Megabonk beginner guide: how a run works and what to do in the first 10 minutes

// una partida

How a run goes.

Pick a character, a map (Forest or Desert) and a Tier (1, 2 or 3). The Tier sets how many stages there are and how much silver you earn at the end.
Survive and level up: collect the experience enemies drop and choose an upgrade on every level: a new weapon or a weapon upgrade, a tome (a stat) or an item.
Open chests and use shrines while you run. Chests give items; shrines give stats, experience or challenges.
Activate the boss portal before the timer runs out (about 10 minutes): the stage boss appears and you have to kill it.
Move to the next stage through the portal the boss leaves (if the Tier has more stages). On the last one, the portal leads to the map's final boss.
Final Swarm: when the timer hits zero, endless ghosts spawn. If the boss is already dead, the run ends in victory after a few seconds; if not, survive as long as you can.

// santuarios

What you find on the map.

Charge Shrine

Stand inside the circle for about 10 seconds (leave and it resets) and pick one of three stat boosts. The golden version gives legendary boosts.

Shrine of Succ

Pulls in all the experience lying on the ground. Use it when the map is full of uncollected experience.

Challenge Shrine

Marked enemies appear; kill them and you earn a chest.

Greed Shrine

Every use raises difficulty by 5% in exchange for more loot and silver.

Boss Curse

Adds an extra boss; beat it and you get an extra chest.

Cursed Totem

A random penalty (less health, damage or speed, or more enemies) in exchange for double loot for three waves.

Microwave

Put an item in and it comes out duplicated... sometimes. Some unlocks ask for three duplications in a row.

Potspots

Break them: gold, experience and sometimes silver. Breaking 20 in one run unlocks the XP tome.

// cinco consejos

For your first run.

Never stop moving. What kills you in Megabonk is getting surrounded. Run wide circles and pick up experience on the way.
An area weapon first. Aura or the Lightning Staff clear what surrounds you without aiming. Then Damage and Cooldown.
Clear before using a shrine. A Charge Shrine with enemies on top kicks you out of the circle over and over.
Save the power-ups (Magnet, Nuke, Protect) for the boss or for a wave that gets out of hand.
Raise the Tier when you win consistently. Tier 1 until you win almost every time; Tier 3 pays more silver, but it kills anyone who is not ready.

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// faq

FAQ.

How long is a Megabonk run?

Each stage lasts about 10 minutes (10 for the first, 9 for the second, 8 for the third, per the wiki). Tier 1 has one stage; Tier 2, two; Tier 3, three. When the timer runs out the Final Swarm starts and, if you have already killed the boss, the run ends in victory.

Which character should I start with?

Sir Oofie, who gains armour with every level and forgives mistakes. Fox is the other starter: more luck, better items.

What is the best weapon to start with?

Aura: it hits everything that comes close without aiming. It unlocks after two minutes without taking damage; until then, the Sword or the Lightning Staff.

// next

Next up.

Characters

All 21, with their passive and how to unlock each one.

Sources: the Megabonk community wiki (megabonk.wiki) and public guides (Dexerto, TheGamer, Destructoid, Sportskeeda, games.gg, megabonk.org), as of 1 November 2026. Megabonk changes with every patch: numbers and requirements may vary; when in doubt, the game's Unlocks tab is right. Megabonk is by vedinad; this is fan content.