R.E.P.O. | Monster guide: Chef

The Chef, also called the Frog, is a green frog-like creature dressed in a bloody chef's uniform and armed with a pair of small cleavers. It hops around aimlessly until it spots a player, at which point it winds up and launches itself across the room at alarming speed. Don't let the clumsy appearance fool you: in a tight corridor or corner, it can chain stuns and deal serious damage very fast.

In R.E.P.O., the Chef is one of the more unpredictable Level 2 monsters because its attack carries it across the room as a physics object, meaning it bounces off walls and furniture and can hit things you didn't expect.

Behavior

The Chef spends most of its time hopping around the level without a target. Once it spots a player through line of sight, hears them nearby, or touches them, it stops, smiles, and slowly pulls out its cleavers. There is a noticeable delay before it attacks, during which it locks its facing direction toward the targeted player. When the delay ends, it tumbles and lunges at very high speed in whatever direction it was facing, swinging its cleavers as it goes. It deals 10 damage per tick on contact and briefly stuns the player or any smaller monster it hits. After the lunge runs its course, the Chef either goes back to roaming or wanders away, mostly ignoring players until it spots one again. Importantly, the Chef will not target crouching players at all.

Hidden usefulness

The Chef's lunge can be baited into hitting other monsters instead of players. Because it commits to the direction it was facing at the end of its wind-up, a player being targeted can step aside and let the Chef fly into a nearby enemy, dealing 10 damage per tick to that monster and potentially stunning smaller ones. The same trick works over pits: bait the lunge toward a gap and let the Chef fly in for an easy kill with no weapon needed.

Weaknesses

At 150 HP the Chef is not heavily armored, and its long wind-up animation is a clear signal to act or get out of the way. Crouching is a hard counter to its aggression since it will not target a crouched player at all. Its lunge can also be interrupted mid-flight by a second player grabbing it, stopping it from reaching its target. Its Strength Breakpoint drops to 2 when stunned, making it very easy to grab and slam. It is also prone to ricocheting off low furniture, which frequently causes it to miss entirely if you duck under something with a low ceiling.

Strategy

• Crouch as soon as the Chef notices you. It will not target a crouched player, so staying low is the safest passive counter.
• Never let it corner you. In a corner it can stun you, land on top of you, and keep dealing tick damage with no way to escape.
• If cornered, dash and jump over it during the wind-up rather than waiting for the lunge.
• Watch for the smile and cleaver pull: that animation is your cue to crouch, dodge, or grab.
• Keep fragile or high-value items away from rooms where the Chef is active. Its bounce path is unpredictable and it damages valuables on contact.
• If a teammate is targeted, grab the Chef mid-lunge to pull it out of the air and save them.

How to kill

The Chef has 150 HP and goes down quickly once you have control of it. The most reliable kill window is right after someone grabs it mid-lunge: the grab stops it from going anywhere, but it will not be stunned automatically, so you need to stun it manually while it is being held before you can slam it. Once stunned, its Strength Breakpoint drops to 2, meaning almost anyone can pick it up and slam it. A few slams finish it off fast. If no one can grab it mid-air, wait for it to stop tumbling, stun it with a weapon or by hitting it, then pick it up and slam it repeatedly. Alternatively, bait the lunge over a pit for an instant kill. Players with the Tumble Launch upgrade can also launch directly into the Chef to stun it momentarily and create an opening, though this costs around 20 HP per attempt.