Spiral Knights: Complete Guide

From your first Clockworks dive to 5-star gear: damage types, alchemy and forging after the 2026 changes, the boss strongholds, the economy, and the events Grey Havens is running in 2026.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the September 2026 "Slime Storm" weather event, after the April 2026 anniversary update (Super Brawl, new servers) and the May 2026 forge rework. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Match your weapon damage type to the monster family. It's the most important rule in the game (table below). Carry at least two damage types.
2. Forging always succeeds now. Since May 2026 every forge attempt levels your item. The cheapest crystal option (selected by default) is enough. Extra crystals only raise the chance of bonuses.
3. Follow the rank missions. They teach the game, hand out gear and unlock deeper Clockworks tiers.
4. Crowns are for gear, Energy is for utility. Crowns (the in-game currency) buy recipes and alchemy. Energy pays for revives, danger rooms, some devices, orbs and guild creation. You can trade crowns for Energy on the player-run Energy Depot, so you never have to spend real money.
5. Get the TF2 hat. Reaching the first Clockwork Terminal from any Arcade gate unlocks Mission Accomplished, which also grants the free Spiral Sallet hat in Team Fortress 2.
6. Use the new travel commands. /haven (/hh), /arcade, /bazaar, /alchemy (/craft), /auction (/ah), /guildhall (/gh), /readyroom (/rr) and more jump you around Haven after you've reached it.
7. Party up. The Clockworks are balanced for co-op, and good parties make everything faster and safer.
8. Check Anomalie in the Arcade during weather events. Storm spikes (the current Slime Storm) trade for materials and event gear.

The Basics

You're a Spiral Knight stranded on the planet Cradle, fighting down through the Clockworks, a giant shifting machine, toward its Core. The hub is Haven (Town Square, Bazaar, Arcade, Garrison, Guild Hall, Auction House, Alchemy). You enter the Clockworks through the gates in the Haven Arcade.

Loadout

Every knight carries:

• Weapons (switchable in combat): swords, handguns and bombs
• Helmet, armor and shield (the shield blocks with a button hold)
• Trinkets for stat bonuses
• Accessories and costumes for looks (more accessory slots were added in 2026)

No class system. Your gear is your build.

Damage types vs. monster families

Put simply: piercing for beasts and fiends, elemental for constructs and undead, shadow for gremlins and slimes. Normal damage is the in-between option: it doesn't get a bonus, but every family takes it at the same rate. A beginner-friendly kit is one piercing weapon, one elemental and one shadow (source: the official wiki's Monster page). Armor works the same way in reverse, since armor that defends against a boss's damage type makes the fight much easier.

The Clockworks

• Tiers: Tier 1 (depths 0 to 7), Tier 2 (depths 8 to 17), Tier 3 (depths 18 to 28). Deeper tiers unlock as you rank up.
• Terminals sit at depths 4, 13 and 23. They're rest stops between strata. Tier 2 begins at Moorcroft Manor (depth 8) and Tier 3 at Emberlight (depth 18); a final terminal sits above the Core at depth 29 (per the official wiki's Clockworks page).
• Gates in the Arcade rotate over time. Their levels shift as the Clockworks machinery turns, and the gate map shows what's coming.
• Gear scaling: higher-star gear loses effectiveness in shallow tiers. In Tier 1, 2-star and higher gear is scaled down; in Tier 2, 4-star and higher; Tier 3 has no reduction. Overgeared knights can't trivialize early depths.
• Level types: standard levels, danger rooms (optional, costs Energy, great loot), arenas, Treasure Vaults, and themed strata (Jelly, Gremlin, Undead, Fiend, Construct, Beast). Mission runs can also include scenario rooms that never appear in Arcade gates.
• Status immunities worth knowing: Constructs are immune to sleep, and all Undead except the Howlitzer are immune to curse, so don't bring a sleep bomb to a construct level.

Ranks and Missions

• There are 10 ranks. Most split into two sub-ranks (for example 3-1 and 3-2); ranks 4 and 7 have three and rank 9 has four. Finish every mission in a sub-rank to advance.
• At key rank-ups you visit the Hall of Heroes for certification, which checks that your gear is strong enough for the next tier. Plan your alchemy so you have the right star level ready before you get there.
• Rank requirements gate content: for example, Operation Crimson Hammer needs the rank 3-2 dialogue mission The Pioneers, and the Confront the Kataclysm event needed rank 4-1.
• Missions have fixed layouts and guaranteed rewards, which makes them the most predictable way to learn a stratum before running it from the Arcade.

Boss Strongholds

Each boss drops tokens you trade for their themed gear (for example the Snarbolax and Jelly sets). Shadow Lairs are harder variants of the strongholds with their own rewards. The 5-star Vog Cub armor set (normal and elemental defense plus fire resistance) is a popular pick for Firestorm Citadel. Its recipes are sold in the Hall of Heroes once you reach rank 8-2 (bound) or randomly at the depth 23 terminal (unbound).

Operation Crimson Hammer is now free (announced July 2026). It's the game's only expansion mission: Lieutenant Feron leads squads into Warmaster Seerus's Grand Arsenal, and the same objectives are available in all three tiers with tier-appropriate rewards. You need to have finished the rank 3-2 mission The Pioneers first.

