Veteran explorers of Pharloom have long relied on the bellways to navigate the sprawling kingdom’s many biomes. These towering, resonant structures function as fast-travel nodes, shaving hours off journey times as Hornet answers wishes from every corner... moreVeteran explorers of Pharloom have long relied on the bellways to navigate the sprawling kingdom’s many biomes. These towering, resonant structures function as fast-travel nodes, shaving hours off journey times as Hornet answers wishes from every corner of the map. Yet what many players still overlook is that the bellway network can be upgraded into a genuinely portable summon system—if you dare to unlock the game’s hidden third act and conquer the Bell Eater. This monstrous, segmented boss does more than guard a new needle tool; it fundamentally reshapes how you traverse the world.
While the Bell Eater encounter is unmissable once certain conditions are met, reaching it requires genuine commitment. You must first defeat Grand Mother Silk—the towering matriarch whose silk threads are woven through Cogwork Core—and trap her consciousness inside a Soul Snare. This pivotal act triggers the transition into Act Three, respawning Hornet in The Cradle, the eerie heart of the machinery. From here, instead of heading upward, you must descend back into Cogwork Core along a specific route: watch for a collapsed tunnel marked by glowing crimson silk, then leap across the newly exposed gear shafts into the Songclave area. Songclave is a hauntingly quiet sub-biome where ancient bell carillons line the walls, and any functioning Bellway here will now answer your call with something far larger and angrier than the usual Bell Beast.
To summon the boss, approach any Bellway in Songclave and use the "Call Bell Beast" action. The screen will tremble, and the Bell Eater will erupt from the ground, dragging you into its subterranean arena. The fight begins with a narrow corridor flanked by the boss’s own body, and the claustrophobia is immediate: its head and tail strike from either side, forcing Hornet to react with split-second precision.
The Bell Eater’s attack pattern is deceptively simple at first, but its true cruelty lies in movement denial. Its body parts vanish after each attack cycle, robbing you of windows to deal damage unless you learn to weave offense into your dodges. Below is a breakdown of every attack, its tells, and optimal counters.
Attack
Wind-Up Tells & Description
Suggested Counters
Slash Attack
The head emerges and pulls back slightly, building tension before whipping its metal tentacles across the entire field.
Stay clear of the head’s immediate radius. For experienced players, jump above the head and repeatedly downward-strike, dealing damage while avoiding the slashes.
Projectile Volley
The head appears without a charge-up and immediately spews a fan of red projectiles that blanket the arena.
Retreat to the far side of the space. Use Hornet’s enhanced dash invincibility frames to phase through the densest clusters if cornered.
Bomb Toss
The tail erupts from either the floor or ceiling, then lobs two or three bouncing bombs that ricochet before exploding. The tail angles slightly toward its throw direction.
Track the tail’s angle to predict the bomb arc. This attack offers one of the best damage opportunities—position yourself near the tail’s base and land several hits while the bombs are airborne.
Bells Spawn
The ground shakes and the boss’s main body sweeps across the floor or ceiling, dropping enormous bells that bounce erratically.
If the body slides along the floor, jump and glide to avoid it first. Then watch the falling bells and weave between them. If trapped, you can strike a falling bell to slightly alter its trajectory, opening an escape path.
Phase one tests your patience: only one body part appears at a time, making the fight feel like a series of discrete duels. But once the arena widens and phase two begins, the Bell Eater will frequently field both head and tail simultaneously. Suddenly, the screen becomes a maelstrom of bouncing bombs, red projectiles, and cascading bells—all while you try to land a blow on whichever appendage happens to be vulnerable. Positioning is key, but so is your toolset. The Thread Storm Silk Skill proves invaluable here, as its spinning area of effect can hit both the head and the tail when they overlap. For consistent chip damage, combine the Cogfly companion with the Pollip Pouch charm; the cogflies will harass the boss freely, and Pollip Pouch ensures they deal extra damage to constructs.
Defeating the Bell Eater rewards you with the Beastling Call Needolin music—a haunting melody that allows Hornet to summon a miniature Bell Beast from almost anywhere on the map, instantly whisking her to the last Bellway she visited. This effectively turns the entire kingdom into one interconnected hub, cutting travel times to mere seconds for cleanup tasks, wish deliveries, and speedrunning routes. There are, however, limitations: the song won’t work deep inside dream realms, certain boss arenas, or the very depths of The Cradle. Mastering the Bell Eater is not merely a bad less
