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Spire of Clockwork
April 25, 2026 at 03:14 PM
Rewired 3 wikilinks to longer matching article titles
The Spire of Clockwork is one of eight Spires in Crimson Desert, towering mechanical constructs scattered across the world of Pywel that house traversal puzzles and connect to the Abyss. Located at Breezeblown Knoll in the Demeniss region, this Spire is themed around rotating gears, levers, and clockwork machinery. Completing it grants access to the Riddle Square Abyss island, a gliding time trial that ultimately unlocks Wind Level 1 and the Storm Veil skill.
The Spire of Clockwork is a mid-to-late game challenge. Unlike the story Spires encountered earlier (such as the Spire of the Stars in Chapter 4 or the Spire of Soaring in Chapter 5), this Spire is optional content that players must seek out after receiving the key. It counts toward the "Conqueror of Spires" trophy and achievement, which requires completing all eight Spires.
The Spire of Clockwork stands at Breezeblown Knoll, located in eastern Demeniss near the river that forms the border between Demeniss and Delesyia. The structure is visible from a distance as a tall mechanical tower rising above the surrounding landscape. An Abyss Nexus is situated nearby for fast travel convenience.
Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Region | |
Sub-location | Breezeblown Knoll |
Type | Traversal Puzzle (Clockwork / Gear Mechanics) |
Unlock Requirement | Complete Chapter 8: Blood Coronation (Main Quest: A Fleeting Dream) |
Abyss Challenge | Riddle Square (Gliding Time Trial) |
Reward | Wind Level 1 / Storm Veil skill |
Trophy | Counts toward "Conqueror of Spires" |
The Spire of Clockwork cannot be entered until you obtain its key. The Spire of Clockwork Key is awarded upon completing the main quest A Fleeting Dream, which is part of Chapter 8: Blood Coronation. This quest concludes with a boss fight against Lucian Bastier in his tower east of Demeniss, fought exclusively as Damiane. After defeating him, the quest rewards include four armor pieces (Official Knight's Plate Armor, Official Knight's Leather Boots, Official Knight's Leather Gloves, and Official Knight's Plate Gloves) and the Spire of Clockwork Key.
With the key in your inventory, travel to Breezeblown Knoll in eastern Demeniss and interact with the Spire's entrance to begin the puzzle.
The Spire of Clockwork is a vertical traversal puzzle built around rotating gears, lever mechanisms, and precise timing. The core challenge requires pulling levers to activate gear segments, using Axiom Force to bridge gaps between moving platforms, and carefully observing rotation patterns before committing to jumps.
Enter the main gate to access the lower mechanical chamber. Head straight in toward the first mechanism.
Pull the first lever near the entrance. Pull it downward to activate the initial gear system. The gears on the ground floor will begin rotating.
Use Axiom Force to reach the second gear segment. Normal jumps are not sufficient to reach the moving platform safely. Use your Axiom Force grapple to launch yourself onto the rotating cog above.
Pull the second lever. Once you reach the intermediate level, locate and activate the second lever to start the next set of gears spinning.
Use a barrel to climb higher. Mount the barrel in this section and use it as a stepping point to reach the upper portions of the clocktower.
Wait for main gear alignment. Before moving outside, watch the large gear rotation carefully. This is one of the most critical timing moments in the puzzle. Move only when the gears are aligned to create a safe path.
Exit to the exterior platform. Once the gears align, a pathway opens that lets you step outside the clocktower onto an exterior ledge.
Locate the main terminals. Find the clocktower's activation terminals on the outside of the structure.
Activate the elevator. Press the button to start the elevator mechanism. Ride the elevator to the top of the Spire, where an Abyss Gate forms.
Enter the Abyss Gate. Step through the gate to be transported to the Riddle Square Abyss island.
The Spire of Clockwork is located northeast of Demeniss. Access requires the Spire of Clockwork Key, which is obtained at the end of chapter 8 of the main quest.
Insert the key at the front entrance to activate the Spire's mechanisms. The goal is to reach the top and activate the lift so the abyss gate can appear.
Ground floor lever: Jump up and grab the lever to activate the first mechanism.
