PokeBonkINDEPENDENT FAN SITECharmander starts with Ember and a passive that always adds Fire damage. Its larger damage bonus requires HP below 40%. Treat that as help when a run goes wrong rather than a reason to stay close to losing.
The first attack starts equipped. Later kit levels unlock attack offers; they do not automatically equip or level the attack. Kit-offer levels and the level of an individual attack are separate.
Below 40% HP, +40% damage. +10% Fire damage.
EmberSpecial · Projectile · Starts equipped↗Fire SpinSpecial · Vortex · Kit offer from Lv. 2↗FlamethrowerSpecial · Cone · Kit offer from Lv. 4↗Fire BlastSpecial · Explosive orb · Kit offer from Lv. 7↗Fires projectiles at the closest enemy. Can cause burned.
A whirlwind that pulls in enemies and then explodes. Can cause rooted.
Fires a cone-shaped torrent in front of you. Can cause burned.
Throws an orb that explodes on impact. Can cause burned.
Launches a fire whirl that pulls in enemies and feeds it with a Flamethrower: it grows, spits spiraling flames and explodes.
Both component attacks must reach attack level 8. The later kit offer still needs to appear and be upgraded; reaching a run level alone does not complete the fusion.
Inspect the recipe, upgrades and comparison values →These are PokeBonk run levels. They differ from evolution levels in the main Pokémon games. Evolved forms stay attached to the partner you started with.
Fire Spin and Flamethrower form Fiery Whirlwind. Keep both useful while they level, but fix a weak opening before reserving every choice for the future fusion.
The six bars describe Charmander’s species stats. Your current in-run values also depend on your starting partner, passive, evolution bonuses, Lab purchases and collected upgrades.
Before the passive, Lab, vitamins, items or evolution bonuses. The League preview can show higher numbers after applying the passive.
Each stage has its own Ultimate in a run started with Charmander. The highlighted card is Charmander’s form. The listed time describes the ability’s duration, not its recharge time.
Charmander · 1.2 s · THIS FORMA column of fire engulfs you and bursts into a ring that burns and leaves the ground ablaze.
Charmeleon · 1.8 sThree rings of fire and six magma fissures that spit flames.
Charizard · 3 sFourteen fireballs rain down on the enemies and it all ends in an enormous explosion with magma cracks.
These are starting points for a Charmander family run, not a promise of one best loadout. Keep damage, survival and movement balanced around what is ending your attempts. The planner uses the three base vitamin slots and saves locally on this device.
Your saved selections are shared with the Vitamins page and every form in this family. This does not change your game account.
Calcium ↗Special damageSpecial damage for the family signature. Compare attack classes before favoring this over Protein.
Super Potion ↗HP regenRecovery while repositioning or waiting for your next useful attack window.
Iron ↗ArmorArmor when repeated contact hits are deciding the run.
Saved in this browser. Remove a vitamin to free a slot.
Compare all 26 vitamins and edit this plan →Follow the Charmander build route, attack by attack →
Charcoal ↗+30% Fire-type move damage and +3% total damage.
A focused choice for the Fire attacks in the kit.
Starting item pool
Leftovers ↗+1.2 HP regen per second.
Recovery without waiting for an attack to connect.
Starting item pool
Wise Glasses ↗+15% special damage.
Special damage when the signature or special attacks carry the build.
Starting item poolBuy for the problem you actually have. A fourth move slot gives a future attack room, while health, armor, recovery or movement can help you reach the later offers in the first place.
Stamina ↗+8 max HP per level.
8 levels · First purchase 85 StardustLeftovers ↗+0.2 regen per level.
5 levels · First purchase 100 Stardust
4th move ↗Unlocks the fourth move slot.
1 level · First purchase 1275 StardustThere are two routes to Charmander: choose it as your first partner on a fresh session, or complete its League challenge and capture its normal encounter later. The first route gives you the partner immediately; the second has an extra capture step.
On a fresh session, select Charmander from the three first-partner choices. That choice makes Charmander your first League member. If you already chose a different starter, continue with the partner you own; you do not need to erase your progress or start a new account.
Charmander’s League challenge is to complete 2 runs, win or lose. A clear is not required. Check the challenge in the League after those attempts: completing it makes the partner available for the encounter-and-capture step, rather than immediately adding it to your selectable roster.
If Charmander was not your initial partner, find its challenge encounter in the following run. Defeat or weaken it until the game marks it ready for capture, then move close and use the capture input shown on screen to throw your Poké Ball. Do not leave the encounter or take the exit while it is still waiting to be caught. Completing the challenge and defeating the encounter are separate from actually capturing it.
Check the League after the capture and select Charmander when you start the run you want to play. A Pokédex sighting only records that you have seen a species. A shiny catch unlocks a look but does not substitute for the normal challenge-and-capture requirement; a captured Alpha fights beside you for that run and does not join your League.
Once Charmander belongs to your League, you can choose it at the beginning of later runs. You do not have to repeat its unlock challenge for every attempt. Its later forms are reached by leveling during a run, so unlocking the family’s starting partner and evolving it are two different goals.
Fire damage is always useful to its matching kit, but the larger damage bonus requires low HP. C reflects that risky opening condition compared with partners whose passive helps while healthy.
Keep Ember productive and build toward useful Fire coverage without deliberately holding health below 40%.
44/100 is an editorial opening score, with comfort weighted at 50%, offensive potential at 30% and utility at 20%. It is not a measured win rate. Survival scaling and co-op team roles can change the choice.
Choose Charmander from the first-partner screen on a fresh session. If you chose another starter, complete 2 runs, win or lose, then weaken and capture the normal Charmander encounter after its League challenge is complete.
Charmander evolves into Charmeleon at run level 24 in the reviewed v0.8.62 data. The same run later reaches Charizard at level 44. Use the displayed run level, not an individual attack’s level or the evolution threshold from another Pokémon game.
The passive gives +40% damage below 40% HP, but deliberately holding low health leaves little room for the next hit. Keep the always-active Fire damage bonus working and treat the low-health boost as a fallback rather than your survival plan.
Fiery Whirlwind combines Fire Spin and Flamethrower. Both attacks must reach attack level 8 before using Bill’s Machine. The later ingredient still needs to appear as an offer and receive upgrades; reaching a run-level milestone does not finish it for you.
For a build centered on Fiery Whirlwind, Calcium supports its special damage. Super Potion helps with recovery between hits, while Iron is an alternative when contact damage is ending the run. These are build directions, not a requirement to fill all three base slots with one fixed combination.
A shiny catch unlocks the family’s shiny look but does not replace the normal League challenge and capture for Charmander. If Charmander is still locked, complete its League challenge and capture the normal partner. Seeing it in the Pokédex or recruiting an Alpha for one run is not the same unlock.
Choose a partner, keep the opening attack productive and spend upgrades where the run is struggling.
Read the starter guide →A safe opening is only the start. Plan how the attacks and defenses will hold up as pressure grows.
Plan a Survival run →Compare your role with the rest of the party rather than filling every slot as if you were alone.
Plan with your team →Game values: reviewed public v0.8.62 client, 2026-10-28. Recommendations describe build choices rather than measured results. Open the original game ↗ · About this fan guide
