Tomes in Megabonk are powerful permanent boosts that drastically impact how your builds perform. Each one alters stats, changes playstyle, or adds unique passive effects that shape your survival strategy. Some are unlocked automatically, while others require completing precise in-game challenges.
This comprehensive guide explains what every tome does, how to unlock it, and how to efficiently complete even the hardest requirements — including full strategies for the Cursed Tome and the Chaos Tome.
1. All Tomes Overview (Effects & Unlocks)
Every tome in Megabonk provides a unique advantage — from faster movement to stronger lifesteal or better loot odds. Some are simple to obtain, while others require completing specific conditions such as killing thousands of enemies, surviving shrine captures, or defeating bosses under strict time limits.
The table below lists every tome, its function, and its exact unlock requirement so you can track your progress efficiently.
| Tome Name | Effect | Unlock Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Agility Tome | Increases movement speed | Unlocked by default |
| Size Tome | Increases projectile/area size | Unlocked by default |
| Silver Tome | Increases silver gain | Unlocked by default |
| Shield Tome | Adds a regenerating shield | Unlocked by default |
| Regen Tome | Restores health over time | Unlocked by default |
| Projectile Speed Tome | Faster projectile travel | Unlocked by default |
| Precision Tome | Higher critical hit chance | Unlocked by default |
| Knockback Tome | Greater enemy push-back | Unlocked by default |
| HP Tome | Increases maximum HP | Unlocked by default |
| Evasion Tome | Chance to dodge damage | Unlocked by default |
| Golden Tome | Increases gold gain | Unlocked by default |
| Damage Tome | Higher base damage | Unlocked by default |
| Cooldown Tome | Faster attacks (lower cooldown) | Unlocked by default |
| Thorns Tome | Reflects damage when hit | Block 250 attacks with Aegis |
| Quantity Tome | +Projectiles per attack | Fire 5,000 projectiles |
| Bloody Tome | Lifesteal on hit | Kill 12,500 enemies |
| Attraction Tome | Increased pickup radius | Use Shrine of Succ 8 times |
| Armor Tome | Reduces incoming damage | Kill 5,000 enemies with Sir Oofie |
| Duration Tome | Longer-lasting effects/projectiles | Upgrade Axe to Level 10 |
| Luck Tome | Better rolls/loot odds | Very rare 0.01% enemy drop |
| XP Tome | More experience gain | Break 20 pots in one run |
| Cursed Tome | Higher difficulty & rewards | Defeat a stage boss in under 5 minutes |
| Chaos Tome | Random stat boost on level-ups | On Tier 3, fully charge every Charge Shrine across all 3 stages without leaving any shrine circle |
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- All the tomes in Megabonk (Part 1)
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- All the tomes in Megabonk (Part 2)
1.1 Which Tomes to Target First
Not all tomes are equally hard to earn. If you’re just starting out, focus on those with straightforward objectives. The table below sorts them by difficulty to help you plan your unlock order and avoid burnout while farming.
| Difficulty | Tomes | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | XP, Quantity, Bloody, Thorns | Simple kill or usage goals that improve your core damage and survivability early on. |
| Medium | Armor, Duration, Attraction | Require specific characters, weapon levels, or shrine interactions but are consistent. |
| Hard | Cursed, Luck, Chaos | These demand precise timing, RNG, or multi-stage perfection to complete successfully. |
Tomes to target first
2. Default Tomes – Early Game Essentials
These tomes are unlocked from the very start and serve as the foundation for every build. They enhance basic stats like speed, size, and damage — crucial for surviving early waves and adapting to new weapons. Understanding how to combine them will give you a smooth start before moving into advanced tomes.
| Tome | Best Use | Pair With |
|---|---|---|
| Agility | Use for repositioning, dodging, and collecting XP quickly after waves. | Cooldown, Damage |
| Size | Boosts AoE range and projectile impact area. | Duration, Aura |
| Shield | Essential defense tool, especially during shrine captures. | Armor, Regen |
| Regen | Constantly restores health during downtime between swarms. | HP, Bloody |
| Projectile Speed | Improves consistency for ranged weapons and helps hit distant targets faster. | Precision, Damage |
| Precision | Boosts crit rate and enables burst builds. | Quantity, Damage |
| Knockback | Pushes back enemies, giving breathing room when surrounded. | Size, Aura |
| HP | Expands health pool for higher survivability. | Armor, Shield |
| Evasion | Grants a chance to dodge lethal hits. | HP, Regen |
| Golden / Silver | Boosts economy to afford upgrades and unlocks faster. | XP, Quantity |
| Damage / Cooldown | Core tomes for increasing attack frequency and overall DPS. | Precision, Quantity |
3. Unlockable Progress Tomes
Progress Tomes gradually unlock as you complete gameplay milestones. Most can be earned naturally through normal play, while others require deliberate farming or specific setups. Unlocking these tomes expands your strategic options for higher tiers, endless runs, and optimized builds.
