You just finished the intro. You met Theo in that weird, glitchy campfire dream. Now you're standing at the base of the Old Site, and the music—that haunting, synth-heavy track "Resurrections"—kicks in. Most people just want to get to the end of the level, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for the Celeste chapter 2 strawberries.
There are 18 of them.
Honestly, Chapter 2 is where Celeste stops being a simple platformer and starts testing whether you actually understand the "Dream Block" mechanic. You know, those sparkly, space-filled rectangles that let you zip through them if you dash? Yeah, those. If you mistime a jump here, you aren't just falling into a pit; you're usually flying headfirst into a wall of hair-pulling spikes.
Getting Started: The First Few Berries
The first strawberry is basically a "welcome back" gift. It’s right there in the first screen of the ruins. You just jump and dash. Simple. But Maddy Thorson and the level design team at Extremely OK Games don't let you stay comfortable for long.
By the time you hit the second and third berries, you're introduced to the loop-around. You'll see a strawberry floating high up, and your instinct is to dash straight for it. Don't. You usually have to go to the next screen to the right, climb up, and then backtrack through the top of the previous screen. It's a classic Celeste trope.
One thing people get wrong about Celeste chapter 2 strawberries is thinking they need frame-perfect speedrun tech. You don't. You just need to realize that dashing into a dream block gives you a massive momentum boost if you jump right as you exit. If you’re struggling with the berry tucked behind the crumbled pillar near the start, try jumping a millisecond later than you think you should.
The Mid-Level Hunt and the Intervention of Badeline
Things get weird once "Part of Me" (or Badeline, as the community calls her) shows up. Suddenly, you aren't just platforming; you’re being hunted.
This changes the strawberry hunt completely.
When you're being chased, you can't sit there and contemplate your life choices. You have to move. Some of the trickiest Celeste chapter 2 strawberries are hidden in these chase sequences. Specifically, there’s one tucked in a high corner during the vertical climb where Badeline is mirroring your every move.
- Pro Tip: If you're stressed, remember that Badeline only moves when you dash or move. If you stand still, she stands still. Use those brief moments of quiet to line up your trajectory for the next dream block.
The screen with the three dream blocks stacked vertically is a notorious choke point. There’s a strawberry hidden in a secret passage to the right. You have to bait Badeline into a lower position, dash through the middle block, and then quickly pivot. It feels like a dance. A very stressful, pixel-perfect dance.
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That One Winged Strawberry
Let's talk about the winged strawberry. If you haven't seen one yet, they’re jerks. The moment you dash, they fly away.
To get the winged one in Chapter 2, you have to reach it without using your dash button. This means a lot of neutral jumping—climbing a wall and jumping off without holding a direction to save stamina. It’s a workout for your thumbs. If you accidentally dash, just walk off the screen and come back to reset it.
Honestly, the winged berry in the Old Site is a great primer for the "Dashless 1A" berry later in the game, though thankfully much shorter. It forces you to look at the environment differently. You start seeing ledges not as platforms, but as tiny bits of safety to regenerate your stamina.
The Secret "Awake" Berries
Most players think the level ends when Madeline "wakes up" after the chase. It doesn't.
When you wake up back at the campfire, don't just go right to talk to Theo. Go left. There’s a whole section of the map that "woke up" with you. There are two strawberries hidden in this dream-logic version of the start of the level.
- The Left-Side Crawl: Go as far left as possible. You'll find a screen that looks like the very beginning of the game, but things are slightly shifted.
- The High Peak: There’s another one hidden at the very top of the starting structure. You’ll need to do some clever wall-jumping to reach it.
Missing these is the number one reason people finish the level with 16/18 berries and feel like they’re losing their mind.
Why Bother With All 18?
Look, strawberries in Celeste don't actually "do" anything for your stats. They don't make Madeline jump higher. They don't give you more dashes.
They’re for bragging rights. And for the pie.
At the end of the game, the number of strawberries you’ve collected determines how good the pie looks in the final cutscene. If you get under 20, the pie is... well, it's pretty sad. It’s basically just a crust. If you want the "Golden" ending with the best-looking dessert, you need these Celeste chapter 2 strawberries.
But more than that, collecting them is how you actually learn the game. Each berry is a mini-tutorial. The ones in Chapter 2 teach you how to maintain momentum. They teach you that the screen transitions are often lies. They teach you that Madeline is more capable than she looks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-dashing: Most people dash too early when exiting a dream block. Wait for the "pop" sound.
- Forgetting the Heart: Okay, this isn't a strawberry, but the Crystal Heart in Chapter 2 (The Poem of the Heart) requires you to dash between screens in a way that feels like a glitch. It’s not. It’s intended.
- Ignoring the ceiling: Always look up. Chapter 2 loves hiding paths in the dark gaps of the ceiling.
Getting all the Celeste chapter 2 strawberries is a rite of passage. It's the moment you stop being a casual player and start becoming a climber.
Your Next Steps
Stop staring at the screen and get back into the Old Site.
Start by checking your journal (press Tab or the equivalent on your controller) to see exactly which berries you're missing. The dots at the bottom of the screen represent the berries in order of the level's progression. If you have the first five and then a gap, you know your missing berry is in the middle section of the ruins.
Once you've cleared the 18 berries here, go back to Chapter 1 and look for the "Winged Golden" if you're feeling brave. Or, better yet, find the B-Side cassette in Chapter 2. It’s hidden behind a fake wall in the room with the long, horizontal dream block. That’s where the real challenge starts.
Go climb that mountain.