Dustforce Achievement Guide & Road Map

Dustforce
Dustforce Achievement Guide

Overview:
Estimated achievement difficulty: 9/10
Offline: 12 [375]
Online: 1 [25]
Approximate amount of time to 400: 30+hours [dependent on skill]
Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1, but more likely 2
Missable achievements: None
Does difficulty affect achievements: No difficulty settings
Unobtainable/glitched achievements: 2 glitched, " Easy Does It " and "Master of the Custodial Arts"
Extra equipment needed: No

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
You will start this game with no intro, no information, and standing in front of the tutorial computer as the default character dustman. Enter the tutorial level and learn the basic mechanics for the game. Once you learn the controls, go out and explore the game. You have four different hubs you can enter with 12 levels in each. Which levels to do is completely up to the player. As you progress though the levels, you will learn different techniques. I will not explain these as they are fun in figuring them out. You must score double-S in each of the 48 levels in order to gain the 16 red keys. Once you have the 16 red keys, progress up to the top of the nexus and unlock the ! hub. There are 8 levels to play and you can go in any order you like. Once you have completed all single player levels with double-S, you are now considered a master of the game.

Multiplayer:
There is multiplayer within the game with one achievement to get. Please see "Spotless Shine" for more information.

Mop-Up:
If you do not unlock all the achievements on your first playthrough you will need to start with a new save and re-complete what the achievement requires.

Conclusion:
Congratulations, you have mastered the game!

[XBA would like to thank venompimp10 for this roadmap]

Bathroom breaks are for the weak

25
Pass a red level without respawning
Once you have all 16 red keys climb to the top of the tower. After unlocking and entering ! hub, go to the Exa Difficult level. Simply jump to the right and destroy the 3 big crystals and the achievement will unlock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvzuTkJnazo
Are you the Key Master?

10
Obtain a gold key
See "The Janitor Possesses the Keys"
Triple threat

10
Use area attack three times in a single player level
In order to use an area attack you must first fill up the combo meter at the bottom left of the screen. You will need 100 hits to fill it up. Once filled simply press + together to unleach an area attack. Do this three times in one level and the achievement is yours.
Into the Trees

25
Unlock all Forest levels
See "E-Waste Disposal"
Maid Service

25
Unlock all Mansion levels
See "E-Waste Disposal"
City Ordinance

25
Unlock all City levels
See "E-Waste Disposal"
E-Waste Disposal

25
Unlock all Laboratory levels
You will need to have double-S scores on every level in order to unlock all levels within the game. There are 12 levels within the four hubs with 8 doors, 4 silver and 4 gold that need to be unlocked. The order in which you unlock the levels is up to personal choice. The achievement will pop after the last door in the specified hub is unlocked.
The Clean Up Crew

10
Score double-S in a silver level in each hub
There are 4 silver levels in each of the four hubs. All you need to do is score double-S on one silver level in each different hub. This should come naturally if you want to complete the game.
Spotless Shine

25
Score a flawless victory in a four-player online match
(1)
This achievement may be near impossible to get because nobody plays the multiplayer. If you can find 3 other players you can do it one of two ways. In King of the Hill simply do not let the other team collect any lanterns. In Survival, simply do not die and kill the other team. I must note your teammate can die in survival and you can still get the achievement.
The Janitor Possesses the Keys

20
Obtain a red key
You can either obtain a perfect score or you can complete multiple levels with a lower score to unlock a key. The achievement will unlock as soon as you obtain the required key. The following levels will unlock the following keys:

Normal level – Does not require key to unlock – Reward: Silver key
Silver level – Requires silver key to unlock – Reward: Gold Key
Gold Level – Requires gold key to unlock – Reward: Red Key
! Hub – Requires 16 red keys to unlock – Reward: Final 8 levels in the game
Easy Does it

50
Score double-S in all combat levels without using area attack
There is one combat level in each hub minus the ! levels. Do not use an area attack at all on these levels or this achievement might not unlock.If that happens you will need to start a new save. You have to score double-S on each level. Here are the levels:

Forest – Wild Den – Requires Gold Key
Mansion – Store Room – Requires Silver Key
Laboratory – Containment – Requires Silver Key
City – Alleyway – Requires Gold Key
One man’s Trash…

