Exploration
From SpiralKnights
One of the tasks for knights is exploration of the Clockworks by joining in parties going down through gates. While in the Clockworks, knights will encounter many interesting things. Use the mini map to detect monsters and areas. Utilize the icons of Gate Maps to predict what might be encountered while exploring.
Contents
Map Features
There are many wonders to witness on Cradle. The clockworks is a dynamic place, so certain objects might be found in abundance in some areas, while others are only found in a few or even a single area. An area can have different numbers of these objects than were encountered previously in that area, forcing players to pay attention to their surroundings.
Many entities encountered are interactive, while others are not. Stone carvings can obscure switches, but are not themselves interactive. Below are lists of entities that are either interactive, and/or have a dynamic effect on the player. Other entities that are simply aesthetic, or are more complex and linked to elsewhere on this page, are not included in these lists.
The names in this list are mostly colloquial, though some do have an official name that appears if the entity is targeted.
Carried
The following entities can be picked up by the player and carried to another location. They are either set down or thrown. If the player takes direct damage, the entity will be dropped.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Clay Pot
|
A pot for smashing. Throw it to hit switches, or just to have fun smashing.
A common sight in the clockworks, these pots serve as a means to complete many puzzles, a lucky break for knights who neglect to bring long-range projectiles. | |
Cursed Nature Sprite
|
A cursed Nature Sprite. Carry it to a purifying area, or splash it with a water pot. | |
Ember
|
Throw them at a candle to light it. Encountered in Candlestick Keep areas and The Grasping Plateau. Unlike water pots, they do not have an artistic generator, simply using a respawn pad. | |
Fire Pot
|
A pot containing a self-igniting substance. Throw it at something to set it on fire!
Low danger: you can set your friends on fire if you're not careful. | |
Gold Key
|
A large golden key. It unlocks a Gold Gate somewhere. | |
Heavy Statue
|
A large heavy statue. Put it on a pressure plate somewhere in the area, or use it to block monsters. | |
Oil Pot
|
A pot containing flammable oil. Throw it at something to break it - this will spill oil everywhere. Set that oil on fire!
Low danger: you can set your friends on fire if you're not careful. Many areas containing oil pots seem to be mostly populated by enemies that are immune to fire. | |
Water Pot
|
A glob of water generated from a water well. Use it to put out a fire pit or shadow fire in the area. Encountered in the same areas that water wells are, though water pots without a "bowl" or "well" are encountered in Dangerous Mission: Compound 42. | |
Bomb Shell
|
A 1x1 rocket-like object that can be thrown. Explodes on impact.
First seen ??? Can be encountered in the Dangerous Mission: Compound 42, 1-2 Mission: The Ancient Generator, and 4-3 Mission: Shocking Sentient Sentries. |
Enemy Aid
The following entities directly aid enemies in some way, with no other obvious purposes.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Grim Totem
|
1x1 object that pulses with eerie purple light.
Grim Totems will resurrect any nearby Zombies killed within its radius. These totems cannot be destroyed, but (if they can be reached) they can be carried by the player to another location to allow for easier zombie slaying. | |
Healing Totem
|
A strange device holding a mineral-like object. It will heal nearby enemies. They can be destroyed, but are on fast spawner pads in these areas. The colors seem to reflect the Tier in which the totem is located, a behavior akin to the the similar objects in gremlin mender wands. Tier 1: greenish yellow. Tier 2: Orange. Tier 3: Purple.
Can be encountered in certain fiendish arcade areas during the March of the Tortodrones event. Several are encountered in Shadowplay. First seen 26 February 2014. |
Hazards
The following entities will harm or hinder the player in some way, usually severely. A few will also harm nearby monsters.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Brambles
|
A tangle of plants with grey thorns that will damage the player if touched. | |
Brambles (Poison)
|
A tangle of plants with green thorns that will damage and possibly poison the player if touched. | |
Explosive Block
|
1x1 light-emitting blocks that explode violently if struck, hurting both knights and monsters alike.
Stuttering Mecha Knights will trigger these. | |
Fire Grate
|
Fire rises from this grate periodically. Players can walk across inactive grates and not take damage from the hazards within.
This hazard deals significant damage if touched while active, and is very likely to set players on fire. | |
Fire Pit
|
A very hazardous batch of fire. Encountered in the Dangerous Mission: Compound 42, 1-4 Mission: Crossing the Chasm, Dangerous Mission: Legion of Almire, Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer, The Grasping Plateau, and certain Lockdown maps. Can be put out with a water pot, if one is available. It is similar to the shadow fire encountered in the Firestorm Citadel. | |
Floor Spikes
|
Conical spikes rise up from the round holes in this grate periodically. They inflict a large amount of piercing damage. Players can walk across inactive grates and not take damage from the hazards within.