Ascend through the Spire's interior. Force Palm Jump can speed up the climb.
Pull another lever partway up and activate the lift.
Activate the lift to the very top. The abyss gate will not appear until the lift has fully reached the top of the Spire.
Once the lift reaches the top, the abyss gate opens and leads to the Riddle Square abyss island.
The Spire of Clockwork is located northeast of Demeniss. Access requires the Spire of Clockwork Key, which is obtained at the end of chapter 8 of the main quest.
Insert the key at the front entrance to activate the Spire's mechanisms. The goal is to reach the top and activate the lift so the abyss gate can appear.
Ground floor lever: Jump up and grab the lever to activate the first mechanism.
Ascend through the Spire's interior. Force Palm Jump can speed up the climb.
Pull another lever partway up and activate the lift.
Activate the lift to the very top. The abyss gate will not appear until the lift has fully reached the top of the Spire.
Once the lift reaches the top, the abyss gate opens and leads to the Riddle Square abyss island.
Observe before you move. Every rotating gear has a predictable pattern. Watch at least one full rotation cycle before attempting to cross.
Axiom Force is essential. Standard jumps cannot bridge most of the gaps in this Spire. Keep your Axiom Force ready and use it decisively when gaps appear.
The gear alignment step is the hardest part. The main gear near the top of the tower requires precise timing. If you move too early or too late, you will fall and need to reclimb.
The puzzle is a skill check. This Spire tests your mastery of traversal mechanics more than any other puzzle element. Practice with Axiom Force before attempting it if you are unfamiliar with the ability.
After completing the Spire's climbing puzzle and entering the Abyss Gate at the top, you are transported to an Abyss island called Riddle Square. Despite its name, Riddle Square does not contain a riddle or traditional puzzle. Instead, it is a gliding time trial that tests your aerial movement skills.
Use your Axiom Force grapple to activate the receptacle (switch) near the center of the island. This turns on large fans and causes a series of rings to move into position in the sky.
Launch into the air and begin gliding. Your objective is to fly through every ring in sequence from start to finish.
Navigate the course by gliding through rings, which are kept aloft by the fan currents. Passing through a ring automatically restores your stamina, so you do not need to worry about running out mid-flight.
In certain segments, you must deactivate your glide and free-fall downward, then reactivate gliding to catch the next air current. There is a slight delay when reactivating, so anticipate the timing.
At the final section, cling onto the wheel mechanism and use Force Palm to complete the activation sequence.
Stamina Level 5 is sufficient. Having your stamina upgraded to around level 5 provides enough endurance to complete the course, since the rings restore stamina as you pass through them.
Watch for free-fall segments. Not every section is pure gliding. Some gaps require you to drop and then re-engage your glide to catch upward drafts from the fans.
Reactivation delay matters. There is a brief delay when toggling glide back on. Start reactivating slightly before you think you need to, especially in sections with quick transitions between falling and rising.
Use Force Palm at the end. The final wheel mechanism requires a Force Palm interaction, not a lever pull. Make sure you cling onto the mechanism before using the ability.
Completing the Riddle Square Abyss time trial activates the wheel mechanism on the island. Once activated, you can pick up the Abyss Artifact on the opposite side of the island platform. This artifact unlocks Wind Level 1, granting access to the Storm Veil skill.
Reward | Source | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Riddle Square island platform | Unlocks Wind Level 1 | |
Wind Level 1 (automatic unlock) | Deploys a smoke cloud that obscures enemy vision, allowing stealth repositioning or surprise attacks | |
"Conqueror of Spires" progress | Completing the Spire | Counts as one of nine Spires required for the trophy/achievement |
Storm Veil is a Wind-element skill on the Health skill tree that costs 10 Spirit to cast. When activated, Kliff deploys a cloud of smoke that obscures the vision of nearby enemies. This functions as an aggro reset, allowing you to disengage from combat, reposition for a flanking attack, or set up a stealth takedown on disoriented opponents.
The area around the Spire of Clockwork contains several Sealed Abyss Artifacts, which are challenge tasks that reward additional Abyss Artifacts when completed.
