Well Dweller is a dark fairy-tale metroidvania from the creator of Crypt Custodian and Islets. The protagonist, Glimmer, is a tiny bird armed with an ordinary matchstick who must climb out of his home at the bottom of a well and cross a decaying kingdom in search of his family. In this walkthrough, we'll follow the main route step by step while covering useful Trinkets, collectibles, puzzles, new abilities, and boss strategies along the way.
Night Garden
After the opening scene, Glimmer finds himself at the bottom of a huge well, inside an enormous skull where his family lives. His mother asks him to travel to the Hunter's Cabin and bring back some food. Once you gain control, head right, climb the platforms, and get into the bucket that carries Glimmer to the surface.This is your first visit to Night Garden. You can initially go either left or right, but the left route ends in a dead end for now, so head right. You don't have to kill the first enemies you encounter. Well Dweller has no contact damage, which means you can simply run through many enemies without taking damage.
How to Get the Matchstick
In the next area, Glimmer finds the Matchstick, his main weapon and an important exploration tool. Pick it up and continue right. Break the wooden barrier, and the game will introduce the downward attack: while airborne, hold down and press the attack button.Image unavailableThis attack can break certain obstacles below you. Drop down and inspect the black container. Breaking it gives you some currency. Similar caches appear throughout the game, so smash suspicious containers and large metal pots whenever possible.Keep climbing until you reach a large purple tent. This is one of the game's save points. Inside is a cauldron where you'll later be able to equip Trinkets, although Glimmer doesn't have any yet.To the right of the tent, you'll encounter an enemy with a key icon above its head. Defeat it to remove the barrier ahead. Shortly afterward, the game introduces the Slide. Glimmer is invulnerable during the movement, making it useful not only for passing beneath low obstacles but also in combat.When you reach the second crab-like enemy, don't leave immediately. There is a poorly visible wooden wall to its right. Break it and collect the currency from the hidden pot. Then climb higher, slide beneath the low wall, and hit the lever. A passage will open in the floor of the previous area.
Where to Find the First Story Page
Drop down and carefully cross the moving platforms covered in spikes. Before moving to the next screen, descend all the way to the bottom and slide underneath the wall to reveal a hidden passage.Cross the spiked platforms and collect the Story Page - The Witch's Bargain at the end. Finding your first Story Page also unlocks the Once Upon a Time... achievement.Image unavailableReturn to the main route and continue right. This is where Glimmer is introduced to bubbles. They can move in eight directions: choose a direction and activate the bubble. Once it stops, you can jump out to gain a little extra height or distance.Use the first bubble to reach the upper ledge on the right and break another currency container. Be more careful around the spikes in the next section. When you reach another bubble, notice the lower route. That's where you'll need to go shortly, but first ride the bubble upward to the lever and open a shortcut back to the tent.Save if you want, then return and head down. The lower-left passage currently leads to a dead end, so move right. After a few more bubbles, Glimmer reaches a small room with a cauldron. The doors close behind him, starting the first enemy challenge.
How to Get the Oil Vial and a Trinket Slot
You need to defeat five familiar enemies. There is no time limit, so take your time and deal with them one at a time. Winning rewards Glimmer with the Oil Vial, the main item used to restore health.Image unavailableTo use the Oil Vial, hold the indicated button and release it when the marker enters the highlighted area. A successful heal also temporarily increases Glimmer's attack power. Your Oil Vials are refilled whenever you rest at a save tent.Image unavailableLeave the challenge room to the right. Here, you'll need to enter a bubble and jump out while it's still moving to gain enough height. Reach the next bubble, send it to the right, and collect the Trinket Slot at the end.Return to the previous room, drop down, and slide past the enemy. There is another tent at the very bottom. Make sure to save because the first proper boss fight begins immediately after the next transition.
