Funguys Swarm Chimpy

Overview

Chimpy is a Nature Armor retaliator from the January 2026 update. He is not an Early Access day-one starter — those are Shroomba and Ersa — and he is not a friendly orbit summoner like Fuzzbug. Chimpy converts all HP into Armor, stops health pickups from dropping, and explodes when a hit connects while Armor remains.

That explosion deals 100 damage, plus 20% per Nature card. The fantasy is standing in a pack, eating a hit on Armor, and deleting the pack with the blast. The risk is obvious: when Armor is gone, there is no HP layer behind it. One mistake in Hellscape is the run.

1.0 on August 25, 2026 did not sand that edge off. Chimpy is still the high-risk Nature bomber. Play him after you understand Armor shrines, dash i-frames, and why Best Builds treat on-damage triggers as a dedicated plan.

Playstyle

You want to be hit on purpose, but only while Armor is up, and only when the explosion’s 100 (+ Nature) is worth the Armor spent. That is a different brain from Ersa, who wants zero hits so the regenerating shield can refill. Chimpy’s shield is the Armor bar, and spending it is the skill.

Movement is still mandatory. Armor does not make you immune to being surrounded by body-blockers or standing in Lava Jungle floor fire. Dash out after a blast so the next wave hits you on your terms. Weapons can be mixed across heroes; a fast weapon helps clear stragglers that survived 100 damage, but the bomb is the identity.

Do not pick Chimpy to learn the game. The Beginner’s Guide is written for people who still have hearts. Come back when Carrot Farm is boring and you want a Nature engine.

Armor Explosion Numbers

Keep these official:

• Convert all HP into Armor
• HP pickups no longer drop
• Taking damage while armored causes an explosion dealing 100 damage
• Explosion damage increases by 20% per Nature card

Nature is one of seven elements (Beast, Water, Sky, Night, Nature, Earth, Fire). Every Nature card is a 20% bomb tax. Ten Nature cards is a very different Chimpy than two.

Armor as a resource arrived in January 2026 alongside Armor shrines. Chimpy is the character who starts already converted. Other heroes can find Armor; Chimpy is Armor. When the bar hits zero, you do not fall back to HP. The run is in sudden death.

Because hearts do not drop, Macho is a trap. Macho drops health after you take damage. Chimpy does not collect HP pickups. Bring Magnetika, Slo Moe, Dashy, or Furiosy instead.

Best Builds and Elements

Nature-primary. The bomb scales on Nature cards, so off-color greed delays the only math that makes eating a hit correct. On-damage and cooldown area skills from the Skills and Weapons page pair with explosions: you are already in melee range when the 100 fires.

Earth is the most honest splash because you are already a contact character. Water freeze is the defensive splash that lets you choose which hit you take. Beast raw damage helps the equipped weapon finish elites the bomb did not kill. Night pixies and Sky stationary plans belong to other January characters.

Fire curses that make you take more hits can accidentally feed explosions, but they also eat Armor faster. Only take them when you understand shrine Armor income. This is still a single-player survivor; there is no partner to body-block for you.

Three to five skills. Nature engine, one dash, one weapon-attack. More than that and you miss Nature cards at level-up.

Treeling Synergy

Dashy lets you enter blast range and leave before the second hit. Explosion is on taking damage, not on standing forever.

Slo Moe makes the hit you choose slower and more readable. Frozen Pond ice and Hellscape fireballs are how Armor disappears without a useful blast.

Magnetika funds Nature cards. 20% per card is the whole late game.

Furiosy is high-roll: if you explode without breaking a clean streak you may not get the buff, so treat it as optional.

Do not default Macho. Pets: Quacky can shove a pack into blast range on Carrot Farm. Rusdy freeze can hold enemies in the 100-damage radius. Starcat still helps XP even if hearts are gone.

Arena Notes

Carrot Farm is the lab. Practice spending one Armor on a clump, dashing out, and finding the next Armor shrine. If this feels miserable, Chimpy is not your first character.

Frozen Pond is dangerous because chip from ice and ranged shots burns Armor without a juicy clump. Slo Moe and freeze splash are almost required.

Lava Jungle floor damage can steal Armor for free. Walk the safe tiles; explode on enemies, not on lava.

Egglosseum density is what Chimpy wants. Packs justify 100 + Nature. Do not get greedy in the ring center.

Hellscape is the exam. The Fire King will shred Armor if you treat phase cones as “free explosions.” Explode on minions; dash the boss. Forest Strength and Sanctuary Armor knowledge matter more here than a lucky Watermelon Axe.

Steam Deck Verified: readable bombs, brutal if you mis-dash. EA saves Steam-only, no cross-platform saves.

Tips

High risk is not marketing language. No HP pickups means no casual recovery.

Count Nature cards. 20% per card on a 100-damage explosion is the only scaling you are owed.

Armor shrines and January systems are documented on the January 2026 page. Unlock routing is on the Unlock Guide.

Compare retaliate-on-hit with Groovba’s poison (debuffs, not Armor) and X-olotl’s clones (Beast dashes, not bombs). Rankings: Character Tier List. Hubs: Players, Characters. 1.0 context: Version 1.0. Arenas: Arena Walkthrough.