Location | |
|---|---|
Rapier and Shield 5 | On the road southwest of the Spire of Clockwork |
Life 6: The Underwater Ecosystem | At the intersection west of Demeniss Sentry Camp, on the north side of the Spire |
Challenges and Changes 7: Duo Win Streak | On the road east of the Spire of Clockwork |
There are eight Spires across Pywel. Completing all of them unlocks the "Conqueror of Spires" trophy and achievement. Each Spire counts as one Challenge under the "Lands Meet the Sky (Spires)" category.
Spire | Region | Unlock |
|---|---|---|
Chapter 4 (Story) | ||
Chapter 5 (Story) | ||
Chapter 9 (Story) | ||
Chapter 9 (Story) | ||
Hernand (Steel Mountain) | Post-story | |
Pailune (Wayward Woods) | Post-story | |
Spire of Clockwork | Demeniss (Breezeblown Knoll) | Chapter 8 (Key from A Fleeting Dream) |
Demeniss (Deadfire Mountain) | Post-story |
The Spire of Clockwork is one of five optional Spires. The other three (Spire of the Stars, Spire of Soaring, and Spire of the Sun) are completed automatically during the main story, and the Jijeong Temple Pagoda is encountered during a Chapter 9 subquest.
Riddle Square is the only Abyss island accessed through a Spire that features a pure gliding time trial rather than a combat or platforming challenge.
The name "Riddle Square" is somewhat misleading, as the challenge contains no riddles or traditional puzzles. The activity is entirely a ring-based aerial course.
Near the top of the Spire of Clockwork there is a sealed chamber that contains the Mace of Ambition, a Legendary one-handed mace with a permanent fire affinity, three abyss gear slots, and no durability. The room has no intended doorway or hidden trigger; the only documented way to reach it is a glitch that exploits the rotation of the exterior cogs and a grapple-hop through a pipe gap. Community speculation is split on whether this is a cut piece of content, an unfinished secret, or a DLC weapon that shipped on disc ahead of release.
Spire operational: The outer cogs only rotate once you have inserted the Spire of Clockwork Key at the front gate. Without the key the glitch cannot be started. The key is rewarded at the end of A Fleeting Dream in Chapter 8.
Explosive arrows: At least two Explosive Arrows to break blocked pipes on the approach. Running an Infinite Arrows build reduces this to a single arrow.
Axiom Force: The core traversal tool. Axiom Force grapple and grapple-hop are both used to clip through the final wall.
Patience: Expect multiple retries on the lift-to-pipe transition and the grapple-hop. Save beforehand so you can reload if a fall drops you somewhere unreachable.
Pull both main levers. Open the Spire, pull the ground-floor lever, climb to the second platform, and pull the second lever. These two levers power the exterior cogs.
Climb to the outer walkway. Use the climbable pipe and the stationary cogs to reach the narrow exterior walkway that only spawns once the Spire is operational.
Take the left lift and step off onto the pipe. Ride the left exterior lift upward. Just before it reaches the top, step off onto the pipe running beside the shaft. The lift cannot be paused, so commit to the step early.
Drop onto the cog and press against the wall. Crouch and drop down onto the large rotating cog below the pipe, then stand with your back flat to the stone wall. The rotation slowly pushes Kliff through the collision into a hollow cavity behind it.
Drop onto the wooden flooring. Once inside the cavity, crouch and drop onto the wooden floor. Falling past it returns you to an earlier chamber; climb back up and retry if that happens.
Shoot the blocked pipe. Follow the hollow corridor until you reach a section of pipes sealing off the next area. Fire an Explosive Arrow at the correct segment to open a small vertical gap.
Grapple-hop through the gap. Jump onto the remaining pipe, aim Axiom Force at the wall through the new opening, and double-tap jump to sling through. The geometry is visibly warped at this point.
Climb into the hidden room. Scale the final wall to reach the chamber. You should hear the Abyss overhead as you approach. The Mace of Ambition sits on a small pedestal flanked by candles.
This route does not affect Spire completion for the Conqueror of Spires trophy; the normal Riddle Square gliding trial still needs to be cleared to count the Spire as finished. The hidden room sits outside the official puzzle path and can be accessed before or after completing the time trial.