How to Defeat The Groundskeeper
The Groundskeeper itself does not deal contact damage, so there is no need to fear its huge body. Glimmer can safely run between the boss's legs and attack them. Its actual moves are much more dangerous.During one attack, The Groundskeeper releases numerous spores that slowly descend from above and drift slightly through the air. Don't focus on dealing damage here. Watch the open spaces and use Slide when necessary.The summoned pitchforks are even more dangerous. They fall onto the arena and then begin moving toward Glimmer. The safest option is to Slide straight through them. When the boss slams the ground and creates shockwaves, simply jump over them.Finally, The Groundskeeper can surround itself with a ring of spinning leaves and begin walking across the arena. This is one of the most annoying attacks in the fight. The easiest response is to hug the far-left or far-right wall and wait it out. A leaf can occasionally still catch Glimmer, but staying near the center is considerably riskier.Attacking the boss is much easier: move up to its legs, land a few hits, then return your attention to dodging. Don't try to finish a long combo at any cost. You already have the Oil Vial, but avoiding unnecessary damage is still much better than having to heal it.When The Groundskeeper drops to roughly half health, the second phase begins. Its moveset remains almost the same, but there are more spores, pitchforks, and shockwaves. The spinning-leaf attack also gains an additional ring. The old strategy of staying near the edges still works, although you'll have less free space.Keep attacking between its moves, and The Groundskeeper will eventually fall. The victory rewards you with 150 currency and the Dark Garden achievement.After the fight, head right and interact with the light near the exit. Glimmer will enter the Hunter's Cabin.
Hunter's Cabin
Inside the Hunter's Cabin, head right and slide beneath the first obstacle. A few rooms later, you'll meet Looter, a scavenger who has collected so much loot that he can no longer escape the building himself.Naturally, he isn't planning to give anything away for free. He is willing to sell a few items, however. Most of his first offers are too expensive, but Glimmer can afford the Flaming Vessel, which is required to continue the story.Image unavailableAfter the purchase, Looter explains how it works. The Flaming Vessel gradually charges as you land regular attacks on enemies. Once the meter is full, you can throw it for heavy damage. You can also toss it upward and strike it with the Matchstick in midair to launch the projectile in a chosen direction. It's powerful, but if you miss, you'll need to charge it again.
How to Find the Story Page - The Dollmaker
Continue right. Watch out for the flying enemies that resemble balloons. If Glimmer gets too close, they explode and fire spikes in every direction.Soon you'll see red-spiked blocks hanging from chains on the ceiling. They drop when Glimmer moves underneath them. Trigger one, jump onto its top, and wait for it to rise back up. A hidden alcove above contains the Story Page - The Dollmaker.Image unavailableNext, use the moving cages to climb higher. Between the two spiked cages, activate the bubble at the right moment and fly through the gap.On the next screen, the path to the left is still inaccessible. Ride the bubble upward instead. Remember the cages to the right and above, because we'll return here after obtaining a new ability.There is a raised platform on the left. Step onto it, and it will begin moving upward through a section filled with spikes. At the top, use the bubble, enter the next room, and continue right. Find the bubble among the hanging cages and send it straight upward. Then move left, ride the cage down, and leave through the opening on the left.
How to Get Hunter's Locket
The next platforming section is optional, but we don't recommend skipping it because the first proper Trinket is waiting at the end.The heart pot restores health, so use it if a few failed attempts leave you injured. Send the first bubble to the left and jump upward out of it. Do something similar with the second one, but once it stops, simply drop down. As soon as you touch the platform, move left to avoid landing on the spikes.Ride the platform upward and collect Hunter's Locket. This Trinket gives you a larger timing window when attempting to heal with the Oil Vial, making it particularly useful early in the game.Image unavailableBacktrack, cross the line of hanging cages, and drop down on the one to the right to reach the bubble below. In the next room, you can see a bent fork inside a small alcove, but you can't reach it yet.Head right to the tent, save, and equip Hunter's Locket if you want. The room to the right contains a mailbox with a letter from Glimmer's mother. After reading it, carefully descend along the cages and get past the diving enemies.
How to Get the Slingshot
The exit on the right is a dead end, so break through the floor and continue downward. The route from here is almost completely linear. At one point, you'll need another downward attack to smash through a fragile floor.At the very bottom is a large bird's nest containing an egg. Interact with it to enter a separate area. Continue right until Glimmer obtains the Slingshot.Image unavailableThis ability lets you fire the Matchstick into a wall and then use it like a small springboard to reach higher ledges. There is one limitation: Glimmer can only fire the Matchstick while standing on the ground.Keep an eye out for arrows sticking out of walls. The game barely explains this, but they usually indicate places where the Slingshot will be useful.Complete the short tutorial section and return to the normal world. You can immediately fire the Matchstick into the wall on the right, bounce off it, and collect the currency from the nearby container.Now backtrack a little. Return to the room with the cage that has spikes along its underside. Trigger it so it drops, fire the Matchstick into the cage's right wall, and quickly jump on top. When the structure rises again, bounce off the Matchstick and reach the cage above.This leads to the Hunter's table. Climb onto it and head right. Glimmer automatically collects the food he originally came here to find.
