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Independent PokeBonk guide

PokeBonk Guide: Choose a Starter and Plan Your Next Run

Find the game, choose a starter and make sense of your next upgrade. This independent PokeBonk guide brings together practical starting tips, scoped recommendations and a searchable Pokédex. Each statement states its checked version and evidence type; details we have not checked are marked as such, and editorial recommendations are labelled.

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Content updated: 2026-10-22 Game data checked: 2026-10-21 · v0.8.13 Checked against v0.8.13; later versions not reviewed

Start with PokeBonk

The game is published at pokebonk.com by its creator. This site is an independent guide: we do not host the game, provide an installer or ask for your game login. Our checks were made on game version 0.8.13 (plus three pilot runs on 0.8.5), so check the version shown in the game before following a specific control or build recommendation.

Play PokeBonk How we test

Which starter should you choose?

Compare Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle by their checked starting kits and the choices they ask you to make. The starter guide explains how each one works; the tier list gives our recommendation for the stated goal and starting conditions.

Starter summary · baseline protocol runs · v0.8.13
Starter Starting move Passive (checked in v0.8.13) What our records show
B Bulbasaur Vine Whip Synthesis — Always active: +1.5 regeneration and +25% healing; Grass-type attacks heal 0.4% of max HP per hit (up to five times per second) 8 comparable runs, 0 clears, median level 7.5
C Charmander Ember Sea of Flames — HP below 40%: +40% damage, +10% Fire-type damage 10 comparable runs, 0 clears, median level 5
S Squirtle Water Gun Torrent Shell — Always active: +15 armor and +20 shield; +40% damage below 40% HP 10 comparable runs, 0 clears, median level 11

No starter has a verified clear in our records yet, so we do not name a winner. Squirtle recorded the deepest median survival level — a survival observation, not a ranking. Read how we test before copying any conclusion.

Your first run: four things to check

Start by confirming the game and version. Read your starter's kit, use the controls shown in that version, and compare upgrade choices by what they change. When a run goes wrong, keep the situation and choices that led to it — not only the final result.

  1. Open the game and check the version

    Open the game from the link above. Note the displayed version so that you can match a guide to the build you are using.

  2. Read the starting kit

    Check the starting move and the passive's condition before choosing. Do not assume a familiar Pokémon name means it follows the same rules as another game — in PokeBonk, Bulbasaur starts with Vine Whip, Charmander with Ember and Squirtle with Water Gun. Bulbasaur's Synthesis is always active; Charmander's Sea of Flames and Squirtle's Torrent Shell damage bonuses apply below 40% HP, and Torrent Shell also grants armor and shield.

  3. Check what the next choice changes

    Identify the affected move, resource or condition. One recorded example: leveling up offers 3 cards; the Lab's choice4 upgrade raises this to 4, and Refresh (F), Skip (X) and Banish (Z) each have a limited number of uses (base 2 / 2 / 1, increased by Lab upgrades). In run S04 the recorded choices favored Water Gun upgrades, defense boosts and Rapid Spin, with Bubble taken once; the run still ended in a zone-1 swarm at level 17, the highest level among the ten Squirtle baseline runs. The same offers are not guaranteed; judge each card by what it changes for your current kit.

  4. Record the point where you got stuck

    Keep the version, starting upgrades, important choices and the point where the plan stopped working. All 48 included losses ended in zone 1; the two retired sessions have no recorded outcome. The point where the plan stopped working is the most useful detail you can keep.

Controls checked in v0.8.13

Controls checked in v0.8.13
ActionInput
MoveWASD
CameraMouse — pointer locks on canvas click; drag fallback after two failed locks
ZoomMouse wheel
Jump / glideSpace; hold to glide (Flying-type only)
Sprint / slideShift; in the air Shift dives
UltimateR
Interact / throw Poké BallE
Lock onRight mouse button
AimQ
PauseEsc or P
MapM
Quick overviewTab
Auto-runT
Auto-ultimateY
Level-up cardsKeys 1–4 choose; F refresh; X skip; Z banish

Sources: PokeBonk client bundle and embedded data, v0.8.13

Reference

Look up a Pokémon in the Pokédex

Search by name or number, then open an entry for the game notes we have checked. The index lists 151 identities; 58 species have appeared in our original-game records; no acquisition details have been verified yet; and 3 starters carry reviewed assessments. A listed name does not mean every mechanic has been verified.

