CelesteNet FAQ

#1 How do I get CelesteNet?

Follow the installation instructions on the front page.

#2 How do I join CelesteNet?

Once you've installed the mod and opened the game, go into Mod Options and find CelesteNet's settings section. Activate the Connected option. That's it!
If you run into any issues not addressed on this page, check the last entry to find out how to contact us or get help.

#3 Are there rules? Can I get banned?

Yes, chat is moderated and should be PG-13 or "safe for work". There's a dedicated rules page, please read it before joining. We want our community to be welcoming and inclusive for everyone!
Usually we will issue at least one warning kick before we ban, unless there's very obvious trolling going on. Kicks and bans always have a reason attached to them.

#4 How do I register? How do I get my profile picture in-game?

Currently, the only way to register is to link a Discord account. You can always join as a Guest, unless Lockdown is in effect. See also entry #5.
Registration is done on the front page in the section titled Your Profile.

It is recommended you do this on the same device you play CelesteNet on.
Once you've registered, you should see your username and profile picture under Your Profile.
Now you need to click Send to Client right below that or manually set your key in-game.
Your key should look similar to this: #01ab23cde5671fab. It acts like a passphrase to identify you to the server, so keep it secret!

Some browsers' security features might block the website from communicating with the game. When that happens, set your key manually.

After you've set your key in-game, you will have to reconnect to start using the new name/profile!

Additional information:
The registration uses the OAuth2 protocol, similar to how you can sign up to services using your Google or Facebook account. When registering, CelesteNet will get some information about you from Discord — namely your username, discriminator (#1234) and profile picture.

This profile information does not sync automatically. To update your CelesteNet appearance, click on your username on the front page, link your Discord account once more, and reconnect to CelesteNet in-game. The changes should be reflected immediately.

#5 Why do I get the "Server doesn't allow anonymous guests" warning?

This means the server has been put into Lockdown mode, meaning only registered players can join.
_{See entry #4 above on how to register.}

#6 Are there any differences between Guests and registered users?

There are some differences, the most obvious one being the lack of profile pictures for Guests.
Some more technical limitations exist, because the server will not store certain data unless you're registered.

This means Guests cannot toggle...

... incoming whispers via /whisper
... between automatic global/channel chat mode via /channelchat or /globalchat
... teleports from others via /tpon and /tpoff

^{Please also note that short-hand command aliases like /w, /cc and /gc exist, and the same things apply.}
The limitations only apply to the toggle aspects of those commands. Guest can still send whispers, individual channel chat messages and teleport to people.

#7 How do I chat? How does chat work?

Pressing T on your keyboard by default opens chat when you're connected to CelesteNet.
All commands start with /. Send /help to learn about commands and how to use them.

By default you will be in the channel named main, like most other players.
_{See entry #9 for more information about how channels work.}
_{See entry #15 for more information about emotes.}

#8 Where is the server, how many servers are there?

There is only one official CelesteNet server, the same server this website is hosted on. It is located in Germany, hosted by 0x0ade with Hetzner.
If you want to play privately with a couple of friends, you most likely want to join a private channel rather than host your own server.
_{See entry #9 for more information about channels.}

#9 How do I create and use channels?

By default you will be in the channel main, like most other players.
Press the Tab key to open up the player list, letting you see the player count, your current channel at the top and other channels below.

You can create or join a channel by sending the command /join mychannel in chat, replacing mychannel with the name of your channel – if it does not yet exist, the server will create it for you.
_{NB: The command /channel is exactly the same as the /join command, it is an alias.}

You can create or join a private channel by prefixing the channel name with a !, e.g. /join !mysecretchannel — keep in mind that the "secret" name could be guessed by others if it is too simple. Private channel names are hidden from anyone who isn't in it.

Note: Currently channel names are case-sensitive. This means !MyChannel and !mychannel are two different channels! This may be changed in the future.

#10 Can I play custom maps with my friends?

Yes! All maps should work, whether they're the "vanilla" chapters or added by mods.
Simply being in the same level (and in the same CelesteNet channel!) as another player should let you see them and play with them.

#11 I keep accidentally grabbing/throwing people! What are "Interactions"?

Interactions are a feature that lets you bounce on other players' heads and grab and throw them similar to Theo crystals. Both players need to have Interactions enabled (in CelesteNet's Mod Options) for this to work.
However this feature can be a little buggy and lead to accidental grabs and throws, so we recommend setting "Interactions" to "Off" most of the time.
_{(Also, if you've been thrown into solid tiles or got otherwise stuck due to interactions and can't even open the Pause menu,
use the game's Debug map accessed with F6 or send /tp <someone> to teleport yourself out)}

#12 How do I race on CelesteNet? Are there multiplayer game modes?

CelesteNet itself does not provide any built-in racing functionality.
The mod you're looking for is Head 2 Head! Check the mod's page for a full description of its features.