3.1 Thorns Tome – Reflect Damage
- Effect: Reflects incoming damage back to attackers.
- How to Unlock: Block 250 enemy attacks using the Aegis Shield.
- Tip: Stand your ground in large groups and let enemies strike your shield to stack progress. Ideal for tank builds or shrine defense runs.
3.2 Quantity Tome – More Projectiles
- Effect: Increases projectile count per attack for massive DPS boosts.
- How to Unlock: Fire 5,000 projectiles.
- Tip: Use rapid-fire weapons and Cooldown tomes to accelerate progress. A must-have for ranged and AoE builds.
3.3 Bloody Tome – Lifesteal
- Effect: Grants lifesteal, restoring HP with each hit.
- How to Unlock: Kill 12,500 enemies.
- Tip: Pairs perfectly with multi-hit or fast-attacking weapons. Works best in swarm-heavy stages or long runs.
3.4 Attraction Tome – XP & Loot Magnet
- Effect: Expands pickup radius for XP and loot.
- How to Unlock: Activate the Shrine of Succ eight times.
- Tip: Since shrine spawns vary, explore each stage thoroughly. Once unlocked, this tome makes XP farming effortless.
Tomes to unlock first: Thorns, Quantity, Bloody & Attraction
3.5 Armor Tome – Damage Reduction
- Effect: Reduces all incoming damage.
- How to Unlock: Kill 5,000 enemies using Sir Oofie.
- Tip: Progress carries between runs. Great for survivability builds and long-term farming.
3.6 Duration Tome – Longer Effects
- Effect: Extends the duration of projectiles and AoE effects.
- How to Unlock: Upgrade the Axe to Level 10.
- Tip: Pick up every Anvil and reroll until you can invest directly into the Axe tree.
3.7 Luck Tome – Better Rewards
- Effect: Increases the quality of level-up options and shrine drops.
- How to Unlock: 0.01% drop chance from any enemy.
- Tip: Farm long survival runs for better odds. This tome is purely RNG-dependent.
3.8 XP Tome – Faster Leveling
- Effect: Boosts experience gain rate.
- How to Unlock: Break 20 pots in one run.
- Tip: Fully explore each map before advancing. Missing a few pots can reset your progress.
3.9 Cursed Tome – Risk and Reward
- Effect: Increases enemy difficulty but improves rewards.
- How to Unlock: Defeat a stage boss within 5 minutes.
- Tip: Stack Damage and Cooldown tomes, pick aggressive weapons, and rush bosses early for fast unlocks.
Tomes to unlock next: Armor, Duration, Luck, XP & Cursed
4. The Cursed Tome
The Cursed Tome adds a high-risk, high-reward element to Megabonk. When equipped, it increases enemy spawn rate, health, and speed, but greatly enhances XP gain and loot drops. Unlocking it requires precision, efficiency, and strong early-game damage. The challenge itself is one of the most straightforward but skill-intensive in the game.
4.1 How to Unlock the Cursed Tome
The Cursed Tome unlock requires a fast and aggressive early-game approach. Your goal is to defeat the first stage boss before the five-minute mark, which means balancing quick XP gains with high burst damage. You won’t have time for full map clears or defensive upgrades—everything in this run should be focused on finding the boss shrine quickly and eliminating the boss as soon as it spawns.
- Start a new run: The five-minute timer begins immediately when the run starts.
- Secure early damage: Level up quickly and prioritize tomes like Damage and Cooldown to boost your early DPS.
- Farm only what you need: Kill a few dense groups to reach Level 3–4, then stop farming and start moving.
- Find the boss shrine fast: Sweep the map efficiently, ignoring chests and side shrines until you locate the boss summon shrine.
- Trigger the boss fight: Activate the shrine and use any offensive power-ups you have—such as Rage or Nuke—to maximize burst damage.
- Defeat the boss before 5:00: If the boss dies within the first five minutes of the run, the Cursed Tome unlocks immediately afterward.
The Cursed Tome
4.2 Recommended Setup
This challenge rewards offense and speed. Choose a fast character and prioritize raw DPS tomes and items over defensive upgrades. The setup below will help you complete the challenge consistently.
| Category | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Character | Calcium or Bandit – both have strong mobility and high base attack speed for early-game clears. |
| Tomes | Damage, Cooldown, Quantity, and Agility – maximize burst DPS and movement speed for faster boss access. |
| Weapons | Katana, Bones, or Lightning Staff – reliable boss-melting weapons with strong scaling potential. |
| Items | Moldy Cheese and Energy Core – give consistent early damage scaling and attack speed bonuses. |
| Map | Forest Tier 1 – simple, flat map with short travel time to the boss shrine. |
4.3 Step-by-Step Cursed Tome Strategy
This challenge focuses on quick execution and controlled aggression. Follow these steps to guarantee a clean sub-five-minute kill.
