Celeste's Hardest Maps Clear List
Table of Contents
- Rules for a new map to be added to the list
- Requirements to submit a clear to the list
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Video Recommendations
- Legend for colours on the Clears sheet
- Stats
- Date Version Updates, General Notes, Totals
- Legacy & Rejected Maps
- Monthly Clears Archive Notes
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Rules for a new map to be added to the list
Rules for a new map to be added to the list:
The rules for a new map to be added to this list are described below, and reflect the original document's guidance for community submissions, verification, and archival processes. This section preserves the core criteria used to determine eligibility and ongoing governance of the list.
- The map has to be easily available via a permanent source such as Gamebanana or another permanent source (for example, Google Drive).
- Don’t cheat. Plain and simple. The stars classify maps into difficulty groups Green GM+1, Yellow GM+1, and Red GM+1; 4-6 stars correspond to GM+2, etc.
- The map must contain at least one GM+1 difficulty room (or higher).
- A clear video is not strictly required but is strongly recommended. A video is required for any clear of 3 stars or higher. If you submit with a video, place it permanently where it can be viewed indefinitely (YouTube, Twitch, etc.). Journals are required if there is no video.
- The map maker decides whether their map should be added or not.
- Use a permanent image hosting service (such as Catbox) for journal screenshots.
- The legends of colors indicate the level of sustained difficulty: maps with sustained difficulty in the upper range will be red and are considered high sustained difficulty.
- Submissions should be submitted in the official Discord server in the designated suggestion box channel. Click on the cell to see requirements.
- Do not pause abuse or use savestates to clear a screen; pausing to practice is allowed in safe contexts.
- The community uses a dedicated Top Challenge List (TCL) sheet for data and voting; changes are tracked and discussed in the Discord.
Requirements to submit a clear to the list
1. Has to be easily available via Gamebanana or another permanent source (e.g., Google Drive).
1. Don’t cheat. Plain and simple. The stars separate the maps into difficulty categories: 1 star green GM+1, 2 star yellow GM+1, 3 star red GM+1, 4-6 star GM+2, etc.
2. The map must contain at least one GM+1 difficulty room (or higher).
2a. A clear video is not necessary but strongly recommended. Video is required for any clear 3 star or higher.
A. The stars separate the maps into difficulty categories: 1 star, 2 star, and 3 star represent green, yellow, and red GM+1 respectively. 4-6 star encompasses GM+2, etc.
3. Must be cleared by at least one person with video.
2b. If you submit with a video, place it in a permanent place where it may be viewed indefinitely (YouTube, Twitch, etc.); Journal is required if there is no video.
2c. Use a permanent image hosting service (such as Catbox) for your journal screenshot.
A. These maps are considered by the community to have high sustained difficulty. This means that there are multiple rooms at or near the peak difficulty of the map and will likely take longer than others in the same star.
5. Submit new maps in the #suggestion-box channel of the official Discord. Click on this cell to see requirements.
3. Don’t pause abuse or use savestates to clear a screen. Using these to practice or learn is allowed.
2a. Additional details
2b. Journal vs video requirements
2c. Permanent hosting recommendations
A. The legacy sheet is an archive of maps that have since been removed from the clears sheet. The reason for removal is located in the map’s cell.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What do the stars represent?
A. The stars separate the maps into difficulty categories: 1 star green GM+1, 2 star yellow GM+1, 3 star red GM+1, 4-6 star GM+2, etc.
Q. What does it mean when a map's title is red?
A. The color indicates sustained difficulty and a map’s placement within the hardest-parts category; red titles often indicate high sustained difficulty.
Q. What is the legacy sheet?
A. The legacy sheet is an archive of maps that have been removed from the clears sheet; the removal reason is documented in the map’s cell.
Q. Why are there some clears that go against the rules despite enforcement?
A. Using input history to gain an advantage is not allowed, but enforcement begins after a rule is established; early clears before enforcement may remain.
Q. What defines the leniency for exceptions?
A. If it is not intended by the mapper to skip portions, savestating at locations not exact respawn points is generally not allowed; benefit of the doubt is given in genuine cases.
Video Recommendations
- Use an input overlay for clarity, especially for any clear of 3 stars or higher.
- If you cannot show a standard input display, the Input History mod is allowed so long as you turn off the Show Frame Count option.
- Use a file timer and include the map link in the video description; link to the map in description is encouraged.
- Disable screenshake and enable photosensitive mode when submitting new maps.
- There is a dedicated Discord server for announcements and meta discussions: https://discord.gg/qWz3QYpun5
- If you want to submit a clear, ping the Hard Clears Team role in public Celeste Discord, the dedicated Hard List server, or DM mods (names listed in the original document).
Legend for colours on the Clears sheet
Clear without Video; Clear with Video; Clear with Golden Strawberry; Clear with All Deathless Segments; Full Clear without Video; Full Clear; Full Clear with Golden Strawberry; Clear by Creator.
Stats
These maps have ongoing polls in the Discord to determine placements. The sheet tracks counts by star: 1 Star Green (GM+1), 2 Star Yellow (GM+1), 3 Star Red (GM+1), 4 Star Green (GM+2), 5 Star Yellow (GM+2), 6 Star Red (GM+2), 7 Star Green (GM+3), 8 Star Yellow (GM+3), etc. Totals listed include: Total Challenges, Total People, Total Clears, and per-star tallies. The document includes long tables and dynamic lists for poll results, pending maps, and historical notes.
Date Version Updates, General Notes, Totals
Date Version Updates, General Notes, Totals lists extensive changelog entries by month and version. It includes additions, movements, removals, and notes about the evolution of the hard list, the sustain system, and community processes. It also contains references to the monthly clears archives, changes to star systems, and various housekeeping notes about legacy and rejected maps. This section preserves the historical narrative of how the list has evolved over time, with dates ranging from 2020 through 2025.
Legacy & Rejected Maps
This section documents maps that have been moved to Legacy, as well as maps that were rejected for not meeting the list standards. Reasons include insufficient difficulty, long duration, or lack of GM+1 rooms. The section lists map names, removal reasons, and counts.
Monthly Clears Archive Notes
This portion chronicles monthly clears, their totals, and notable milestones. It includes yearly recaps and archives of monthly clears across several years, with notes on new maps added, maps moved, and maps legacyed. The monthly archives provide a historical view of the community's progress and the list updates across time.
Additional Context
The document combines ghost data, polls, and historical notes on a large scale. It references the official Discord channels for submissions, the Clears sheet for data, and Goldberries for low-death counts. The content includes a long run of map names with their clear counts, video links, and notes about various statuses across the list lifecycle. The data is used for the tracking and governance of Celeste Hard List entries and monthly clears, as well as the management of legacy and rejected maps.