Quickstart

Brawlhalla is the most accessible platform fighter on the market. Made by Blue Mammoth (now owned by Ubisoft), the game has 50+ legends, cross-play on every platform, and a free-to-play model with a rotating roster of free legends. The combat is 2D platform- fighter, Super Smash Bros style — knock enemies off the stage, last legend standing wins.

This guide will get you from "just downloaded" to "first ranked win" without spending 20 hours in tutorials.

Step 1: Pick a free legend from the weekly rotation

Brawlhalla has 50+ legends, but you only get 8 free legends per week (rotating). The full roster is unlocked by:

In-game gold (slow, ~50,000 per legend)
Real money (fast, ~$5-10 per legend)
Battle Pass rewards (free + premium tracks)

For your first 10 hours, play the free weekly rotation. Don't buy legends yet. Try them all, find your favorite, then buy it.

Beginner-friendly legends:

Bodvar — sword + hammer, balanced.
Orion — spear + rocket lance, mobile.
Lin Fei — katars + cannon, fast.
Hattori — sword + gun, classic.
Sir Roland — sword + rocket lance, sword main.

Most beginners do well with sword legends. Sword is the most well-rounded weapon in the game.

Step 2: Understand the 6 basic attacks

Every weapon in Brawlhalla has 6 basic attacks:

Neutral Light (NLight) — quick jab, no movement.
Side Light (SLight) — forward attack, slight

movement.

Down Light (DLight) — low attack, good combo

starter.

Neutral Air (NAir) — aerial attack, no

direction.

Side Air (SAir) — aerial attack, sideways.
Down Air (DAir) — aerial spike (knocks down).

In Brawlhalla, "strings" (combos) are formed by chaining these attacks. The basic string is: NLight → SLight → DLight → Recovery.

Spend 15 minutes in the "Training" mode learning these basic strings. The training mode has a tutorial for each weapon.

Step 3: Master the movement

Brawlhalla's movement is more important than attacks. The core movement options:

Dash — fast horizontal movement. Tap the

direction twice.

Jump — short hop or full hop. Short hop is

faster.

Fast fall — fall faster. Tap down while in

the air.

Dodge — invincibility frames (i-frames). Tap

the direction + dodge.

Recovery — use your weapon's recovery to get

back to the stage.

Gravity cancel — use an aerial attack on the

ground to cancel into another aerial.

The biggest beginner mistake is not using fast fall and dash. Both are essential to competitive play.

Step 4: Understand the "neutral game"

In fighting games, "neutral" is the state when no player is at an advantage. The "neutral game" is what happens in this state — who lands the first hit, who gets positioning advantage, who controls the stage.

In Brawlhalla:

Don't attack first — let the opponent make a

mistake.

Use dash and short hops to bait attacks.
Watch for the opponent's pattern — most

beginners use the same 2-3 strings.

Punish whiffed attacks — if the opponent

misses, hit them.

The neutral game is the hardest part of Brawlhalla to learn. It takes 30+ hours to develop a sense for it. Don't get discouraged.

Step 5: The "ground game" is the bread and butter

Most Brawlhalla matches are decided on the ground, not in the air. The basic ground game:

Maintain stage control — center of the map is

the strongest position.

Use weapons with good reach (sword, spear, axe)

to control space.

Mix up your approach — dash in, jump in, or

bait.

Punish landings — when the opponent falls

from the air, hit them.

The aerial game is flashy but risky. Most high- level play is grounded.

Step 6: Learn to edge-guard

Edge-guarding is preventing the opponent from returning to the stage. The basic edge-guard patterns:

Off-stage aerial — attack the opponent as

they're recovering.

Off-stage recovery — use your own recovery

to meet them in the air.

Ground spike — wait for them on the stage,

hit them with a down-attack as they recover.

Dodge off-stage — use a dodge to get an

off-stage attack, then recovery.

Edge-guarding is how you win Brawlhalla matches. Most KO's happen off-stage.

Step 7: Don't get hit by gravity-cancel spam

Advanced Brawlhalla players use gravity-cancel strings — a chain of aerial attacks that are hard to punish. The most common is the "Gravity-cancel Side-Air" combo.

To counter:

Stay grounded — don't chase them in the air.
Wait for the landing — punish when they

fall.

Use a weapon with good anti-air — sword's

up-light, hammer's up-light, axe up-light.

Don't try to copy gravity-cancel strings until you've mastered the basic strings.

Step 8: Don't focus on one legend

Brawlhalla rewards legend mastery, but you should play 3-5 legends in the first 100 hours. Pick legends with different weapons:

One sword legend (Bodvar, Hattori)
One hammer legend (Teros, Sentinel)
One spear legend (Orion, Diana)
One "unusual" weapon legend (Asha with

Rocket Lance + Sword, Vector with Rocket Lance + Machine Gun)

Different weapons teach different parts of the game. Sword teaches spacing, hammer teaches power, spear teaches zoning.

Step 9: Watch high-level play

The best way to improve is watching high-level Brawlhalla. Top Twitch streamers and YouTubers:

"Beefy" — Australian pro, plays all legends.
"Boomie" — US pro, sword main.
"Khang" — one of the best legends players.
"Sandstorm" — UK pro, known for educational

streams.

Watch 1-2 hours of high-level play per week. You won't understand everything, but patterns will emerge that you can apply to your own play.

Step 10: Use the ranked mode (eventually)

Brawlhalla's ranked mode has tiers (Tin, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, low/mid/high). The ranked mode is more competitive than casual, but the matchmaking is good — you'll be matched with similar skill players.

Don't play ranked for the first 20-30 hours. Use the time to learn legends and weapons. After that, ranked is the best way to measure your improvement.

What's next

After your first 20 hours in Brawlhalla:

Pick a "main" legend — the one you enjoy

most.

Master their weapon strings — the basic

combos for both weapons.

Try ranked — see where you place.
Watch high-level play — learn from the

pros.

FAQ

Is Brawlhalla pay-to-win?

No. The free rotation gives you 8 legends per week. You can buy legends with gold or real money, but all legends are balanced. The "best" legend is the one you master.

Can I play Brawlhalla solo?

Yes — most matches are 1v1, 2v2, or free-for-all. You can solo-queue for 2v2 and FFA.

What's the best legend for beginners?

Bodvar (sword + hammer) is the most well- rounded starter. Orion (spear + rocket lance) is the most popular. Hattori (sword + gun) is the most classic.

How long does it take to reach Diamond tier?

~100-300 ranked matches. Most beginners hit Silver or Gold within 50 matches.

Is Brawlhalla cross-play?

Yes — full cross-play and cross-progression between PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and mobile (iOS, Android).

Is Brawlhalla still being updated?

Yes — Ubisoft Blue Mammoth releases new legends every 4-6 weeks and new game modes every few months. The game is in active development.

What's the population like?

~30,000 concurrent players on PC alone. The game is healthy and growing.

How does Brawlhalla compare to Super Smash Bros?

Brawlhalla is more accessible (F2P, all platforms, all characters available eventually). Smash is deeper competitively but Nintendo-exclusive. Both are good games.

Can I play on a controller?

Yes — controller is the standard input. Keyboard is also supported, but most pros use controller.

Brawlhalla beginner guide — win your first match in 30 minutes