Brotato Build Guide: Weapons, Upgrades and Pitfalls for 8 Characters
Main weapon choices, early-, mid- and late-run purchases, and upgrades to avoid for eight key characters. These starting plans do not depend on rare items.
How to use these builds
All eight are starting plans that do not require rare endgame equipment. If another copy of your weapon does not appear, survive the next wave with weapons that share its scaling stats and use locks to wait for your main weapon. These are not fixed win-rate claims or guaranteed clears.
Well Rounded: First clear / balanced build
Unlock: Unlocked by default
Effects used in this build: +5 Max HP, +5% Speed and +8 Harvesting. No character-specific weapon-type restriction.
Main weapon options: Build around SMGs and add more copies. Favor weapons that scale with Ranged Damage.
- Early run
- Buy additional weapons first. Before combining tier I weapons, increase the number that can attack.
- Mid-run
- If enemies are surviving, buy Ranged Damage. If you can kill them but lose to incoming damage, spend on HP, Armor and healing.
- Late run
- Consider piercing or bouncing attacks if you cannot clear crowds. If those effects do not appear, keep a crowd-clearing weapon that uses the same stats.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Buying only Harvesting or Luck. Starting Harvesting does not remove the need for enough damage to survive the next wave.
Brawler: Starting character / melee
Unlock: Unlocked by default
Effects used in this build: +50% Attack Speed with Unarmed weapons, an extra Fist and +15% Dodge. -50 Range and -50 Ranged Damage.
Main weapon options: Start with a Fist and add Unarmed weapons. Use Hands for economic support without replacing your main damage sources.
- Early run
- Count your weapons, including the extra Fist, before buying. Build Melee Damage and clear a path before moving into a crowd.
- Mid-run
- Add HP and Armor because you fight at close range. Dodge alone will not let you survive repeated hits.
- Late run
- Balance higher-tier combinations with survival. Avoid a boss attack before closing in, and do not force contact just to keep attacking.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Choosing a weapon outside the Unarmed class for its rarity alone. It will not receive Brawler’s class-specific Attack Speed bonus.
Ranger: Ranged damage
Unlock: Unlocked by default
Effects used in this build: +50 Range and an extra Pistol. Ranged Damage modifications are increased by 50%; Max HP modifications are reduced by 25%. Cannot equip melee weapons.
Main weapon options: Start with an SMG. Use the extra Pistol for early damage, then decide which guns to keep once your main weapons are in place.
- Early run
- Look for Ranged Damage. Ranger’s stat modifier helps offset the SMG’s low base damage.
- Mid-run
- Consider piercing or area attacks if crowds cut off your escape routes. Keep buying durability despite the unfavorable HP modifier.
- Late run
- Life Steal is an option with a fast-hitting main weapon. Pair it with HP: it cannot heal you while your attacks are not connecting.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Confusing Range with Ranged Damage. Range alone does not directly increase an SMG’s damage.
Mage: Elemental damage / burning
Unlock: Unlocked by default
Effects used in this build: Elemental Damage modifications are increased by 25%. Starts with Snake and Scared Sausage. Melee and Ranged Damage modifications are reduced by 100%; Engineering modifications are reduced by 50%.
Main weapon options: This example uses Tasers for slowing and Elemental Damage. Check the scaling stat even when a weapon looks like a ranged weapon.
- Early run
- Get more Tasers and build Elemental Damage. Use the Support class’s Harvesting to fund purchases.
- Mid-run
- Projectile count changes with tier. After combining, review weapon count, projectile count and class bonuses. Upgrade weapons if single-target damage is lacking.
- Late run
- Maintain elemental damage while adding HP, Armor and Speed. Do not count burning as a source of Life Steal healing.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Investing in Melee or Ranged Damage. Since 1.1.15.2, these level-up options are also restricted in normal runs.
Engineer: Structures
Unlock: Have 5 turrets on the map at the same time
Effects used in this build: +10 Engineering, Engineering modifications increased by 25%, an extra Wrench and structures that spawn close together. Damage modifications are reduced by 50%.
Main weapon options: Build around Wrenches to add structures. The Wrench’s melee hit and its turret’s attacks scale separately.
- Early run
- Prioritize Wrenches and Engineering. Fight near your structures while leaving room to move away from attack indicators.
- Mid-run
- Combining changes the turret to a flame, laser or explosive type. Choose the role you need rather than trying to turn every Wrench red.
- Late run
- Without an effect that specifically enables it, do not try to scale turrets with ordinary Attack Speed or Damage %. Compare Engineering with durability purchases.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Counting turret hits as Life Steal triggers. Ordinary structures do not trigger it.
Knight: Turn Armor into melee damage
Unlock: Win a run on Danger 4
Effects used in this build: +3 Armor and +2 Melee Damage per point of Armor. Can equip only melee weapons of tier II or higher. Attack Speed modifications are reduced by 50%; Harvesting modifications are reduced by 80%.
Main weapon options: Use weapons that scale with Melee Damage. Spiky Shield is also an option if unlocked, but the shield itself scales with Armor.
- Early run
- Check which weapon tiers you can equip. Armor improves both defense and Knight’s character-specific Melee Damage.
- Mid-run
- If enemies are not dying, check weapon tiers and attack frequency. Buy the Attack Speed you need despite its unfavorable modifier.
- Late run
- Once damage is sufficient, add healing and HP to stay in the fight longer. Use the shield’s Armor scaling restored in 1.1.15.1.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Trying to scale a shield with Melee Damage alone. Check the scaling-stat icons on the weapon.
Bull: No weapons / explosions when hit
Unlock: Win a run on Danger 1
Effects used in this build: +20 HP, +15 HP Regeneration with its modifications increased by 50%, and +10 Armor. Explodes when hit and cannot equip weapons.
Main weapon options: No weapon slots. The explosion scales with Melee, Ranged and Elemental Damage. A conventional Attack Speed and Range plan does not apply.
- Early run
- Maintain HP Regeneration and Armor, and clear groups with explosions. Do not keep taking contact damage while your HP is still low.
- Mid-run
- If more enemies survive, add flat damage or explosion bonuses. If healing cannot keep up, prioritize HP Regeneration and defense.
- Late run
- Direct contact with bosses is dangerous. Wait for healing, and switch to survival if a kill is out of reach.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Expecting explosions to trigger Life Steal. Even though your damage requires taking hits, do not take them faster than you can heal.
Pacifist: Leave enemies alive and survive
Unlock: Collect 10,000 materials in total
Effects used in this build: Gain 0.65 materials and XP for each living enemy at the end of a wave. Starts with Lumberjack Shirt. -100% Damage and -100 Engineering.
Main weapon options: Consider support weapons such as Hands to knock enemies back and open paths. Your shopping goals differ from a kill-focused build.
- Early run
- Get movement, healing, defense and weapons that help you survive. Distinguish between breaking trees and killing enemies.
- Mid-run
- Keep an escape route as enemy numbers grow. A safe wave clear matters more than the reward for leaving enemies alive.
- Late run
- You do not have to make killing the boss your goal. Move away from attack indicators and run out the clock. Be careful with purchases that reduce Speed.
- Purchases and assumptions to avoid
- Automatically buying effects that reduce enemy numbers. They may also reduce your character-specific income at the end of the wave.