How to deal with the Duck in R.E.P.O.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend—that’s what I say when I think of R.E.P.O‘s Duck. You may be wondering how something so cute on the surface could be the most twisted monster of all.

The Duck is just one of the many enemies you’ll face in R.E.P.O. Named the Apex Predator, this seemingly innocent animal has a darker side. Here is everything you need to know about this furry menace in R.E.P.O., including its behavior, where it spawns, and how to handle it.

What does the Duck do in R.E.P.O.?

The Duck is one of the earliest monsters you will meet in R.E.P.O. It often appears as one of the two enemy types across the early stages of Manor, Station, and Academy. Multiple Apex Predators can spawn in from level three.

The Duck follows you around like a duckling chasing its mother, but its intentions are far more sinister. Its sole goal is to get you to pick him up. Newcomers will likely get curious, assuming it’s loot or behaves like Lethal Company‘s Maneater. However, picking the Duck up will enrage it, and its true identity will be revealed—for it is the APEX PREDATOR.

Assuming it’s loot or perhaps you just want to learn its name (which is only achieved by interacting with the monsters, alerting them to your existence), the Duck’s mouth opens to reveal rows of teeth, and itlevitates into the air, ferociously flapping its wings to attack anyone within close proximity. This enraged state lasts approximately 10 seconds before the Duck returns to its docile, friendlier demeanor.

How to evade the Duck in R.E.P.O.

Surprisingly, the Duck is one of the most harmless monsters if you leave it alone. Don’t ever pick it up, drop an item on it, or alert another monster to your presence if the Duck is near you. The Apex Predator will activate if it’s hit by an item, weapon, or another monster.

The goal is to never interact with it. This can be hard to achieve when you’re trying to move loot into the C.A.R.T. The Duck will purposely get in the way, trying its absolute best to stand in your crosshair. Refer to your cursor, as this will tell you when left-clicking will pick it up (the cursor turns yellow, indicating whatever you’re looking at can be interacted with).

The Duck can jump into the C.A.R.T., stand in front of you, and leap towards your crosshair—all in an extreme, persisting attempt to get you to touch it. Listen out to its quacks so you have the awareness when it is near you. This allows you to stay alert for other, more aggressive monsters that may be coming your way.

Can you kill Apex Predator?

Our testing has shown you can kill the Duck so long as you don’t try to pick it up. Use either a Frying Pan or Baseball Bat to quickly deal with this monster as you can stagger it, letting you repeatedly hit it before it can transform. Based on our tests, it doesn’t look like the Apex Predator will transform if you’re attacking it, but you need to be quick. If you wait too long between your swings then the Duck will stand up and transform. If you don’t have weapons when this monster appears but you want him out of the way, you can kill it with the Spewer or lure it into a Cauldron on Swiftbroom Academy. Finally, you can kill the Duck inside the extraction point by luring him inside. Make sure to keep yourself on the outside so you’re not killed too.