The latest title from Kyle Thompson, developer of popular graveyard keeping, the Crypt Custodian and Islets, has arrived in the form of Well Dweller, a gorgeous looking Metroidvania.
Starring Glimmer, your feathered friend, armed with a matchstick, you’ll need to explore a massive world to find the seven golden feathers to rescue your flock and defeat the evil Queen.
It releases on 22 September 2026 for PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series consoles. It’s also available day one on Xbox Game Pass. Why not check out our review?
Well Dweller: Time Trials Guide
Throughout the game’s levels are various time trials that will test your speed and platforming ability. Some seem tricky to start with, but with a bit of repetition you should be to nail.
Completing a time trial will unlock a door in the same room as the entry point to the time trial. All time trials can be indicated by a large bird statue. You can restart a time trial at any time, and there’s no penalty for failing (except frustration of course).
You will need to beat every time trial if you’re planning on getting every collectible. Any of the collectibles could be locked behind the time trial door.
Abilities
I have listed time trials in the order they were located, not necessarily the most efficient order. Thankfully, you can fast travel between tents once you have the ‘Tent Travel’ ability.
I have listed the different abilities below as each time trial will reference if an ability is needed. You may have to come back to once you have the ability mentioned. If the guide says “none” for abilities required, that means specifically to get the collectible. You’ll need an increasing number of the abilities to progress in the game.
There are eight abilities to get in the game.
- Slingshot – allows you to throw your matchstick. It can damage enemies when you throw it, and if it sticks into a wall you can bounce on it to gain additional height.
- Climb – holding A (Xbox) lets you climb up and down straight walls. You have certain amount of stamina before you let go.
- Tent Travel – let’s you fast travel between save tents. You can fast travel from the map screen, just find the icon on the map and press and hold A to fast travel.
- Wind Ride – lets you fly in wind tunnels, indicated by rushing wind animations.
- Hover – press A midair to hover. You can use this fly across gaps. You have a short amount of time to hover, this can be extended by finding additional feathers scattered around the The Lookout Tower area (pale blue area on the map).
- Endless Climb – lets you climb endlessly without falling from fatigue. Long walls are no longer an obstacle.
- Wall Sling – lets you plant your matchstick in the wall using RT while you’re climbing the wall. This means you can create a platform midway up a higher wall to jump across or get higher (especially if the wall isn’t straight).
- Soar – unlocked at the very end of the game, this lets you slam into the floor (Down + X) and on jumping (A) lets you take off to fly high to previously unreachable places.
You can watch a video guide below, or read on for an image and text guide.
Time Trial Locations
Keep moving forward as Glimmer does pick up speed when running without breaking. Some time trials are vertical and require you to go up, or down. They usually have a specific focus rather than trying to pull all your abilities and skills into one (though a couple require multiple abilities.
Location – Night Garden (mixed blue area on the map)
Abilities needed: Slingshot, Climb
You will need to use your matchstick to bounce over some obstacles. You’ll also need to dodge slide to get past some spiky hazards and maintain your speed.
You’ll be rewarded with a trinket slot for completing this time trial.
Location – Dessicated Castle (red area on the map)
Abilities needed: Climb
This is a vertical challenge, where you need to race upwards as quickly as you can. You’ll need to climb and wall jump to get to the top.
You’ll be rewarded with a trinket slot for completing this time trial.
Location – Midnight Drench (dark blue area on the map)
Abilities needed: Climb, Hover
This is a vertical challenge, where you need to race upwards as quickly as you can. You’ll need to climb, hover and wall jump to get to the top. There are bubbles to bounce off to get higher.
You’ll be rewarded with a spirit for completing this time trial.
Location – Hunter’s Cabin (pale orange area on the map)
Abilities needed: Climb, Hover, Slingshot
This one has you using all three mentioned abilities. You’ll have some left to right running and a bit of verticality too.
You’ll be rewarded with a spirit for completing this time trial.
Location – Autumn Forest (orange area near the top of the map)
Abilities needed: Hover, Climb
This one sees you dodging spinning spiky balls whilst navigating falling platforms. You have time to pause briefly so you can hover past the spinning spikes (not ages, there’s still a falling platform).
You’ll be rewarded with a spirit for completing this time trial.
Location – The Docks (pale brown colour on the map)
You’ll be rewarded with a trinket slot for completing this time trial.
Location – The Bog (yellow colour on the map)
Abilities needed: None
This one has little room for error. Run, jump and slide! Abilities would likely slow you down.
You’ll be rewarded with a spirit for completing this time trial.
Location – The Dollmaker’s House (pale pink colour on the map)
Abilities needed: None
This one is about up and over very quickly. There are a load of bubbles to help you get around quickly. You shouldn’t require any abilities.
You’ll be rewarded with a workshop token for completing this time trial.
Location – Graven Valley (grey colour area on the map)
Abilities needed: Slingshot, Endless Climb (after the time trial)
At the beginning of the time trial, launch your matchstick and start running. You’ll jump over some platforms and then reach your bouncy matchstick to get up quickly. At the end you’ll need to evade spiky balls, you have a bit of leeway to pause for a gap.
You’ll be rewarded with a trinket slot for completing this time trial.
Location – The Drain (green colour on the map)
Trinket: Fish Hook – greatly increases your vessel refill rate while at low health
Abilities needed: Endless Climb, Hover
This was pretty simple with the endless climb ability. Head up and jump between walls as needed.
You’ll be rewarded with the fish hook trinket for completing this time trial.
We hope you found this guide helpful. Check out more Well Dweller guides below:
Well Dweller Guides
- Well Dweller Achievement / Trophy List
- Beginner’s Guide
- Find the Elevator Parts in The Drains
- Extend Your Flight Time in The Lookout Tower, Feather Locations
- Solve the Orb & Pillar Puzzles guide in the Autumn Forest
- Find the Gate Stones in The Docks
- Find Ilda’s Siblings in the Queen’s Castle
- Unlock the “Bouncing Bottles” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “Snatched Up” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “A Warm File” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “Hide and Seek” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “Taking a Break” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock “The King’s Cap” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the Golden Gates and the “Stitched Up” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “Late Night Guest” achievement / trophy guide
- Unlock the “Together at Last” achievement / trophy guide
Collectibles Guides
- 100% Collectibles and Achievement / Trophy Guide
- All Trinket Locations (“Hobby Collector”, “Experienced Collector”, and “Expert Collector” achievements / trophies)
- All Story Page Location (“The Tattered Doll”, “Above the Kingdom” and the “First-Born Daughter” achievements / trophies)
- All Workshop Trinket Locations (“In the Workshop” and “Fully Stocked” achievements /trophies)
- All Trinket Slot Locations (“10 Slots” and “Fifty Slots” achievements / trophies).
Boss Fights
- The Groundskeeper – Night Garden
- The Swarm – The Bog
- The Lady of the Drains – The Drains
- Lida the Terrible – Graven Valley
- Shrine of the Seven Sons – Midnight Drench
- Starsinger – The Lookout Tower
- Forest King – Autumn Forest
- Creature from the Deep – The Docks
- The Colony – The Depths
- Dollmaker’s Mirror – Dollmaker’s House
- Gravedigger – Burial Vault
- Silver Doll – Queen’s Castle
- The Queen – Queen’s Castle
