Wavedashes

A wavedash as depicted in Celeste's manual.

A wavedash is a commonly used tech that allows the player to perform a small but long jump and also regain a dash. It's introduced in Farewell, right after passing the heart gate, and is frequently required to pass a lot of rooms later in the chapter.

Functionality

Wave dashes are used for a quick boost of high velocity which throws the player forward. Wavedashes are mainly used in more difficult maps (such as Farewell) or for speedrunning purposes (because of the speed they give). Wavedashes give Madeline less height than a normal jump (about 3/5 of a normal jump), meaning it can still be used even if there are spikes close to Madeline's head. Wavedashes are often used to start a chain of ultras, as when landing, your dash cooldown of 15 frames is often lower than if doing a hyper, allowing for more speed. Note that wavedashes are functionally the same as hyperdashes, except they make regaining your dash easier.

Other variants

Bubble Wavedashes

Bubbles allow players to stall in mid-air for a short time, and if they're at a specific height, Madeline will be able to perform a wavedash if the player aims in a down-diagonal position and jumps off of the ground before the dash momentum wears off. Although the vanilla game never requires you to do this trick, it's often used by speedrunners or in custom maps, where they're often used as setups for consistent wavedashes.

Extended hyper

See also: Hyperdashes

For short, wavedashes are a variant of extended hyperdashes. While the game teaches you to do wavedashes from a specific height, it's not necessarily required, as long as you jump when Madeline's hair flashes white and you regain your dash. The effect is the same as with a regular wavedash, but it's an alternate way to perform it for players who don't feel comfortable doing it from air. Though, it's much more difficult to perform and master, since it relies more on muscle memory than visuals. It can be done on any platform 2 tiles or larger, although doing it on 2 tiles requires even more precision.

Generally, wavedashes should be used instead of extended hypers, if possible, since they provide more leniency, especially on smaller platforms.

Reverse wavedash/extended hyper

While performing a wavedash or extended hyper, a player can dash in one direction and quickly change what direction they are holding and jump the other way, reversing their momentum. This gives the same speed and height as a normal wavedash/hyper, but it can be useful where it is easier than doing a normal wavedash.

Extended demohyper

An extended demohyper is a type of extended hyper performed by jumping after doing a demodash from ground, usually used with a demo bind. A demohyper behaves nearly identically to its normal variant, except for it giving Madeline slightly more distance due to the player doing a straight crouched dash instead of a diagonal one, as well as allowing players to do a demohyper from mid-air. Due to the technical difference, it's usually not recommended to use demohypers from the ground unless you need slightly more distance. However, speedrunners often use them to perform the move in mid-air. If you intend to do a demo hyper mid-air, begin your demo hyper from further back. This will refill your dash.

Trivia

• Even though Farewell teaches the player how to do wavedashes, the chapter can be completed without doing a single one, as well as without any extended hypers. Yet, a lot of skips require other, often more difficult solutions such as tight Superdashes or Ultradashes.