Last updated: 9/3/21
SPECIAL NOTE:
I play Baba is You using the beta version (as of the time of this writing). I do this because I use the level editor, which is only available in the beta. However, the beta version of Meta is slightly different. I recommend the beta version, as it does not force you to play the hardest puzzle that has ever been made in the history of the world. But in the full release, there is an additional level that does not appear in the beta. I will give hints on that level even though you will have to switch to the full release to play it.
Welcome to Hell
If you’ve made it this far, you know by now that a world map and a puzzle aren’t that different. Feast your eyes on Meta:
Take a good look at this map. There are a lot of rules and very few of them will make sense at the moment. Do not panic. Here’s how we’re going to tackle this. I will post a picture of the current map (as seen above), as well as the next location. If the next level is obvious, I won’t post a hint, but if you have to do some work, then I will. After that I’ll post the level you need to enter. Just as in Depths, I recommend not scrolling ahead - no later hints will help you with earlier levels, but they may spoil some of the surprises you will see in this world.
(Keep in mind that in order to “complete” Depths, you have to Win this map, just as you had to Win Depths to complete ??? world.)
And remember, always, always, always solve levels normally before doing the special solution.
Anyway, about this starting position. Is there anything to prevent you from getting to the first level immediately? If not, then let’s save these rules for later.
Meta 01: Hot Potato
Difficulty: **
About the Level
The rule Wall near Keke is Hedge rule is just there to help teach you about Near. If you’ve been to ABC-4, you’ve already seen this rule.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Think about the arrangement of rules you'll need when the Key reaches the Door. What will that look like?
Bigger Nudge: What is the way you can interact with the Key that doesn't involve Keke being close? It seems there are a few possible arrangements. Certain arrangments immediately make the puzzle impossible. Why?
Specific Hint: Which pieces of text can be used to get the Key on the same level as the Door?
After Meta 01
What has opened up now? Is there anything special to do aside from going to Meta 02? If so, what? If not, let’s not waste any more time. On to Meta 02:
Meta 02: Adventure
Difficulty: *
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Can you get Baba over to the "Baba" text? Can you get something else over there?
Bigger Nudge: What else could Baba be near?
After Meta 02
Once again, is there anything to do? (Sometimes the answers to my hint questions aren’t complex - don’t overthink it! I’m just asking you to notice all the rules on the map to see what you might be doing next.)
Meta 03: Booby Trap
Difficulty: 0
About the Level
You know what it means when the level is too easy. Solve normally first, but prepare yourself.
Hints
Do you really need one?
After Meta 03
Ah, there’s the dead end we were waiting for. This is just like Depths. One of these levels has the “Level” text. Which one was it? Also take the time to think what you need on this map. Only level 04 is available to you. What one object would, if you had access to it, allow you to reach Meta 04 easily?
Meta 03 Again: Booby Trap
Difficulty: *****
About the Level
Welcome back. Hope you like this level.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What are all the words you have access to? Which one, when added to Level is, will allow you to progress through Meta?
Bigger Nudge: What happens when you fish "Baba" out of the lower-right chamber? What pieces would you need to neutralize this problem? Where would you need them? How many would you need?
Another Big Nudge: How will you get into the lower-left chamber? What can you bring into the upper-left chamber?
Specific Hint: Remember your solution to Forest 12. How and where can you use that here?
So you’ve solved Booby Trap
This is the only possible configuration of the world map that allows you to continue. Which rule or rules are applicable now?
Meta 04: Canister
Difficulty: ***
About the Level
I list this one as another serious contender for my favorite in the whole game.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Think how you could make Flag is Win. What will push the "Is" down to also form [X] is Win? What additional rule needs to exist to allow this?
Bigger Nudge: Of those pieces that you need in the pipe chamber, which one or ones will go down first? What rule do you need to do this?
Specific Hint: What can you now do with those new pieces in the lower chamber to bring the rest of the pieces down?
After Meta 04
Was there anything else to do in Meta 04? Or is it time for Meta 05?
Meta 05: Avalanche
Difficulty: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Why do you suppose you've been given "On" and "Not"?
Bigger Nudge: What are the things that "Level" can refer to? Is there more than one simultaneous meaning?
Specific Hint: At all times Baba and something else are overlapping. What is that? Does Baba overlap with every instance of this thing?
After Meta 05 (Normal Solution)
Yes, you know there’s going to be another solution. You can do that solution now or keep going until we hit another dead end.
Meta 06: One-Way Entrance
Difficulty: ****
About the Level
Because Meta 05 has the special solution, this level turns out to be extraneous - you don’t need to solve it to finish the game.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: If there were no top row of Skulls and no Rock, how would you solve this level?
Bigger Nudge: Add the Rock back in. How does your solution change? What arrangement is now forced?
