Getting Started with Mapping Levels

| January 31, 2024

🗺️ Getting Started with Mapping Levels - A Guide

Too many anime maps? Not enough anime maps? Take matters into your own hands and make one!

There are more than 100,000 maps on BeatSaver.com but you still may not be able to find the song you want, or you find the song you want but it only has an ExpertPlus difficulty that is out of your reach. Anyone can learn to make their own maps with the resources available on this page!

Although the BeastSaber team is mostly focused on things like curation, playlist/pack featuring, and other news, the following will give you a head-start on your mapping adventure!


BSMG Mapping Wiki

The BSMG Mapping Wiki was launched in December 2019 and combined information from more than 30 different separate guides to become the holy grail of mapping knowledge.
For those who are new to mapping and just finding their way, or those who are “mapping-curious” and are looking for how to get started, the Wiki has it all including a glossary of mapping terms, helpful quick starts, basic and advanced level information on audio setup, mapping, and the critical steps of playtesting and publishing your map.

BeastSaber's Quick Guide

To get started with mapping, you can choose to map in the following community map editors:

Alternatively, if you have the PC version of Beat Saber, you are automatically given the Official Editor included in the game.

đź’ˇ HINT: If you want to use the latest V3 environments you will need to have the PC version of Beat Saber as those environments are not available in the Community Editors.



Once you have your map editor picked out, you'll need 2 programs for editing the audio:

  1. Audacity - Used for adding/removing silence to sync the audio to a BPM and properly exporting the audio to a .ogg file
  2. ArrowVortex - Used to find the BPM and offset - crucial for a map that's on time

Next, you'll need to set up your audio file. We recommend referring to BSMG's Basic Audio Setup Guide - Syncing with ArrowVortex for this step.

After that, you're ready to get set up in your mapping editor! Again, we recommend referring to BSMG's Map Editing Resources for first-time setup information and guides on each of the available editors - as the steps vary for each one.

Once you've got the audio and map editor set up, you're ready to start mapping! We recommend the following resources as you get started:

  1. BSMG's Basic Mapping Practices - Includes important information while getting started

  2. BSMG's Basic Lighting Practices - Simple manual lighting is easier than you think!

  3. BSMG's Playtesting Guide - Playtest your map early and often, especially as you get started. We also recommend joining the BSMG Discord Server where you can use their #testplays channel to get real-time community feedback! Be sure to read and follow the pinned messages in the channel before posting to the #testplays channel!

Finally, once your song has been mapped, lighted, and playtested you're ready to publish your map to the world on BeatSaver.


Tutorial Videos

If you’re more of a visual learner, the videos below are all excellent resources and follow the same practices detailed in the Wiki.

🗒️ NOTE: Some of these tutorials use older editors. The UI and some processes have changed slightly but the rest of the content is great!

Helen Carnate's Mapping Tutorial - A 17-minute guide to get started mapping using Mediocre Map Assistant 2!

ChroMapper Editor Guide - A series of videos on how to use the core features of the ChroMapper Editor.

Cyrix's Patterns to Avoid as a New Mapper - Covers the most common issues discussed in Basic Mapping.

TranquillizeMe's Beat Saber Lighting Techniques Tutorial - Covers various lighting techniques and general lighting tips.

Fruhead's Beginners Guide to Mapping - A comprehensive lecture series on making your first map using Mediocre Map Assistant 2.

Real-Time Mapping Support & Socials

Even after reviewing available text and video resources, some people still want or need some extra support. Other people want to meet and network with other mappers to pick up even more tips and strategies.

Beat Saber Modding Group (BSMG) Discord

The BSMG Discord is one of the largest servers in existence with nearly 250,000 users! It has #mapping-discussion and #testplays channels dedicated to mapping and a (mostly on-topic) group of enthusiastic mappers ready to help you whip those maps into shape or troubleshoot issues. They also have a great #community-hub channel so you can socialize even more based on your taste and preference!

Beat Saber Mapping Discord

Once you have your very own first map created and released you can request a role in the Mapping Discord. Here you’ll be able to go into a lot more detail on the various aspects of mapping, lighting, modded maps, chroma, and much more. This server also has a healthy social and voice chat scene for mappers.


This page uses content from the BSMG Wiki which is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

About the Author

TheCzar1994

TheCzar1994

Hi! đź‘‹ I helped with a lot of the content side of BeastSaber 2.0!

Want to help out and write articles of your own? Reach out to me on Discord if you're in the know with cool things happening around the custom Beat Saber community!