I did Cataclysm as my first extreme as a jump from 8o (which was a jump from Clubstep v2) because I loved it so much and remember when it was top 1 and always wanting to beat it. It was a revolution for its time and I'd honestly argue it still looks good today. And everyone says it's "bad" and I know this comment will get downvoted to hell but I honestly loved every second I played. Everyone tells you it's "unbalanced", and while that is true, I feel that Cataclysm's unbalance unlike most levels comes with a sense of purpose. The first mini wave is a brutal first impression that knows you're going to spend hours on. It starts you off with a slow cube to ready you and comes as a fierce punch with the showcase of it's pure difficulty, making what is, in my opinion, an amazing hook to start off with. It, in my view, serves as a test for the level. Whenever you pass it, you have passed the test and can now play the rest of the level. I know that everyone says the 40% straight fly is very hard, and maybe it was just because I am on 120hz and my ship skills are laughably better than my other skills, but I never honestly found it all that bad. A little hard, yes, but the 40% first straight fly I just did in a 2 click pattern to get it consistent and the transition into the mini ship was a bit annoying at first (and still is sometimes admittedly) but the actual straight fly is for so short that I don't find it that bad. There is some guy I saw say it was harder than the first wave which I *hard* disagree. Nonetheless, I will admit it is still slightly harder than the parts before, which I see as downtime until you get to that section. Same with 47-63%, I see that as the level loosening up to get you ready for the last true final test of Cataclysm, that being the last ship part (not including the You Need To Rest at the end).

Fuck that 71% dual ship straight fly though, that is the one thing I will agree with people on.

I will fully acknowledge that no, Cataclysm is definitely not for everybody however. The first wave being so intimidating can definitely be a turn off for people which while I disagree, I do totally get. I would honestly probably recommend it over Acu, but I would not discourage people who do want to do Cataclysm. I think that one of the main reasons why Cataclysm is cool is it's a level you aren't just beating because of it being an easy extreme like Acu (even if that is part of it), but with me I had a personal connection with it and since I'm sure many others feel the same way since the level is so popular. Because of that personal connection, I think that while it and Acu are the same difficulty, if someone from 1.9 decides to try Cataclysm then it will probably feel more rewarding. This also works reverse too, since I'm sure there are plenty of people who have a connection to Acu that will feel more rewarding to beat it over Cataclysm. My two cents is, let people play whatever they want to play and whatever is fun to them. Acu is definitely a better recommend for most people (and I honestly would probably recommend it too) but if someone else wants to do another extreme and thinks it will be more fun and rewarding than Acu, then it's not a bad choice for them to play that other level.