A rare version of this trap inflicts stun instead of dealing damage. This phenomenon can be encountered in the kat nest of the Event Mission: Purr Terror and certain Lockdown maps. | |
Freeze Grate
|
Frigid air rises from this grate periodically. Players can walk across inactive grates and not take damage from the hazards within.
This hazard deals significant damage if touched while active, and is very likely to freeze players. This freeze is likely lasting, so this trap will slowly kill most knights, even if they are caught at full health. If your allies are trapped on this grate, free them immediately by breaking the ice that binds them. Very low level traps can be explored with impunity if the player has high enough freeze resistance. | |
Orbital Chain
|
A dangerous chain orbits a fixed point. There are several variations in length, status type, and orbit speed of this hazard that can be encountered.
There are spots between each orb in a chain where the player can avoid damage as the chain passes by, but these are usually hard to utilize, so it's best to just avoid the chain. | |
Poison Grate
|
Noxious fumes rise from this grate periodically. Players can walk across inactive grates and not take damage from the hazards within.
This hazard deals significant damage if touched while active, and is very likely to poison players. | |
Respawning Hazard
|
A tile that perpetually produces entities. The respawn rate can be different speeds in different areas. What it spawns can be one of two things - another exploration entity such as a block or an enemy. As a rule of thumb, if there is a pad with nothing on top of it in the first place, it will spawn a monster. If it did have something on top, it will spawn whatever that thing was (usually). Don't idle on these pads - your knight can get a bit hurt when things spawn. Instead, avoid it or shield on it to block the spawn. This is handy to help your friends get through areas while carrying things. If it is a monster spawner, usually shielding over it will prevent the enemy from spawning, but this doesn't work for all spawners. | |
Shock Grate
|
Exposed wires surge with power periodically. Players can walk across inactive grates and not take damage from the hazards within.
This hazard deals significant damage if touched while active, and is very likely to shock players. | |
Shadow Fire
|
A very hazardous batch of fire very frequently encountered in the Firestorm Citadel. Put it out with a water pot - you'll need to help the Nature Sprites to have access to water. | |
Timed Explosive Block
|
1x1 light-emitting blocks that count down from 3 and then explode violently if struck, hurting both knights and monsters alike.
Stuttering Mecha Knights will trigger these. | |
Wheel Launcher
|
Main article: Wheel Launcher
An armored device that periodically spits out a large wheel. This wheel crushes players and monsters alike, pushing them in front of it for yet more crushing. Unlike other exploration entities, it has weaknesses and resistances similar to the Construct monster family. Damage it from behind, or block the wheel with a Cursed Nature Sprite, Heavy Statue, or Grim Totem, if any are available. Encountered in the Firestorm Citadel and the Event Dangerous Mission: Grinchlin Assault! | |
Missile
|
A block that periodically launches an explosive missile. Try to turn them off with a green missile button.
Encountered in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory, Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer, and certain Compound areas. First seen with release 2011-07-06. | |
Unused Rocket
|
When hit, they will flash and then explode, dealing damage in a 2 tile radius. They do not damage nearby Empty Rockets.
Encountered in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory and the Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer. First seen with release 2011-07-06. | |
Barbed Wire
|
Hazardous tangles of wire.
Can be encountered in the Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer, certain Compound areas, and rank mission arenas. | |
Landmine
|
A hidden bomb that is activated by a player walking nearby. The bomb is not visible, but it's marked by distinctive tiles of a darker hue. Its fuse length is similar to that of Gremlin Demo bomb. Encountered in the Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer. | |
Barbed Hedgehog
|
Hazardous caltrop-shaped barriers that can be removed with a single hit.
Can be encountered in 10-1 Mission: Crimson Chaos, and ??? (Sputterspark missions, a few other areas) | |
Misery Block
|
A family of 1x1 unbreakable spike blocks that deal high damage if touched.
These are often found in large numbers during certain events and/or in dangerous areas. Several are encountered in Shadowplay. First seen 11 December 2013. | |
Mush Block
|
A family of 1x1 breakable blocks that break into a pile of mush. This mush lingers for a while and will significantly hinder movement speed.
These are often found in clusters. Ice slush and chilled frosting "mush" can be encountered in the event-exclusive Grinchlin Assault and A Gremlin in Knead prestige missions, respectively. First seen 11 December 2013. | |
Red Searchlight
|
Similar to aesthetic searchlights found elsewhere in the clockworks. These have a red tint and make a round pool of light on the ground. If the player walks into this lit area, several missiles will fall from above.
