Skip to main content GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love Search GamesRadar+ View Profile Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 Tabletop Gaming Toys & Collectibles Retro Gamer Newsletters Total Film Gaming Magazines Why subscribe? Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now The Fantastic Four: First Steps Donkey Kong Bananza Switch 2 Starter Pack Recommended reading Platforming Games Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title Platforming Games Which Donkey Kong Bananza branching path should you take in the Divide? Platforming Games Donkey Kong Bananza: Everything we know so far about the new 3D adventure coming to Switch 2 Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza takes notes from the best Mario and Zelda games: it has its own shrines, you can totally destroy levels, transform into animals, and dive into the underground Platforming Games Nintendo made sickos like me wait 26 years, but Donkey Kong Bananza's 3D platforming exceeds my wildest dreams Survival Games The best skills in Dune Awakening to learn first Platforming Games Donkey Kong Bananza Best skills in Donkey Kong Bananza to unlock first Will Sawyer 16 July 2025 Here are some pointers on how to spend your Skill Points in Donkey Kong Bananza When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Nintendo) How to earn Skill Points and respec Best Skills Best Kong Bananza skills Best Zebra Bananza skills Best Ostrich Bananza skills Best Elephant Bananza skills Best Snake Bananza skills There are lots of Donkey Kong Bananza skills to spend your hard-earned Skill Points on, but there are some clear standouts that you should prioritize and some that are well worth skipping. With the game's strong focus on destruction and collectibles, it's a good idea to boost your sonar and collection abilities early to help later. However, you've also got to balance these upgrades with vital boosts to your health and punching power to get through the most hazardous and durable areas of Donkey Kong Bananza safely. There are a lot of skills at DK's disposal, so knowing which ones to prioritize can be quite tricky. But having played through the whole game, I've laid out what I think are the best skills in DK Bananza to unlock as early as possible. How to earn Skill Points in Donkey Kong Bananza and reset them (Image credit: Nintendo) To quickly cover the basics, every five Bananas you eat grants you one Skill Point that you can put towards a skill – press the Up directional button to open the "Skills" menu at any time. You may like Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title Which Donkey Kong Bananza branching path should you take in the Divide? Donkey Kong Bananza: Everything we know so far about the new 3D adventure coming to Switch 2 You can also respec your Skill Points by visiting any Elder after you have unlocked their Bananza form. Speak to one and you'll notice an option to "reset my skills!" which refunds all your Skill Points for free, letting you spend allocate them differently (be aware that extra Apple and Melon Juice items you have will be converted into gold). Best Donkey Kong Bananza Skills (Image credit: Nintendo) Now that you know the fundamentals of skills and Skill Points in DK Bananza, here are the best skills for you to unlock, focusing on the yellow, non-Bananza skills on the left side of the Skills menu (If it's not listed below, it's probably not worth unlocking): Health levels 1-4: Going up to level 4 will cost you 10 Skill Points in total but will leave you with seven hearts, which should be more than enough Health to see you through to the end of the game. I recommend having at least six hearts by the time you reach SL 900. Although, if you're playing with Donkey Kong Bananza Assist Mode on, you can probably get away with just five hearts. Apple Juice level 1: Apple juice is very handy, essentially giving you an extra life if your health gets depleted, but this is an expensive skill to invest in. Unlock level 2 only if you feel you need it. Bananergy levels 1-3: This skill increases your Bananza time which is a very handy upgrade since it applies to all Bananzas. Certain Pauline outfits can increase a specific Bananza's duration, so swap between those as you gradually level this skill up. Punch Power levels 1-4: DK can break most types of terrain but more durable terrain with a higher strength rating takes more punches. This skill makes it so that DK can break stronger terrain faster. Upgrade this one as you go to ensure DK rarely struggles to break things in any sublayer. Better Collecting levels 1-3: DK's Hand Slap has a pitifully small pick-up radius for Gold and other items when you start the game. Unlocking level 1 of this skill should be an early priority, then you can unlock levels 2 and 3 gradually. Better Sonar levels 1 and 2: Like Better Collecting, DK's sonar range isn't great either. Since sonar helps you find Bananas, fossils, and treasure chests, all of which are incredibly useful, I recommend getting level 1 as soon as possible. However, level 3 is very expensive, so you could stop at level 2. Better Turf Surfing: Turf Surfing