In this guide, I go through every anomaly I can find in The Ten Bells and explain what changes inside the pub during each loop. I cover both the left and right side anomalies, the roles of the Bartender, Barmaid, and Ghost, the chase sequences, the dangerous events that can reset progress, and the major story-related anomalies that reveal the truth behind Arthur and Clara.
All Anomalies in The Ten Bells
There are 34 different anomalies you can find. After you finish the game once, you’ll get a list showing which ones you’ve seen and which ones you still need to find. When you find a new anomaly, it will be marked with glowing text, making it easier to keep track of.
Here are some of the characters you’ll see during the anomalies:
- The Bartender is a guy who works at the bar on the side with red walls. He usually walks back and forth, cleaning the counter. Sometimes, though, he’ll disappear during certain anomalies.
- The Barmaid is a woman who works at the bar on the green side. She also paces around, but she’ll stop and cry briefly for some unknown reason. She tends to vanish whenever a ghost is around.
- The Ghost is a special character that only shows up in certain anomalies. Sometimes it just stares at you, but other times it will chase you.
- When the ghost or something else chases you, your safe zone is the door you came through at the start (called the Lavatory door). If you make it back there, the chaser will stop and walk away.
Be careful some of the anomalies can be deadly. If they catch you, they will “kill” your character and reset your progress.
Left half of Anomalies
- The Scorned – The Bartender will emerge from the cellar when you approach the hallway and chase you. He disappears from behind the counter when this anomaly is triggered.
- The Rug – The circular rug at the end of the barmaid’s side of the pub has a different design on it; looking at it closer, you can also see droplets of blood leading around to the Hatch.
- Slime Books – The bookshelf next to the Lavatory (and to an extent, a set of paintings in the small nook area) will be covered in a green slime. After looking at the bookshelf for a moment, several of the books will suddenly fly out of the shelf at you.
- The Switcheroo – The Bartender will appear in both his side and the Barmaid’s side of the Pub. Notably, on the Barmaid’s side, he stands in one spot but tries to clean a bloodstain on the counter with an equally bloody rag.
- The Upside-down – Several of the stools in the Pub will have been flipped over and resting on the booths. The stools at the bar are unaffected.
- The Backwards Habit – The taps on the bar will be flipped. That is, the spout side of the taps will be facing outwards instead of inwards.
- Getting Smaller – You will shrink down as you progress through the pub (but reset when you reach the hallway). This will be notable if you look at the bar counter and are eye-level with the counter top.
- Interior Rotation – The Barmaid’s side of the pub will have red walls instead of green walls.
- Ocean of Blood – All the ship paintings in the pub will contain blood instead of regular water.
- The Hatch – The bar hatch on the barmaid’s side of the pub (on the fireplace side, specifically) will be open, revealing a large piece of canvas and a bloodied handprint. The hatch will slam shut upon examining it.
- Poltergeist – This anomaly does not trigger until you approach the hallway. The stools at the bar will suddenly move and partially surround you; upon returning to the Lavatory door, several pieces of furniture will suddenly start flying out at you. Both the Bartender and the Barmaid will disappear when the anomaly is triggered.
- The Watchful Eyes – A giant Ghost will peer down at you from a missing segment of the ceiling in the hallway.
- Larger Than Life – A giant, partially bloodied version of the Bartender will appear at the end of the Barmaid’s side of the pub (where the fireplace is). The Bartender himself will disappear on his side of the pub when the anomaly is triggered. (NOTE: you will not see this anomaly early; that is, you won’t see it even if you look through the doorways behind the bar. This only triggers once you circle around to the other side.)
- The Dull Sounds of Pain – Giant bells will appear to block you in the hallway; upon returning to the Lavatory, several more large bells will be in your way.
- The Revenge – The Staff Door in the hallway will be partially open (there’s a red glow coming from the room that you can see from a distance). Approaching the hallway will cause the Ghost to emerge from the Staff Room and will chase you.
- The Crimson Mirror – A large puddle of blood will appear in the hallway; upon returning to the Lavatory, several other puddles of blood will appear throughout the pub. On occasion, a bloodied face will emerge from the puddle.
- A Glimpse – The Cellar door will be partially opened, with a light coming from it. While you can’t interact with the door, approaching the opening of the door will reveal the barmaid weeping, and the ghost suddenly appearing in a jumpscare, before the Cellar light goes out. The Barmaid herself disappears when this anomaly occurs.
Right half of Anomalies
- The Eyes that Followed Me – A barstool on the Bartender’s side of the pub will start following you. It stops following when you turn around to face it, or when you retreat to the Lavatory.
