Just like every other game in the world these days, Donkey Kong Bananza is home to a skill tree, where you can upgrade DK's skills, attributes, and maybe even pick up a new move or two along the way.
Naturally, you may be wondering the best place to put your hard-earned Skill Points, and that's where this guide comes in. Below, we have laid out the complete Donkey Kong Bananza Skill Tree, and given our opinion on the best places to spend your hard-earned Skill Points
For even more DK advice, be sure to check out our Donkey Kong Bananza Walkthrough guide hub.
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Donkey Kong Bananza: Full Skill Tree
We've broken the following down into DK's base skillset and his Bananza Transformation skills, both of which can be upgraded via the Skill Tree.
We'll remind you again later on, but the Bananza Transformation section may spoil some story content for those who haven't made it to SL1200 yet. So maybe only stick to this first bit if you're still finding your feet in the game.
Base Skills: All Upgrades
Working down the rows from left to right, here are the base Skill Tree components, their in-game description, and how many unlockable phases they have:
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Health | "Increases your maximum health" | 7 |
| Punch Power | "Reduces the number of punches needed to smash through terrain" | 4 |
| Jump Shot | "Using a held chunk to do a double jump by pressing 'A' then 'A' again will fire the chunk below you and impact the ground." | 1 |
| Apple Juice | "Increases the maximum number of Apple Juice cans you can carry" | 4 |
| Better Collecting | "Increases Hand Slap's range, allowing you to collect gold by pressing 'R' from much farther away." | 3 |
| Better Turf Surfing | "While Turf Surfing with 'ZL', the chunks of terrain you ride on will dissolve at a slower rate." | 1 |
| Melon Juice | "Increases the maximum number of Melon Juice cans you can carry" | 4 |
| Better Sonar | "Increases Hand Slap's sonar range, allowing you to detect hidden items with 'R' from farther away." | 3 |
| Surf Surf | "Enhance your Turf Surfing skills so you can skim over bodies of water by pressing 'ZL' while holding a chunk." | 1 |
| Bananergy | "Bananzas will last longer." | 4 |
| Charge Slap | "Clear away stray chunks of terrain by holding 'R' before releasing it." | 1 |
| Drumbeat | "Greatly reduces the amount of time you must hold 'L' + 'R' to activate a Bananza with your drumbeat." | 3 |
| Spin Jump | "Rotate 'L Stick', then press 'A' to perform a spinning attack as you jump." | 1 |
Which Skills Should I Upgrade First?
We maxed out the Better Sonar and Punch Power stats first, allowing us to find more Banandium Gems (and get more Skill Points) in the process. These are the stats you'll want to improve if you want to level up quickly.
Otherwise, the Bananergy duration is a great one to extend to make Bananza sequences that bit easier. And, if you find yourself dying quite often, pouring some Skill Points into Health and Apple Juice can go a long way to helping with that.
Bananza Transformations: All Upgrades
As a reminder, this section will discuss all Bananza Transformations, so if you haven't made it to SL1200 and you wish to remain unspoiled, turn back now!
Kong Bananza
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Charge Punch | "Further boosts the range of destruction when you do a Charge Punch by holding 'y' during Kong Bananza transformations." | 2 |
| Fast Charge | "Greatly reduces the amount of time you must hold 'Y' to perform a Charge Punch during Kong Bananza transformations." | 3 |
| Kong Armor | "Prevents flinching when attacked while holding 'Y' for a Charge Punch." | 1 |
Our Kong upgrade recommendation: If you want to feel the full force of Kong Bananza's strength, you'll want to upgrade Charge Punch first and foremost. Putting some points into Fast Charge can't hurt either.
Zebra Bananza
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Brake Blast | "Sends out a powerful shock wave when you brake by suddenly tilting 'L Stick' in the opposite direction of your movement." | 2 |
| Charge Dash | "Holding and releasing 'ZL' will keep you Charge Dashing for longer." | 2 |
| Spin Slam | "Perform a destructive spinning attack with a held chunk by holding 'Y' while rotating 'L Stick'." | 1 |
| Spin Shot | "Rotate 'L Stick' and press 'ZR' to hurl a chunk that can smash through most terrain." | 1 |
Our Zebra upgrade recommendation: Charge Dash is definitely Zebra Bananza's most useful (and overpowered) move, so you'll want to get that one levelled up as quickly as you can.
Ostrich Bananza
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Glide | "Glide for a longer time by continuing to hold 'ZL' after fluttering." | 2 |
| Better Flutter | "Fly faster and farther while holding 'ZL' to Flutter." | 1 |
| Egg Bomb | "Drop an Egg Bomb below you by pressing 'ZR' in midair." | 3 |
Our Ostrich upgrade recommendation: Egg Bomb is neat, but you really want to get that Glide upgraded first to make the most of Ostrich Bananza's abilities.
Elephant Bananza
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade steps |
|---|---|---|
| Trunk Room | "Allows you to store up to 10 chunks of terrain when inhaling by holding 'ZR'." | 1 |
| Better Inhaling | "Increases the range and distance of terrain that you can inhale by holding 'ZR'." | 2 |
| Stronger Lungs | "Increases the amount of time that you can continually inhale by holding 'ZR'." | 2 |
| Quick Storage | "Allows you to store chunks of terrain more quickly while you inhale by holding 'ZR." | 1 |
Our Elephant upgrade recommendation: You'll want to upgrade the Better Inhaling and Stronger Lungs stats first to make Elephant Bananza more useful. We'd suggest starting with Better Inhaling then switching to strength, but you could choose to split your Skill Points between the two instead.
Snake Bananza
| Skill | Summary | Upgrade Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Jump Burst | "Doing a Charge Jump by holding 'A' will cause damage as you launch." | 1 |
| Better Glare | "The slow motion caused by holding 'Y' to Glare will last longer." | 3 |
| Better Charge Jump | "Perform a Charge Jump by holding 'A' on the ground or in midair." | 1 |
| Meteor Punch | "After holding 'A' to do a Charge Jump, hold 'B' to do a Dive Punch and create an impact crater in the ground." | 1 |
Our Snake upgrade recommendation: The starting Glare time is pretty weak, so we'd definitely suggest putting some points into improving it. Otherwise, the Better Charge Jump skill is a lifesaver on certain sky-high platforming sections.
Post-Credit Bananza Transformation Skills
As you progress through Donkey Kong Bananza's post-credits storyline, you'll unlock one final skill for each of the Bananza Transformations. These bonus skills are far from game changers, and we won't spoil their contents here, but still, it's something to look forward to!
Donkey Kong Bananza: Skill Tree FAQs
Here are a handful of frequently asked questions you might have about Donkey Kong Bananza's Skill Tree:
How do I get Skill Points?
You get one Skill Point for every five Banandium Gems that DK eats — that's either five normal Gems, or one of the 'super' Gems that drop between layers after defeating a boss..
Where can I find more Banandium Gems?
We're glad you asked! You can find a full rundown of every banana in the game in our Banandium Gem Locations guide.