Celeste Movement Techniques Guide

This guide will go over many Celeste Movement Techniques, ranging from simple to quite advanced. These techniques are useful in speedrunning and some even required to beat certain parts of the game.

Types of Dashes

Sidenote:
Most of these Techniques have '(extended)' written before them. This is because the extended version means you regain your dash after jumping, and if it is not extended, you do not.

Tips: if you are struggling to extend your dashes, you have to jump as late as possible while still keeping your momentum.

- (Extended) Dash jump

An Dash Jump is not used too often, but is the foundation for other Movement Techniques. It allows for a balanced amount of Distance and Height, and can be extended to regain your dash. To perform a Dash Jump, first dash in the direction you want to go, and shortly after jump. Jumping late allows for a second dash after you have jumped, unlike jumping too early.

Fixes for error:
If you aren't getting much distance when trying to extend the dash, jump earlier.








- (Extended) Hyper Dash

A Hyper Dash is similar to a Dash Jump, the only difference being it gains less height but more distance. To perform a Hyper Dash, Start by holding down and right (or left). Dash in the direction you want to go. A moment after dashing, jump and switch from holding down and right (or left), to only holding right (or left).

Fixes for error:
An easy mistake to make if you are on controller (and using the analog stick) is accidentally dashing straight into the ground. To prevent this make sure you are pointing the analog stick diagonally downwards, right between the direction you're going and down. The angle can sometimes be easily messed up.






- Wave Dash

Wave Dashes are taught in Chapter 9, Farewell, although the instructions there are flawed. They are similar to Hyper Dashes but are often easier to execute. To perform a Wave Dash, Dash down right into the ground while mid-air. Make sure to give yourself time to extend the dash before jumping.

Fixes for error:
I find that the Wave Dash is much easier to execute the closer you are to the ground, so try not to wait too long when in the air.






- Reversal

Reversals can be inconsistent and difficult, but they can allow for accumulating massive amounts of speed when combined with corner boosts. To perform a reversal, stand facing opposite a wall. Dash into the wall and as soon as you hit it, switch to moving in the opposite direction. This has to be done fast, or you won't gather enough momentum. After changing direction, just jump. Reversal are quite advanced and it can be difficult to regain your dash after doing one. There aren't many tips I can give for this except practising them is the only way to get consistent.

Fixes for error:
If you cannot get enough speed, try changing direction a bit later.
If you want to get distance over height, make sure your jump button press is short, rather than held.







- Ultra Dash

Ultra Dashes allow for gaining an insane amount of momentum. Normally, when carrying momentum through the air, dashing in any direction cancels that momentum, slowing you down. That is, every direction except down diagonally. This allows for Ultra Dashes to be executed. To perform one, first get any amount of momentum with space in the air. This can be achieved through moving blocks or Extended Hypers or Wave Dashes. While in the air, dash diagonally downwards in the direction you are moving. This will carry your momentum rather than slowing you down.









- Bunny Hop

Bunny hops are really simple, but are useful in many ways. All you need to perform one is Extended Hyper or Wave Dash then jump the moment you touch the ground. This will allow you to jump really far and is a good way to regain a dash.








- Demo Dash

Demo Dashes are very complicated and almost pixel perfect. They allow for shrinking Madeline's hitbox while dashing and in turn lets you dash through certain obstacles. To perform a Demo Dash, Jump, and press down, right before dashing. This is very precise but luckily an easier way to do it exists. This requires creating a keybind. Go to Options --> Keyboard Config and set an extra key for Dash and Down. This key needs to be the same. For example, I used ; (semicolon).
Tips for using the bind:
The keybind is difficult to use, and if you are playing on controller requires switching to keyboard for the Demo Dash. If you try to simply jump and then press the bind in midair, you will dash straight down. To avoid this, all that is required is a short press of left or right wile in that air. Make sure to release this button before performing the demo dash.

Fixes for error:
If you cannot dash in the right direction, make sure you are not holding any while pressing the Demo Dash keybind, also, you might be waiting too long after tapping left or right.
If you really struggle to get this keybind to work properly the alternative is to just press down and dash at the same time midair, though this is more difficult to get the right timing.

The Demo Dash shown below is called Key Skip, I will not go into detail of how to do it as the line up and inputs are very precise.

