Welcome to Tick Town, the Heart of Duskfade
Tick Town is the central hub world in Duskfade, the nostalgic action-platformer developed by Clock Tower Maker and published across Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Comparable in spirit to Traverse Town in Kingdom Hearts, Tick Town acts as a safe haven between the more dangerous platforming stages scattered across the larger world of Duskfade. New players will spend their first several hours here learning the combat basics, talking to the colorful cast of NPCs, and unlocking the many backtracking shortcuts that the world map eventually reveals.
This Duskfade Tick Town walkthrough is designed to take you from the moment you first arrive in the hub to the point where you have completed every available side quest, collected every visible Cloudie, and reached the summit of the iconic clock tower. The guide also flags gear shard locations, hidden merchants, and movement-tech shortcuts that many players miss on a first playthrough. If you are returning to Tick Town after completing the main story, you will find a backtracking section near the end that explains how to mop up any remaining objectives at your leisure.
What This Walkthrough Covers
The walkthrough is split into clearly labeled sections so you can jump to whichever part of Tick Town you are currently stuck on. Use the table below as a quick reference while you play, then come back to the matching section when you need more detail.
| Section | Difficulty | Estimated Time | Main Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival and Tutorial | Easy | 20 minutes | First gear shard |
| Main Story Quests | Normal | 2–3 hours | Story progression |
| NPC Side Quests | Easy | 1–2 hours | Cosmetics, currency |
| Clock Tower Ascent | Hard | 45 minutes | Master Clockmaker trophy |
| Cloudie Cleanup | Easy | 30 minutes | Completion percentage |
| Boss Preparation | Normal | 30 minutes | Best-in-slot gear |
Tick Town has a remarkably dense amount of content for a hub world, and even the developers have noted in an Xbox Tavern developer interview that backtracking plays a major role in the experience. Plan to visit Tick Town at least three or four times during your playthrough to fully clear everything.
Getting Started in Tick Town
When you first arrive in Tick Town after the dreamy intro sequence, the game throws you straight into a short tutorial section. Combat in Duskfade is built around a lock-on system, a lightweight dodge, and a charged heavy attack that doubles as a launcher. Take a moment in the tutorial area to test the basic combo strings because the same inputs you learn here will determine whether you can handle later bosses.
First Steps After Arrival
Once the tutorial concludes, you will spawn at the central plaza near the Town Crier NPC. This character is your main quest giver for the opening hours of Duskfade, and she will funnel you toward the Gear Forge, the Marketplace, and the base of the Tick Town clock tower. The clock tower is visible from almost anywhere in the hub and serves as your visual landmark, much like the clock tower in Traverse Town served players of Kingdom Hearts two decades ago.
Speak to every NPC marked with a yellow exclamation point before you leave the plaza. Several of them unlock side quests that gate gear shard upgrades, and one of them gives you a free Wanderer's Charm, a trinket that slightly increases your air-control drift during long falls. For a more detailed list of who is who, check out the companion Duskfade Tick Town NPCs guide.
Understanding the Hub Layout
Tick Town is roughly divided into four districts arranged in a rough loop around the clock tower. The table below summarizes each district and what you can expect to find there.
| District | Primary Activity | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Central Plaza | Story progression | Town Crier, fast-travel point, save fountain |
| Gear Forge Quarter | Upgrades and crafting | Blacksmith, gear shard vendor, anvil minigame |
| Marketplace | Shopping and side quests | General store, Cloudie trader, hidden alley |
| Clock Tower Approach | Vertical exploration | Gear puzzles, vista view, boss door |
Each district connects to the others through narrow cobblestone alleys, and most of them have rooftops you can scramble onto once you unlock the Wallrun Boots. Keep an eye out for cracked chimneys and loose planks because they often hide Cloudies or small gear shard caches. For a curated list of every hidden spot, the Duskfade Tick Town secrets article maps them all out in detail.
Main Quest Walkthrough
The main story in Tick Town unfolds across six named chapters that span your first ten to fifteen hours with Duskfade. The pacing is deliberately nostalgic, mirroring the structure of classic PlayStation 2-era action-platformers where a central hub served as the spine connecting linear levels. According to the PlayStation Blog coverage, the developer wanted Tick Town to feel like returning home after each adventure, and the main quest reflects that design philosophy.