What to Collect Before Leaving the Hunter's Cabin
The main objective is complete, but don't leave immediately. The Slingshot has made two additional collectibles accessible.Backtrack from the table toward the tent. The bent fork you saw earlier is just to its left. Stand beneath the bubble and fire the Matchstick to the right. Leave it embedded in the wall, go around and climb above it, then bounce from the Matchstick to enter the alcove and collect the Rusty Fork. This Trinket slightly increases the damage Glimmer deals while at low health.Image unavailableNow leave through the upper-left passage and take the lower-left route on the next screen. Return to the room where the bubble can carry you to the first of several cages.Use the bubble to land on the cage, then repeatedly fire the Matchstick into the walls on the right and bounce from it to climb higher. Another Story Page - The Witch's Bargain is waiting at the top of the room.That's everything currently available in the Hunter's Cabin. Drop back down to the bubble, leave to the right, then head right, down, and left until you return to Night Garden.
Returning to the Well
You now need to bring the food back to Glimmer's mother, but the Slingshot also lets you collect several things that were previously inaccessible. It's worth doing a little more exploring in Night Garden on the way.When you reach the tent near The Groundskeeper's arena, look for the exclamation mark near the entrance. Go inside. Looter has returned and now runs a proper shop.He sells:
Bottle Cap - 250 currency;
Skull Keychain - 350;
Glass Eye - 450;
Rusted Thimble - 550;
Weathered Coin - 600;
Silver Ring - 800;
an additional Trinket Slot - 250;
an Additional Vessel - 750;
Oil Vial - 2000.
If you're short on money, one of the best purchases at this stage is the Glass Eye. This Trinket makes hidden passages visible and makes exploration much easier.
How to Find the First Spirits
Leave the tent and climb onto the first ledge to the left. You'll see a bird statue above and to the right. Use the Slingshot to reach it and break the statue with the Matchstick. Inside is Spirit - 1/20.Image unavailableFinding Spirits doesn't immediately give you anything. They must be returned to a special nest. You'll find it on the next screen to the left. Deposit the Spirit there to receive some currency.Climb higher, but don't take the left passage yet because it still leads to a dead end. Instead, use the bubble on the right to reach the lever. It opens the visible gate and another barrier you passed earlier.Drop down and head right. Another combat challenge begins, this time against six familiar enemies. Winning rewards currency, and behind the newly opened barrier you'll find Spirit - 2/20.Image unavailableReturn the second Spirit to the nest to receive the Tiny Witch Sculpture.Image unavailableAfter completing the combat arena once, you can replay it as an optional challenge. Defeat every enemy without taking a hit to earn 100 currency. Similar bonus challenges will appear at other combat arenas later in the game.
How to Find Another Trinket Slot
Return to the lever and head upward this time. You can replay the combat challenge on the way for additional currency if you want. Continue back toward the bubbles, take the passage to the left, and keep climbing.There is another currency container inside one of the small alcoves on the right. Break it and continue toward the tent.The last item worth collecting before heading home is located very close to the well itself. When you reach the ledge with the crab-like enemy, look up and to the right. A Trinket Slot is hanging there, and the Slingshot now makes it easy to reach.After collecting it, return to the bucket and descend into the well.
How to Escape the Hunter
Go home and give the food to Glimmer's mother. During the conversation, a noise comes from outside, and Glimmer heads out to investigate.Get into the bucket again. Before it even reaches the surface, the Hunter appears. After the scene, he kidnaps Glimmer's family, forcing the hero to flee.You don't need to fight here. A huge hand constantly approaches from behind, and if it catches Glimmer, the chase restarts. Keep moving downward and use the abilities you've already learned: break obstacles with the Matchstick, Slide through low passages, and don't linger during the platforming sections.Once you reach the water slides, the main danger is over. After the next scene, Glimmer wakes up below. Head left to begin exploring The Bog.
The Bog
Immediately after entering The Bog, head left and save at the tent. On the next screen, use the rotating wheel of platforms to reach the left side.From here, you can go either up or down. The lower route eventually leads to a separate area that you can't fully explore yet, but it's still worth making a short detour there for a Trinket.When you reach the swamp water, use the bubbles appearing on the surface as trampolines. Ignore the breakable floor for now and continue left.
