Donkey Kong Bananza: Emerald Rush Tips

So, you've splashed out and bought the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC, briefly explored DK Island and dived into a couple of games of Emerald Rush — nice one! But after a few runs, with the difficulty ramping up, you find yourself unable to fulfil Void's quotas. Don't worry, we've been there!

In this guide, we'll lend you a helping hand. Below, we've shared some of our top tips for success in Donkey Kong Bananza's Emerald Rush mode, detailing the best ways to start, Perks you'll want to look out for, and the best methods for pulling in heaps of Emerald Ore.

Donkey Kong Bananza: Emerald Rush Tips

Emerald Rush is, to all intents and purposes, a roguelike, so there's no guarantee that any two runs are going to be the same. That said, there are some tips to help your Ore collection go a little smoother on every playthrough.

The map is your friend

This might feel like an obvious one, but hear us out. There are two main ways to track down Skill-granting Banandium Gems and Void Goals in Emerald Rush: the map and whistling. While the latter is handy for some close-range tracking, pressing '-' to access the map is a much quicker way of seeing where to go next at a glance.

What's more, opening the map is one of the few ways to pause the Emerald Rush timer, so it's a great opportunity for taking stock and planning your next move without having to speed off in a set direction.

Use the first round to map a route

While we're on mapping, the first round of any Emerald Rush run provides the perfect opportunity to plan a route around the stage and pick up as many Skill Banandium Gems as possible.

The low quota of this first countdown means you don't have to worry too much about rushing to collect Ore. Instead, note the locations of a few Skills you want to pick up, and focus on getting to them first — they'll need to take a backseat once the quotas get more demanding.

Remember Fossil locations

Fossils stay in the same place for each Emerald Rush run, so it's always a good idea to keep a handful of locations in mind so you can pick them up as you seek out Ore.

The same applies to the unlockable layer stages, where many of the standard Fossils are replaced by the green Perk ones. If you remember a spot in the layer which was home to a bunch of Fossils, it'll be a great place to check out on an Emerald Rush run.

Play to your build

This might just be the most important tip of them all. Your Perks are likely to be different in each run of Emerald Rush, so it's important to keep an eye on what you've unlocked and play to your strengths.

One run, you might want to prioritise taking out enemies with chunks; in another, using a certain Bananzas might be the key to victory. Using the same techniques in each run will likely mean that you'll miss out on some of the biggest bonuses, so make a note of your Perks (you can remind yourself of what you've unlocked by pressing up on the d-pad and navigating to 'Emerald Perks'), and play to as many of them as possible.

Stack similar Perks

Yes, Perks can stack. And yes, you should stack 'em. You might want to combine the 'Crockoid Demolisher' and 'Batter-Up Beat' Perks to make the most of defeating enemies with chunks, or stack the 'Hearty Groove' with 'Apple Hunter' for health-based bonuses.

The combinations are endless, but it's always an idea to pick up similar Perks to get the most out of a given encounter.

Prioritise scaling Perks

All Perks provide a bonus to your run, but the ones that really bring in the big bucks are those that scale your Ore pickups by an increased percentage or multiplier. As well as keeping an eye out for Perks that complement your current build, it's always a good idea to choose the scaling bonuses over those that simply increase your Ore by a set amount.

Use Barrels wisely

Based on the difficulty of your Emerald Rush run, you might start with anything from two to zero Blast Barrels, so, you guessed it, you have to use them wisely.

These teleporters are best used when you're really in a pinch — like when the next Void Goal pops up on the other side of the map and you've only got 10 seconds to hit your quota. Sure, they regenerate with each round, but you don't want to be stuck running long distances in the late game because you wasted them all on short journeys at the start.

Void Goals are the key to victory

And finally, Void Goals. You should do them! It's tempting to follow your own path in Emerald Rush and only focus on picking up Ore deposits, but Goals are the best chance to see your Perks in practice and, as such, they have the potential to yield huge rewards.

Donkey Kong Bananza: Emerald Rush FAQs

With those tips under your belt, here's a handful of frequently asked questions you might have about DKB's roguelike DLC mode.

Is the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC free?

Nope! The DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC will set you back £16.99 / $19.99.

How to play Emerald Rush

To play Emerald Rush, you'll need to first see Void Kong's storyline right to the very end — that means playing through the events of SL1500.

With that out of the way, head to the new DK Island Layer (an Eelevator will alert you to its presence when you first start the game after purchasing the DLC) and follow the mission prompts to Void Kong. Speak to your former nemesis to get the roguelike mode on the road.

How long is the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC?

Emerald Rush is a high-score-based roguelike, so we suppose the DLC is as long as you want it to be! If you're just focusing on getting all the unlockables, however, you're looking at around 5 hours of runs until you hit the credits.

And just like that, you're ready to show Emerald Rush who's boss! For more base game tips and tricks, be sure to check out our full Donkey Kong Bananza Walkthrough.