- Skip defensive tomes: Avoid Regen, Shield, or HP. Focus all upgrades on raw attack power.
- Farm quickly: Kill a few groups to reach Level 3–4 and unlock Damage + Cooldown tomes as early as possible.
- Prioritize offensive shrines: Only activate shrines that boost Damage or Attack Speed. Ignore defensive or random-effect shrines.
- Locate the boss shrine fast: Use Agility and movement upgrades to sweep the map. The boss shrine usually appears in the first half of the stage.
- Charge and burst: Once the shrine activates, immediately use Rage or Nuke power-ups and unleash your strongest attacks to melt the boss.
- Defeat the boss before 5:00: A solid Damage + Quantity setup should finish the fight between 3:30 and 4:30 minutes.
- End the run: The Cursed Tome unlocks automatically after the boss dies. You don’t need to clear additional tiers.
Farm quickly
Tip: Aura and Katana builds are the most consistent for this challenge. Pair them with Cooldown and Moldy Cheese to keep constant DPS uptime. Avoid distractions like chest farming or side shrines — every second counts during this run.
After Unlocking: Once you’ve completed the challenge, open the Unlocks Shop to purchase the Cursed Tome. It will then appear in your tome selection for future runs.
5. The Chaos Tome
The Chaos Tome is the most complex and rewarding unlock in Megabonk. Each level-up grants a random stat boost, allowing for wildly unpredictable but powerful runs. However, its unlock challenge is one of the toughest in the game.
5.1 How to Unlock the Chaos Tome
The Chaos Tome has the strictest unlock requirement in Megabonk. Your goal is to complete a full Tier 3 run while charging every Charge Shrine across all three stages without ever stepping outside the circle during the charging process. Unlike other tomes, this challenge focuses on precision, patience, and consistency. Staying inside each shrine’s zone under pressure—and doing it flawlessly for the entire run—is the core of the challenge.
- Start a Tier 3 run: Only Tier 3 contains the shrine count needed for the Chaos Tome unlock.
- Locate Charge Shrines: Move through each stage and find every Charge Shrine before progressing further.
- Clear the area first: Eliminate surrounding enemies so you won’t get knocked out of the circle during the charge.
- Stand inside the circle: Begin charging and remain perfectly inside the zone until the bar fills.
- Do not move: Leaving the circle—even for a fraction of a second—invalidates that shrine for the challenge.
- Repeat on all stages: Fully charge every Charge Shrine in Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3.
- Finish the run: After the last shrine is successfully charged, exit safely or complete the stage to trigger the unlock.
The Chaos Tome
Important: After completing the full shrine challenge, the Chaos Tome becomes purchasable in the Unlocks Shop for 35 Silver. You must buy it before it appears in your tome selection pool.
5.2 Best Characters for the Chaos Tome Challenge
Choosing the right character is crucial for completing the Chaos Tome requirement. You need mobility, control, and stable damage output to survive long shrine charges without being forced out of position. These characters offer the strongest combination of speed and safety.
- Calcium: The best option thanks to fast movement, quick map clearing, and excellent crowd control.
- Tony McZoom: Great sustained DPS and reliable clearing, making shrine defenses smoother.
- Sir Oofie: Tanky and forgiving, but slower. Viable if you prefer safer, methodical clearing.
Tip: Avoid high-jump or erratic-movement characters (like Monke), as accidental jumps can push you outside shrine circles and fail the challenge.
6. Final Tome Unlock Tips
Unlocking every tome can feel overwhelming, but with an organized plan, it becomes manageable. Focus on easier objectives first, then gradually move to the advanced challenges. Each tome improves your long-term efficiency, making the harder ones easier later.
- Start by unlocking Quantity, XP, and Bloody tomes to accelerate farming and leveling.
- Use Agility and Cooldown in most runs to cover more ground and defeat enemies faster.
- Dedicate focused sessions to specific unlocks instead of multitasking multiple challenges.
- Keep a checklist or spreadsheet to track your progress and prevent repetition.
- Remember to buy each tome in the Unlocks shop after completing its challenge to activate it permanently.
Once every tome is unlocked, you’ll have access to the full range of build customization options that Megabonk offers. Whether you prefer tank builds, crit-heavy chaos runs, or raw speed farming, mastering all tomes will let you conquer every tier with ease.