The Bog Enemies and the Burial Vault
You'll encounter most of the area's standard enemies in the next section. Flying insects fire projectiles toward Glimmer's current position, so simply move after they shoot.The armored enemy periodically closes its shell and moves toward the hero, then briefly opens again. That's the best moment to attack it.The most annoying enemies may be the humanoid creatures carrying throwing discs. Their projectiles behave like boomerangs and return after being thrown. The disc does not disappear even if you kill its owner, so don't lower your guard too early.Stay near the bottom of the screen and head left. Break the wall to reveal a hidden currency container. Another concealed opening nearby lets you Slide into a separate area.The collapsing platforms lead to the Burial Vault. You can't fully explore this location yet, but the short detour is still worthwhile. There is a currency container below the first enemy, and in the second room you can move past the spike traps and collect the Golden Needle.Image unavailableThere is nothing else useful in the currently accessible part of the Burial Vault, so head back.Continue left until you see a character surrounded by flies. Hit the insects several times with the Matchstick. This introduces Glimmer to Ilda, who once worked for the Queen before deciding she wanted nothing more to do with her.Image unavailable
How to Get the Trinket Slot and Complete the Time Trial
Climb the ledges to the left of Ilda and look toward the small alcove near the ceiling. There is a Trinket Slot inside. It may look too high to reach, but you can already collect it.Enter the bubble, send it down and to the right, then immediately jump upward once it stops. The extra momentum is enough to reach the alcove and collect the Trinket Slot.Continue left. You'll soon reach an unusual device that starts a Time Trial when activated.The route is fairly short, but the time limit is tight. The biggest mistake is stopping. Keep moving right and Slide through the spiked sections. Try to reach the two vertically moving platforms while they are traveling upward, which lets you cross them with almost no loss of momentum.Three torches will ignite automatically along the route. Lighting all three is the objective. After the final moving platforms, one normal jump takes you to the finish.Completing the Time Trial opens the door on the left. Inside are three currency containers and Spirit - 3/20.Image unavailable
How to Find the Next Trinket Slot
Return to the previous screen and use the bubble to climb upward. Another save tent is located above. The Story Page on the high ledge is still inaccessible, so don't waste time trying to reach it yet.Continue climbing along the left side. In the next room, break the wall to the left, fire the Matchstick into the wall with the Slingshot, and bounce from it. Wait until one of the bubbles reaches its highest point, jump onto it, and collect another Trinket Slot.Image unavailableUse the bubbles on the right to reach a fork in the route. The left path is still blocked, so head right toward the bridge.A large flying insect appears here. It's difficult to call this a full boss. It either fires the same projectiles as the regular flies or drops eggs onto the ground, which hatch into normal flies after a short delay.The eggs break in a single hit, so destroy them immediately after they land. If you let the flies hatch, the fight quickly becomes much more annoying. Defeat the large insect and continue right.
How to Get Scrap of Fabric
In the next room, drop down and head right. You'll find swamp water, a bubble in the middle, and a closed gate to the right.You need to jump across a sequence of bubbles as they appear. Remember where the next bubble will emerge and don't rush your jump. Activating the final bubble causes a bridge to appear over the dangerous water and opens the gate. Behind it is the Scrap of Fabric.Return to the previous room, descend, and move left. Cross the section with spikes and another rotating wheel of platforms. There is a bubble to the left of the wheel, which is your next target.Send the bubble up and to the left. Once it stops, jump onto the platform and collect the Story Page - The Dollmaker. Then continue downward and activate the lever to open the gate and create a convenient shortcut.Head back right. The Slingshot will help you return to the exit. After dropping into the lower room, defeat the enemies, jump into the opening in the center, and break the currency container. Two more containers are waiting at the end of the small side passage.You can return upward using the bubble on the far-left side. From there, head right, cross the room with swamp bubbles and the platform wheel, and return to the tent near the entrance to The Bog.
How to Get the Hair Pin
Remember the breakable floor near the beginning of the area? Drop through it now. Another bubble puzzle is waiting below. This time, the position of the next platform isn't shown with the usual outline. Instead, watch for the small bubbles appearing on the surface of the water. They indicate where the next platform will emerge.Jump across the entire sequence. Once you reach the end, the gate on the left opens. The Hair Pin is behind it. At this point, you've collected most of the secrets currently available in the lower section of The Bog. Return to the bridge where you fought the large insect.Image unavailable
How to Find Ilda's Camp
From the bridge, head right and find the bubbles rising from the swamp water. From the upper ledge, fire the Matchstick into the wall on the right, then jump onto the bubble and bounce off the embedded Matchstick. This lets you reach the screen above.Glimmer meets Ilda again here. Light the campfire and watch the scene at the camp. In the morning, Ilda leaves behind a letter asking Glimmer to meet her at the tent.Continue right and upward. In the next section, there are four bubbles in a row on the right, with a Trinket Slot visible beyond them. If you simply move through the corridor, the bubbles will launch Glimmer straight into the spikes. Instead, destroy the bubbles using the Matchstick and Slingshot, then safely collect the Trinket Slot.Now use the bubbles on the left and climb toward the tent. Ilda is waiting inside. For a fee, she can mark the next story objective on your map as well as collectibles in rooms you've already visited. The service is useful if you're exploring on your own, although it's less necessary when following a step-by-step walkthrough. Leave the tent, save, and head left.
