Monkey Evolution Chart
The chart is not a secret skill tree. It is doubling. Two of step 1 make step 2. Two of step 2 make step 3. The shop always restocks the bottom of the current stage, which is why a pretty mid-tier is expensive grass.
The doubling table
To create one creature of step n you need 2^(n-1) starters, assuming you merge cleanly and never leftover a singleton. Step 5 is 16 starters. Step 8 is 128. Step 10 is 512. That is why a “quick Titan” attempt empties a stage. Punch the same numbers into the merge calculator with the count you already hold.
- Step 1: shop food. Buy these.
- Step 2–3: early idle bump. Safe to keep a pair.
- Step 4–6: real income, still cheap enough to rebuild.
- Step 7+: board-threatening. Plan holes first.
- Holy / Titan / King: treat as separate end nodes, not as the next shop tier.
Stages rewrite the bottom of the chart
When a stage unlocks, the Animal Shop’s cheapest monkey changes. Old starters may vanish from the buy list even if you still have one on the field. That leftover is either a trophy or a dead tile. The stage guide covers the unlock trigger (usually a first merge of the new zone’s creature). The chart’s lesson is: do not hoard obsolete bottoms.
Branches the doubling table does not cover
Pantheon gods do not sit on this ladder. Impostors do not sit on this ladder. Holy Monkey is a collection overlay shown in its own unlock video, not “step 17.” If you force those names into the 2^n formula you will overbuy. Keep Holy Monkey, Titans, and Pantheon on their own pages.
How to read Monkeypedia against this chart
Flip to the species that is still a silhouette. Count how many steps it sits above your current shop floor. If the gap is four or more, you are looking at hours of feeder work or a premium skip, not a single session. That is also how the tier list decides whether a form is worth parking.
The merge guide is the physical action. This chart is the reason that action gets slower. Use both before a prestige if you still need a jungle form for Monkeypedia.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about the merge loop, Pantheon, and codes.
Can I skip steps by buying a high monkey from the shop?
The shop sells the current floor, not the ceiling. High forms are merged, not purchased, unless a bundle explicitly dumps creatures.
Do leftovers count toward the next step?
Yes. Two singles of the same step merge. Mixed steps do not. That is why singletons clog stages.
Does Recreate Universe reset the chart?
It resets jungle stock. Knowledge, Monkeypedia, and Pantheon bonuses are the reason you prestige on purpose.