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.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Forsaken City | One air dash with eight directions basics | Strawberry completionist | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Old Site | Climbing on a stamina meter mastery | Strawberry completionist | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Celestial Resort | Assist Mode toggles in the options + gear | Story climber or Strawberry completionist | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Golden Ridge | Build optimization | Story climber | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Mirror Temple | Min-max | Story climber or Golden Strawberry runner | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Forsaken City)
The opening chapter and the game's teaching ground, built around spinners, refill crystals and the basic dash. It is also where most players first find a strawberry that requires backtracking, which sets the pattern for every chapter after it.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 1 Key Rewards: Cassette tape for the 1B remix, crystal heart, 20 strawberries
What to Do in Forsaken City
- Learn 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Strawberry completionist as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Wall climb or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand One air dash with eight directions fundamentals
- Strawberry completionist selected and functional
- Forsaken City main content cleared
- Ready for Old Site
Phase 2: Early Game (Old Site)
Introduces dream blocks, the dark surfaces you dash straight through. The chapter is shorter than the first but leans harder on chaining dashes without a ground touch in between.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 2 Key Rewards: Dream block sequences, cassette tape, crystal heart
What to Do in Old Site
- Work on 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. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Wall climb if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Delay your dash until the last possible moment, since the dash also freezes your fall and an early dash usually lands you short.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Celestial Resort.
- Consider whether Story climber might suit your playstyle better than Strawberry completionist.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Climbing on a stamina meter integrated into gameplay
- Wall climb acquired
- Old Site fully cleared
- Ready for Celestial Resort
Phase 3: Mid Game (Celestial Resort)
A derelict hotel built around dust bunnies that hurt on contact and doors that need clearing, plus a supporting character who sends you between wings of the building. It is the first chapter with real navigation rather than a straight line upward.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 3 Key Rewards: Cassette tape, crystal heart, several seeded strawberries
What to Do in Celestial Resort
- Master Assist Mode toggles in the options. Assist Mode is a menu, not a difficulty setting, and each option is separate. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Dash. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- A strawberry does not count until Madeline lands safely on solid ground, so grabbing one and then dying immediately loses it.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Strawberries, hearts and cassettes for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Assist Mode toggles in the options mastered
- Dash acquired or in progress
- Celestial Resort fully cleared
- Ready for Golden Ridge
Phase 4: Late Game (Golden Ridge)
Opens up wind as a constant force pushing Madeline around, which changes the distance every jump and dash covers. Feathers appear here too, and the combination of wind and flight is what makes this the first chapter that reliably stops people.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 4 Key Rewards: Feather sections, cassette tape, crystal heart
What to Do in Golden Ridge
- Finalize your build. You should be running Story climber or Strawberry completionist with optimized gear.
- Dash should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Winged strawberries fly away the instant you touch the ground, so plan the whole route in the air before you go for one.
- Momentum tech: hypers, supers and wavedashes optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Mirror Temple.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Dash upgraded to max
- Golden Ridge fully cleared
- Ready for Mirror Temple
Phase 5: Endgame (Mirror Temple)
The longest chapter in the main game, split across multiple wings with keys to find and a section where visibility is deliberately restricted. Its B-Side is widely considered one of the hardest in the game.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 5 Key Rewards: Cassette tape, crystal heart, the largest strawberry count of the mid game
What to Do in Mirror Temple
- Mirror Temple tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Seeded strawberries need every seed in the room collected first, and the seeds follow you, so a death resets the whole chain.
- The endgame loop: run Mirror Temple, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Golden Strawberry runner for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Momentum tech: hypers, supers and wavedashes mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Mirror Temple fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Holding the grab button while planning a route, which empties the stamina bar and drops Madeline before she has moved.
- Dashing the moment a gap appears rather than at the last frame, which wastes the dash and the fall cancel that comes with it.
- Treating Assist Mode as cheating and grinding a chapter for hours, when a single toggle would have taught the same screen in minutes.
- Chasing strawberries on a first pass through a chapter instead of learning the layout, which turns every collectible into a blind attempt.
- Ignoring crystal hearts because they look optional, then finding the later chapters locked behind a heart count.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
- A strawberry does not count until Madeline lands safely on solid ground, so grabbing one and then dying immediately loses it.
- Winged strawberries fly away the instant you touch the ground, so plan the whole route in the air before you go for one.
- Seeded strawberries need every seed in the room collected first, and the seeds follow you, so a death resets the whole chain.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Celeste Guides
- Celeste Celeste Overview
- Celeste Best Builds
- Celeste Tier List
- 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
Similar Games
If you enjoy Celeste, check out these related guides:
- Helldivers 2 Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
- Black Myth: Wukong Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
- Monster Hunter Wilds Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
