R.E.P.O. | Monster guide: Cleanup Crew

The Cleanup Crew is one of R.E.P.O.'s nastiest Level 3 monsters, a writhing amalgamation of flesh covered in grunting, screaming heads that it uses as living grenades. It wanders the map looking for semibots to target, and when it finds one, it tears off its own main head and bounces it toward them like a homing bomb.

What makes it especially dangerous is the layered damage it dishes out: an initial explosion, physics knockback into walls, and a lingering radiation cloud that ticks away long after the blast. Getting caught in the full sequence can be lethal before you even have time to react.

Behavior

The Cleanup Crew roams aimlessly until it spots a semibot, at which point it adjusts its position, closing in if you are too far and backing off if you are too close, before launching its head. The detached head bounces toward its target, calls out "uh oh" just before detonating, and leaves a radiation cloud that deals 15 damage every half second to anyone standing in it. The head cannot be destroyed before it explodes, so there is no intercepting it mid-flight.

If a player gets extremely close to the Cleanup Crew's body, its secondary heads shoot outward like spikes, dealing 20 damage on impact and knocking the player back, with an additional 40 damage if they hit a surface. It also attacks crouched players, so going low is not a safe way to avoid it.

Because of all the heads covering its body, the Cleanup Crew has a full 360-degree field of vision. It can see and hear players, and it responds to touch as well, meaning there is virtually no angle from which you can approach it undetected.

Once the Cleanup Crew throws its head, the head regrows in three stages. During stage one and two it is smaller and has a noticeably higher-pitched voice. By stage three it is fully regrown and ready to throw again.

Hidden usefulness

The Cleanup Crew's launched head can damage and stun other monsters, including a different Cleanup Crew that did not throw it. If you can maneuver another monster into the blast radius, the head does your dirty work for you. This makes the Cleanup Crew a surprisingly effective tool for thinning out a crowded room, as long as you are not the one standing in the blast zone.

Weaknesses

The launched head has poor momentum control. It struggles to navigate corners and is very slow on stairs, so putting a wall or a staircase between yourself and the head will often stop it entirely. Running sideways at the last moment also causes it to overshoot, since it cannot correct for lateral movement quickly.

When stunned, the Cleanup Crew's strength breakpoint drops from 13 all the way down to 5, making it much easier to pick up in that window.

Its 350 HP is substantial, and the constant threat of a new head being thrown means sustained engagements are risky. However, it does not actively chase players aggressively on its own, preferring to position at a preferred distance before attacking, which gives disciplined players windows to work with.

Finally, when the Cleanup Crew dies it drops one last head that will explode. If its orb is nearby, that explosion can destroy the orb entirely before you collect it.

Strategy

• Never run in a straight line away from a launched head. Run around a corner or dodge sideways to break its momentum.
• Use walls and staircases to block the head. It cannot navigate them well and will repeatedly bounce against the obstacle.
• Stay out of the radiation cloud after an explosion, even if the initial blast missed you.
• Do not get too close to the body or the spike heads will fire. Keep a medium distance at all times.
• Crouching does not protect you. The Cleanup Crew attacks crouched players just the same.
• When it dies, immediately lead the final dropped head away from the orb and any other valuables before it explodes.

How to kill

The Cleanup Crew has 350 HP, so this is not a quick fight. The safest approach is to use ranged weapons and maintain a medium distance so you are not caught by the spike heads but are close enough to deal consistent damage. The moment the Cleanup Crew throws its head and is in its headless regrowth phase, it cannot launch again for several seconds, giving you a reliable damage window to push in and deal extra hits before backing off.

If you can stun it, the strength breakpoint drops from 13 to 5, so a stunned Cleanup Crew can be picked up by a player with moderate strength and repositioned or thrown. Do not attempt to throw the head back at the Cleanup Crew, it takes no damage or stun from its own head, and you will just waste the opportunity. Focus fire during the regrowth window, fall back when a new head is nearly grown, and repeat until it goes down.