Path to the Queen's Castle
Cross to the left using the small bubbles, then use the large one. Notice the collectible above, but you can't reach it yet.On the next screen, break through the walls and ignore the route to the left for now. Climb through the bubbles between the traps. From the upper ledge, fire the Matchstick into the wall on the left and bounce from it to reach the upper exit.Climb along the left side. There is a golden gate here that requires a matching key. You don't have it yet, so move slightly to the right.Before the two bubbles, fire the Matchstick into the wall on the right. Bounce from it and climb onto the upper platforms. They lead to a small room containing another combat challenge. Defeat every enemy to receive Spirit - 4/20.Image unavailableReturn to the previous room and use the bubbles below to move right. Glimmer will soon reach the gates of the Queen's Castle for the first time.You can't open them yet. Access to the final area requires seven Golden Feathers, so you're still a long way from meeting the Queen.Continue right and downward. Along the way, you can Slide into a hidden alcove on the left containing two currency containers. Lower down, activate the lever. It opens two gates at once, giving you access to the tent and the route farther right. Save and prepare yourself. The next room contains another boss, The Swarm.
How to Defeat The Swarm
The Swarm looks like an ordinary enormous cloud of flies, but the fight is considerably harder than The Groundskeeper. The battle has three phases, and during the last one you'll need to watch for two sets of attacks at the same time.During the first phase, the boss mainly uses three attacks:
Fly Wheels. Two flies surround themselves with protective shells and roll across the ground toward Glimmer. Sliding through them is the easiest response. The attack itself isn't difficult, but the enemies are easy to lose track of once the fight gets chaotic.
Dung Shield. The Swarm surrounds itself with clumps of dung, flies around the arena for a while, then scatters them. Watch the boss's height. It usually stays fairly low, so reposition early or Slide away when necessary.
Fly Wall. The insects gather into a huge wall and sweep across the arena. The first section blocks the lower part of the room, so use the bubbles to gain height. You can Slide through the next two sections.
Don't chase damage. On higher difficulty settings, the screen becomes crowded very quickly, and preserving health matters more than landing a couple of extra hits. When the boss drops to roughly 65% health, the swarm retreats into the background and drags a gigantic skull into the arena. This begins the second phase.The skull is much larger than the swarm, which makes it easier to hit. Take advantage of that and land several attacks after safely avoiding each move.
Skull Smash creates shockwaves along the ground. Jump over them.
Dung Flurry fires a series of projectiles across the arena in different directions. Don't try to attack at the same time. Find open space and wait for the barrage to end.
The most troublesome move is Dung Balls. The skull launches large projectiles that split into several smaller ones when they hit the ground. Once a ball breaks apart, a safe area remains near the impact point, so don't run across the entire arena. Simply shift your position gradually as each new projectile lands.Keep attacking the skull until the third phase begins. The Swarm doesn't gain any completely new moves. The problem is that attacks from the swarm and the skull now happen together.This is the most chaotic part of the fight. Don't try to end it as quickly as possible. Focus on dodging first, especially the Fly Wall and the skull's splitting projectiles. Attack only during obvious safe windows. If you have to choose between one extra hit and good positioning for the next attack, choose positioning. Play carefully and the boss's health will eventually run out, giving Glimmer the victory.
How to Get Climb
After defeating The Swarm, head right. In the next nest, Glimmer receives the new Climb ability. He can now cling to walls and climb upward for a limited time by holding the jump button. Climbing consumes stamina, so you still can't hang on one surface indefinitely.Image unavailableIf two walls are close together, Glimmer can also jump between them to gradually climb higher. Unlocking Climb makes many of the passages we deliberately left behind in Night Garden, Hunter's Cabin, and The Bog accessible.
We're still working through the game. Check back soon for the next part of the walkthrough!