Final Nudge: Add the top row of Skulls back in. What does this do to force your setup of your previous solution?
After Meta 06
But you knew this would happen. Which levels had a potential special solution? There are two, one of which you’ve already solved in a special way. What is the other one?
Don’t rush off just yet. Think what you need in order to get to Meta 07. There is something blocking your progress which needs to be removed. This obstacle requires an object to remove it and some other object to be You. What order, then, do you need to make the special solutions? I am going to post both levels in numerical order. This might not be the order you have to solve them. Think carefully.
Return of Meta 03: Booby Trap
Difficulty: *****
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What do you need Level to be this time? How does this change your solution? What do you need to do in the lower-right chamber?
Bigger Nudge: What do you need to do in the lower-right chamber? What pieces do you need from the lower-left chamber?
Specific Hint: Think back to your solution from Depths 03. How will you reproduce that here?
Meta 05 Special Solution
Difficulty: 0
Hints
Really?
So you’ve solved Meta 03... again
This is the only possible outcome that allows for progress. You need a Baba (or anything that is You), as well as a Flag (or anything that is Open). Getting to Meta 07 should now be a piece of cake.
Meta 07: Bramblevine
Difficulty: ***
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What path is Me going to take?
Bigger Nudge: Why do you suppose you have those Rocks?
Specific Hint: Where exactly do you need to put one Rock? How about the other two?
After Meta 07
What has changed as soon as you complete Meta 07? Why did this happen on the map? Do you need to reopen the door to get to Meta 08?
Meta 08: Mutual Feelings
Difficulty: *
Hints
Are you serious: Solve the level normally.
You knew it was too easy
The next step to finishing this world is to get to Meta 09, as it is the level after Meta 08. However, the extra levels are available at this point, and personally I find it easiest to get to them right now.
Regardless of whether you’re going to the extra levels or Meta 09, you’ll need to get back into Meta 08 and do a particular solution.
Meta 08 Again
Difficulty: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Think about what you need this level to be in order to continue. Can you make Level is Baba? Why is this insufficient? Can you make Level is Flag? Why is this also insufficient?
Bigger Nudge: Did you complete the ???-Extra level "Hazel Den"?
After Meta 08
That’s right, you need to create both a Baba and a Flag. Now you have two of each. This is sufficient to get you to both Meta 09 and the extra levels. Let’s do the extra levels first (at the top of the screen) and get them out of the way. Look at the path you’ll need to take to get there. What additional piece do you need? Do you really need an additional one or do you need to transform one of your others again?
You’ll need to return to a previously solved level with a special solution and re-solve it in a way you have before. After finishing the extra levels, you will then re-re-solve it the way it is now. I will not reprint those solutions. Just use the hints from before. But until then, get your cursor to Meta Extra 1:
Meta Extra 1: Hidden Path
Difficulty: *
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Level is already Down. Is there a way to move it?
Meta Extra 2: Triplets
Difficulty: ****
About the Level
This level got a slight update, I believe. But I still can solve it only using two of the “Is” words. Maybe using all three is easier?
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How many rules can you make with Baba (if Baba is Word)? Keep in mind you'll need to use one Baba to go to the Flag.
Bigger Nudge: What is the point of that Rock?
Specific Hint: Remember your solution to Chasm Extra 5? How can you reuse that solution here?
Meta Extra 3: Power Generator
Difficulty: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What spaces exactly will cause Baba to sink? How many spaces thick is this "barrier"?
Bigger Nudge: If you push "Win" normally, you will lose. Is there a way to Push "Win" from farther away?
Okay, back to the regular levels
Alright, let’s go back to this. You need to make sure you revert the map to the way it was after Meta 08. After solving any of the extra levels, you get an additional dotted line to help you out. Or, you can return to Depths and restart the map that way.
As for getting to Meta 09, this is going to be a little trickier. I’ve hidden the hints behind spoiler tags since this is far closer to a puzzle than anything else you’ve done on the map.
Hints
Specific Hint #1: There are three Doors and only two Flags. One of those Doors will remain closed. Which one?
Specific Hint #2: Where can you get two extra pieces to sink in the Water?
Meta 09: Delicate Stars
Difficulty: ***
About the Level
This one got a slight rework, but the solution is almost exactly the same as it was.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Why would you begin this level with that long rule at the bottom right? Is that rule close to what you need or is there a change you need to make?
Bigger Nudge: There are two identical arrangements of one Box and one Star. Will you get both Stars to the Doors in the same way?
Specific Hint: It's not possible for both Box and Star to have the same property. What does this mean about where Me will be whenever either of those are pushed or pulled Does this tell you what to do with a certain word you have been given?
After Meta 09
In case you want to get the cursor back to the right side of the map, it’s still possible, using the same method you used to get there in the first place. At no point in Meta will your cursor really be trapped. Still, it’s better to keep moving forward until you unlock a quicker route back.
