The Time Keeper

The Time Keeper is the third boss in Dead Cells. She was added in the Brutal update. The Time Keeper is found in the Clock Room which can be reached from the Clock Tower or the Forgotten Sepulcher.

Damage on a single hit is soft-capped at 15% of Time Keeper's maximum health.

First phase
In 1+ BSC, the Time Keeper goes straight to the second phase.

Second phase
Retains all of her attacks from the previous phase, some attacks are enhanced in this phase.

Third phase
Retains all of her attacks from the previous phase, some attacks are enhanced in this phase.

Vulnerabilities

 * Since there are short pauses between her basic attack combos, it is a good idea to stay just in range to bait her attacks, then move/roll away, then roll back in after she finishes the combo for a few hits.
 * The sword rain damage can be reduced by using Masochist.

Primary attacks
Sword slash combos
 * Each slash can be blocked with a shield or rolled through but parrying is the best option as it doesn't require any movement and can inflict effects from shields.
 * A shield that roots and freezes an enemy on a parry is very effective to open her up to melee attacks.

Shuriken combos
 * Each individual shuriken can be parried and send back for lots of damage.
 * When trying to jump over the shuriken the Time Keeper will track your movement and adjust her throws to hit you so it is not a foolproof strategy.
 * It is possible to dodge a five shuriken combo by double jumping and rolling, but the timing is precise.
 * A turret can be used to block the shurikens.

Hook and Slash
 * The initial hook can be blocked and parried, this will end the combo.
 * The hook can be jumped over but only after it has already been thrown as the Time keeper will track your movement if you jump before it is thrown.
 * When hooked and rooted, the root ends just before the slash attack so you can still block or parry the slash.

Lightspeed
 * The attack is telegraphed by a glowing yellow line across the arena.
 * The attack can be blocked, parried, and dodge rolled.
 * Parrying the attack will stop the time keepers movement.
 * It will also end the combo in the third phase.

Teleport
 * The teleport is always followed by a long range attack like Hook and Slash, Shuriken combo, Light speed and Shuriken shield'''
 * All these attacks have similar counters so the teleport is a good warning to make you prepare for them.

Shuriken shield
 * The attack charge up is pretty long.
 * Even though this attack summons lots of shuriken you are only in danger of getting hit by only one or two of the shuriken.
 * Best strategy is to just stand still and counter the one shuriken coming in your direction.

Weapons/Skills

 * She is susceptible to all status effects, like freezing, slowing and rooting. However, using them repeatedly will shorten their duration.
 * The Wolf Trap, Frost Blast or any ice related weapon/skill can be used to inflict these status effects.
 * A viable strategy is to hit her with a powerful weapon like the Cursed Sword or Heavy Crossbow when she is incapacitated.
 * Even slow weapons like the Broadsword, Nutcracker, and Giantkiller will have enough time to land their swings.
 * Phaser along with the Assassin's Dagger is a good way to cause massive damage to the Time Keeper.
 * The Vorpan can likewise tackle her heads-on, but without a shield it can be very risky.
 * Most of her attacks can be parried, so this is a valid strategy (Link to Shield build strategy).
 * The Ice Shield and the Cudgel are good examples, as they leave controlling status effects upon a successful parry.
 * The Rampart gives the player a force field if a melee attack was parried, which can be useful against her melee combos.
 * The Cleaver can be used to drain her health at a decent rate, but the wide area of the Clock Room may reduce its effectiveness.
 * The War Javelin can be used to easily keep up with the Time Keeper's repeated teleporting. Due to a glitch, it's possible to teleport out of her Hook and Slash attack if the javelin isn't in the player's inventory, creating a window for a massive punish, even larger than just dodging the attack.

Lore
Information about the Time Keeper can be found in a few lore rooms, mostly located in the Clock Tower.
 * A letter left by the Time Keeper indicates that she is repeating the same day over and over, as if time was rewinding every day . indeed, the Time Keeper keeps track of all the infected people and monsters she has executed, but all her entries are classified as "Day 1". It is also implied that her task makes her increasingly exhausted, as the number of executions decreases each day.

Trivia

 * Before the Baguette Update, the Time Keeper was named 'The Assassin'.
 * The enemy derived from her is the Automaton, who imitates her phase 3 dash attack.
 * According to the transition loading screens added in the Baguette Update also, it appears that she requested the King of the island to build the Clock Tower, for unknown reasons.
 * For the second and third phases to activate, it is necessary that the Time Keeper teleports away from the player first. Because of this, if the player manages to deal massive damage in a short amount of time, it is actually possible to end the fight before she enters the second and/or third phase.
 * The same can be said for Conjuctivius because she cannot attack while stunned by a Wolf Trap, and being the first boss, her stun duration is not reduced at all.
 * Sometimes she can freeze in her dashing animation when defeated while doing that attack.
 * She is the first female boss in the entire game.
 * Since the Pimp my Run Update, the Time Keeper will jump one last time to the center of the map after having her health depleted, pester on her repeated defeat, implying that she remembers all the other times the player has fought her, and then claim that "It won't end well...", only to escape via a portal.
 * She and the Giant are the only bosses that cannot be truly defeated in this sense. The Giant heals as he sinks into lava while The Time Keeper teleports away after being defeated.

Gallery
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