CICADAMATA Beginner Guide - First Clears, Terminals & Achievements
Quick answer
For a first serious cleanup path: check the ONEDOTONE Threat Highlight option, make performance and controls readable, clear each Sphere, collect all 18 Terminals for EAT THE PATH, then return for DMND and Sphere Murmurs.
New players should not start by chasing perfect ranks. Start by making threats readable, learning movement, clearing Spheres and collecting information that unlocks real achievements.
Performance & Accessibility Tips
Before your first serious cleanup run, make the game readable and stable enough that route mistakes are actually your mistakes.
| Setting or issue | First check |
|---|---|
| Threat Highlight | Open the GAME menu and try THREAT HIGHLIGHT if threats or threat bullets blend into the stage colors. The September 3, 2026 ONEDOTONE update added this setting to apply a yellow sheen to threats and threat bullets for colorblindness support. |
| Performance or stutter | The ONEDOTONE notes mention Threat shader stutter improvements. If stutter still affects route reading, lower visual load first and avoid judging DMND or speedrun consistency until performance is stable. Exact best settings are Not verified yet. |
| Steam Deck | Steam Deck status should be checked on the current Steam store page before buying or routing on handheld. The latest task evidence says the status moved to Playable, but this site has not rechecked live store state in this edit. |
| Controls and keybinds | Confirm jump, Dash, Stomp, shooting and ZONE TIME inputs before adding Terminal or score detours. Recommended custom keybinds are Not verified yet. |
Threat Highlight is a visual readability option, not a damage, scoring or route mechanic.
Movement Before Cleanup
Learn the basic Core to EXFIL line before adding collectibles or score detours. Use MATA Movement for the current Dash, Stomp, ZONE TIME and movement-kill verification status.
First-Clear Order
- Clear Sphere 1 through Sphere 6 once.
- Revisit levels with Terminal Locations open.
- Track all 18 Terminals in the Progress Tracker.
- After EAT THE PATH, work on Sphere Murmurs and DMND.
Key Achievement Requirements
| Achievement | Requirement |
|---|---|
| EAT THE PATH | View every TERMINAL |
| ST. SANVEI | Listen to all SPHERE MURMURS |
| EVERY 17 YEARS | Attain DMND clearance on every SPHERE |
| SHIMMER | Attain your first DMND clearance level |
| JOYEUSELESS | EXFIL after only earning POINTS from CORES |
| IT'S TRICKY | Earn 50,000 points in a single ZONE TIME |
Terminal Starter Table
| Sphere | Levels |
|---|---|
| 1 - Emergence | 1-1 Aensland, 1-2 Mandala, 1-3 Reverie |
| 2 - Icebox | 2-1 Glacier, 2-2 Alseia, 2-3 Rabbit Hole |
| 3 - Deepdive | 3-1 Cascade, 3-2 Runoff, 3-3 Estuary |
| 4 - Verdant | 4-1 Meadow, 4-2 Hare, 4-3 Ribbon |
| 5 - Dead Zone | 5-1 Slingshot, 5-2 Peregrine, 5-3 Marathon |
| 6 - Encore | 6-1 Onemore, 6-2 Halcyon, 6-3 March |
What To Do After Terminals
After EAT THE PATH, move into DMND attempts with the CCDA threshold table open. For Sphere Murmurs, use the current Sphere Murmurs status page and avoid treating unconfirmed route notes as fixed locations.
Sources
| Source | What It Supports |
|---|---|
| Exophase Achievements | Achievement requirements |
| GuideLVL - All Sphere Terminal Locations | Terminal route answers |
| Steam Community Guides | Current community guide ecosystem |
| SteamDB - UPDATE + ONEDOTONE | Threat Highlight setting and readability update notes |
| Steam Store - CICADAMATA | Current store and Steam Deck compatibility status to recheck before purchase |
Last verified: 2026-09-07
Choose your next move
Related Guides
Continue with the pages most useful for the same run.
CICADAMATA Guide
The canonical guide hub for levels, Terminals, DMND, achievements and tracker links.
All CICADAMATA Levels
Browse all 18 main Sphere levels with Sphere context, Terminal status and CCDA thresholds.
All Terminal Locations
The complete 18-Terminal table for EAT THE PATH cleanup.
DMND Rank Guide
Scoring values, multipliers and CCDA thresholds for DMND attempts.