Meta 10: Just No
Difficulty: *
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Who is You if not Baba is You? Who is You if not not Baba is You?
Bigger Nudge: How many "Not" pieces do you really need?
Of course, another dead end
But you knew this would happen. You probably also know what you need to turn Meta 10 into.
Meta 10 Again
Difficulty: ***
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Why do you think you have three Rocks?
Bigger Nudge: What other pieces do you need to align all your Rocks the way you need them?
After Meta 10
Now what to do? Clearly, you’ll need to get to Meta 11. But what do you need to get this to happen?
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: Why do you have access to "Cursor is"?
Bigger Nudge: Why is there a Flag on the other side of the Door (by Meta 11)?
Specific Hint: What will you sink into the Water?
Meta 11: Acrobatic
Difficulty: ***
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Where should Keke be while you're pushing him?
Bigger Nudge: What will be the arrangement of text when you push Keke onto the Ice?
Specific Hint: Keke will overlap with one piece of Text only. Which one?
After Meta 11
Thankfully, in the beta version, the numbering has been moved around a bit to be more natural to the way you should be solving the levels. If you are using the full release, the next level is Meta 14. But if you’re based and Baba-pilled you’ll be using the beta, so the next level is Meta 12. They’re both the same level, just with different numbers.
Meta 12: Tangle
Difficulty: *
Hints
Solve normally first!
After Meta 12
Okay, so it’s obvious there’s something you gotta do in Meta 12, but you can head to Meta 13 right now. What’s going on here?
Meta 13: The Box
Difficulty: ****
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: First, just try to get to the upper area. What do you think "Near" is for?
Bigger Nudge: There is something unique about this level. What could it possibly be? Think outside the box.
Specific Hint: Once you know what is special about this level, you will know which part of this page you need to look at next.
Meta 12 Again
Difficulty: ****
About the Level:
Do you know why you’re here?
Hints
Gentle Nudge: If you know why you came back to this level - what do you need to transform this level into?
Bigger Nudge: Is the Flag going to stay where it starts? If not, where do you need to put it? When do you need to put it there?
Another Big Nudge: Why do you have access to "Float"?
Specific Hint: You have to make Level Is Melt. And Lava will always be Hot. When does something which is Hot destroy something which is Melt?
After Meta 13
That’s right, a double solution. Now that you have finished Meta 13, you have access to yet another world. You can now reach the endgame. However, there is still more to do in Meta.
If you want to move on, click here.
Otherwise, keep reading to do more Meta.
Where to go from here?
Well, at this point in the picture above, you have 13 levels solved (plus three extras). You’ve accessed almost all of the world map. There is, however, one place you haven’t gone, and there’s an obvious new level just waiting for you. Note that the final levels in the beta version and in the release (as of the time of this writing) are different! I will be using the beta version as it has all three levels instead of two and they are in a more natural order. If you are playing the final release and my map is what you see then it has been updated since I wrote this.
Now, how to get to that level?
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: Is it useful to have Meta 12 be a flag anymore?
Bigger Nudge: Can you get the cursor onto the dotted line near level 14? What prevents it from getting all the way to the level?
Specific Hint: Is there something you could put into that room with Level 14? From where will you get that something?
Note also that you can return from the room with Meta 11 to the central room, though it will take a bit of tricky setup. If you need to restart the map to make it easier, that is also okay.
Meta 14: Queue
This is just a repeat of ABC 4. I do not know if the full release intends to remove this one or keep it here and remove the one from ABC. If you are playing the beta, solve this one as you did before. If you are playing the main release before the update, this level is not in Meta at all.
After Meta 14
Regardless of whether you’re using the beta version or the main release, completing the first level in this bottom-right chamber will unlock the way back to the main area for you.
Meta 15: Breaking and Entering
Difficulty: ****
About the Level
You know what to do when you see “Level.” Unfortunately this is a case where the normal ending is actually more difficult.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How many things do you need to sink to get access to everywhere in this level?
Bigger Nudge: How long do you need "Text"? Are there perhaps multiple uses for it?
Specific Hint #1: Remember your solution to Ruins 04. How can that be useful here?
After Meta 15
I’m going to give you the choice of how hard you want to make this for yourself. The main reason I prefer the beta order of levels is that in the main release, level 16 is NOT OPTIONAL, whereas in this version it is. Normally I suggest finishing all the regular solutions and then going back to do the special ones. However, if Meta 16 stumps you, you might just want to jump to the special solution for Meta 15. The next part of this page will be for Meta 16, but you can skip over that if you wish.
