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  • Explore Abilities Explained
  • Mounts
  • Flight
  • Swimming
  • Destructive Attacks
  • Elemental Attacks
  • Environmental Interactions
  • Transformation
  • Passive Abilities

Monster Sanctuary is a lot of things. It's a turn-based RPG, it's a monster-catching game, and it's also a Metroidvania. This means that getting to some areas of the game will require you to unlock and acquire certain abilities, and these are attached to monsters.

RELATED: How To Evolve Every Monster In Monster Sanctuary

As you progress through the game, you'll hatch new monsters and gain their abilities, the majority of which are used to reach new areas and unlock previously-locked paths. Heading back to old areas once you've obtained a handful of new traversal abilities is a surefire way to get new pieces of equipment and rare items.

Updated April 28, 2023: With another free update on the way, we're pre-emptively updating this guide to make sure it's readable and clear - as movement abilities are very important in Monster Sanctuary, we want to make sure you're prepared for the new challenges that await you in the update.

Explore Abilities Explained

Every monster in the game has an ability that it can use to interact with the environment, whether that be lighting up dark areas, letting you swim against tough currents, or breaking down walls.

If you want to explore every area of the game and acquire every item, you will need to acquire at least one monster for every ability type. Some monsters have abilities that can be used to bypass more than one obstacle, such as the Spectral Wolf, whose Claws ability lets it break through walls and cut through vines.

The sections below each have lists of abilities of the abilities used to solve the environmental puzzles thrown at you, along with what monsters have those abilities.

Mounts

Some monsters in the game let you ride them, and this can be used to solve puzzles. Depending on the monster, they may have additional effects that are required to bypass certain obstacles.

Monster

Ability

Effect

Aurumtail

Mount

Your movement speed increases, which lets you run over very long, fragile bridges without falling to your doom.

Dodo

Moccus

Qilin

Rampede

Charging Mount

Running while mounted on these monsters will let you drive right through breakable walls and diamond blocks.

Rathops

Akhlut

Sonar Mount

Riding this monster lets you see in dark rooms.

Tar Blob

Tar Mount

You do not get slowed down in tar riding this monster.

Gryphonix

Lofty Mount

This mount has a far higher jump height than usual.

Flight

Using these monsters will let you reach previously unattainable ledges. Learning how to combine the double jump with good timing on a Flying monster is key to getting some of the best treasures in the game.

Monster

Ability

Description

Draconov

Flying

Lift you up a little.

Frosty

Mad Eye

Raduga

Spectral Eagle

Vaero

Dragogran

Improved Flying

Lifts you up further than Flying.

Draconoir

Dracozul

Kongomato

Ornithopter

Silvaero

Krakaturtle

Dual Mobility

Lifts you up further than Flying, and also lets you swim against currents and through tar.

Swimming

Without a monster that lets you swim, you'll simply sink to the bottom of any body of water in the game. Some areas of the game will require an upgraded form of swimming that lets you move against currents. Poor Koi.

Monster

Ability

Description

Koi

Swimming

Lets you swim freely in water.

Dracomer

Improved Swimming

Lets you swim freely in water, even against rough currents.

Elderjel

Nautilid

Thornish

Krakaturtle

Dual Mobility

Lets you swim freely in water, even against rough currents. Also lets you move through tar and when used in the air, boosts you upwards.

Destructive Attacks

There are three types of obstacle in the game that must be destroyed to bypass. There are breakable walls, which may or may not be obviously telegraphed in the environment, there are vines that can be cut, and diamond blocks which must be smashed.

Many of these abilities have additional uses, making these monsters more helpful overall.

Monster

Ability

Description

Molebear

Claws

Destroys breakable walls and vines.

Spectral Lion

Spectral Wolf

Troll

Corrosive Jabs

Destroys breakable walls and activates water orbs.

Asura

Crush

Destroys breakable walls and diamond blocks.

Darnation

Goblin Miner

Goblin Pilot

Salahammer

Goblin Hood

Fiery Shots

Destroys vines and activates fire orbs.

Mimic

Polterofen

Monk

Heavy Punch

Destroys breakable walls.

Imori

Ignite

Destroys vines and activates fire orbs.

Lava Blob

Magmamoth

Magmapillar

Plague Egg

Skorch

Specter

Tengu

Blade Widow

Slash

Destroys breakable walls and vines.

