Some monsters in the horror co-op game R.E.P.O. stalk you silently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, while others you can hear a mile away. The decision of whether to stay and fight or take the hit and flee is difficult when a game is new and different monsters pop up at every level.
Whether you’re creeping through the shadows or making a desperate run for the exit, knowledge is power, and knowing the best way to handle the threat in front (or behind) of you can sometimes be the only way to advance onto the next location.
How to Tackle Different Monsters in REPO
Shadow Child
Starting with an easy one – this monster resembling the tall and skinny Slenderman (but with a doll-like face) actually works in a very similar way. Whatever you do, do not look at the Shadow Child in the face; this causes it to attack for 30 damage to your HP and often extra damage from wherever it flings you. You can, however, glimpse at its spindly legs. Another sign that the Shadow Child has latched onto a player is that their screen will start to turn black and staticky. Keep your eyes down, and if possible, don’t follow the laughter. Eventually, this monster will teleport away, but if you did want to attempt killing it, a hit with a melee weapon will be enough due to its super low health.
Spewer
Not unlike Slimer from Ghostbusters, this green creature with a wide mouth either spews green vomit at you to damage your health or attaches itself to your face – possibly making you vomit on your fellow players. After anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute, the Spewer will get bored and fly off of you, leaving you unharmed. It is possible for a player to even use Spewer to their advantage if it takes hold of them by facing other monsters and allowing the vomit to damage them instead. For instance, a Spewer attached to a player can kill a Clown with three rounds of vomit.?
Gnomes
Always spawning in a group – these annoying little creatures do little damage each (however, if there are a lot of them, it all adds up). They also damage your valuables. To deal with them, pick them up like you would any object and hurl them at a wall or onto the floor. They will shatter into tiny pieces. Frustratingly, the Gnomes will eventually respawn in your level, so always be on the look out.
Apex Predator
The Apex Predator (or the annoying little Duck) will follow you around quacking. Touching the Duck will cause it to attack you for around 10 seconds, and one bite as the Apex Predator causes 10 points of damage. If possible, leave it alone. However, if you’re trying to be quiet, the Duck can cause an issue. It cannot follow you under beds if you hide, so if pursued by a different monster, utilize your surroundings. Maybe a hit meant for you will get rid of this pesky quacker. In a recent video from developers Semiwork, they announced a new way to rid yourself of the Apex Predator when it’s still in Duck form – the Duck Bucket.
Clown
This is an extremely deadly monster. Easily recognizable by its gigantic eyes and off-putting smiley mouth, the Clown, while slow, isn’t a monster you want to be caught in close proximity to. The Clown’s laser (which shoots from its giant red nose) kills instantly, and if you get too close, a kick from its floppy foot will deal 50 damage each. If a player wants to try and fight a Clown, getting up high where it can’t reach or stunning it with a Stun Mine or Tranq Gun is a good option, but the only real tactic here is to run and hide behind something indestructible or under beds/tables until it passes.
Trudge
Like with the Clown, the Trudge is a slow but formidable foe. This red and black hulking figure drags a heavy hammer-type weapon behind him, which has the high possibility of killing you in one shot. Crouching is your friend with the Trudge, and if it spots you and you do manage to get away, sprint and hide. The Trudge is slow but smart; if it sees you and you hide in the same room, this won’t work. Explosive Mines will hurt it, and other weapons could be used as a good distraction, but if you stay out of its line of sight (the monster’s neck is bent at an angle, stay on the correct side of it, and you can get along nicely), this enemy, while powerful, won’t be too much of a problem. Don’t attack a Trudge if you don’t have enough firepower to completely take it down.
Banger
Spawning in groups of three, a Banger is a skull on skeletal legs. Although small, Bangers get their name from the dynamite in their eye sockets that ignites after they spot you. Bangers aren’t too fast but are small and can jump up high, meaning they can find you in hiding spots. Once the fuse ignites, it takes around 10 seconds for them to explode, so you do have time to try and sprint away or (and this is the best option) pick them up like the Gnomes and throw them as far away as possible.
Headman
A difficult monster to shake off once it notices you, this giant floating head bites at a player, causing 50 points of damage, making it a heavy hitter in the list of monsters. It hates the flashlight, so keeping it off is the best thing to do if you spot the Headman before it spots you, but if you are unlucky and it does set its sights on you, run and hide. Then try and stay behind it. Guns are a good weapon when tackling the Headman as it is a large target and, despite its size, it doesn’t have a high HP.
Robe
A difficult monster to spot before it spots you, the Robe is usually silent but sometimes makes the sound of a crying baby. Looking somewhat like No-Face from the Studio Ghibli film ‘Spirited Away’, the tall, dark figure consists of a long black cloak-like robe with a skull-like head. If the Robe sees you, it will charge, and although a good way of avoiding its attack is to never look at its face, this won’t help you if it is already charging or you happen to physically bump into it. If you see a Robe, keep your eyes fixed anywhere but its face and do your best to avoid it. Unfortunately, this enemy is very powerful; one attack is enough to kill you.
Rugrat
This frustrating little “rugrat” might look like a baby, but it’s anything but helpless. It’s very strong and enjoys nothing more than destroying anything it can get its little hands on – especially your valuables. While it doesn’t pose a massive threat to a player all by itself, it will pick up items and throw them to injure you – if it doesn’t have anything in its hands, then it will just run away. Overcoming this annoying monster takes strength and multiple players. If unarmed, you’ll need numerous Strength Upgrades (available at the Service Station) and will need to lift it up, hitting it against surfaces. However, if you have a weapon, a few hits will be enough to take the Rugrat down.
