Well Dweller Bosses: All 13 Fights in Order

All bosses and chases, in the order of a 100% run

This order follows NeatPick's all-bosses video on Hard. The "Guide" link opens a short video of that fight alone.

#EncounterTypeAreaWhat it unlocksAchievement (Steam players)Watch
1The GroundskeeperBossNight GardenOpens the path to the Hunter's CabinDark Garden (80%) Guide
2The HunterChaseNight Garden / the wellStory chase; the Hunter carries off Glimmer's familySnatched Up (66.9%) Guide
3The SwarmBossThe BogClimb and Tent Travel abilitiesBuggy Business (42.5%) Guide
4Lida the TerribleBossGravenvalleyRescues Egbert, the first siblingLittlest Bird (18.5%) Guide
5Lady of the DrainsBossThe DrainsFrees the frogs; first Golden Feather (needs 3 elevator parts first)Down the Drain (19.7%) Guide
6The Queen (evade)ChaseDesiccated CastleStealth sequence; no fightHide and Seek (10.3%) Guide
7StarsingerBossThe Lookout TowerLookout Tower bossSong of the Stars (4.7%) Guide
8Forest KingBossAutumn ForestYou 'win over' the Forest King rather than simply kill himFancy Feast (3.4%) Guide
9Creature from the DeepBossThe DocksAccess to the water vessels parked along the docksInto the Deep (4.8%) Guide
10The ColonyBossThe Deep (reached by water vessel)Rescues the twins, Thimble and ThistleDouble Trouble (4.1%) Guide
11Dollmaker's MirrorBossDollmaker's HouseRescues Magda; Wall Sling abilityIn the Dollmaker's House (2.9%) Guide
12GravediggerBossBurial VaultClears the way for the snail you escort through the vaultDig Deep (2%) Guide
13Shrine of the Seven SonsBossMidnight DrenchMidnight Drench bossStormy Night (5.1%) Guide
14The Innkeeper (escape)ChaseWebdrench InnEscape sequence; awards a Golden FeatherLate Night Guest (2%) Guide
15Silver DollBossQueen's CastleFrees a pair of Ilda's siblingsSharp and Shiny (1.6%) Guide
16The QueenBossQueen's CastleFinal battle; credits roll (the true ending needs all spirits)The End (1.5%) Guide

The middle of the game is open

Only the ends are fixed: the Groundskeeper, the Hunter chase and The Swarm always come first, and the Silver Doll and the Queen always come last. Two recorded first runs took the middle in different orders:

StepNeatPick (100%, Hard)Indie James (first run)
1The GroundskeeperThe Groundskeeper
2The HunterThe Hunter
3The SwarmThe Swarm
4Lida the TerribleLady of the Drains
5Lady of the DrainsLida the Terrible
6The Queen (evade)The Queen (evade)
7StarsingerCreature from the Deep
8Forest KingThe Colony
9Creature from the DeepStarsinger
10The ColonyForest King
11Dollmaker's MirrorShrine of the Seven Sons
12GravediggerDollmaker's Mirror
13Shrine of the Seven SonsGravedigger
14The Innkeeper (escape)The Innkeeper (escape)
15Silver DollSilver Doll
16The QueenThe Queen

Indie James fought Lady of the Drains before Lida the Terrible and went to The Docks (Creature from the Deep, The Colony) before the Lookout Tower. If a boss room is locked, you are missing an ability — check the abilities page for what opens which area.

Timestamps for every fight

Difficulty and assists

The developer answered this directly on the Steam forum: difficulty settings do not change damage. Enemies and bosses hit just as hard on every setting; what changes is the attack itself — number of projectiles, speed and duration, reaction time and the gap between attacks. Assist options sit in the gameplay menu, and every cutscene can be skipped by holding the interact button. More on the difficulty page.

Boss questions

How many bosses are in Well Dweller?

13 bosses, plus 3 chase or stealth sequences (the Hunter, the Queen in the Desiccated Castle and the Innkeeper). The developer described it before launch as 13 bosses plus a couple of boss-type sequences.

Who is the first boss?

The Groundskeeper in the Night Garden. 80% of Steam players had beaten it a day after launch.

Who is the final boss?

The Queen, fought in the Queen's Castle after the Silver Doll. Only 1.5% of Steam players had reached the end a day after launch.

Is there a boss rush?

The Nintendo eShop lists a Boss Rush Mode among the Switch 2 enhancements. We have not confirmed it on other platforms yet.

Does the difficulty setting change boss damage?

No. Kyle Thompson explained on Steam that difficulty changes attack patterns (projectile count, speed, reaction time, gaps between attacks), not how much damage bosses deal.

Boss list checked:

Sources: boss title cards and order from NeatPick's all-bosses video; the alternative order from Indie James's full run (timestamps in his comment); areas and rewards from OhNoNotAddy's per-boss guides and Gabe and the Goat's walkthrough; unlock rates from Steam's global achievement stats.