis
To get the ending where Joyce dies in the hostage situation, Dale has to die at the hands of the sniper, and you have to fail in calming her down. However, if you manage to calm her down, she will escape during the shootout and eventually visit Ash in the endgame.
Big Sam Endings
Big Sam is the police officer you encounter in the game’s first chapter who stops by the motel for a drink and chats up Paul and Vince. As he strikes up a conversation with Vince, you’ll notice Joyce’s bloody earring on the ground. What you do from this point will determine whether Big Sam makes it alive in the end.
- Ending #1 – Sam leaves the motel without being alerted of the burglary
- Ending #2 – Sam is alerted and calls for backup
- Ending #3 – Sam faces off the Holts and dies in a shootout
If you hide the bloody earring from Sam, he’ll leave the motel without any suspicion. However, if you don’t hide the earring, Sam will be alerted and call for backup as he leaves the motel. In the event that he confronts the burglars, he will die in a resulting shootout.
Paul Endings
Paul has three possible endings in the game, which depend on his relationship with Sharon Holt. However, none result in his death as he lives to see the end of the story.
- Ending #1 – Paul turns in Sharon to the police
- Ending #2 – Paul flees the country with Sharon
- Ending #3 – Paul gets caught when attempting to flee the country
If Paul tips off Dante about Sharon, she will get arrested and Paul will spend the rest of his days alone in Two Rock. However, if he rekindles his romance with Sharon, he can help her escape and possibly join her, and they can live a luxurious life, partying on the beach. Alternatively, he can get caught with Sharon during their escape attempt.
Dante Endings
The corrupted sheriff of Two Rock County has two possible endings, but none of them result in his death. Seriously, no matter if you shoot him as Dale or electrocute him as Vince, the man survives it all. The only real ending he can get decides the future of his career as a police officer.
- Ending #1 – Dante arrests Sharon and gets to keep his job
- Ending #2 – Dante loses his job due to corruption
If he can manage to pin down Sharon in the end and arrest her before she flees the country (with or without Paul), then Dante can continue to be a corrupt cop. However, if Sharon escapes successfully, his career and days of corruption will come to an end. Although, where he goes from there is not clear.
Venessa Endings
Venessa is Jay’s love interest who may or may not join him when he flees to Canada. Despite having five possible endings, none of them result in her death. Moreover, we don’t get to see an ending where Jay and Venessa live happily ever after together. No matter what happens, Venessa is destined to live her own life back in California.
- Ending #1 – Venessa flees to Canada with Jay
- Ending #2 – Venessa is arrested in National Park with Jay
- Ending #3 – Venessa is left behind by Jay
- Ending #4 – Venessa is pardoned after Jay surrenders to the police
- Ending #5 – Venessa never joins Jay
To make sure Venessa joins Jay during his escape to Canada, you will have to tell her the truth about being a fugitive when playing as Jay. She will not join Jay if she hears the truth from someone else; for example, her father.
In case Jay fails to cross the border and is apprehended by the police, Venessa can walk free if Jay surrenders. However, there will be two instances in National Park where Jay can actually leave Venessa behind. And even if she jumps down the cliff with him, she will eventually leave him and go back to her home country. So they really have no future together, no matter what you do.
Bear Holt Endings
Bear is the Holt family patriarch and is the primary reason behind the family’s gambling debts. If it were not for him, the loan sharks would not be breathing down the Holt family’s neck, compelling them to commit crimes that lead to multiple deaths. Bear has two possible endings, with one death encounter.
- Ending #1 – Bear commits suicide
- Ending #2 – Jay saves Bear on time and he makes a full recovery
When playing as Jay, you will discover Bear’s suicide note and find Bear hanging from a noose made of electrical cords in the shed. At that moment, you can either choose to leave him hanging or jump in to save him.
However, his death or survival will have no impact on the family’s decision to rob the Desert Dreams Motel. With that said, if you choose to save Bear, he will make a full recovery after spending some time at the hospital. Moreover, you will also get a bonus scene where Bear puts flowers on Dale’s grave.
Jim Walker Endings
Jim, Vince’s father, is a shady character with plenty of secrets. Jim Walker remains alive until the very end of the story, with no possible death encounters in his way. The only outcome you will get from Jim Walker is whether or not he was able to reconcile with his son.
Other than that, he has no real impact on the main storyline. However, Jim’s fate has been left a mystery in the end as Joyce bumps into Jim’s stalker as he runs away from his home. With that, the credits roll with the possibility of a sequel.
Want to know more from As Dusk Falls? You can go through All Chapters and Total Duration, All Traits, and All Values in As Dusk Falls.