Found in the 2-3 Mission: The Collector and 10-1 Mission: Crimson Chaos. First seen with release 2013-07-30. | |
Super Explosive Block
|
A blast block that generates several explosive globs when destroyed (even when removed via ghost block). Globs are similar to the ones generated by defeated Blast Cubes, a type of slime.
Can be encountered during the March of the Tortodrones event and Shadowplay. First seen 26 February 2014. | |
Vortex Block
|
A strange block that generates a relatively harmless vortex for a short time when struck. The vortex affects both knights and monsters.
Low danger: it can potentially drag knights through hazards or keep them in range of enemy fire. Can be encountered during the March of the Tortodrones event and Shadowplay. First seen 26 February 2014. | |
Timed Super Explosive Block
|
A blast block that counts down and then generates several explosive globs when destroyed.
Globs are similar to the ones generated by defeated Blast Cubes, a type of slime. Can be encountered during the March of the Tortodrones event in certain fiendish arcade areas as well as the related prestige mission. First seen 26 February 2014. | |
Swarm Spikes
|
A malignant tangle of spikes hidden in the floor that respond to the presence of knights, similar to a landmine. They will spike up a moment or two after you step where they are - don't linger too long in one spot or follow the footsteps of friends.
First seen with release 2015-05-13. |
Loot Yielding
The following entities, unless otherwise specified, will yield a crown of some value, a heart, or nothing when broken.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Breakable Tombstone
|
A 1x1 object that can be broken with a single hit. A crown of some value will drop.
These grave markers are encountered in Graveyard areas. Nonbreakable versions will not have glowing green cracks. Some gravestones (breakable or not) have a mound of soil near them. Keep an eye on these - a mound might spawn a zombie as you approach, or as you walk away. Breakable Tombstones in The Grasping Plateau are similar to spawners, containing either Souls, Pale Scarabs, Freezing Bombies, or nothing. | |
Bush
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot.
These plants have a much lower drop rate than other loot-yielding breakables, usually yielding nothing. They have a very small chance of dropping a single crown. Vividly colored versions are encountered in Compounds. | |
Fence
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot.
Encountered in the Firestorm Citadel. | |
Hydrant
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot.
Encountered in Concrete Jungle, Devilish Drudgery, and Dark City areas. | |
Lamp
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot. Short or tall varieties can be encountered.
Encountered in arcade Arenas, Firestorm Citadel, and Scarlet Fortress areas. | |
Mailbox
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot.
Encountered in Concrete Jungle, Devilish Drudgery, and Dark City areas. | |
Plant
|
Break for a chance to find minor loot.
Plants can be found on almost any level with grass. They are found in abundance in Aurora Isles and Jigsaw Valley areas. The Potted Plant furniture for decorating Guild Halls has a similar appearance.
| |
Cabinet
|
Break open for a chance to find minor loot.
Encountered in certain Compound areas. |
Miscellaneous
This list consists of entities that can be interacted with, but don't really fall into other categories.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Breakable Block
|
A family of basic 1x1 blocks can be broken by a single damaging attack of any kind. Aesthetic variations can be encountered in different areas.
Perhaps they are meant to be large bits of rubble, junk, or debris, as they seem to be more aesthetic features than obstacles most of the time. | |
Stone Block
|
Ghost blocks will remove these blocks. A family of 1x1 boulders that can be broken with three hits. Rarely, hitting a boulder might disturb a hidden Rock Jelly. | |
Unbreakable Block
|
Ghost Blocks will remove these blocks. A family of 1x1 blocks that cannot be broken by regular attacks. Aesthetic variations can be encountered in different areas.
With release 2013-04-03 art for the default variation was changed. | |
Empty Rocket
|
Empty Rockets must be hit twice to be broken.
Encountered in Ironclaw Munitions Factory and Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer. | |
Hedgehog
|
Caltrop-shaped barriers that must be struck three times to be removed.
Encountered in Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer and rank mission arenas. |
Mechanisms
The following entities will cause a change when triggered, are connected to something that causes a change, or simply an integral part of the clockworks. They usually play important roles in puzzles. Others are obstacles that need to be overcome.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Button
|
A round red button that triggers a change. They are usually connected to gates. Other buttons trigger monster spawns. | |
Crystal Block
|
A family of 1x1 crystalline blocks that break each other if one of them is broken, as long as they are touching (a chain) and are the same color.
