Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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THANK YOU ZEPHAL FOR THE THUMBNAIL
youtube.com/c/TheRealZephal

Wow ok. I didn't think I would be here so soon. Ever since I first saw the previews, Rust fascinated me. I've always loved Neigefeu's work, but this was on another level. The level matched my skillset perfectly. Timing, cube-heavy, and sync-based gameplay are my strong suit. When Rust was finally showcased, I was in love. The gameplay and deco fit together, the gameplay is unique but not at the cost of being unfun, and the whole thing works together to create an amazing atmosphere and experience. When the level came out, I did some very small runs, and I always had it in the back of my head that I wanted to go for this level someday.
About 3 months ago, I decided that I should try switching from mouse to up arrow. I knew some really good players who had success with this, so I thought why not. If I had never done this, I wouldn't be here today. I got a skill boost from up arrow to the point where Rust felt reasonably doable, but still very hard. I began grinding with the goal of completion in late April.
It didn't take long to build some decent consistency. I got new bests from 0, decent runs to 100, and overall was feeling good. On May 9, 2022, I managed to get list percent for the first time, progress fluking from 47 all the way to 74. I had been grinding with the goal of getting list % for a few days, so that was 1 goal complete. I continued to play every day.
It took a while to reach the end again, but it happened, and I died at 74 again. It took weeks to reach that part of the level again so dying to a relatively easy timing twice was somewhat demotivating. Luckily school had just ended which helped me fix my sleep schedule; this gave me another consistency boost. I took a short break from Rust to beat Crystal, because I wanted to do it before it fell off the list. This break was another consistency boost. I then got 77 shortly after returning, but then had to leave for a 2 week vacation soon after. The day after returning from this vacation, I got 86. Taking breaks is the meta I SWEAR.
Up until 2 days before the completion, no new bests were achieved. This was around 2 weeks of no significant progress. On 7/19, something switched in me, and I got to 70% 4 times from 0. Before that day, I had never gotten past 70% twice in a day. That same day I got 95. The day after that I got to 70% 3 times, and died at 93. Finally, the day after that I got past 70% twice, and that second time was the victory attempt.
If anyone actually bothered to read all this, thank you! I hope I can inspire or motivate others to do something similar. GG! :)

I want to thank a few people individually.

hstorm, it was your Tartarus completion that motivated me to grind Rust. I watched many of your streams and saw how you gained consistency, leading up to your completion. Thank you for inspiring me to grind this level :)

Zeum, ever since I met you, you've been nothing but supportive. You've gone out of your way to help me with my GD endeavors, and you've been a great friend. I also appreciate the help you've provided as a mod in my stream chat :)

maxis, you've been such a great friend for the two years we've known each other. I wouldn't have switched to up arrow without seeing your skill. You gave me very helpful advice for Rust. Thank you for helping me and being a great person to talk to :)

Zeniux, even though we may disagree on some things (ahem), you always were there to motivate me and keep me playing this level. You've helped me with so many of my projects in this game and motivated me to pull through with this level :)

And finally, thanks to everyone who watches my streams, everyone who said motivating/supportive things on Twitter and Youtube, and everyone who watches this video :)

Enjoyment: 10/10

Song: Creo - Outlaw youtube.com/watch?v=8QAWb719Pzg
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FOLLOW ME:
Twitch: twitch.tv/zeus_gd

Discord: discord.gg/u8kAt7FAB7

Twitter: twitter.com/Zeus_GMD
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Thanks for watching!

RUST 100% (MY HARDEST DEMON) by Neigefeu
#geometrydash