Celeste is a precision platformer by Maddy Makes Games, built by Matt Thorson and Noel Berry and released on 25 January 2018. Madeline climbs a mountain with three tools: a jump, a wall grab limited by stamina, and a single air dash that only recharges when she touches ground or a crystal. Every screen is a self-contained problem, deaths restart the screen instantly, and the game counts your deaths without ever punishing them. An Assist Mode ships in the options menu and lets you change speed, stamina, dash count and invincibility, and Chapter 9, Farewell, was added free in September 2019.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness, factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Rankings
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story climber | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Strawberry completionist | A | Clear a chapter for the story first, then return through chapter select and sweep the side rooms with the layout already in your head. | Chapter select for replays, a route plan per chapter, patience with winged variants |
| Assist Mode climber | A | Balanced | Best available |
| B-Side cassette runner | A | Finish an A-Side, grab its cassette, then run the B-Side while the chapter's central mechanic is still fresh. | Cassette from each chapter, comfortable super and hyper inputs, chapter select |
| Golden Strawberry runner | B | Practise the individual hard screens through chapter select until they are automatic, then attempt the full run and expect dozens of resets. | Full route memorised, consistent hypers and wavedashes, no assists enabled |
For detailed meta rankings, see our Celeste tier list.
A-Tier: Story climber
Story climber is a top-performing option in Celeste.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Dash | One air dash in eight directions, refilled by landing or by touching a refill crystal. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | One air dash with eight directions | Madeline has a single dash by default, aimed in any of eight directions, and it refills when she lands, grabs a refill crystal or touches certain surfaces. |
How to Play Story climber
Story climber focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: Dash does the damage and One air dash with eight directions keeps it running, which is why this sits at the top of the list. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Strawberry completionist
Targets all 175 ordinary strawberries across the eight chapters. Winged strawberries escape the moment Madeline touches the ground, and seeded strawberries need every seed in the room collected first, so both demand a route rather than improvisation.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Wall climb | Holding grab sticks Madeline to a wall and drains stamina, which only recovers on the ground. |
| Core Gear | Chapter select for replays, a route plan per chapter, patience with winged variants | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Route knowledge first, then air control, then dash conservation | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Climbing on a stamina meter | Holding the grab button sticks Madeline to a wall and drains a stamina bar that recovers only when she is on the ground. |
How to Play Strawberry completionist
Clear a chapter for the story first, then return through chapter select and sweep the side rooms with the layout already in your head.
Targets all 175 ordinary strawberries across the eight chapters. Winged strawberries escape the moment Madeline touches the ground, and seeded strawberries need every seed in the room collected first, so both demand a route rather than improvisation.
Why this role works: Pair Wall climb with Climbing on a stamina meter and the build stops depending on a good start, so it holds up across most content. Core gear like Chapter select for replays, a route plan per chapter, patience with winged variants pushes it further. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Clear stat priority (Route knowledge first, then air control, then dash conservation) makes gearing straightforward
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Assist Mode climber
Assist Mode climber is a strong option in Celeste.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Wall jump | Jumping away from a wall does not need the grab button and does not cost stamina, which makes it the cheapest way to climb. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Assist Mode toggles in the options | Assist Mode is a menu, not a difficulty setting, and each option is separate. |
How to Play Assist Mode climber
Assist Mode climber focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: Assist Mode toggles in the options covers the gap Wall jump leaves open, so the build stays usable even when a fight goes badly. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: B-Side cassette runner
Each chapter hides one cassette tape, and collecting it unlocks a much harder remixed version of that chapter. B-Sides drop the story and hand you dense rooms built around a single mechanic taken to its limit.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Dream Block | Introduced in Chapter 2, these dark blocks let Madeline dash straight through them and eject her at the far side in the direction she entered. |
| Core Gear | Cassette from each chapter, comfortable super and hyper inputs, chapter select | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Dash precision first, then wavedash and hyper consistency, then stamina discipline | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Strawberries, hearts and cassettes | There are 175 ordinary strawberries across the eight main chapters, and they only count once Madeline lands safely on solid ground rather than the moment she touches them. |
How to Play B-Side cassette runner
Finish an A-Side, grab its cassette, then run the B-Side while the chapter's central mechanic is still fresh.
Each chapter hides one cassette tape, and collecting it unlocks a much harder remixed version of that chapter. B-Sides drop the story and hand you dense rooms built around a single mechanic taken to its limit.
Why this role works: This one leans on Strawberries, hearts and cassettes rather than raw numbers, and Dream Block is what makes that trade pay off. Core gear like Cassette from each chapter, comfortable super and hyper inputs, chapter select pushes it further. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Clear stat priority (Dash precision first, then wavedash and hyper consistency, then stamina discipline) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
B-Tier: Golden Strawberry runner
A Golden Strawberry asks you to clear an entire chapter from the first screen to the last without dying once. It is the hardest thing in the game outside the community mod scene, and it turns a forty minute chapter into a single unbroken attempt.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Feather | Grabbing a feather turns Madeline into a steerable star for a few seconds, letting her fly through gaps that no dash reaches. |
| Core Gear | Full route memorised, consistent hypers and wavedashes, no assists enabled | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Consistency over speed, then route optimisation, then advanced movement tech | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Momentum tech: hypers, supers and wavedashes | Underneath the simple controls sits a set of movement tricks the game never teaches. |
How to Play Golden Strawberry runner
Practise the individual hard screens through chapter select until they are automatic, then attempt the full run and expect dozens of resets.
A Golden Strawberry asks you to clear an entire chapter from the first screen to the last without dying once. It is the hardest thing in the game outside the community mod scene, and it turns a forty minute chapter into a single unbroken attempt.
Why this role works: Feather and Momentum tech: hypers, supers and wavedashes pull in the same direction here, which separates this from the safer picks above. Core gear like Full route memorised, consistent hypers and wavedashes, no assists enabled pushes it further. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Clear stat priority (Consistency over speed, then route optimisation, then advanced movement tech) makes gearing straightforward
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with Strawberry completionist: the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to Story climber once you understand core mechanics and have access to Dash
- Keep a Assist Mode climber setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try Golden Strawberry runner for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Follow our walkthrough for the optimal progression path through each area.
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary weapon first, since it gives the biggest power spike. See our weapons guide for rankings.
- Tap the grab button to reposition rather than holding it, because stamina only refills when Madeline touches the ground and holding while you think is the most common cause of falls.
- Delay your dash until the last possible moment, since the dash also freezes your fall and an early dash usually lands you short.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
More Celeste Guides
- Celeste Celeste Overview
- Celeste Tier List
- Celeste Walkthrough
- Celeste Beginner's Guide
- Celeste Tips & Tricks
- Celeste Weapons Guide
- Celeste Combat Guide
- Celeste Boss Guide
- Celeste Maps & Locations
- Celeste Crafting Guide
- Celeste Classes & Characters
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