Beat Saber has taken off around the world, with new music coming directly to the platform from the likes of Virtual Self (aka Porter Robinson), a major household name in the dance music scene. However, the official releases on new music are happening slower than many Beat Saber-ists are patient for.
We want more Beat Saber now! But how would somebody like us find extra Beat Saber content while we wait for more of those juicy exclusives from the Beat Saber kitchen? Luckily for us, there is now Beat Saver, a platform for custom Beat Saber levels. And you should definitely follow our EIC Shane Hoalst’s guide on getting started adding new custom levels into your install directory.
Once you’re comfortable adding custom levels to your Beat Saber directory, you might be wondering how to cut through the fuzz and get straight to the best content. Music is subjective, but here’s a quick list of the top ten Beat Saber custom levels that (we believe) you owe to yourself to try. If you play all of these in one session, you’re going to rack up quite a workout. Let’s get started.
Disclaimer: The Beat Saber custom levels described in this article contain intellectual properties that the custom level creators may or may not have the rights to re-distribute. These are simply levels that we’ve played and enjoyed; Beat Saver and the custom level creators that use the Beat Saver platform to re-distribute these intellectual properties maintain full liability for any breached copyrights.
1. Michael Jackson – Beat It
This chart is, by far, the most fun custom level for anybody who thinks they can dance. If you want to host a party around Beat Saber, then Michael Jackson’s Beat It needs to be one of the first songs on your list. It will put an instant smile not only on the face of the person wearing the headset—but on anybody in the general vicinity. Unless they get punched, which is another issue.
Choose the difficulty mode that works best for you. But be careful; Expert mode is exhausting. We usually burn around 50-100 calories in this version of Beat It while playing on Expert mode.
2. The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
Armed with only a Hard and a Normal mode, Seven Nation Army is a regular go-to for warming up or cooling down. The bridge makes you feel like a stand-in drummer for The White Stripes, while the chorus makes you feel like a badass rebel standing your ground against waves of flying drones.
Expect to burn about 40-80 calories here on Hard mode.
3. Eiffel 65 (KZY Factory Remix) – Blue
This is another one of those songs you absolutely need to play at a party. It’s also a superb workout for whenever you’re playing solo because it will make you move.
At least on Expert mode, a large part of Blue’s middle/back half is entirely one-handed, forcing you to slash your way through one of the most complex single-handed arrangements of blue boxes that we’ve ever seen (in this game).
This is one of the more intense custom levels on this list; expect the Expert version to burn upward of 80+ calories here.
4. Skrillex – Bangarang
You need this one if you like dance music, dubstep, or even just Skrillex. It’s fun, it’s flippant, and playing it makes my heart pump like crazy. I’m talking about a 140-150 BPM range on Expert mode.
And speaking of Expert, Bangarang also comes in only one flavor: Expert. You can expect to burn 60+ calories while playing Bangarang.
5. Dillon Francis & DJ Snake – Get Low
Despite that Get Low is a party song, this custom chart is less approachable (in the party setting) because it is limited to Expert mode. But if you’re playing Beat Saber at an Expert level, you’re in for a treat. This is one of those levels that will have you wildly dancing around your room and possibly knocking over furniture.
It also makes great use of the game’s spatial barriers, as you’ll find out how often you must (literally) get low to avoid danger and achieve that coveted high score. Expect to burn upwards of 60+ calories in this custom chart.
6. Netsky – Escape Feat. Darrison
This is one of the highest intensity levels that we’ve ever played and we do not recommend it for a newbie. That said, I’m enamored by how this chart uses the Beat Saber sound effects to add an additional layer of drums to an already insane D&B song.
This is the perfect example of clever charting that empowers the player to become part of the musical composition, not just somebody who’s hitting boxes with lightsabers. It’s the perfect challenge too. If you want to play Beat Saber specifically to burn weight, get this custom map and play it over and over until you beat it.
We consistently burn over 70+ calories each time we play this level on Expert mode.
7. Pendulum – Witchcraft
Witchcraft is in the same vein as Escape, and—as a fellow contender of the D&B genre—is just as challenging. The only reason that it gets seventh place is for shoddy sound quality. The source audio file simply sounds overcompressed on this custom chart, which is fine because the chart is still great fun to play.
Whenever we load up Beat Saber, we hit this one early because of the intense calorie burn that comes with it. And as with Escape, Witchcraft is also charted to create an extra layer of drums for the player to contribute. Witchcraft on Expert mode will often leave you sweating with over 70+ calories down for the count.
8. Kaskade – Never Sleep Alone
This Expert-only chart is great fun to play with others, as it is on the more approachable side of Expert mode. It’s also the chart behind that viral video from Ruirize back in May.
Expect to burn roughly 40-80 calories in Never Sleep Alone on Expert mode.
9. Childish Gambino – This is America
This chart stands out because of how well it uses physical space. The author’s aptly named “choir walls” force you to be swift in your spatial maneuvering. It’s also one of the few levels, similar to Beat It, that behaves like real-world dance choreography when you play it correctly.
It can get tricky on Expert mode if you aren’t used to crossing your left and right sabers. In fact, the charting of this custom map is full of cheap outs and obstacles that can leave you in the dust, which is why it’s such a pleasure to complete.
Expect to burn 50-100 calories with This Is America when you first get into it on Expert mode. Once you’re used to the choreography of this custom map, expect that number to slim down into the 30-60 range, as This Is America is a slower song.
10. PSY – Gangnam Style
What more can we say? It’s Gangnam Style!
Bonus: Mick Gordon – BFG Division (DOOM OST)
We have never played a Beat Saber level this unreasonably (yet addictively) brutal. In fact, we have yet to get halfway through this level, let alone finish it.
So if you want to challenge yourself and feel like the most insanely talented Beat Saber player in the world, this is it. You’ve found the ultimate challenge. This chart makes Through the Fire and Flames look like Balearic Pumping on Normal.
On that note, if you suffer from cardiovascular/respiratory/muscular issues, do not touch. Each time we fail to complete this monstrosity (usually one-third of the way through), we find that we’ve burnt yet another 70+ calories. Worth it!
Conclusion
Beat Saber is a seriously sticky game with an unfortunate shortage of built-in content as of August 2018. And while I’m excited to see how the new first-party levels pan out, regular content updates and DLCs have not picked up yet; a grand total of one new track has been added to the game since its official release in May.
As soon as you start piling on your own laundry list of custom levels and mods, the content vacuum disappears. But that creates another problem entirely; there are too many low-quality custom levels in circulation that make hidden gems difficult to find. After reading through this article, you should have at least a few leads for high-quality custom levels to get started with.
What’s your favorite custom level in Beat Saber? Let us know in the comments.