Meta 16: Return of Scenic Pond
Difficulty: **********************
About the Level
This level is brilliant but it is easily the hardest in the game. If you’re playing the beta version, congratulations! This level is optional. Otherwise, you’re going to have to figure it out.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Yes, every single piece of text is vital to the solution. This includes pieces that don't exist yet.
Specific Hint #1: Remember the first verison of this level? Remember how you handled the "Is Float"? Will you do something similar here? Is there another level whose solution will come in handy there?
Specific Hint #2: If you've thought of a way to break up "Baba is Float" after creating it (which you'll create in a similar way you did in another level), then you know you need one more of something than you have. What is that object? How will you get it - multiple times, if necessary?
Specific Hint #3: Is there a way to get text to overlap? If so, where? How? Do both pieces of text exist now or will one of them be created later? What are those pieces of text?
After Meta 16
If you see this, you are a legend. Now back to Meta 15.
Meta 15 Once More
Difficulty: *
About the Level
Once you know the regular solution, the special one is very easy.
Hints
The Only Hint: Solve as usual. At a certain point you'll know when you can make the special solution easily.
It’s time to “Win” Meta
If you’re seeing something similar to this, then you know exactly what sentence will finish off this map. Your only concern now is how to move that “Level” around. Is there a trick you already used on this map to give yourself a helper? (Warning: this will take a lot of steps. Most of them you have done before, but you have to go through them again.)
If you’ve completed every other puzzle in Depths, then you will be treated to an “Area Complete” animation when you win Meta.
Wait, Meta isn’t done?
Of course not. That would be too easy. Unlike the other maps, you don’t need to Win the final world map after Meta because there is no win condition in there. So that must mean there are extra levels! Saying any more would spoil, so the below text is hidden.
Searching for Extra 4
This is roughly the map you see after finishing the regular 15 or 16 levels, plus the first three extras. On this map must be at least one extra level we haven’t seen yet. Where could it be?
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: Is there a type of object you've been ignoring for a while - an object that has multiple instances?
Specific Hint: Look for an object with several instances. Is there one of those instances that looks a little... different?
Meta Extra 4: A Prize Well Earned
Difficulty: *
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: You can't just collect the Orb. Is there another way? What exactly allows you to collect the Orb?
Bigger Nudge: The phrase "Baba is You" is positioned in a really terrible spot. Can you move it?
Are you serious? We’re still not done?
Okay, there has to be at least one more extra level. Now, if you have the beta version, it’s in a different spot than the main release.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Is there an object which has existed since the beginning (you didn't create it out of a level), which could potentially be turned into a level?
Bigger Nudge: If so, can you make [X] is Level using any of the existing "Level" pieces right now? If not, what does this mean you're going to have to do?
Specific Hint: There is only one level where you can make Level is Text. Which one? Hint: it's your absolute favorite!
Why, God, Why
Difficulty: *****
Hints:
Gentle Nudge: You probably already know that you'll need to replicate something from Depths 03. Which pieces of Text will you use? What do you need to bring up from the lower left chamber?
Bigger Nudge: Is there something from your solution to ??? Extra 7 that may help you? Some way to get two things to move into one space even though they are solid?
Specific Hint: Once you have the general idea, you may find the arrangement difficult to make. Take a step back and think of using more distance.
Now the fun begins. If you have an eagle eye, you will see two possible extra levels you can make. Let’s start with the easier one. Is there a plainly visible object - not created from a level - that you can turn into one and move your cursor onto it? I will not provide hints because, once you know the object, it is very easy to make it.
Meta 05: Another Way
Difficulty: ***
About the Level
This looks more like the original “A Way Out,” and its solution is similar to the way I solved that one before it was patched.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: At some point Keke will be Move. What can you do before that?
Bigger Nudge: Where will you form the Rock is [X] phrase?
Another Big Nudge: Why do you think you have "Box"?
Specific Hint: Where is the best place to put Keke? What should you put in front of her?
Finished?
If you’re playing the beta version, you just finished Meta! Congratulations, queen.
But if you’re on the main release, there is one more possible level. (Eventually the two releases will be folded together and this level will be available to all.) You’re going to make it similarly to the way you just made “Another Way.” But this time, you will use a different object. Is there perhaps an object which is involved in a rule somewhere that you have never thought could be a level? Note that once you figure this part out, the actual setup is kind of tricky, so just experiment until something works. I will not show a picture. The next picture you see will be that extra level.
Meta Extra ???: Whoa
Difficulty: Whoa
About the Level
Whoa
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Where does "You" have to be? How will you get something into that corridor? How many steps will you take to do it?
Bigger Nudge: You can't move something onto the Line. But if something is on the Line, what can you do with it?
Specific Hint: Was there something you did in "Return of Scenic Pond" that may give you a hint here? Maybe you have two of something? And you want one of those things to transform into something else?
World Complete!
Hurrah! After completing Meta, there’s only one way to go - to the Center.