Owlboy Alphonse Guide: The Musket-Wielding Gunner
Discover everything about Alphonse, one of Otus's trusted gunners in Owlboy, including his abilities, personality, and how to best use him in combat.
How do I use Alphonse effectively in Owlboy?
Alphonse is the second gunner you unlock and works as a short-range, high-damage musket, so you get the most out of him by closing in, landing a heavy hit, then backing off while he cools down. He is also a pirate who crosses paths with Otus, and in combat terms he trades reach for punch compared with a longer-ranged gunner.
- Attack type: a short-ranged musket with high damage.
- Limitation: he needs a cooldown after firing, so time your shots.
- Upgrade: his range can be extended with an extension bought from the Buccanary Shop.
Who is Alphonse?
Alphonse is a supporting character and the second gunner unlocked in Owlboy — a pirate who crosses paths with Otus. He is a gallant pirate in a red suit who carries a powerful fireball musket, and he is a friendly former pirate who loves theatre and poetry.
He is very old: he is at least 900 years old and still remembers the building of the Hex-Machine. He was created by the Ancient Owls, specifically Aegolius, and he says he was made to serve in whatever manner he thought best. He also admits he always wanted to be a dramatic actor, and prefers acting and cooking.
Why did Alphonse leave the pirates?
Alphonse joined the pirates because of Molstrom's join-or-die ultimatum, and he deserted them to join Otus's crew. According to the archive wiki's character pages, he joins Otus after being left behind by Dirk when their ship crashed.
His defection is personal for Dirk. The two seemed to have a decent working relationship before the betrayal, and both considered each other friends but were awful at showing it — Dirk held a grudge until he tried to kill Alphonse. Alphonse, for his part, does not want to fight Dirk, even though Dirk aggressively antagonizes him.
What does Alphonse do in the story?
Alphonse mentions a great machine built in the Floating Continent, and he is part of the unapproved covert mission Otus, Geddy and Alphonse undertake during the Battle of Advent. He is also one of the gunners Otus carries, and you can recruit Otus's friends as gunners to fight for you, each with unique abilities and stories, as the official store description puts it on the Steam page.
One small curiosity: according to the game's files, Alphonse's Gawk is named Juane. That detail comes from datamining rather than anything the game states outright, so treat it as trivia rather than confirmed lore.
Is there anything else I should know before upgrading him?
Buy the range extension from the Buccanary Shop if you plan to lean on Alphonse — it directly patches his main weakness. Beyond that, the Anniversary Update announcements focus on things like auto-aim, the Super Dash and cutscene skipping rather than gunner changes, and you can read those posts on the game's Steam hub.
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