Catzerker

Minitaur

Ucan

Brawlish

Tackle

Destroys breakable walls and shoves heavy blocks along.

Spectral Toad

Steam Golem

Targoat

Vasuki

Yowie

Goblin Brute

Toxic Slam

Destroys breakable walls.

Rampede

Charging Mount

When ridden, can drive right through breakable walls and diamond blocks.

Rathops

Elemental Attacks

There are five types of orbs in the game and you'll encounter them all over the map. You'll need to activate them with elemental attacks to solve puzzles.

Monster

Ability

Description

Fire Orbs

Imori

Ignite

Activates fire orbs and destroys vines.

Lava Blob

Magmamoth

Magmapillar

Plague Egg

Skorch

Specter

Tengu

Goblin Hood

Fiery Shots

Activates fire orbs and destroys vines from a longer distance.

Mimic

Polterofen

Ice Orbs

Ice Blob

Freeze

Activates ice orbs.

Megataur

Mogwai

Snowball Toss

Activates ice orbs from a distance.

Shockhopper

Shock Freeze

Activates ice orbs and lightning orbs from a distance.

Spinner

Toxic Freeze

Activates ice orbs and earth orbs from a distance.

Earth Orbs

Goblin Brute

Toxic Slam

Activates earth orbs.

Crystal Snail

Jewel Blast

Activates earth orbs from a distance.

Goblin King

Ninki

Slime Shot

Ninki Nanka

Toxiquus

Spinner

Toxic Freeze

Activates earth orbs and ice orbs from a distance.

Lightning Orbs

Beetleoid

Lightning Bolt

Activates lightning orbs.

Crackle Knight

Goblin Warlock

Sizzle Knight

Shockhopper

Shock Freeze

Activates lightning orbs and ice orbs from a distance.

Water Orbs

Blob

Bubble Burst

Activates water orbs.

Grummy

G'rulu

Corrosive Jabs

Corrosive Jabs

Activates water orbs from a distance and also destroys breakable walls.

Environmental Interactions

These explore abilities allow monsters to interact with different objects in their environments, whether they be switches that let you open up new passages or torches that simply light up the room.

Not listed in the table below are monsters with the Tackle ability - this is for easier readability. Tackle allows monsters to push large blocks around and the monsters with this ability are listed above, in the Destructive Attacks section.

In addition, any monsters from the Elemental Attacks section with the Ignite, Fiery Shots, or Lightning Bolt abilities can also use them to ignite torches.

Monster

Ability

Description

Druid Oak

Summon Rock

Summons an object that can activate buttons on the ground.

Kame

Rocky

Fungi

Summon Mushroom

Tanuki

Brutus

Summon Big Rock

Summons an object that can activate buttons on the ground - works on the larger buttons that require heavier objects.

Mega Rock

Promethean

Arachlich

Grapple

Allows you to use a grappling hook, which lets you activate switches or pull yourself towards new areas.

Argiope

Oculus

Worm

Diavola

Levitate

Allows you to raise up the very large blocks that cannot be moved with Tackle.

Terradrile

Vertraag

Vodinoy

Amberlgna

Spore Shroud

Repels purple vines in the Forgotten World.

Fumagus

Bard

Minnesang

Allows you to remove musical barriers.

Transformation

These abilities will change the keeper's form temporarily, letting them do things they normally wouldn't be able to.

Monster

Ability

Description

King Blob

Blob Form

Lets the keeper transform into a Blob, letting them traverse through very narrow gaps.

Rainbow Blob

Changeling

Morph Ball

Lets the keeper transform into an orb, letting them traverse through very narrow gaps.

Kanko

Ghost Form

Lets the keeper turn incorporeal, letting them avoid detection from wild monsters.

Stolby

Sycophantom

Passive Abilities

These monsters have abilities that arealways active when they are used as a partner monster.

Monster

Ability

Description

Caraglow

Light

Brightens up dark rooms.

Glowdra

Glowfly

Manticorb

Nightwing

Sonar

Allows you to see things in dark rooms.

Akhlut

Sonar Mount

Allows you to see things in dark rooms and is also a mount with high speed.

Aazerach

Secret Vision

Reveals and lets you stand on platforms that usually only have a faint outline.

Ascendant

Mad Lord

Sutsune

Thanatos

NEXT: Monster Sanctuary: Best Healers