How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams

How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams is one of the first new objectives introduced by The Starless Path update, and the unlock requirement is refreshingly direct: dig through Piles of Snow during your runs. Cetus is not locked behind the Xbox or PlayStation versions, so existing PC players can unlock him through the same 1.4 content.

The developer has deliberately tied How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams to exploration rather than a store purchase or a console bonus. Once you are playing the current version, the important thing is to interact with Piles of Snow you encounter in the Rapids instead of ignoring them as scenery.

How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams

How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams Image NEOWIZ / Lizard Smoothie.

How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams requires you to dig through Piles of Snow. Lizard Smoothie's 1.4 patch notes state this explicitly, making the snow piles the confirmed unlock interaction for the ninth Traveler.

The patch notes do not publish a fixed room, guaranteed map location or required number of Piles of Snow. That means it would be misleading to give you a made-up farming route. Treat the snow piles as a run-based exploration objective and interact with them whenever they appear until the Cetus unlock completes.

For returning PC players, How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams begins as soon as version 1.4 is installed and the new exploration objects are present. You do not need a special paid edition for How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams. The Starless Path is a free update to the base game, and the September 17 Xbox and PS5 versions include it immediately. PC players receive the same update through the existing game.

The official Shape of Dreams Steam page is the main PC storefront if you need to confirm that your installation is updated before looking for the new content.

What should you look for during a run?

The wording used by the developer is Piles of Snow, so How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams is about interacting with that specific environmental object rather than defeating a named boss or reaching a particular account level. If you are rushing rooms without checking interactable objects, slow down when you see snow-covered areas or a pile that can be dug through.

Because Shape of Dreams uses changing runs, environmental opportunities are not presented like a fixed open-world collectible map. The safe strategy is simply to keep playing the current build and dig every valid Pile of Snow you encounter. There is no confirmed reason to abandon a run because a particular early room did not contain one.

If the unlock does not appear immediately, verify the game version first. How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams only applies after The Starless Path 1.4 update is installed, so an outdated PC client would not contain the new Traveler or his unlock objects.

Who is Cetus?

How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams is worth doing early because Cetus fills a role the existing roster did not previously have. He is a ranged warrior built around Cold, using frost to deal burst damage and create glaciers and icy zones that control enemy movement.

He can also shield himself and allies. Lizard Smoothie describes him as capable of functioning as a tank while still handling offense, and the developer's character introduction says his Constellation supports several directions including tank, mage, support and bruiser styles.

That flexibility makes Cetus useful for both solo runs and co-op parties. A ranged build can keep pressure on enemies from the back line, while a defensive setup can use control and shielding to help a team survive crowded encounters.

Is Cetus exclusive to Xbox or PS5?

No. How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams is the same underlying content on the supported versions because Cetus belongs to The Starless Path update, not to a console-exclusive pack. The September 17 console launches simply happened on the same day as the PC update.

Xbox players do have a separate Crimson Flash Lacerta costume as a console bonus, but that cosmetic has nothing to do with the Cetus unlock. Game Pass access also does not automatically unlock Cetus as a playable Traveler. You still complete the in-game Piles of Snow requirement.

For the console release details, see our Shape of Dreams Xbox Release guide. Players using Game Pass can also check Is Shape of Dreams on Game Pass? for the current subscription availability.

What changed with Cetus in The Starless Path?

Cetus is only one part of the September 17 progression expansion. How to Unlock Cetus in Shape of Dreams gives you the new Traveler, while Way of Stars adds a longer-term reason to keep playing each character after they join your roster.

Playing Travelers through Way of Stars reveals connected episodes and awards items such as illustrations, limited Emotes and unique Souvenirs. Progressing that system also leads toward the new Starless Path ending route. Our Shape of Dreams Way of Stars Guide covers the progression layer separately.

The update also adds six shared Common Identity Memories, which can replace a Traveler's normal Identity Memory and change the foundation of a build. Once Cetus is unlocked, that gives you another new system to experiment with beyond his own Cold-focused kit. See our Shape of Dreams Identity Memories Guide for how the shared system fits into a run.