Owlboy Dreadnought: The Pirate Airship Explained
What the Dreadnought is in Owlboy, where it appears, and how it ties to the pirate storyline.
- What is the Dreadnought in Owlboy?
- Where does the Dreadnought appear in the story?
- How do the Dreadnought sequences connect to Molstrom and the pirates?
- What should you expect when boarding the Dreadnought?
- Does the Dreadnought relate to the Anniversary Update?
- Is the Dreadnought section hard to reach or easy to miss?
- Related guides
What is the Dreadnought in Owlboy?
The Dreadnought is the pirates' powerful ship and a late-story location in Owlboy. During the Battle of Advent, Molstrom leads The Pirates aboard his Dreadnought in search of the second Owl Relic, according to the Owlboy community wiki. Later, Otus, Geddy and Alphonse sneak into the Dreadnought to attempt to destroy its engine — and, with Alphonse's help, they sabotage the ship.
The in-game knowledge base spells the name both "Dreadnought" and "Dreadnaught"; the official store page doesn't single the vessel out, so for a short rundown of the game itself see the Steam store page. Everything below sticks to what is documented.
Where does the Dreadnought appear in the story?
It appears in connection with the Battle of Advent. According to the community wiki, Molstrom leads The Pirates aboard his Dreadnought in search of the second Owl Relic. Otus, Geddy and Alphonse are recorded as sneaking into the Dreadnought to attempt to destroy its engine.
Reaching the ship involves the Barricade: the Squadron Leader has to destroy the Barricade that prevents further entry towards the Dreadnought — that detail comes from the community wiki's Squadron Leader page. In short:
- Molstrom leads The Pirates aboard the Dreadnought during the Battle of Advent, hunting the second Owl Relic.
- The Barricade prevents further entry towards the Dreadnought until it is destroyed.
- Otus, Geddy and Alphonse sneak into the Dreadnought to attempt to destroy its engine.
How do the Dreadnought sequences connect to Molstrom and the pirates?
Molstrom is the pirate leader tied to the ship. The documented link is direct: he leads his crew aboard the Dreadnought while hunting the second Owl Relic, per the community wiki. The other recorded sequence is the sabotage attempt, with Otus, Geddy and Alphonse targeting the engine.
Alphonse saves Otus's life by carrying him in the burning Dreadnought, and later sneaks into Vellie to check up on him after Advent, according to the community wiki's Otus page. Whether Molstrom is fought aboard the ship specifically isn't spelled out in these entries, and the patch notes don't cover it either.
What should you expect when boarding the Dreadnought?
The recorded goal of the infiltration is to attempt to destroy the ship's engine, with Otus, Geddy and Alphonse sneaking in. The documented beats are:
- The Barricade preventing further entry towards the Dreadnought must be destroyed.
- Otus, Geddy and Alphonse sneak into the Dreadnought together.
- They attempt to destroy the engine.
- Alphonse carries Otus out of the burning Dreadnought.
The game's core setup is that Otus can pick up his friends and bring them along as gunners, but these entries don't say that Geddy and Alphonse serve as gunners during this particular sequence. The actual layout of the interior, enemy placement and any boss encounter aboard the ship are not documented in these entries, so treat specifics as unconfirmed until the game shows them.
Does the Dreadnought relate to the Anniversary Update?
No direct connection is documented. The Anniversary Update announcement lists a new Super Dash (hold the roll button for a boost), auto-aim that lets you play without a second thumbstick, cutscene skipping and fast-forward, plus toggles for screenshake, flash effects and dropping a gunner on dodge. It also notes that several game-halting cutscenes were removed. None of that mentions the Dreadnought or its sequence.
A following patch, v1.02d, fixed startup crashes tied to an audio device bug, an IME toggle issue on Japanese and Korean keyboards where control of Otus could be lost, and broken translations in certain scenes. Again, nothing ship-specific. The patch notes do not list a Dreadnought change.
Is the Dreadnought section hard to reach or easy to miss?
The entries here don't state a difficulty level, a point of no return, or whether the section can be missed, and the patch notes don't address any of that either. What is documented is that a Barricade prevents further entry towards the Dreadnought until it is destroyed, and that Otus, Geddy and Alphonse sneak in afterwards in the course of the story as recorded.
For a broader look at the game — release details, platforms and features — the official store page is the reference. Anything beyond that, such as exact enemy counts or the interior's layout, is not officially documented, so this guide leaves it at what the records confirm.
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