Megabonk: Tips and Tricks to Complete the Pacifist Challenge

Once players complete Forest Tier 1 in Megabonk, they will unlock that stage’s challenges. In total, Forest Tier 1 has 13 challenges for players to complete. Gamers can attempt these challenges to add extra flair to the typical Megabonk gameplay or to farm Silver, as they permanently increase Silver gains and have an increased silver multiplier.

One of the two challenges that doubles the amount of Silver that players receive is the Pacifist Challenge, which requires players to kill all stage bosses without using any weapons. This guide will help players beat the Pacifist Challenge in Megabonk by providing useful strategies and tips.

Best Characters For the Pacifist Challenge in Megabonk

Since RNG and luck are massive factors in Megabonk, players can technically complete the Pacifist Challenge using any character in the game. However, there are a few that have a clear advantage, giving players a higher chance at success.

Since players cannot inflict damage onto enemies using weapons, they will have to find another way. This means that they will have to resort to Thorns and damage-inflicting items or abilities.

Athena

When players think of a run where they can’t use weapons, their minds will almost automatically think of Athena due to her unique ability. Besides having 5 Thorns on spawn, which gives her an immediate advantage, Athena has the Lock In ability, which grants her 1 Thorns each time she levels up.

Usually Athena has the Aegis equipped, and it counters attacks with a shockwave that deals increased damage due to Thorns. However, without the Aegis, Athena will be hitting each enemy individually, slowing down the process of getting kills during the Pacifist Challenge. Therefore, in order to play as Athena for the Pacifist Challenge, players will have to get themselves an item that is able to deal damage to various enemies at the same time, such as the Thunder Mitts or the Moldy Gloves.

If players are able to secure an item that can spread the damage that Athena deals on an enemy, they should continue the run. If they’re not able to find anything during the first couple of minutes, they should restart.

Tony McZoom

Tony McZoom’s Zap ability makes him a great candidate for the Pacifist Challenge, but for this strategy to work, players have to get Thorns somehow. Thanks to Zap, Tony McZoom is able to charge an electric attack by moving around. This allows him to deal damage to various enemies on impact. However, to unleash this electricity, he has to actually attack them – he can’t simply walk into them. This is why Thorns is mandatory here.

There are two ways to get Thorns as Tony McZoom; ideally, players will pick the Thorns Tome and level it up throughout the run. However, they can also activate Charge Shrines and hope that “Gain Thorns” is among the various offers.

Once players have Thorns, they will deal damage upon touching an enemy, which will activate the Zap ability as long as it’s charged. Players can increase Tony McZoom’s shield and hit enemies until it’s depleted to farm XP and gold. Then, they should continue to go around the map, grabbing chests and any Moai Statues to try and find any items that might increase their damage output and complement their build.

How to Beat the Pacifist Challenge in Megabonk

Tips and Tricks to Complete the Pacifist Challenge

Whether players are using Athena, Tony McZoom, or any other character to attempt the Pacifist Challenge in Megabonk, the tips below will help them get through it:

Purchase the Toggler Upgrade

The Toggler is one of the most useful shop upgrades in Megabonk because it makes it easier for players to mold their runs however they please. With the Toggler, players can select which tomes and items, will not appear as an upgrade offer.

Even though it is only possible to disable upgrades that were unlocked through quests and not those that were available from the start, this is still quite helpful, especially for players trying to complete challenge that have very specific requirements.

Disable/Ignore Tomes & Items that Boost Weapon Stats

There are various tomes and items that will improve the player’s weapons’ stats. However, since they will not have any equipped weapons for this challenge, they would be completely useless for this run. That is why players will either want to disable them with the Toggler or ignore them if they appear as an offer.

Below, players can see which tomes and items are not worth picking up when attempting the Pacifist Challenge:

Best Items for the Pacifist Challenge

Items and Thorns should be players’ main focus when attempting the Pacifist Challenge in Megabonk. While some items require players to already have Thorns, others are able to deal damage without any assistance. Below, players will find which items they should be on the look out for during the Pacifist Challenge:

Doesn’t require the player to hit the target
- Cursed Doll
- Ghost
- Electric Plug (requires the player to take damage to activate)
- Mirror (requires the player to take damage to activate)
- Toxic Barrel (requires the player to take damage to activate)
- Bob (Dead)
- Big Bonk
- Ice Cube
- Holy Book
Require the player to hit the target
- Moldy Cheese
- Cactus
- Thunder Mitts
- Unstable Transfusion
- Moldy Gloves
- Slurp Gloves
- Slutty Cannon (requires the player to kill an enemy, not just hit them)
- Shattered Knowledge
- Quin’s Mask
- Cursed Grabbies
- Power Gloves
- Lightning Orb
- Dragonfire
- Soul Harvester (requires the player to kill an enemy, not just hit them)
- Joe’s Dagger

Go For Pots and Shrines Right Away

It will be very hard for players to level up at first and upgrade their character. When gamers start their Pacifist Challenge run, they should immediately go for any pots and shrines that they see. The best way to locate them is to look at their mini-map and then head towards the closest green and white markers.

Pots can have gold, silver, or XP inside. Charge shrines will grant stat upgrades, and Moai Statues will give players free items. Additionally, there are also shady guy NPCs on the map (green marker) that sell items. Since chests can get expensive and might not have the loot players are looking for inside, shady guys are a great alternative. Players can see what they’ll get before purchasing it, and if they spot a great item that could completely change their run, they know how much gold they need to gather before returning.

Work With What You’ve Got

As mentioned before, luck and RNG are huge factors in Megabonk, and they can greatly influence how long it takes for players to complete a challenge. When scouting the map for items, players might come across something that could work but requires a totally different strategy, and it might just be what they need to complete the challenge.

For example, if players want to focus on Tony McZoom’s Zap ability and do a Thorns run, but they suddenly come across the Bob (Dead) item, which creates ghosts each time players move 14 units, they could grab the Agility Tome and farm enemy kills with Bob (Dead) instead. It is all about analyzing what items might appear and making it work.

Restart If You Don’t Find Good Items and Tomes

When attempting the Pacifist Challenge, not every run will be worth sticking around until the end. Players have been scouting the map for a minute or two and haven’t come across the tomes or items that they were hoping to find, they might want to hit pause and select the Restart button to start over.

Ultimately, luck will play a huge role in the Pacifist Challenge, so gamers must accept that it is alright to give up and reroll the dice to give it another try.