Chapter 8- Core - Celeste Guide - IGN (2024)

After completing the main story, Chapter 8 opens up to act as a sort of prologue to the narrative. It plays with alternating between fire and ice as elements to interact with as platforms or obstacles. While the amount of collectibles may be low, they are in the toughest locations to reach. The Core also affects your dash ability. You are allowed two dashes, but to recharge you must enter a new room or hit a green crystal.

Below is a list of all 5 strawberries for this level, as well as the locations for the cassette tape and the Crystal Heart.

Into the Core

Strawberry #1

The first strawberry can be found shortly after you change everything to ice for the first time. You’ll enter a room with ice balls rotating around a glowing entry way in the ceiling. Before going up, enter the room on the left to find the strawberry.

Climb up the right wall and hop over to the left side of the bumper. This will toss you toward the ice balls and the strawberry. Use one dash if needed to correct yourself. Bounce off the ice and grab the strawberry. Bounce again and use your final dash to reach the ground and secure the fruit.

Hot and Cold

Strawberry #2

Entering a room with spinning fireballs in sets of three is your cue that the next strawberry is near. Just past the second set of fireballs is a hot and cold switch. You need to flip the switch and then bounce back to the left on the ice balls. Enter the room on the left to find an opening in the ceiling has appeared. Double dash up to enter.

Inside the room above, there are four bumpers above a floor of spikes—three of the bumpers are right next to each other, while the fourth is in the lower right corner. The strawberry can be found in the upper right corner. You cannot grab the icy blue walls, but you can wall jump off of them.

Wall jump over the spiked platform to reach the first three bumpers. Try and land on the right side of the first bumper to bounce all the way to the third. From the third bumper, dash up to the strawberry. You may use both dashes. Wall jump to snag it and then fall down to the fourth bumper. Try and land on the left side of the bumper to bounce all the way to first bumper. Bounce up and wall jump over the spikes to land on the solid ground.

Strawberry #3

This strawberry is in the room after the room with the spinning fire/ice balls in sets of three. It’s near the end, after crossing the room through two hot and cold switches. Bounce off the first bumper to reach the ice block. Jump up and dash to the right, over the spikes and through the hot switch, so that you fall on the green crystal and the lava block.

Use the block’s momentum to leap up over the second set of spikes and hit the ice switch. Land on the right side of the bumper to bounce all the way to an ice block. Use one dash to make sure you reach the block. Try to avoid the hot switch above the ice block.

From the ice block, dash up to the top of the bumper. Bounce to the wall diagonally to the right above the bumper. Grab on and then fall to the green crystal and the right side of the bumper. Flinged across the room, use your two restored dashes to reach the strawberry in the ceiling.

Strawberry #4

This piece of collectible fruit is found in the ceiling of the room with the upward moving ice balls with bumpers scattered throughout. To keep control, avoid the bumpers. Near the end of the ice balls, you will see a hot switch above a spiked block. You need at least one dash before hitting this switch. You must hit the switch or the strawberry will be frozen.

Above the penultimate column of ice balls is an opening. The strawberry is through the opening. Bounce off an ice ball and hit the hot switch. Then immediately dash to the left wall beneath the opening. Climb up into the room before being hit by a fireball. Inside the upper room is the thawed strawberry. Grab it and drop down the opening on the right to advance.

Heart of the Mountain

Strawberry #5

During the lava chase sequence is where you can collect this fruit. It is out in the open. You’ll use four lava blocks to zig zag your way upward. Dash through the green crystal and grab the lava block to the left.

Fly beneath the strawberry and climb up to it. Wall jump between the wall and the lava block to nab the strawberry. Climb above the block on the wall and leap over to grab the left side. Use the momentum to fly toward the conveyor belt and up to safety.

Cassette Tape

The Cassette Tape room is at the end of the level and is impossible to miss. The blue and pink platforms alternate based off the beat of the music. Time your jumps to navigate the room on the alternating platforms to grab the tape. This unlocks Chapter 8’s B Side level.

Crystal Heart

The Crystal Heart is at the every end of the level. You cannot miss it. Dash into it to collect it.