Chapter Select (OOB)

This article explores the out-of-bounds (OOB) areas of the Chapter Select section of the game. For general information about that section, please refer to the Chapter Select (CS) article.

Overview
The OOB itself doesn't have too many dangers like getting stuck. : It is possible to hit blackness on the east side soon after reaching star fields (where sand plane ends and the landscape turns blue).

Another danger is getting stuck in the wind between walls when reaching certain windy spots from OOB, for example between the meditation platform and the adjacent building (on the "back" of the stage 1 CB spot).

You will be able to visit the canyon of Broken Bridge and even a bit further than that. See videos and sights below.

Entering this OOB area is generally considered to be moderately difficult or even hard, depending on which platform and entrance is used.

Entrances
Patience is the clue, it often takes several tries until you get the right angle and hit the entrance. There are speculations about the West Entrance being harder, but it depends on your preference and on which platform you play. You can also try to fly over the wind walls (at least known to be possible at the East side middle building).

East Entrance
This method leverages an irregularity in wind walls around the easternmost edge of the ruins in the hub (above the Wardrobe area). This method is reliable for every platforms but can be a little tricky at first. Players have developed various techniques to exploit this, all of which revolve around hitting the correct spot at a specific angle.

The video below shows a few examples of this technique:

Further hints
The following helpful hints on how to get in were provided by community member MonsieurDebris. The MonsieurDebris Method:

"It's not the good one that the speed runners use, but it works for me.

East side, just above the robe ribbons, there's a crease in the wall. That's your target.

Try to slide up that crease by having the camera low when you reach the spot where the crease meets the sand, then pull the camera skyward as quickly as possible.

If you slide off to one side or another, you'll pop out, but chances are you'll have enough momentum to whirl around for another go."

Another hint by MonsieurDebris:

Stand at the robe ribbon platform and look around for the nearest tombstones, the tombstone valley leads up into the memorial (where the glyph is). There's a hill opposite the crease wall, just above the little valley with the tombstones.

"Fly toward that, into the sand and reverse direction toward the crease using your camera - this will boost your momentum. keep camera low - if it pops up, give up and go back around. You won't see the target spot until you're almost on it.

I often chirp the flyers on the center platform as I'm coming up from getting the platform symbol to get to that hill. If you have enough momentum, you can gently and quickly wiggle your camera up and down for more speed boost. If the camera is sluggish, you're not going fast enough to make it work.

Otherwise, I'll just get to the hill as best I can, hop up into the air, and dive boost into the sand toward the crease wall. That gives enough speed to get into the exit slot."

West Entrance (ground)
Many PS4 users said they were never able to enter here, see below:

For this entrance you need to dropshoot on the ground at the location shown in the videos below, and hopefully the wind won't reject you.

The success depends hugely on your FPS rate; this is why it seems impossible on PS4 (60 fps) but works okay on PS3 (30 fps), though it can still take multiple tries. On PC, since your FPS depends on your computer's components, a "bad" computer is a must if you run the game at 30-40 fps or even lower. On PC it is also possible to lower the FPS rate manually by changing the Max FPS value in Nvidia Control Panel (if you have an Nvidia GPU). Or use an external program to lower them momentarily when needed (the entrance becomes very easy at 20 fps).

First method (video)
This video shows one method of entering the OOB through the West Entrance:

Second method (video)
Another video, giving a better view on the location and where to enter. This video shows three different entry methods, West Entrance method can be seen at 1:20 mark.

Super Boost spot and West Entrance (video)
The video below shows the West Entrance and a super boost spot used to exploit it:

Over the wind wall (West)
It is also possible to go out of bounds by flying over the wind walls that surround the in-bounds area. This method requires two steps: first get to the top of the east side building (roof section above Tower and Snow portals), then charge boost at the ledge on top of that building and cross over the west wind wall. The west wall is the shortest path given the direction of the boost, but with advanced skills it may be possible to fly over other sides too.

The video below shows how to do it.

This entrance is also shown in the "Second method" video, in the preceding section.

It seems there are different ways to go on PS3 and PS4.

Mini-OOB entrance
There is a mini-OOB area behind the Tower CS portal (first building to the right from the HL statue). Entrance is high up at the back wall.

The video below appears to be from the PC version (unconfirmed).

Confirmed by qtzl3000 on PS4.

