How to catch a Bugsnax Bunger and add it to your collection

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The aggressive Bugsnax Bunger needs wits (and ketchup) to catch

How to catch a Bugsnax Bunger
(Image credit: Young Horses)

Knowing how to catch a Bugsnax Bunger is important information, as it's one of the first real challenges you face in the game. You'll be guided though some initial catches to learn the basics of collecting these weird and wonderful creatures, but then Wambus requests that you capture a Bugsnax Bunger and suddenly you're on your own. The method you need to use for this is fairly simple once you know it, but if you're not familiar with the Bunger's behavior and particular likes then it won't be obvious how you're meant to proceed, and that's why we're here to help.

Bugsnax Bungers are in the Aggressive class, meaning they will chase and ram their targets, and they love ketchup. However, if you try and lure them into ramming a tree, bush, or even yourself, in all cases they just bounce off and continue on their merry Bugsnax Bunger way. What you need is to make the unstoppable force meet the immovable object: two Bungers need to collide.

How to catch a Bugsnax Bunger

How to catch a Bugsnax Bunger

(Image credit: Young Horses)

There are two ways to do this, both very similar in their set up and each includes creating a ketchup trail. Stock up on ketchup from the plant near the cave, and attract one of the Bugsnax Bungers’ attention by firing off a ketchup splodge, before luring them across the river into the middle patch with more dollops of ketchup. At this point, you can either keep luring that first Bunger across the river again, so that it meets the second Bunger, or you can lure that second Bunger into the middle too – it doesn’t really matter.

Once the two Bungers are together, the easiest thing to do is to hit them both with ketchup, meaning they'll run into each other and each will be knocked out for 10 seconds. Alternatively, you can place some ketchup between them, and as they both run for it they'll collide, so will again be knocked out. During the 10 seconds they're unconscious you won't need a trap, just go up to them and scoop them up with a net.

If you return later, you might find more Bugsnax around, including Dr Sodee in the lake, which will squirt water at any ketchup you lay down to make this method impossible. To get around this, you’ll need to use the grapple tool on Dr Sodee, then use the trap while they stare at you indignantly.

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Stacey Henley

Stacey is currently the Editor-in-Chief of TheGamer, but was once a freelance journalist with bylines at Polygon, GamesRadar, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, TechRadar, SYFY Wire, and IGN, among others.