- Mouth of Hell – A bell will appear on the logs in the fireplace on the Barmaid’s side. Approaching it will cause the Ghost to partially emerge from the fireplace; however it will not chase you.
- Lofty Gaze – The Ghost will watch you from high and behind one of the columns in the Barmaid’s side of the pub. It will not chase you.
- The Excuse – Several of the larger paintings (mostly of the women) will have the message “YOU MADE ME DO THIS” written on them.
- Stain of Sorrow – The barrel table by the entrance will be covered in blood. Upon looking up, you can see a coffin-shaped mark on the ceiling, also stained in blood. After a few seconds,a bloodied corpse emerges from the blood in the ceiling, before sinking back in.
- The Final Sound – The bell on the bartender’s counter will suddenly fly off the counter.
- Missing Mats – A few of the pub coasters will be missing on the tables. This is notable as, while they disappear, their shadows will remain.
- House of Cards – A traditional “House of Cards” will appear on one of the tables at the end of the Barmaid’s side of the pub, but made with coasters instead of cards. Approaching the House will cause it to suddenly blow away.
- A Burst of Passion – The Bell on the counter on the Bartender’s side will suddenly explode with several more bells flying out of it, as you approach it.
- Rack & Ruin – The Billiard balls on the pool table in the barmaid’s side will switch positions.
- The 10 Bells – This is an automatic anomaly, and only triggered after making it to the Tenth Bell the first time in a new game. This also contains a major spoiler, so only look if necessary:
- As you approach the Barmaid’s side of the pub, you’ll see the Barmaid herself walking into the hallway towards the cellar. The Bartender follows behind her, from the hallway, holding a bell in his hand. As they both enter the Cellar, the door closes, and a moment later you hear the sound of the Bell hitting the Barmaid, exactly ten times. Two other things occur during this anomaly: the door to the Lavatory slams shut behind you, preventing you from turning around. Also, the Private Room instead leads to a staircase that goes into a small hallway leading the funeral service that is mentioned in a pamphlet at the beginning of the game. And if you look closely during the camera panning around the deceased, you can see the crack marks from where the Bartender bludgeoned her with the bell.
- Assention – This is automatic after finding all the other anomalies (including “The 10 Bells” above). This also is a major spoiler warning:
- upon entering the pub, the door slams behind you, again, but this time the bartender is missing. Instead, the barmaid is standing at the counter, smiling, next to a newspaper that reveals that the bartender/landlord, Arthur, was arrested for the murder of his wife/barmaid, Clara. The entrance door is also wide open, and you can leave through the entrance.
- On Guard – The Bartender will block the entryway to the Private room. However, he also blocks the way to the Lavatory if you backtrack. Returning to the Private Room (or at least the barmaid’s half of the pub) and then back, will make him disappear from both locations.
- Can’t Leave – The Entrance will suddenly burst open, with the Ghost entering the pub and chase you.
- The Light Tread – A bell will be floating in the hallway. Upon returning to the Lavatory, you’ll see several more floating bells, and hear the sound of someone weeping. Making contact with any of the bells will cause them to fall and anger the Ghost, who will chase you.
- The Last Place on Earth – As you approach the Private room in the hallway, the door will suddenly slam shut. When you go back down the hall, the Cellar door will open on its own. The Barmaid disappears during this anomaly.
- Entering the Cellar will reveal the body of the Barmaid behind some barrels, beaten to death by the bell that lays next to her. After a couple seconds, the room will start filling up with blood, up to the landing of the stairs. A bloody head will emerge from the blood, point at you, then sink back into the blood.
Nightmare Anomalies
In this section, I list only the anomalies that appear uniquely during the Nightmare run of Ten Bells. The other anomalies from the earlier parts of the guide can still appear during the run, but here I only focus on the ones tied specifically to Nightmare Mode.
One important difference in Nightmare Mode is that anomalies can appear even during No Bells, also known as the “reset loop.” Because of that, I always keep watching carefully after getting through the first new game loop.
A comment on my guide also pointed out an interesting detail, although I do not know yet if it applies to Normal Mode as well: ignoring the very beginning of the run, it seems that a normal loop never happens twice in a row. I have not confirmed whether this rule is also true in Normal Mode.
- Head on Display
- A bloodied head appears on the bottom shelf of the cabinet closest to the barrel table, on the bartender’s side. If I examine it, a jumpscare triggers with that same bloodied head.
- The Absent Pour
- Instead of four sets of taps on each side of the tavern, there are only three.