Since this is a glitch in level geometry which hasn't changed between releases, this mini-OOB area most likely can be reached on all platforms.

Level map
This map shows a general view of the level including key sights, landmarks and navigation elements.

Additional maps
A hand-drawn map showing the whole Chapter Select area and OOB, including crash zones for PS4 / PC and some key sights:



Sights
The Chapter Select OOB area is not huge but there are a few interesting sights.

The following sections are arranged based on sight locations, from South to North.

Starfields
Those are found on almost every map. In Chapter Select OOB, star fields can be seen on the east and west sides as well.

On PS4 star fields can only be observed on the south side; north edge of the level is in blackness, and there are no starfields on either east or west sides (there are floating particles there but they all have the same color); whether there are multi-color star fields on PS4 in this level is currently under investigation.

Unfinished portal
On the very far south-east end, below the surface and almost at the edge of blackness, an incomplete copy of the Chapter Select portal can be found (was probably used by the developers as a template). To find it, go east until you reach the end of the sand, then all the way south to the corner of the map; then walk off the sand and onto the invisible surface, take a few steps and turn around. The portal will be right below the edge of the map. The screenshot below should help with orientation.

Hidden chirp symbol
In the same south-east corner as the unfinished portal, slightly below it, a hidden glowing chirp symbol can be seen sometimes. See Hidden chirp symbol article for details.

Journey title card
It's possible to activate the same title sequence that you see at the very start of the game. The word Journey will appear at the top of the screen, music will change, and camera will pan back a bit. It only works once though. To do it again you'll have to restart from Chapter Select. This is not specifically an OOB sight (the same can be done in-bounds by simply walking back to the start area) but when triggered from OOB the Wayfarer's position and therefore the sight is different to the "normal" version.

Space Odyssey area
Also known as "2001: A Space Odyssey" area. This is a strange area which looks like a valley to the east of the main corridor with a little grey cloud in the air. If you descend into this valley the surroundings turn black and you can see that the cloud is actually inside a black cube suspended in the air. The purpose of this cube is unknown, though it's probably used in one of the cinematic sequences. Similar black cubes can be found in some other levels such as Pink Desert.

Nick
The Wayfarer in the corridor that runs away when you go to the Broken Bridge level. His default location is behind a column at the end of the corridor (as show on the screenshot below) but it can also move past the white light boxes and stand at the very end of the corridor if a specific trigger has been activated.

HL Banner
The History Lesson banner can be seen when crossing the BB level resemblance ("fake BB"). Stand on top of the North side of the BB canyon, look South. It's a bit faint. Various parts are visible when approaching from different angles but it's very faint from the distance because it's surrounded by white mist. Using a Super Boost spot on the northern wall it's possible to fly through or around the HL banner and see it in details, but it's still not as accessible as some other HL banners.

Liquid Sand
On the west side, not far from the History Lesson banner, starts a weird area which looks like regular sand from far away, but as you get closer you'll see individual square "tiles" of sand moving around as if to form a circle around the Wayfarer. Those close to you will look like tiles moving individually, those further away look like bands of sand with clearly visible separation lines (lines go north-south).

In Chapter Select they create an interesting visual effect resembling quicksands.

This effect can also be observed in other OOB levels. It is one of many examples of unstable terrain ("fake terrain" that spans outside the edges of the base terrain area). Its appearance depends on platform and on PC also on graphics settings.

Super Boost Ravine
Found on the far north side slightly east, a sudden drop in otherwise level sands creates a channel (more like a canyon) which gives you super boost powers because when flying inside you're always close to the "ground" even though it looks like walls from the inside. The place is called Super Boost Ravine.

The "Sand Trap"
Between the Super Boost Ravine and the Mini Boost Ravine on the north side, a little round pit in the sand can be found (can be spotted from the nearby peak). It's tempting to explore it but it's located right at the edge of blackness, so the moment you step into it the screen turns black.

Mini Boost Ravine
A smaller (and flatter) patch similar to the Super Boost Ravine can be found on the northern end of the map towards the middle, west of both the Super Boost Ravine and the Sand Trap. It doesn't offer Super Boost but is still useful.

Galleries, impressions and places in CS OOB
A brief video showing vast desert of Chapter Select OOB:

Another great video with some 10 minutes of footage showing the OOB landscape can be found here.

Trivia
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Quotes
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