Editing Arcturus

  |image      = arcturus.png

  |creator    = maxfs (Verified by ultrakawaHD)

  |difficulty = [[File:ExtremeDemon.png|35px]]

  |downloads  = 1.3M+

  |likes      = 54.2K+

  |rating    = Starred

  |artist    = '''Original:''' [https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/collection/xtortion-audio/MTUxMDY3NTEtNmIxNjkz Xtortion Audio (Yair Albeg Wein & Or Kribos)]<br>'''Replacement:''' [https://koraii.newgrounds.com/ Koraii]

  |musicid    = '''Original:''' 1032203 (deleted)<br>'''Replacement:''' 895761

'''arcturus''' is a [[Update 2.1|2.1]] solo Extreme Demon created and published by maxfs and verified by ultrakawaHD. It was initially published as one of the most impossible levels in the game, even surpassing [[Silent Circles]] in difficulty. After gaining attention, maxfs created a playable version, verified by ultrakawaHD on 8 August 2021, after 129,580 attempts. It was supposedly around the difficulty of [[Tartarus]]; however, the first player who beat it (except the verifier), paqoe, believed that it should be 'halfway between Tartarus and [[SARY NEVER CLEAR]]' on the [[Geometry Dash Demonlist|Demonlist]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_26EMRYNfs</ref>

==Gameplay==

arcturus begins with a mini-cube sequence featuring tight timings, quadruple-spikes, and quadruple-speed and double-speed changes. The background intermittently flashes colours to disrupt the player. It then leads into a quick ship sequence with a straight-fly and four trigger orbs before transitioning into a brief automatic sequence. At the drop, there is a challenging wave sequence, featuring a dual-wave reminiscent of [[Bausha Vortex]]'s 76% section, with occasional speed adjustments. Following this, the player navigates a solo mini-wave sequence that is widely considered the hardest part of the level. Here, the player must memorise a handful of gravity portals while traversing rigorous spaces.

Afterwards, there is a mini-ship sequence that moves at quadruple speed through obscured obstacles and occasional flashes. The difficulty consists of Clubstep monsters, orb timings and memorisation. After a brief automatic sequence, another ship sequence approaches, featuring frequent teleportations, gravity switches and intense straight-flying. Before the ship sequence ends, tension builds, altering the level's speed just before a fleeting flash of red screen. After the red screen vanishes, a four-second dark interval ensues, leading the player to the conclusion.

==Walkthrough==

{{VC|D1EgUH9Ccjw|3O8zs9JXZM0|cpt1=Possible version|cpt2=Impossible version}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"

  |Verifier

  |ultrakawaHD

  |15 December 2021

  |?

*The password for arcturus is 666999.

*The level was rated on 29 October 2021, alongside [[Slaughterhouse]] and [[Firework]]. It took 82 days for the level to be rated after its verification.

**On 30 October 2021, SpeedyMuffin popularised a theory explaining why arcturus took months to be rated. He stated that RobTop did not want an Extreme Demon with a NONG (not on Newgrounds) song at the top of the Demonlist, so he decided to wait until a level harder than arcturus with a Newgrounds song was verified, ensuring that a NONG level would not be at the top of the list. On 24 October 2021, [[Slaughterhouse]], a harder level than arcturus, was verified; however, because it also has a NONG song, RobTop had to wait. Finally, with the verification of [[Firework]] on 29 October, which does not include a NONG song, RobTop rated arcturus, Slaughterhouse and Firework consecutively.

*The level was considered harder than [[Tartarus]] (the #1 level on the [[Geometry Dash Demonlist|Demonlist]]) at its verification. However, it took a long time to get rated after its verification, and as Slaughterhouse and Firework were rated alongside it, it never got to see the #1 spot.

*The level was initially placed at #5 on the Demonlist on 13 November 2021, above [[Sonic Wave#Sonic Wave Infinity|Sonic Wave Infinity]] and below Tartarus.

**This addition pushed [[Bloodlust]] out of the Top 25, RELENTLESS into the Extended List and [[Glitched Memories]] into the Legacy List for the second time.

***This addition also pushed [[Renevant]] out of the Top 10 after almost two years.

***On 10 July 2022, arcturus reached its peak after it was moved from #7 to #5; the level is harder than Tartarus nowadays.

**[[wikipedia:Arcturus|Arcturus]] in astronomy is the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes and the fourth-brightest star in the night sky.

*Many people would later comment on Just a GD player's arcturus showcase video or in ultrakawaHD's verification video. They jokingly compared it to the virus variant (as its name is also Arcturus) and said the level's name aged 'beautifully', the level 'sent people to the hospital', or the level was a 'hard life' level.

*At 129,580 attempts, this verification has taken the eighth-most attempts of any Extreme Demon verification, above [[knobbelboy]]'s verification of Bloodlust (121,296) but below [[npesta]]'s verification of [[Kenos]] (135,320), Demishio's verification of Ourwa (135,443), paqoe's verification of [[Silent clubstep]] (138,000+), Sevant's verification of Diabolic ClubStep (171,000+), Diamond's verification of [[Sakupen Circles]] (~220,000), Trick's verification of Firework (~234,000) and Demishio's verification of his solo-level [[Kyouki]] (501,997 attempts in total, 258,510 of which were spent on the level's final version).

*Some players, especially those on Twitter, were trying to get the level rated, and they even started the hashtag #RateArcturus.<ref>https://twitter.com/hashtag/RateArcturus</ref> This included the verifier, ultrakawaHD.

*On 12 December 2021, SpeedyMuffin beat arcturus after spending 358,141 attempts on the level, the most currently spent on the level.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wulmwh1EO6s</ref>

*This level was in [[EricVanWilderman]]'s 12 Demons of Christmas 2022 Community series as Demon #5 with [[Doggie]] as its contender.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTdx7VZ8A0w</ref>

*The level was pushed out of the [[Demonlist]] Top 10 following [[Avernus]]' placement on 23 April 2023, and it was pushed from the Top 25 following [[Tidal Wave]]'s placement on 18 February 2024.

**Both levels are verified by [[Zoink]] and are Top 1s.