Every Day We Fight Side Quests: The Three Thorn Stories

Every Day We Fight has three character side quests — one each for Leo, Vivian and Dylan — and all three unlock at the start of Act 2. Once unlocked they stay available, and you can finish them whenever you like, independently of the main story. They exist to flesh out the Thorns themselves: the developer describes them as missions that give "deeper insight into the world of Every Day We Fight and the Thorns" rather than as required progression.

What the three side quests are

The quest names show up on the map, and Christopher Odd's 1.0 launch stream walks through the list while showing the map screen:

That stream is also the clearest look at what one of them actually plays like. The player starts a character side quest while exploring the city, and the scene that follows is Leo talking about his wife and children — where they were when he last saw them, and what happened to them. He treats it as a personal thread to pull on rather than a job, and the quest then points you onward to another spot to keep investigating. Expect backstory and character scenes more than a new combat system.

When they unlock, and how to find them

• Unlock point: the start of Act 2. Nothing in the material suggests you can start them earlier in Act 1.
• Availability: once unlocked they can be completed at any time, at your own pace, alongside or after the main quest.
• Finding them: side mission markers appear in the Map Menu alongside the main set-piece locations, and a 1.0 patch note specifically fixed side mission icons being covered by other icons there — a good sign the map is the intended way to spot them. Fast travel to a nearby manhole or hideout and walk in from there.
• Order: the material does not set an order between the three, so treat them as three parallel personal stories rather than a chain.

Version note

The Thorn side quests arrived in the 0.9 update on 2026-06-26, so an older Early Access build from before that date simply won't have them — a useful thing to check if someone reports no side quests on their map. The 1.0 update announcement on 2026-10-22 then added more of them, with the developer listing "25% more gameplay through new side quests and content" among the most requested changes. That figure is the developer's own framing, not a measured count of quests.

Don't confuse them with skirmishes

The map also carries repeatable activities that are not the character side quests. In the same 1.0 stream, the player describes Ambushes as optional encounters that raise your Heat level and Sabotages as ones that bring it back down, both marked across the city map and both repeatable. Those are heat-management fights you can farm; the three Thorn quests are one-off story missions tied to a specific character. If you are hunting for backstory, look for the character markers rather than the skirmish icons.

FAQ

How many side quests are in Every Day We Fight?

Three character side quests, one for each Thorn — Leo, Vivian and Dylan — introduced in the 0.9 update, plus the additional side quest content added in 1.0.

When do side quests unlock in Every Day We Fight?

At the start of Act 2. After that they remain available and can be completed at any time, independently of the main quest.

Do I have to finish the side quests before the main story?

No. They run alongside the main quest and can be picked up whenever you want, so you can leave them until late in a playthrough.

What are the Every Day We Fight side quests called?

Leo's is Family Matters, Vivian's is In Her Eyes, and Dylan's is Truth Be Told, as listed on the in-game map during Christopher Odd's 1.0 launch stream.