Initial Story Missions
The first three main quests in Tick Town are essentially tutorials wrapped in narrative. You will be asked to fetch a missing part for the Town Crier's broken sundial, escort a young NPC across the rooftops, and clear a small nest of shadow creatures from the Gear Forge basement. None of these fights are particularly dangerous, but the rooftop escort introduces the ledge-grab mechanic that you will rely on throughout the rest of the game. Be aware that you can only grab ledges at marked anchor points, so plan your jumps carefully rather than spamming the grab button.
| Quest Name | Objective | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| The Broken Sundial | Recover three cogs from the plaza | 200 clockwork, gear shard |
| Roof Runners | Escort Pip to the clock tower | Wallrun Boots |
| Shadow in the Forge | Clear basement, defeat mini-boss | Forging Hammer ability |
Side Quests and NPCs
Once the initial main quests are cleared, the Marketplace opens up and a wave of optional NPCs migrate into Tick Town. Each side quest here rewards you with a unique piece of gear or a vanity cosmetic, and several of them branch into multi-part questlines that reappear after major story milestones. The most rewarding side quest in the hub is The Lost Hourglass, which asks you to track down five hidden hourglasses scattered across the Marketplace district. Completing it unlocks the Hourglass Pendant, an accessory that grants a small window of slow-motion whenever your health drops below 25 percent.
If you want a quick reference for which NPCs to prioritize, the Duskfade Tick Town guide companion piece ranks every side quest by reward value. As a general rule, always finish the NPC quests that offer gear shards first because those directly translate into stat upgrades at the Gear Forge.
Collectibles Guide
Tick Town contains three major collectible types: gear shards, Cloudies, and memory fragments. All three feed into either your combat power or your completion percentage, and missing any of them will lock you out of the best ending in Duskfade. The collectibles are also the main reason you will be returning to the hub long after the main story is complete.
Gear Shard Locations
Gear shards are the universal upgrade currency in Duskfade. You can slot them into gear pieces at the Gear Forge to boost attack power, defense, or movement speed. Tick Town alone holds eleven gear shards across all four districts, and several of them require movement abilities you will not have on your first visit. The table below lists every known shard and the ability you need to reach it.
| # | Location | Required Ability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plaza fountain base | None |
| 2 | Behind the Town Crier | None |
| 3 | Gear Forge chimney | Wallrun Boots |
| 4 | Marketplace back alley | None |
| 5 | Marketplace rooftop | Wallrun Boots |
| 6 | Clock tower ground floor | None |
| 7 | Clock tower first balcony | Double Jump |
| 8 | Clock tower second balcony | Double Jump |
| 9 | Hidden rooftop, Plaza | Wallrun Boots, Dash |
| 10 | Underwater canal | Breath Pendant |
| 11 | Secret attic above Forge | Wallrun Boots, Dash, Ground Pound |
Cloudie Hunting
Cloudies are the small, floating collectibles that resemble tiny puffs of animated fog. Tick Town is one of the densest Cloudie areas in the entire game because the developers wanted new players to get used to the collection system early. There are twenty-four Cloudies in Tick Town, and they are tracked separately from your completion percentage. If you are hunting every last one of them, the Duskfade Tick Town Cloudies guide breaks them down by district with screenshots of each location.
The fastest way to farm Cloudies after the main story is to fast-travel to the Central Plaza save fountain and sweep the four districts in a clockwise loop. Each loop takes about six minutes and reliably nets you any Cloudies you missed on earlier passes.
Clock Tower Puzzle Walkthrough
The Tick Town clock tower is the most iconic structure in all of Duskfade, and ascending it is treated as a rite of passage for any serious player. Climbing the tower also unlocks the Master Clockmaker difficulty mode, which is the toughest setting the game offers. Even players who only plan to stick with the default Adventurer difficulty should complete the climb because it unlocks a permanent fast-travel point at the summit and grants you a unique charm.