Single blocks are often used to conceal mechanisms such as buttons. | |
Force Field
|
Attacks performed through a force field will not inflict damage. These barriers will turn into pinkish-purple X's and prevent progress if the player is carrying an item.
Many force fields are one-way, and often protect players at the start of a level. Others protect NPCs in the field, or make certain puzzles a bit complicated. Monsters cannot pass through most force fields (an exception includes Bombies in the second combat floor of Legion of Almire), though Tier 3 Wolvers can burrow past them. Some monsters can glitch past a force field as well, witnessed often with the sun scarabs in 10-2 Mission: Shadowplay. | |
Gate
|
A gate blocking progress. Find a button or a switch to progress. | |
Monster Gate
|
A gate blocking progress. Defeat monsters in the area to progress. | |
Energy Gate
|
A gate blocking progress. Open it with energy.
: It is usually not frugal to open these. Some gated areas are not behind walls - try popping the boxes with a ranged weapon or pickup to see if it's worth it! Danger Rooms are usually worth fighting through, if they're in a depth that has drops the player desires. | |
Gold Gate
|
A gate blocking progress. Find and carry a Gold Key to the gate, then put the key down very close to the gate to progress. | |
Ghost Block
|
1x1 light-emitting blue blocks with symbols on the sides.
Most types of blocks connected to a ghost block by at least one other block (a connective chain) will poof away if said ghost block is destroyed. Careful! This poofing property also applies to Treasure Boxes! This plays a role in several minor puzzles. | |
Pressure Plate
|
1x1 plates that activate when something heavy is on top. Find a Heavy Statue somewhere in the area or stand on it. | |
Switch
|
A round switch that will allow or deny access. Yellow or purple coloration indicates that the switch can be toggled, or that the switch is on a timer. Red and green indicate the switch can only be hit once. Green indicates it can't be struck again - it has been activated. | |
Button (Missile)
|
A round button with a rocket symbol. It turns off rocket launchers in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory, Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer, and certain Compound areas. | |
Switch (Munitions)
|
A round switch that will raise or lower purple or yellow barriers in the Ironclaw Munitions Factory when struck. | |
Pressure Plate (Statue)
|
1x1 plates that only activate when a Heavy Statue is placed on top. Find one somewhere in the area.
Can be found in The Grasping Plateau and the 10-1 Mission: Breaking in the Recruits. Was likely introduced with release 2013-10-23. | |
Rocket Block
|
A family of 1x1 launchers that send off a rocket when attacked. The light on top changes color:
| |
Unbreakable Crystal Block
|
A family of 1x1 crystalline blocks that break each other if one of them is broken, as long as they are touching (a chain) and are the same color.
This type cannot be destroyed unless a regular crystal block of the same color is touching them. First seen with release 2015-02-11. |
Player Aid
The following entities directly aid the player in some way, with no other obvious purposes. Some are even placed by NPCs.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Energy Mecha Knight
|
A Mecha Knight that will fight by your side if provided with 5 energy. This entity is similar to the one produced by using a Mecha Knight Kit pickup. Kits don't require energy and are found randomly.
Combat Details
It is equipped with its own Tempered Calibur and Great Defender. It is unaffected by traps and repaired by mechanisms that heal enemies. It will fight monsters until either it takes too much damage or the player finishes the level. It is unable to take the elevator with the party and stays behind. Low danger: It occasionally stutters with shock, this can have adverse effects on nearby players. Its attacks normally cause an obnoxious amount of knockback with sub-par damage, so use it as a decoy, if at all. : The benefits of activating this entity are not worth 5 energy. Players usually only activate these "for fun."Locations
Energy Mecha Knights can be found in: | |
Mecha Turret
|
Main article: Mecha Turret
A turret that fires a laser beam, damaging enemies. Some require 5 energy to activate, while others are already ready to rumble. This entity is similar to the one produced by using a Auto Turret Kit pickup. Kits don't require energy and are found randomly, though they expire after several minutes of use and can be destroyed by monsters. : The benefits of activating this entity are not worth 5 energy. Players usually only activate these "for fun." | |
Respawning Hearts
|
A tile that restores your knight's HP if you stand on top of it. The heal rate can be fast or slow in different areas.
They can be found in the Advanced Training Hall, certain Lockdown maps, Subtowns, in between Arenas, before Bosses, and very slow spawners can be found in the Firestorm Citadel. | |
Respawning Hearts (Blue)
|
A tile that restores your knight's HP if you stand on top of it. It also cures status, indicated by its Remedy Capsule-like coloration.
