Perfect Timing is a timed ingredient-hunting mini-game quest given by Sutek the Mage in Ter Mur. Sutek challenges you to prove your manual and mental dexterity by assembling a clockwork mechanism using ingredients scattered around his workshop. You must find and use 20 ingredients in sequence, each within a 15-second time limit. Successfully completing the assembly earns you a Mechanical Life Manual — the key to unlocking the ability to craft clockwork creature companions.
Prerequisites
While the quest itself has no skill requirement, the primary reward (the Mechanical Life Manual) requires GM Tinkering (100.0) to use. Characters without GM Tinkering can still complete the quest, but won't be able to read the manual until they reach the skill threshold.
Starting the Quest
Speak with Sutek the Mage in his workshop in Ter Mur. He mutters to himself every 15 seconds about various scientific topics — approach him and use his context menu to see the quest offer.
Sutek is dismissive but grudgingly willing to share his knowledge if you can prove yourself. Accept the quest and he places a Clockwork Mechanism in your backpack. This mechanism is randomly assigned one of seven clockwork creature types:
| Clockwork Creature Type |
|---|
| Exodus Overseer |
| Betrayer |
| Clockwork Scorpion |
| Vollem |
| Juggernaut |
| Exodus Minion |
| Leather Wolf |
The creature type is cosmetic for the quest — it determines the name on the mechanism and the creature that briefly appears at the end, but does not affect gameplay.
Important: The Clockwork Mechanism has a 1-hour lifespan and cannot be dropped on the ground. If it decays or you resign the quest, it is deleted.
Quest Walkthrough
The Ingredient Challenge
Double-click the Clockwork Mechanism in your backpack to begin. A confirmation gump appears warning you that you have limited time. Click OK to start.
The challenge works as follows:
- Your character calls out what ingredient is needed: "I need to add some [ingredient]."
- You have 15 seconds to find and double-click the correct ingredient item in Sutek's workshop.
- If you click the correct ingredient: "You've successfully added this ingredient." The next ingredient is immediately requested and the 15-second timer resets.
- If you click the wrong ingredient: "That is not the right ingredient." Your character repeats what ingredient is actually needed. No penalty beyond wasted time.
- Repeat for a total of 20 ingredients.
If the 15-second timer expires: The quest fails. You receive: "You fail to find the next ingredient in time. Your clockwork assembly crumbles." The mechanism is destroyed and you must get a new one from Sutek by re-accepting the quest.
Completing the Assembly
Once all 20 ingredients are successfully added, a Completed Clockwork Assembly is placed in your backpack. A clockwork creature briefly materializes at your location with dramatic effects before failing and vanishing ("The training clockwork fails and the creature vanishes").
Important: The Completed Clockwork Assembly has a 10-minute lifespan. Return to Sutek and turn it in promptly.
Turn in the Completed Clockwork Assembly to Sutek to complete the quest and receive your rewards.
Available Ingredients
Each round requests a random ingredient from the following pool. All ingredients are fixed, non-movable items placed around Sutek's workshop — you use them by double-clicking, not picking them up.
| Ingredient | Description |
|---|---|
| Feathers | Bird feathers |
| Shafts | Wooden shafts |
| Power Crystal | Glowing crystals (2 locations) |
| Yellow Potion | Yellow-hued bottle |
| Purple Potion | Purple-hued bottle (2 locations) |
| Red Potion | Red-hued bottle |
| Blue Potion | Blue-hued bottle |
| Barrel Hoops | Stacked barrel hoops (2 locations) |
| Barrel Staves | Barrel stave pieces (2 locations) |
| Bones | Skeletal remains |
| Fetid Essence | Dark essence container |
| Void Essence | Purple-hued essence |
| Spirit Essence | Blue-hued essence |
| Rope | Coiled rope (2 locations) |
| Wooden Logs | Log piles (4 locations) |
| Wooden Boards | Lumber stacks (4 locations) |
| Leather | Leather hides |
| Scales | Dragon scales (2 locations) |
| Thorns | Thorny branches (2 locations) |
| Beeswax | Wax lumps (2 locations) |
| Melted Wax | Melted wax pools (2 locations) |
| Gears | Mechanical gears |
| Nails | Iron nails |
| Dark Stone | Dark-colored stone |
| White Stone | White-colored stone |
| Brown Stone | Brown-colored stone |
| Iron Wire | Wire spool |
| Silver Wire | Wire spool |
| Gold Wire | Wire spool |
| Copper Wire | Wire spool |
| Gold Ingots | Gold ingot pile (2 locations) |
| Copper Ingots | Copper ingot pile (2 locations) |
| Iron Ingots | Iron ingot pile (2 locations) |
| Silver Ingots | Silver ingot pile (2 locations) |
| Oil of Vitriol | Acid container |
| Black Powder | Dark powder pile |
| White Powder | White powder pile |
| Blue Powder | Blue powder pile |
The four wire types are all located at the same coordinates (910, 589) stacked at different heights — look carefully to click the right one.
Rewards
| Reward | Details |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Life Manual | A book that teaches the ability to build mechanical clockwork companions. Requires GM Tinkering (100.0) to read. Consumed on use. Once learned, the knowledge is permanent and cannot be unlearned. |
| Sutek's Dirty Gear | A gear that can be polished (double-click) to reveal a random Music Box gear. Has a 5% chance to produce a Rare-tier music gear, otherwise produces a Common or Uncommon gear (50/50 chance between the two). Consumed on use. |
Tips
- Learn the workshop layout before starting. Walk around Sutek's workshop and familiarize yourself with where every ingredient is located. The 15-second timer is tight if you're searching blind. Hover over items to read their names.
- The four wire types are stacked in one spot (coordinates 910, 589) at different heights. Iron Wire is on top, Copper Wire is on the bottom. Practice clicking them to distinguish them quickly.
- Wooden Logs and Wooden Boards each appear in 4 separate locations throughout the workshop. Learn at least one or two locations for each so you can reach them from anywhere.
- If you click the wrong ingredient, your character repeats the needed ingredient's name. No time penalty is applied beyond the seconds you lost, so don't panic.
- Double-clicking the mechanism during the challenge repeats what ingredient you currently need — useful if the overhead text scrolled off screen.
- The Completed Clockwork Assembly decays in 10 minutes. Don't wander off after completing the assembly — go straight to Sutek and turn it in.
- Multiple runs may be needed if you want both the manual and extra Dirty Gears for music box gear farming. The quest is repeatable.
- You only need the manual once — after reading it, the MechanicalLife flag is permanently set on your character.