Floor-by-Floor Breakdown
The tower has seven floors, each with its own visual theme and a small gear-puzzle gate that you must solve to progress upward. The puzzles are intentionally simple but require careful observation because the clockwork mechanisms are synchronized across multiple rooms. Mistiming a gear swap usually results in a temporary lockout, so take your time.
| Floor | Theme | Puzzle Type | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brass and bronze | Pull three levers in order | Match the chimes |
| 2 | Steam vents | Route steam to pressure plate | Wait for the right pulse |
| 3 | Mirror hall | Reflected gear placement | Use the floor markings |
| 4 | Pendulum room | Time your jump to swings | Long, clean jump only |
| 5 | Cogs and chains | Activate in clockwise sequence | Listen for the click |
| 6 | Shadow spire | Defeat three mini-bosses | They share one health pool |
| 7 | Summit vista | No puzzle, cinematic only | Watch the cutscene |
For a more detailed breakdown of the gear puzzles, including a step-by-step solution for the trickiest room on Floor 3, refer to the Duskfade Tick Town clock tower deep-dive article.
Boss Strategies
Every hub world in Duskfade eventually funnels you toward a boss encounter that tests the skills you have honed in the surrounding stages. The Tick Town boss, the Hollow Watchmaker, is a multi-phase fight that combines platforming precision with aggressive melee combos. He is designed to be tackled shortly after you finish the clock tower ascent, and beating him is required to unlock the next major world.
Preparing for the Boss Fight
Before you open the boss door, make sure you have at least three gear shards invested into your weapon and one into your defensive charm. The Hollow Watchmaker hits surprisingly hard on Adventurer difficulty, and his arena has a thin ring of platform that falls away if you dodge too aggressively near the edges. Players have reported in community threads that the lock-on system occasionally drifts during his teleport phase, so manual targeting is recommended for the second half of the fight.
A balanced loadout for this encounter looks like this:
| Slot | Recommended Gear | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Forged Longsword +2 | High damage, decent range |
| Charm | Hourglass Pendant | Emergency slow-mo window |
| Trinket | Wanderer's Charm | Better air control on arena edges |
| Ability | Charged Dash | Punishes the boss's long recoveries |
The fight has three distinct phases. In Phase 1, the Watchmaker uses a basic three-hit combo followed by a long wind-up swing. Punish only after the third hit and avoid the wind-up by dodging backward. In Phase 2, he summons shadow gears that orbit the arena; destroy them first because they will track you across the platform. In Phase 3, he clones himself twice and the real body glows faintly. Focus your lock-on on the glowing copy and keep your charged dash ready for the closing combo.
For a more thorough discussion of community-discovered combat quirks, the Xbox Wire coverage of Duskfade includes developer commentary on how the lock-on system was tuned during the beta period.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to fully clear Tick Town in Duskfade?
A first playthrough typically requires around six to eight hours to clear every main quest, side quest, gear shard, Cloudie, and the clock tower summit. Speedrunners who already know the puzzle solutions can finish the hub in under ninety minutes.
Can I return to Tick Town after beating the main story?
Yes, Tick Town remains fully accessible after the credits roll. In fact, the developers built the backtracking system specifically around returning players who want to clean up any missed collectibles or chase the best ending. Save fountains across the hub make fast-travel trivial.
What is the best difficulty mode for a first Tick Town playthrough?
Adventurer is the recommended difficulty for most players. Explorer is too forgiving for the later boss fights, and Master Clockmaker punishes you heavily for mistimed dodges during the Hollow Watchmaker encounter. Save Master Clockmaker for a second playthrough if you want the trophy.
Where is the hidden attic gear shard in the Gear Forge?
From the rooftop of the Gear Forge, dash across the gap to the chimney, then wallrun up the brass pipe on the left side. Perform a ground pound on the cracked wooden panel at the top to reveal the secret attic containing gear shard number 11.
Do Cloudies in Tick Town affect anything beyond completion percentage?
Cloudies are primarily cosmetic in Tick Town, but collecting all twenty-four unlocks a unique pennant that you can hang from your rooftop balcony. The real mechanical reward comes from collecting Cloudies in the larger world stages, where they unlock permanent stat boosts.