They can be found in the Private Training Hall and the locker rooms of Lockdown matches. | |
Danger
|
A module warning about perils ahead. Some mark dangerous areas. Others contain messages. | |
Information
|
A module containing information about the area. | |
Recon Module
|
A Recon Module contains vital information and/or small bits of stories. They can be read via the artifact section of the player's arsenal after acquisition. | |
Water Well
|
Generates water pots. Encountered in the Firestorm Citadel and The Grasping Plateau. A version of this entity in Expansion Mission: Operation Crimson Hammer will not generate more water pots. Standing in the grassy area around wells associated with Nature Sprites will cure the player's status ailments. | |
Candle
|
Find and throw an ember onto a candle to light it. Yellow candles will stay lit for around 30 seconds. Blue candles will stay lit forever.
Encountered in: Candlestick Keep areas, rarely in Graveyards in some Scenario Rooms, and occasionally in The Grasping Plateau as part of a puzzle. | |
Beast Bell
|
A bell left by NPCs to aid in combat. Active ones play an important role in the Gloaming Wildwoods and using one correctly is required to defeat the Snarbolax. One can be seen in the northern area of the Lab.
Hit it to ring it - any wolvers or bunnies in range will be inflicted with stun. First seen with release 2011-06-02. |
Spawners
The following entities will spawn monsters. Some will spawn continuously or only once.
Example | Name | Notes |
---|---|---|
Grave Mound
|
A suspicious mound of soil that might spawn a zombie as you approach, or as you walk away. They are guaranteed to be encountered in Graveyard areas, but not The Grasping Plateau. During the Dark Harvest Festival, they might spawn a Grim Scarab instead of a zombie. | |
Monster Cage
|
1x1 object that releases a random monster when broken.
Locations
Certain types of danger rooms feature monster cages. Some areas contain hidden cages that have the appearance of breakable blocks. The "med cache" boxes in the eastern area of the second floor of Ghosts in the Machine are actually monster cages containing constructs. Players can always find monster cages in: Monsters that don't spawn from Monster Cages
Information below is based on lack of information and might be incorrect. Most monsters have been witnessed. The following have not been reported in any tier:
It would be best to break these with a ranged weapon or bomb, because monsters that come out will usually attack immediately. | |
Swarm Portal
|
Allows the entry of swarm entities. Any swarm-infected monster above these dark portals will have their defenses increased until they are invulnerable.
Encountered in the Unknown Passage. First seen with release 2011-10-19. | |
Busted Floor
|
A suspicious hole in the floor. Usually, nasty mini monsters (Dust Bunnies, Glop Drops, or Scarabs) will crawl out and make a fuss.
It is a special monster spawner frequently encountered in Compounds. Variations (single tile, decorated) are seen in other areas. First seen with release 2012-05-09. | |
Fiend Gate
|
A suspicious sigil that continuously spawns what appears to be a portal. Fiends come through it into battle.
Destroy this portal whenever it appears to reduce the flood of fiendish forces. First seen 26 February 2014. | |
Burrow
|
A hole in the floor. Wolvers will occasionally come out.
First seen with release 2015-02-11. Encountered in the 10-1 Mission: Breaking in the Recruits. | |
Swarm Sphere
|
A peculiar black sphere encountered somewhat frequently in areas of the Core. Be careful, it will spawn a monster corrupted by The Swarm if struck, similar to the Monster Cage.
First seen with release 2015-05-13. |
General Exploration
Items
Items are frequently dropped from map features, monsters, and treasure boxes. Rarely, they are simply on the ground waiting to be picked up.
Monsters
Monsters are the denizens that reside within the ever-changing halls of the Clockworks. There are currently six "families" of monsters found within the Clockworks; Beasts, Fiends, Undead, Constructs, Gremlins and Slimes. Each family (besides Gremlins) has at least two different "species" with varying methods of attacks.
NPCs
Occasionally, the player will encounter friendly NPCs in the field, or need to rescue NPCs before resuming exploration.
Treasure Boxes
A lucky find! Treasure boxes always contain goodies such as coins, tokens, heat, pickups or, on rare occasions, tier-based equipment for the knight to loot. They come in red and green varieties, with the red ones being more rewarding (and less often found) than the green ones.
World
The appearance of the area the player is exploring will be different depending on a variety of factors. In general, deeper depths are darker unless the area is contained in a giant sphere with moon or sun bulbs, as with Lichenous Lairs, Wolver Dens, and a few other areas. The floor, walls, and many entities will change color according to the status theme. Many areas will also have relevant weather conditions. The Theme and Environment of a Guild Hall can be changed to mimic some of these appearances.