- Don’t Ignore Me
- The painting of the girl in black, located in the nook on the bartender’s side near the Lavatory door, changes so that the man behind her appears to be stabbing her.
- Trim
- The bartender’s mustache disappears. It also vanishes from the painting of him above the fireplace. Another possible theory is that the mustache disappears from the painting first, and then from the bartender on the way back.
- Time of Death
- The grandfather clock in the hallway shows 6:30 instead of roughly 9:10. I did not personally see this anomaly, but I have it on my list.
- The Cold Touch
- The barmaid looks slightly paler than usual. Her hands also appear blue, or she may be wearing gloves.
- The Final Curtain
- The curtains inside the tavern are black instead of orange. Depending on my graphics settings, this can be difficult to notice because of the light coming through the windows.
- The Change of Pace
- An advertisement for a “Parcels Express” tricycle changes into an advertisement for “The Car.” This appears on the barmaid’s side of the tavern, next to the large ship painting. Another flyer can be found in the seating area on the bartender’s side, but that one does not seem to change. This is still a theory.
- Odd Stool Out
- The stools with white covers on each side of the tavern are either missing or replaced with red covers.
- The Hidden Toll
- A bell is hidden behind one side of the fireplace on the barmaid’s side of the room. Previously, it was found on a shelf above the barmaid’s side of the bar, but recent reports say it has been moved.
- Blood on the Felt
- A bloodied corpse of the Ghost appears on the pool table. When I retreat to the Lavatory, the barkeeper comes out from behind the far column, from my position, and chases me. I can avoid him by looping around the other column.
- Cueless
- A pair of cue sticks is missing from the corner on the barmaid’s side of the room, near the pool table. Normally, they are behind the chair in the corner on the same side as the large ship painting.
- The Prodigal Chair
- The single chair that is usually flipped over and resting on a table on the bartender’s side of the tavern is instead standing upright on the floor. I did not personally see this anomaly, but I have it on my list.
- Twisted Foundations
- The central pillars in the tavern are rotated 45 degrees, making them look angled instead of straight.
- Tarnished Rag
- The bartender’s rag, which he pulls out to clean the countertop, is orange instead of green. It is the same color rag used in “The Switcheroo” anomaly, but in this case, he stays on his own side of the tavern.
- Overwatch
- A giant, twisted version of the bartender, or at least his head and hands, appears in the entrance nook on the ceiling. During this anomaly, the bartender disappears from the counter.
- Mutton Chops
- The man’s portrait to the right of the hallway is missing his mutton chops.
- This Little Light
- An extra lamp is turned on on each side of the tavern. One is the light next to the admiral’s portrait on the bartender’s side, and the other is the light in the far corner on the barmaid’s side. I did not personally see this anomaly, but I have it on my list.
- An Eye for Ale
- The two central sets of taps on the barmaid’s side have eyeballs on their handles.
- Gasping for Life
- A bloodied arm reaches out from the seating area underneath the man’s portrait on the barmaid’s side.
- Ascension – Nightmare Variant
- This anomaly is revealed after finding all of the Nightmare anomalies, at least based on what is currently known. It is still unknown whether all anomalies in the game are required.
Similar to the previous Ascension anomaly, when I enter the tavern, the door slams shut behind me. The barmaid is standing behind the counter and smiling, with a newspaper reporting Arthur’s arrest. However, this time the bartender blocks the tavern entrance, forcing me to move through the tavern and enter the staff room, which is normally closed.
Inside the staff room, I reach Arthur’s office. On the desk, there is a newspaper stating that Arthur has escaped custody. It also says that the person who called the police on him for his wife’s death is now involved in the police work to recapture him.
I can also interact with a loose book, which opens a secret panel leading into another room. Inside, I find a bloodied top hat among several blades, a book on anatomy, and the cryptic message “Hell Awaits.”
When I leave the office, the bartender is standing in the hallway doorway, surrounded by flames. If I enter the office again and then leave it, he disappears, allowing me to exit the tavern properly.
Opening the secret room unlocks the “Discover the Truth” achievement.
The top hat and the anatomy book in the secret room are a reference to the classic London serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
Final Notes
A few final things to add before I wrap this up:
- You will notice that I don’t mention the names of the bartender, the barmaid, or the Ghost. This is because the barmaid and the ghost are the same person – Clara, who is murdered by her husband, the bartender, Arthur. This is revealed in both the Glimpse and the Assention anomalies.
Any anomalies that you do encounter will no longer appear again, unless you restart the entire game or you get the Assention anomaly. Use this fact as a reference to know what not to look for.