Wall and Spike Related Tech

- Wall Bounce

A Wall Bounce achieves Vertical Height quickly, and can be executed on any wall.
To do this, stand in front or beneath a wall, (you do not have to be right up against the wall) next dash upwards into the wall and press jump shortly after the dash. The height of the Wall Bounce differs depending on how early or late the jump is.



































- Neutral Jumping

Neutral Jumping allows gaining height on a wall, while also not losing stamina. To achieve this, find yourself on a wall. Jump off from the wall while not holding any direction. A moment after jumping, start moving back towards the wall. (Do not hold grab while doing this) Repeat this and you can scale walls without consuming stamina.

Fixes for errors:
If you are not gaining much height, try moving back towards the wall earlier.
If you cannot make it back to the wall in time, make sure you aren't moving towards the wall too early.

































- Corner Boosting

Corner Boosts allow for a large amount of horizontal speed. To achieve this, Find a wall with an open top. Jump toward the wall and wait until Madeline's feet are lined up with the top of the corner. Once lined up, dash into the corner and hold grab. Right when hitting the corner, (you can buffer this button press, meaning you can do the input early and hold it until it is exectued) jump. You should fly quite far in the direction you were dashing. Corner boosting can also be achieved without a dash, just jumping into a corner holding grab will also work.

Fixes for error:
If you cannot jump off the corner, you are either dashing too low or too high.

















- Extra height wall jump

This technique is largely used in Dashless runs, it allows for basically a double jump off a wall. To do this, grab onto a wall and line yourself up on the very top of it. Jump, and buffer another jump input right until you jump again. I explain buffers in the Corner Boosting explanation. Doing this correctly, you should get more height and distance jumping off a wall than you would normally.

Fixes for error:
If you cannot buffer the jump, you are trying to do it too early. Try inputting the second jump a moment later.





















- Spike Jump

A spike jump abuses the fact that the game allows you to jump through the back of spikes and not die. In a place where there are spikes on a wall,example in the GIF below is in Celestial Resort, you can jump into the underside of the wall where the spikes are and jump off them. The timing can be difficult so just find what works best for you.

End

I hope this guide proved useful toward learning all these techniques.
If you wish to speedrun Celeste, or just get better at the game, you will find yourself using almost all of these techniques very often.

A few more advanced things I may have left out, including chaining together Ultra Dashes as they are more of an extension to tech i have gone over.

Good luck on your way to mastering Celeste.

🍓

[Etherael]

no cpop guide l tutorial

[The Benevolent Maraschino Cherry]

peam

[PBbunnypower]

How to give Madeline superpowers:

[ROCKET433]

thanks! farewell will be easier with this

[rude]

Not mentioned are roof jumps, and chaining momentum by wavedashing diagonally downwards

[cliabhac.h]

I have to say, this was really useful. I wish some of these explanations were in the game itself - especially the concept of using a dash to give you momentum.

[bhbuehler]

I found some neat things:
1. There is now an assignable Demodash action (called crouch dash).
2. Use assist mode to slow the game (in a different profile if you care) for practice. It makes neutral jumps and such much easier and you can then bump the speed up by 10 or 20 percentage points once you get the hang of it. Repeat until you reach the speed you play at. I focused on a single technique at a time (there are also custom levels which provide dedicated practice walls and such).
3. Key bindings can give finer control over dash at the cost of more complexity. You may make a quartet of keys for movement only and a second quartet for the dash direction (bind the dash action to these four as well, and you have directional dash activation keys). This means you only have to use key chords for diagonal dashes. You may even have a third quartet of directional keys for the Demodash if you wish.

[will091812]

haha 30 chained ultras go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[DreamDoggo]

To do the resort key skip:
1.) Go to the room below to checkpoint you in case you mess up
2.) Go back up and grab the wall in front of the sludge barrier
3.) Move up two pixels (you can count how many pixels of Madeline's hair is above the wall)
4.) Do a full jump straight up
5.) Demo dash when her hair gets to about the height of the book case in the background, and move left once you've dashed through to ensure you land safely

[Cdog]

Yeah ultras are really complicated though and if you try to throw all of it at someone just learning them, it gets really confusing. Though I agree that there should have been an overview for fixing errors.