In Donkey Kong Bananza, Skills unlock the first time you collect your fifth Banandium Gem in the Lagoon. For every 5x Banandium Gems that Donkey Kong finds, you will earn one Skill Point in DK Bananza, and you can respec selected Skills later in the game.
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At first, you only have ten options to choose from, though more unlock as you progress through the game. Follow this guide to learn the best Skills you should unlock first of the ten that are available to players at the beginning of Donkey Kong Bananza – and which starting Skills you should avoid leveling until later in the game.
10 Jump Shot
Press A Twice To Throw Terrain Down While Jumping
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.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Jump Shot: 1x Skill Point
The Jump Shot skill in DK Bananza is nothing to write home about. Though it only costs 1x Skill Point, it doesn't offer much that Donkey Kong can't already do. The Jump Shot skill is useful against enemies who are weak on their top side to downward attacks, but Donkey Kong can still just downward smash to destroy most of these enemies.
Don't waste an early skill point on Jump Shot. Instead, save your first Skill Point for one of the better DK Bananza Skills that unlock later on – like Bananergy Levels – or put it into a more useful starting skill, like Health.
9 Spin Jump
Spin The Left Analog Stick To Helicopter Upward
Rotate the left analog stick, then press A to perform a spinning attack as you jump.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Spin Jump: 2x Skill Points
Like Jump Shot, the Spin Jump skill adds a new ability to Donkey Kong's repertoire of moves. When you twirl the left analog stick in a circle, then press A to jump upward, Donkey Kong will spin and launch up, dealing damage to enemies nearby as he helicopters upward.
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This skill costs 2x Skill Points to unlock, and though it can be powerful in certain situations (like against a group of enemies), it's better to save those Skill Points until you don't have other options. Spin Jump is a fun move, but it's not the best use of your early-game Skill Points.
8 Charge Slap
Destroy Nearby Terrain By Charging Your Hand Slap
Clear away stray chunks of terrain by holding R before releasing it.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Charge Slap: 2x Skill Points
The Charge Slap ability essentially gives Donkey Kong's Hand Slap the ability to clear nearby terrain. Though you might think this ability is useless because you can just punch through terrain, the game sometimes leaves behind small bits of terrain that you can't clear via normal means.
If you leave behind a small patch of thorns or another damaging surface, you might stumble over it and take damage. The Charge Slap ability can prevent this from happening, but you don't really need to unlock this ability until later levels, when there are more dangerous terrain surfaces than the Lagoon and other early levels.
7 Apple Juice Lv 1
Increases Max Apple Juice By One
Increases the maximum number of Apple Juice cans you can carry to two.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Apple Juice Lv 1: 3x Skill Points
Apple Juice is one of the most useful items in Donkey Kong Bananza, but by default, Donkey Kong can only carry one of these on himself at a time. In DK Bananza, Apple Juice will fully revive Donkey Kong if he loses all of his hearts, essentially functioning as a second life.
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By upgrading the Apple Juice skill first, Donkey Kong Bananza players will have more room to make mistakes as they get an extra life. In some ways, this is better than increasing Health, but because it takes 3x Skill Points to unlock, it's better to hold off on this until you get some of the useful lower-cost Skills first.
6 Surf Surf
Allows DK To Turf Surf Across Water
Enhance your Turf Surfing skills so you can skim over bodies of water by pressing ZL while holding a chunk.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Surf Surf: 4x Skill Points
Donkey Kong has a lot of different ways to navigate the world in Donkey Kong Bananza, and by far the slowest means of travel is swimming. There aren't many ways to increase your swim speed in DK Bananza, but if you unlock the Surf Surf skill, you can ride terrain chunks across water just like you can on land.
The one downside to this skill is that it costs a whopping 4x Skill Points – which requires DK to collect 20x Banandium Gems. This is the most expensive starting skill in Donkey Kong Bananza, but it does come in handy throughout a variety of levels.
Pick this up after you grab some of the other best Skills to get first in DK Bananza listed below.
5 Better Turf Surfing
Terrain Chunks Last Longer While Surfing
While Turf Surfing with ZL, the chunks of terrain you ride on will dissolve at a slower rate.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Better Turf Surfing: 3x Skill Points
To Turf Surf, press ZR to grab the terrain Donkey Kong is standing on, then press ZL to throw it down and surf on it across the terrain. Depending on the material you are surfing on, the terrain chunk will dissolve at different rates.
If you spend the 3x Skill Points necessary to unlock this skill, you will be able to Turf Surf farther as your terrain chunk degrades significantly slower. Use this to cover longer distances and traverse the terrain faster.
4 Health Lv 1
Increases Max Health By One
Increases your maximum health to four hearts.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Health Lv 1: 1x Skill Point
One of the three Skills players can unlock after getting their first Skill Point, the Health skill is a useful and cheap skill you should get first in Donkey Kong Bananza. The Health skill simply increases Donkey Kong's total HP for each rank, allowing you to take more hits before going down.
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Health is a good skill to invest in at the very start of the game and sporadically throughout the rest of the expansive Donkey Kong Bananza.
3 Better Collecting Lv 1
Collect Items From A Longer Distance
Increases your Hand Slap's range by 50 percent, allowing you to collect gold by pressing R from farther away.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Better Collecting Lv 1: 1x Skill Point
The Better Collecting skill is one of the best Skills to level first in Donkey Kong Bananza because it will reduce the time you spend collecting nearby items and increase your total gold income. Because this skill increases the gathering radius of the Hand Slap move, you will leave fewer pieces of gold behind and spend less time retracing your steps to pick up the stragglers.
Though this isn't the most impressive or game-changing skill in the game, because it only costs 1x Skill Point, there's no reason not to invest in it early and boost your Hand Slap gathering abilities.
2 Better Sonar Lv 1
Reveals Hidden Objects From A Longer Distance
Increases your Hand Slap's sonar range by 60 percent, allowing you to detect hidden items with R from farther away.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Better Sonar Lv 1: 2x Skill Points
Some collectibles and Banandium Gems are hidden beneath destructible terrain or behind objects that Donkey Kong can't normally see through. If you use the Hand Slap ability, you will briefly see a flash of nearby collectible items that are obscured by terrain.
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With the Better Sonar skill unlocked, Donkey Kong Bananza players will be able to see more hidden items from a farther distance. This skill is one of the best Skills to level first because it will make it easier to find more Banandium Gems and other currencies – and because it only costs 2x Skill Points, it doesn't take long to level this one early.
1 Punch Power Lv 1
Enhances Your Punching Strength
Reduces the number of punches needed to smash through terrain with a strength rating of ☆☆.
- Skill Points Needed To Unlock Punch Power Lv 1: 2x Skill Points
As useful as the other Skills on this list of the best Skills to level first in Donkey Kong Bananza can be, Punch Power is the most noticeable boost to Donkey Kong's ability to smash through terrain. As you increase Punch Power, Donkey Kong's punches will hit harder, destroy more terrain on hit, and become able to smash through harder surfaces with ease.
Think of it a bit like upgrading your pickaxe in Minecraft: as you rank up Punch Power, you will be able to destroy terrain and carve out tunnels through the world significantly faster.
The first rank for this skill costs 2x Skill Points, which is worth saving up for to unlock as the first skill you should get in Donkey Kong Bananza. As you progress through the game, regularly invest Skill Points into the Punch Power skill to continue to improve Donkey Kong's destructive potential.
Donkey Kong Bananza
- Released
- July 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- July 17, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
