The brawler roles have evolved over time, so we wanted to keep this post as a reference so players can get a glimpse of how Brawl Stars characters were defined in the past. If you would like the most up-to-date insight on brawler roles, check out The Complete Guide To Brawl Stars Character Roles.
Area Control
Wrapping things up, we have area control. This category is basically all the well-rounded fighters. They’re great at taking care of themselves and can fill multiple niches on a team.
Having good area control means you can “own” a certain part of the map. Unlike fortification, which sets up a solid defense, area control fighters move usually toward the upper side and establish their dominance there.
Once correctly positioned, they can successfully block enemies from getting through, while charging up their super in the process. Their super is helpful in central combat, so after controlling the side areas for a while you can move toward the middle for a final show down.
The strategy of area control is a very complicated, competitive play, and so of course these guys can just be used as tank rounders or solo operatives. This has absolutely no use in Heist.
Assassin
Our last defined category (I’ll explain that later), is Assassin. An assassin is generally fast-moving and finishes off enemies on the very frontline. An assassin will want to stay hidden in the bushes until they can ambush a Brawl Stars character with low health, and quickly escape again.
The two current assassins in the game are very different in their capabilities.
Backsliders
Next, we have the backsliders, or whatever you wish to call them. They’re the ones that stay near the back while still dealing tons of damage. Usually, other brawlers are there to support them.
Backsliders are great in where dealing the most damage is vital for victory.
Playing one of these guys, you never want to get to close to the front. The main thing about them is that their attack is really single point. So they can only ever handle one opponent at once.
Like tanks, they also have one of the quickest reload speeds.
Character Hurdlers
And of course, the hurdlers. These guys are the kings of area denial. They can stay safe behind walls while continuously hurdling their explosives over barriers to block off a path.
Hurdlers are also the third type of great damage dealing brawlers – and maybe the strongest at this point in the game. Their ability of area denial, crowd control, and massive damage make them strong in nearly every aspect.
Hurdlers are especially good at defense, as they can throw over walls and keep the enemy from walking around to hit them. However, they don’t fare so well against assassins or snipers (more on those later).
Both hurdlers have medium to low range, so aren’t the best choice for open maps. They are best at a show down or in Heist.
Fortification
Fortification brawlers are intended to set up a solid defense to maintain a central area. This strategy is primarily dominant in SnG, but works fine in defensive Heist and sometimes in Bounty and Showdown.
These Brawl Stars characters have medium health and range, as well as a generic splash attack to protect a certain area from enemies, but their super is where they shine.
The super sets a solid defense, or base, which can greatly boost Brawl Stars characters in a defensive stance.
Snipers
Snipers are the back of the back. They hide in bushes and pounce in some tribe gaming when you least expect it… a bullet in your face from offscreen.
Snipers shine in open maps and of course, can’t really take on a team themselves. They help take out people running away from the battle to regenerate. Snipers are especially good in Bounty game features and pretty helpful in other events.
Support
As I said before, assassin was the last defined category. That’s because these last two, support and area control, are really just a way to group together the remaining Brawl Stars characters.
Support brawlers are basically fighters that stay near others to help them deal as much damage as possible.
Being support, these guys obviously aren’t the best in Showdown, or really in Heist either. They’re also should never be 3 (and probably not 2 either) supports on the same crew.
Tanks
Of course, nearly every PvP video game has some sort of tank. Now tanks in this game don’t have an insane amount of health, so when playing you can’t just rush into the middle of the battlefield and absorb all the hits. However, they are short-range so are required to be played on the frontline of the battle.
The tank is also generally the one to carry the ball in Brawl Ball.
In Heist, both defense and offense, the tank should rush forward and provide a distraction for the other brawlers to take out the enemy.