Huntsman
A blind man using his shotgun as a cane – he may not see you, but he will definitely hear you if you’re making enough noise. More often than not, the Huntsman will appear out of nowhere, and unless he happens to trip on stairs or is stunned, trying to take him down isn’t the best idea. He isn’t very fast and can be defeated with grenades and mines, but it isn’t easy, so hiding and waiting until he finishes his patrol is the easiest way to avoid injury to yourself while completing the level. It should be noted that the Huntsman’s shotgun can injure and kill other monsters, so if you happen to get the combo of Huntsman and Apex Predator in your level, use him to your advantage.
Hidden
This monster is just how it sounds – a hidden entity that can only be identified by puffs of black smoke and visible footprints. This ghostly “enemy” isn’t too bad, as it doesn’t hurt you, but what it does do is lift you off the ground and run you to another area of the map – dropping you off and leaving you there. If there aren’t any other monsters nearby, this is just annoying, but if they run you into a scarier fiend, it could mean game over. The best plan of attack with a Hidden is to carefully keep an eye on your surroundings and avoid it if you see smoke or footprints. If you fancy trying to take one down, though (or if it just gets too frustrating), try stunning it and attacking with melee weapons.?
Chef
This R.E.P.O. critter is a culinary frog dressed in a chef’s outfit (hat and mustache included) and brandishes two bloody meat cleavers. The Chef can be deceptive as it hops around slowly at first but, when attacking, does so in a fury of knife swipes. It will jump at a player to attack; if you manage to avoid this, it will fall and flail for a few seconds, giving players a chance to attack or flee. Hide up high or run until it forgets about you, as it does take the Chef quite a while to notice you. Killing a Chef is quite easy compared to other monsters. Try attacking with objects or weapons as they flail, and if timed right, multiple attacking Chefs can be used to kill each other.?
Mentalist
Alien entities sporting giant brain heads and floating around off the ground, a Mentalist, while actually relatively easy to kill, deals around 40-50 HP damage to a player once they get them in their anti-gravity field. A Mentalist launches you into the air before dropping you and any objects also around, but it is possible for another player to pull you from the field or hit it with a weapon to break the field. They are deaf and don’t have the best eyesight, but they chase a player at a medium speed with the ability to teleport. Hiding and sneaking is the best way to get around a Mentalist, but they can be stunned with a Tranq Gun stopping them from teleporting and helping in attacking with melee or ranged weapons.
Upscream
A spider-like creepy crawly with a humanoid head and limbs, Upscream’s spawn in groups of two or three and, upon seeing a player, grabs them, screams, and throws them away, causing 10 HP damage and stunning them for a couple of seconds. Upscreams are extremely fast with excellent eyesight. Hiding under furniture won’t help you, so if you want to avoid them, try going high. However, getting rid of them is best. While one of these monsters isn’t too bad, multiple can easily keep you stunned and kill you. They are hard to get because they’re so fast, but using a Tranq Gun or Stun Mine can keep them sedated while a player picks them up and hits them against the ground like the Gnomes is the best plan of action.?
Peeper
The ceiling-dwelling Peeper is a large eye that opens when a player enters its area. When you encounter a Peeper, it draws your gaze and deals 10 points of damage every second until eye contact with it is broken – which isn’t as easy as it sounds. To break the contact, try backing away (around a corner is best) ,and if playing with other people, have them be ready to close a door if possible as the Peeper can only latch onto one player at a time. If one player is caught in the eye’s line of sight, then said player should press “Q” and allow their teammate to pick them up, pulling them away. Teamwork is your best friend against a Peeper.?
Bowtie
Another monster reminiscent of a Ghostbusters creature, this enemy looks like a melted version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. With a large oval mouth and red bowtie, the Bowtie monster attacks by screaming at a player, pushing them back, which makes sprinting or jumping impossible. The scream itself doesn’t deal much damage, but if thrown into walls or other objects, you could lose quite a lot of HP. Like many of the R.E.P.O. monsters, stunning him is the best thing to do before attacking. Using ranged or melee weapons should kill him with a few blows, as the Bowtie has quite low health; however, if you want to avoid a confrontation, hiding is the best way to get through the level with your HP intact. This monster can also enter a frenzy of sorts, stomping around quickly and damaging items – so be sure to keep your C.A.R.T. out of harm’s way.
Animal
This sad-looking creepy crawly is more annoying than it is problematic. Its attack deals 2 damage and can be useful in drawing the attention of other monsters (like the Huntsman) or even damaging creatures like Gnomes. If you want to pick up an Animal, it’s easier with two players, and if you can catch one, killing it isn’t very hard. Other than staying out of its way and keeping valuables safe from them, Animals aren’t too difficult to get around.
Reaper
A Reaper might seem slow initially, but when agitated, it speeds up to a fast side-to-side wobble that can soon catch up with a player out of stamina. This scarecrow humanoid wields sharp blades for arms that can knock items out of players’ hands, including weapons.
If you hear the straw-like rustle of its footsteps in time, hiding under furniture is enough to keep you safe as it can’t hear you; however, it can detect the beam you use to lift items. As it patrols the same route, using Mines can help take down a Reaper as well as a Tranq Gun paired with melee attacks. Or an explosive clown toy if that’s all you have to hand.
Now you know everything about taking down any monster the game throws at you, be sure to check out our other guides.
Published: Mar 18, 2025 12:57 pm