Gear Progression: Alchemy, Heat and Forging

1. Stars: gear goes up to 5 stars. You craft upward along an item line (for example Calibur, then Tempered Calibur, Ascended Calibur, and finally the 5-star Leviathan Blade, a normal-damage sword) at the Alchemy machine with a recipe, materials and crowns.
2. Heat: gear gains heat as you pick up heat drops in the Clockworks. Each item levels from 0 to 10.
3. Forging (2026 rules): when an item is ready to level, the forge always succeeds. The minimum crystal option has no bonus chance. The medium and maximum options have higher bonus chances than before the change. Use the minimum unless you're deliberately chasing bonuses.
4. Unique Variants (UVs): random bonus stats (for example damage against a family, or charge time). The Punch service (/punch or /uv) can add them.
5. Unbinding: the Vise (/vise or /unbind) unbinds equipment. Bechamel (/bechamel) handles accessories.

Well-known endgame lines

Pick sets that defend against the damage types of the content you run most.

Economy: Crowns and Energy

• Crowns drop everywhere. Collect them in every level and sell spare materials and gear.
• Energy (Mist and Crystal Energy were merged in July 2013) is sold by Grey Havens or bought with crowns on the Energy Depot, where the market sets the rate.
• Energy uses: Sparks of Life (revives), energy gates and danger rooms (3 Energy each), mecha knights and turrets (5 Energy each), orbs, battle sprite catalysts, Supply Depot items, guild creation (500 Energy), unbinding.
• Auction House: buy materials and gear from other knights instead of farming everything yourself.

PvP and Social

• Super Brawl (added April 2026): free-for-all for up to eight knights using your own gear, in five-minute rounds. No teams or classes.
• Coliseum Crucible: a player level editor for PvP maps. Community maps may be added to the game.
• Guilds have Guild Halls and influence the Clockworks with minerals.
• Regional servers: Australia and Brazil were added in 2026.

Current and Recent Events (2026)

Events come back. If you missed one, it will probably return. Several 2026 events (Tortodrone Migration, Apocrean Harvester, Kataclysm) were announced as returning events.

Other 2026 quality-of-life changes

From the April 2026 anniversary notes and later releases:

• Java modernization of server and client, plus a second large back-end batch in May, aimed at less lag.
• More memory used by the client by default, and an "Abandon Party" prompt setting to turn off those popups.
• More accessory slots for customization.
• Travel commands (full list): /readyroom (/rr), /haven (/hh, your last town scene), /townsquare (/ts), /bazaar, /garrison, /arcade, /guildhall (/gh), /auction (/ah), /alchemy (/craft), /punch (/uv), /vise (/unbind), /bechamel (/accessory). They only work once you've reached Haven.
• August 2026: leaving a Battle Arena or Treasure Vault early no longer spins for a prize box, so stay to the end for your reward.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using one weapon for everything. Wrong damage types can turn a fight from quick to miserable.
• Overpaying for forging. The minimum crystal option always succeeds now. Extra crystals are only for bonus chances.
• Buying Energy with real money before checking the Energy Depot. Crowns convert just fine.
• Soloing Tier 3 in starter armor. Upgrade armor for the families you face, especially fire resistance for Firestorm Citadel.
• Skipping rank missions. They're the fastest way to unlock tiers, and they pay out gear.
• Selling boss tokens. Keep them for themed gear.

Advanced Tips

• Shield-cancel your sword combos to stay safe between swings, and learn each sword's charge attack.
• Gun reload rhythm: fire full volleys between enemy attacks, and don't reload in the danger zone.
• Bombs control space. A good bomber makes a party much stronger in arenas and danger rooms.
• UV hunting: damage bonuses against the monster family you farm most are the most valuable UVs.
• Run danger rooms with a full party for the best loot per Energy spent.
• Keep a family-specific loadout for each boss stronghold and swap before you enter.

FAQ

Is Spiral Knights still updated in 2026? Yes. Grey Havens released the anniversary update (Super Brawl, level editor, Java modernization, new servers) in April, the forge rework in May, and monthly events through September 2026.

Is it free? Yes. No subscription, and even Operation Crimson Hammer is now free. Energy can be bought with in-game crowns.

Can forging fail? Not anymore. Since the May 2026 change, every forge attempt levels the item.

Which weapon type is best? It depends on the enemies. Piercing for beasts and fiends, elemental for constructs and undead, shadow for gremlins and slimes.

How do I get the TF2 Spiral Sallet? Reach the first Clockwork Terminal from any Arcade gate to unlock the Mission Accomplished achievement.

How many ranks are there? Ten, split into sub-ranks, with Hall of Heroes certifications at key rank-ups (per the official wiki's Missions page).

Do I get spikes if my party shatters them? Not in the Slime Storm. Spikes now drop as regular materials that each knight must pick up.

What's the fastest way to travel around Haven? Use the slash commands like /haven, /arcade, /alchemy and /auction.

Sources

• Spiral Knights on Steam
• Spiral Knights Steam news (2026 updates and events)
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Monster families and weaknesses
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Leviathan Blade
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Vog Cub Coat
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Clockworks
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Energy
• Spiral Knights Wiki: Missions