Other popular multiplayer mods include:

Madhunt — a form of "Badeline tag"/hide & seek hybrid.
Heart Wars — a Capture the Flag style game mode.
Partnership — a co-op map for two players.
...and more? If you made or know of a mod that should be listed here, let us know!

#13 Can I use other mods, assist mode, cheat mode or variant mode?

Yes!
Generally all of these are permitted. What is not allowed, however, is using them to cheat in competitive contexts, such as racing or Madhunt matches.
Also, you shouldn't excessively use invincibility, infinite dashing or other gameplay changes to harass others or to prevent them from being able to play and enjoy the game. Any such misconduct may result in a warning kick by the CelesteNet moderation. Feel free to report any such issues to us and we will handle it.

#14 How do I change my character’s hair and appearance? Can I use skin mods?

Celestenet itself only synchronizes hair length and hair colors, as well as "vanilla" player sprite variations such as the Other Self variant, no-backpack Variant, etc.
If you're using a custom skin mod (e.g. Niko from OneShot or Ralsei from Deltarune) other players will still see you as regular Madeline even if they have the mod too. Additionally, every other player may appear the same way as yourself. So you will see everyone as Niko or Ralsei, regardless of which skin they're using.

Popular hair and skin mods that fully support CelesteNet include:

Hyperline — customize hair color and length per dash-count. Supports things like gradients and rainbow hair.
Prideline — turn your hair colors into LGBTQ+ pride flags!
Styline — mix and match various modifications and filters to adjust and recolor Madeline.
Super Mario Bros. Skin — play as Mario or Luigi from Super Mario Bros. 1!
KyaruMod — play as Kyaru or Kiruya from Princess Connect!
Avali Skin — replaces Madeline with an Avali, a species created by RyuujinZERO, popularized via a modded Starbound race.
...and more? If you made or know of a mod that should be listed here, let us know!

Note: The hair length sent to other players will be capped at 12 segments (Madeline's default hair is 4 or 5 in length depending on dash count).

#15 How can I use Emotes? What different types of Emotes are avaliable?

Sometimes it can be a bit confusing when people ask about Emotes. There's essentially three things you could be asking about.

1. Emotes in Chat:

Emotes or emoji within chat work very similar to how they work on Discord.
You surround the name of the emoji with :, for example :glad: is a default emoji added by Everest.
When you type : you should already see a list of available emoji being suggested. Once you accept a suggestion (with Tab) or type it out fully, it should replace itself with its icon in the input already. You can still remove or edit it as normal text.

Technically any Celeste Mod you install can add new emoji and only those who also have it will see them. Otherwise they will only see the text, e.g. the literal :frogeline:. One popular mod that adds most of the emoji from the official Celeste Discord is CelesteEmojis.
Everest adds these default emoji: :glad: :thinking: :gladbw: :thinkingbw: :checkpoint: :everest:. Try them out!

2. Emotes in-game:

These emotes are things like animated character portraits that pop up above you or someone else's Madeline. They can also simply be text.
You activate these with the row of number keys 1 - 9 on keyboard or by opening the Emote Wheel by moving the right analog stick on a controller. Press the stick down to send a selected emote.
Additionally you can send these emotes with the /emote or /e command in chat. Check /help emote to learn about the command's syntax.
These emotes can only be used to show portraits/textures from the game itself, no custom images! You can customize the preset emotes for the number keys and emote wheel by editing modsettings-CelesteNet.Client.celeste in your Celeste Saves/ folder.

3. EmoteMod:

Another popular version of "emotes" are added by EmoteMod. With this mod you can trigger animations of your character, e.g. Madeline spinning, her idle animations, sitting down, and many others.
Animations played via this mod can be seen by everyone, whether they have the mod themselves or not, since the animations are just Madeline's regular sprite animations.

#16 How do I find others to play with?

The easiest way to find others is to simply ask in global chat!
Make suggestions like playing a certain A-, B- or C-Side, attempting to get a Heart or Golden Berry you still need, or playing maps from a modded Collab like Spring Collab 2020 or Strawberry Jam.
You can also join the official Celeste Discord server and give yourself the @celestenetter role. Whenever you feel like playing with others, ping this role in #celestenet and suggest something to do. Others may do the same!

Note: A lot of people have that Discord role. Because of that, there's a rule in place to only respond to pings if you can join! There's no need for a dozen people to say "No". If the pings are getting too much, you can always remove the role again.

#17 What was GhostNet?

A buggy mess. GhostNet has been superceded by CelesteNet.

# I've got another question!

Hop on the official Celeste Discord Server and ask away in #celestenet!
If you think you've found a bug or are experiencing connection issues or crashes, you can also report them there, or create a thread in #modding_help. Make sure to ping @Celestenet Team to let us know!
Lastly, you can also create an issue on Github and we will get back to you as soon as we can.