is a very useful traversal technique to bear in mind in the more hazardous sublayers, and this skill is a one-off boost that lets you surf for longer. Surf Surf: Another one-off upgrade for Turf Surfing, this one lets you surf on water, including poison water, without taking damage, which the Zebra Bananza can't even do. So those are the best skills for regular DK, but each of the five Donkey Kong Bananza Bananzas has its own Skills too. Some Bananzas benefit massively from upgrades, though some just aren't worth investing that many Skill Points into. Here are the best Donkey Kong Bananza Skills for each Bananza form: Best Kong Bananza skills (Image credit: Nintendo) The Kong Bananza is effectively just a big upgrade for DK, increasing his punching power massively. As our Donkey Kong Bananza tips say, I recommend unlocking every skill for this Bananza form because they're that good: All of them: With all levels of Charge Punch, Fast Charge, and Kong Armor, DK becomes an unstoppable, rampaging ape in Kong Bananza form, capable of destroying basically anything. Best Zebra Bananza skills (Image credit: Nintendo) The Zebra Bananza is arguably the weakest of the five and isn't worth spending many of your Skill Points on, in my opinion: Charge Dash level 1: This is a cheap skill that helps you move faster for longer, which is all this Bananza is good for. Best Ostrich Bananza skills (Image credit: Nintendo) Like the Zebra, the Ostrich Bananza's flight is its main trick and isn't great for much else. But flying is far more useful, so it's worth grabbing a couple of upgrades: Glide level 1 and 2: Continue to hold ZL after fluttering to glide. At level 2, the glide angle is much shallower, letting you go very far. Better Flutter: A cheap and simple boost to flutter's speed and duration. Best Elephant Bananza skills (Image credit: Nintendo) The Elephant Bananza is absurdly strong and useful due to its destructive inhalation and ability to create spheres of whatever you suck up which have several uses. I recommend fully upgrading the Elephant if you can: All of them: Unlocking level 1 of Better Inhaling and Stronger Lungs is essential, making the Elephant form's trunk much better at inhaling terrain. Getting these skills to level 2 is also useful, but I recommend unlocking Trunk Room and Quick Storage next to massively improve the material sphere aspect. Best Snake Bananza skills (Image credit: Nintendo) The Snake Bananza is unlocked too late in the game for it to be worth heavily investing Skill Points in, and it's not as good for fighting or destroying terrain as the Kong and Elephant forms: Better Glare level 1 and 2: The time slow effect of Glare doesn't last long at all, so get level 1 of this skill as soon as possible and then level 2 to double its duration. Better Charge Jump: This skill is quite expensive at 3 Skill Points but massively improves the vertical height from Charge Jumping. If you double Charge Jump and then switch to the Ostrich Bananza, you can glide far! Want to know how long it takes to beat Donkey Kong Bananza? We've got answers to that question here with several estimates. You can also check out our Donkey Kong Bananza review. © GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Nintendo Switch 2 Will Sawyer Social Links Navigation Guides Writer Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Donkey Kong Bananza is a destructive delight that's basically Super Mario Odyssey+, and I can't believe it wasn't a Switch 2 launch title Which Donkey Kong Bananza branching path should you take in the Divide? Donkey Kong Bananza: Everything we know so far about the new 3D adventure coming to Switch 2 Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years" Donkey Kong Bananza takes notes from the best Mario and Zelda games: it has its own shrines, you can totally destroy levels, transform into animals, and dive into the underground Nintendo made sickos like me wait 26 years, but Donkey Kong Bananza's 3D platforming exceeds my wildest dreams Latest in Platforming Games Sega hands physical media a win amid Nintendo's push toward digital with Switch 2 game-key cards — Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is confirmed to have "the full base game on a 64GB cartridge" Donkey Kong Bananza doesn't use Switch 2's frame rate-boosting DLSS tech, joining Mario Kart World in dodging what we thought would be one of the console's defining features Which Donkey Kong Bananza branching path should you take in the Divide? What does Assist Mode do in Donkey Kong Bananza? Donkey Kong Bananza Metacritic score not only makes it the highest-rated Switch 2 exclusive yet, it ties Donkey Kong 64 as the highest-rated game in the series 10 Donkey Kong Bananza tips we wish we knew before going to the Planet Core Latest in Guides Fortnite Fortress of Solitude: Where to find it Destiny 2 Dark Academia quest walkthrough Which Donkey Kong Bananza branching path should you take in the Divide? What does Assist Mode do in Donkey Kong Bananza? 10 Donkey Kong Bananza tips we wish we knew before going to the Planet Core How long is Donkey Kong Bananza? 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