Search the Pokédex How coverage works
151
Index
verified identities from the game data layer (national number and name).
58
Observed in game
species names that appeared in the text of our original-game HUD records.
0
Acquisition checked
we have not verified obtain conditions for any entry yet. Unknown is not "unobtainable".
3
Assessed
Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle carry reviewed starter assessments.

Find a build that matches your starting point

A useful build explains its starting requirements, key choices and alternatives. Our first routes sit beside the tier-list context, so you can compare the recommendation with the conditions behind it. Both current routes are Squirtle routes, and both are labelled as recorded rather than cleared.

S Squirtle — move-priority route Recorded route
Start with
Squirtle · Classic mode · v0.8.13
Requirements
  • Classic mode on v0.8.13
  • Base Lab progress (no permanent upgrades assumed)
  • Squirtle as the starter
Choice priorities
  1. Upgrade Water Gun whenever it is offered
  2. Take Bubble for area coverage
  3. Take Hydro Pump for burst damage
  4. Take Rapid Spin for close-range knockback and space
Key option missing

When no move-upgrade card is offered, the recorded decision policy selected the first available card; no verified better fallback exists in the records.

Change the plan when
If the run is being surrounded with neither Bubble nor Hydro Pump online, every recorded run in this route ended shortly after; treat that as the signal to disengage rather than as a verified recovery step.
What happened
Recorded in 5 reviewed runs (R01-R05): 0 of 5 reached a clear; median level 13 (levels 9-16).
Limits
  • Not cleared — this route has no successful run behind it
  • Single operator with an automated input agent, one input setup
  • v0.8.13 only; not re-checked on other versions
  • Build-exploration runs; not baseline evidence
S Squirtle — survival-lean route Recorded route
Start with
Squirtle · Classic mode · v0.8.13
Requirements
  • Classic mode on v0.8.13
  • Base Lab progress (no permanent upgrades assumed)
  • Squirtle as the starter
Choice priorities
  1. Prioritize space control: Bubble and Rapid Spin early
  2. Keep Water Gun upgrading as the single-target fallback
  3. Use the Shell Whirlpool ultimate when surrounded rather than saved
Key option missing

Planned as a fusion-exploration route, but fusion was never achieved — the recorded runs never reached Bill's machine — so they actually executed a survival strategy. Reported here as survival, not fusion.

Change the plan when
Same surrounded-signal as the move-priority route: without space-control moves online, recorded runs ended in zone 1.
What happened
Recorded in 5 reviewed runs (R06-R10): 0 of 5 reached a clear; median level 12 (levels 3-17). Planned fusion was not achieved; runs executed a survival-lean strategy.
Limits
  • Not cleared — this route has no successful run behind it
  • Fusion objective was not achieved; described strategy is what was actually executed
  • Single operator with an automated input agent, one input setup
  • v0.8.13 only; not re-checked on other versions
  • Build-exploration runs; not baseline evidence
Browse build routes
Version scope Advice is attached to a goal, mode and version. If an update may change the result, the affected note is flagged for review. Older observations remain tied to their original conditions instead of silently becoming current. All reviewed runs were executed by an automated input agent under operator supervision; the protocol is described in how we test. Guide changes and corrections →

Content updated: 2026-10-22 · Game data checked: 2026-10-21 · v0.8.13. Corrections and guide changes are recorded on the About page.

Common questions

Is this the game website?

No. Use the external creator link to play.

Where should a new player start?

Read the starter comparison, then use the tier list for a recommendation within its stated scope.

Does an unchecked Pokédex field mean something is impossible?

No. It means we have not confirmed that detail here.

Can I use a build from a different version?

Check the version note and any relevant changes first; the page does not assume that every older route still applies.

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