Editing Angelicide (section)

==History==
Angelicide's layout was first showcased on 12 May 2022 on fnm04's channel, via a private copy.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGsTINdY4NE</ref> This version is considered humanly impossible and is significantly harder than any other versions released after it. This original layout version has not been officially uploaded to the servers yet.

On 15 September 2023, Blueskii showcased the first version of a fully decorated Angelicide, which retains its original unnerfed difficulty.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvLvEh_xN5A</ref> This showcase is currently the most popular video of Angelicide by far, and for the following years, likely became the version many were exposed to first, especially before verification progress videos became more known. This version is sometimes called the 'true unnerfed' version, and, like the layout, it has never been released to the servers.

Later, Angelicide was showcased again on 9 March 2024, this time by Madison Yuko, the sole decorator of the level and de facto manager, who simultaneously announced that it is now an open verification, believing no one would be willing to be selected to beat it as is.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-0k5m4UEfk</ref> This is effectively the 'finalised' version with some decoration adjustments, but more importantly, it had its difficulty substantially nerfed to be more reasonably playable. This version is labelled the 'unnerfed' version, but it should not be confused with the 'true unnerfed' version that preceded it.

===Verification race===
Multiple players have picked up Angelicide, though only two are actively verifying it: Druki (Xtra8nuggies) and Kaza (KazaGD). Consequently, these players have the most substantial runs in the level. The versions of the level they play on are not the same, however. While both versions are overall nerfed, the scale of the nerfs and selected adjustments varies by player. Both players made notable progress at the end of 2025 and the start of 2026. They have remained friendly throughout the race and gave supportive comments to one another.

====Druki====
Before picking up Angelicide, Druki was an unknown player whose hardest completion was [[Bloodbath]], although with good progress on levels like [[Slaughterhouse]]. During a time when his previous hardest was [[Cataclysm]], he at first did not think much about Angelicide when it was still a layout, but then stated that he was enthusiastic about the decorated version and that he started playing the level a week after it was announced as an open verification, meaning he has played it since March 2024. His justification for picking up the level is that levels like Bloodbath were 'too easy' and 'boring', and that he also simply loved how well the level represented the song.

Despite his early entry, it was only in late 2025 that he started making significant progress, completing the level in three runs, including records of 41%, 6-59%, 37-82%, 56-98%, 48-95%, and 68-100%. He streams his progress every weekend and currently has nearly 800,000 attempts on the level.

His version is claimed to be the hardest of the nerfed versions. He aims to retain the feel of the original open verification copy, nerfing chokepoints only where he struggles disproportionately more than other parts, notably the 38% wave, which sees the most nerfs. It is balanced out by him buffing easier parts of the level, even buffing some timings in the final third of the level, where it was already the hardest.

====Kaza====
Kaza, a Top 20 player on the Stats Viewer with a hardest completion of [[Acheron]], was noted to show interest in Angelicide since 2024 on Blueskii's showcase video, and the first progress video on his channel with substantial progress was in late 2025, similar to Druki. He has the level done in four runs, including 28%, 22-38%, 37-74%, and 68-100%, all within about 116,000 attempts. He also got 37-100% in the fewest deaths of 7.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5eBgs819Tk</ref> Unlike Druki however, Kaza does not fully commit to grinding out Angelicide as he plays other Extreme Demons alongside it.

His version is claimed to be 'slightly' easier than Druki's and has made adjustments to keep the race fair. The notable 'nerfs' made to his version are the additions of teleport portals during transitions that ensure consistency, which are also in Druki's version but are more prevalent in Kaza's. Other nerfs are present, akin to Druki's, but with less buffs on easier parts.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5eBgs819Tk</ref> Druki and other playtesters agree that this version is much more enjoyable to play.

Kaza later dropped Angelicide on 11 September 2026 due to a lack of motivation.<ref>https://x.com/Kaza_GD/status/2098473294995361842</ref>

====cookie====
Despite not being part of the race, player cookie (JustAComfyCookie) is also notable for playing the level since early 2025. They stated they intended to play the level to improve their skills and make a name for themselves. With over 1,390,000 attempts, they achieved runs of 14%, 12-33%, 21-38%, 37-48%, 42-52%, 49-68%, 92-100%.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKh4NieNKDo</ref>

====Mystical====
Mystical (mysticalstar09) is a player who has beaten Artificial Ascent as his hardest, and has substantial progress on [[Crimson Planet]] and Slaughterhouse, and he stated that he will be going for the verification of Angelicide, in which he got 3-13%, 10-16%, 21-26%, 30-43%, and 88-98%. He has not finished nerfing the level, but he mentioned that it will be easier than both Druki and Kaza's versions, and 68-100% will have a high amount of nerfs since he wants the level to be nerve-friendly due to players reaching high heart rates while getting far on difficult levels. He is less active at the moment, but has promised to return to the verification.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yHT1xysiG4</ref>

===Difficulty===
The difficulty of the level is compared to Aeternus, another upcoming Top 1 level deemed near-impossible. The original layout and Blueskii's showcase of Angelicide, the 'true unnerfed' version, is considered harder and has been placed higher than the former on the Impossible Levels List. As mentioned, the showcase video by Blueskii is likely the first version many, including some popular content creators, were exposed to, and have been confused when discussing the level's difficulty, when in reality the showcase by Madison Yuko is the relevant version. It led to substantial over-evaluation of the verifiers' versions. Ultimately, all publicly available versions are considered much easier than Aeternus.

The verifiers, however, have mixed opinions based on their respective versions. On Kaza's copy (114002031), with their experience in the game, stated that it was as hard as Aeternus. Meanwhile, Druki, whose version is supposedly harder, believes it is easier than Aeternus. The community typically sees Aeternus as being the harder of the two. Still, the prospect of a level comparable to Aeternus has given Angelicide the label of the 'hardest Top 1', especially as it sees more promising progress and its unique gameplay.

Its high CPS (clicks per second) gameplay is a significant factor that sets it apart from other Top 1 Extreme Demons. While contemporary levels are more reliant on timings, Angelicide's combination of timing and 'spammy' gameplay is considered 'specialised' enough that some top players would struggle to play it. The two verifiers stated that, while they do not have major finger injuries while playing the level, fatigue is still a significant enough hindrance to keep them from playing as often as they would like.

As for the level's difficulty itself, both players agree that the final stretch from 68-100% is the most difficult, with Kaza comparing it to Acheron, his current hardest completion. In terms of raw compressed difficulty, the wave section at 38-48% is considered the hardest by both and received the most nerfs in their copies. They also expressed difficulty setting records from 0%, citing the first part as uninteresting, followed by chokepoints at the drop. As a result, records from 0% stalled for a while as the verifiers aimed to get consistent on the longer, harder parts first.

===Controversies===
Madison Yuko initially appeared to be completely disapproving of Druki's version and insisted that Kaza's version is official, and Druki's potential verification will not be recognised. This answer prompted multiple points of criticism, including an 'official' label that undermines the point of open verification, failing to highlight which changes are allowed, and lexycat seemingly not having the final say on the changes.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on1SmypYPJY</ref> This issue appeared to have been resolved privately, and Druki was then allowed to continue verification.