50
Sweep 50 apples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkvyoYLRadw

I created a video showcasing 50 different apple locations. There are more than 50 apples within the game, however, I choose this path for faster completion. I suggest using pen and paper to track which apples you have swept and you do not need to finish the level for the progress to be saved. Custom level apples do not count towards the achievement, otherwise it would have taken only five minutes to get. The levels are in order as follows:

Forest: 16 Apples
Firefly Forest – 1, Downhill – 2, Valley – 2, Duskrun – 1, Grass Cave – 3, Ascent – 1, Summit – 3, Night Temple – 1, Ruins - 2.

Mansion: 10 Apples
Courtyard – 1, Library – 1, Archive - 1, Caverns– 2, Cliffside Caves – 2, Moon Temple – 1, Tower – 1, Knight Hall – 1.

Laboratory: 11 Apples
Security – 1, Access – 1, Power Room – 1, Server Room – 1, Research – 3, Vats - 1, Abyess – 1, Dome – 1, Core Temple – 1.

City: 13 Apples
Apartments – 3,Warehouse – 1, Basement – 1, Park – 3, Forgotten Tunnel – 2, Scaffold – 1, Rooftops – 1, Concrete Temple – 1.
Master of the Custodial Arts

100
Score double-S in all original single player levels
(2)

First I want to say this is not as hard of an achievement as one might think. The levels aren’t really difficult once you learn them, and the biggest issue to the harder levels is mostly the length of the level. The longer the level the more likely you will mess up. You must complete all none custom levels to get this achievement. "Master of the Custodial Arts" is glitchy and might not unlock during your first playthrough. If that happens you will need to start over again on a new save. At the bottom of the guide is what I did differently to unlock the achievement. I’m posting a video of the final 8 levels for reference. Please watch if you are unsure how to complete a section or if you need a visual aid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRSsvuOYGds

Tips
- I highly suggest using the d-pad for better control on your character. If you have a d-pad that can turn, make sure the corners are up. This will save you controllers (I went through two of them).
- Try every character and have one as a preference. If you have difficulties within a level, a character switch might help.
- Every character can beat every level and travel to every level on the world map. Some levels though are easier to beat with a specific character.
- If you can beat a level but need a better score, watch a few replays and see how others play it. If you cannot beat a level and need to see how to do it, research on YouTube.
- Turn on quick restart in the options menu. Once turned on all you need to do is hit the select button to restart the level instead of having to waste time by going to the pause menu.
- You will learn more about the game as you progress through the levels. The levels are set up differently but have the same formula to beat it.
- None of the levels, original and custom, require the spike jumping technique to complete unless using dustkid.
- The only advanced technique I use is the air dash jump. Phoenix from the dustforce community made a great video on YouTube explaining the advance techniques.
- Practice makes perfect. Do not attempt to double-S a level until you can complete it without messing up through the majority of the level.
- Try the custom levels. I learned a lot from playing them. I must note too that I found them way more fun and entertaining than the original levels.
- Pay attention to how you beat the ! levels. Yotta is a mash-up of all of them put together with the final ascent being the original part of the level.
- Yotta is not that hard of a level to beat. What may keep players from a double-S score is the pure length of the level. Once learned do not pause through the course of the level to re-situate yourself as you may mess up even more than just continuing the level. I highly suggest using dustman as he is the most balanced for the level.
- This achievement will take time to get. Do not think this can be completed in a couple of hours unless you are a really hardcore gamer or have played the game on a different system.
What I did differently on my second playthorugh with a new save to unlock Master of the Custodial Arts
- I did not watch a single replay, not even my own
- I did not access the leaderboards
- I did not play multiplayer, custom levels, or collected apples (on purpose)
- I did not complete a level unless I knew for certain it was going to be a double-S
- I only played a level by entering the level door, I did not use the book at the beginning of each hub to play a level
- I completed every level except yotta in one sitting
- If I paused the game while playing a level, I made sure to restart from the beginning
- I deleted and re-downloaded the game including the patch before starting my new save

I do not know why this achievement glitched on me during the first playthrough, it can be one or all the reasons above.