If you’ve ever spent hours scrolling through your Brawl Stars roster or opening Brawl Boxes wondering what you might pull next, you’ve probably asked how many rare brawlers are there in Brawl Stars at some point. Rare brawlers are the first tier of unlockable characters above the starting roster, so they’re often the first new faces new players add to their collection. They’re far easier to unlock than epic, mythic, or legendary brawlers, but each one brings a unique playstyle that can carry you through low and mid-tier ranks if you learn to use them right. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars on and off for four years, and my first ever unlocked brawler was El Primo, who still sits in my top 5 most used characters to this day. I still bring him out for random Showdown matches when I don’t feel like thinking too hard about my character pick.
How Many Rare Brawlers Are There in Brawl Stars Right Now?
As of the latest game update, there are 9 rare brawlers total: El Primo, Barley, Poco, Rosa, Carl, Jacky, Penny, Darryl, and Bibi. Supercell adds new brawlers every few months, so this count may go up over time, but we’ll update this guide whenever that happens to keep the information accurate. All rare brawlers have a 2.687% drop rate in standard Brawl Boxes, which is way higher than higher tier characters, so most players will unlock all of them within their first 6 months of regular play. If you play every day and complete all your quests, you might even unlock all rare brawlers in half that time.
It’s normal to get duplicates of rare brawlers before you unlock the full set, and that’s not a bad thing. Duplicate pulls give you power points for that brawler, which you can use to upgrade them later without spending extra coins. I got three duplicates of Barley before I unlocked Poco, and that let me max out Barley almost immediately, which helped me climb through the early ranks super fast.
Key Traits That Make Rare Brawlers Worth Investing In
A lot of new players make the mistake of ignoring rare brawlers once they unlock epic or higher characters, but that’s a huge missed opportunity. Rare brawlers have lower upgrade costs than higher tier characters, so you can max them out much faster without spending extra gems or coins. Maxed rare brawlers can easily outperform underleveled legendary brawlers in most game modes, especially if you know their strengths. I’ve lost count of how many times my maxed Poco has carried matches against teams with level 6 or 7 legendary brawlers that don’t have enough health or damage to keep up.
- Lower upgrade costs: Maxing a rare brawler costs 50% less coins than maxing a legendary brawler, making them perfect for new players building their coin stash
- Easy to learn playstyles: Most rare brawlers have simple, intuitive abilities that don’t require hundreds of matches to master
- Strong niche uses: Every rare brawler has at least one game mode where they are a top-tier pick, even in high rank lobbies
For example, Poco is one of the best support characters in the entire game for Siege and Brawl Ball, even at 1000+ trophy ranks. His healing ability can turn entire team fights around, and he’s far easier to coordinate with than more complicated support characters like Byron or Ruffs. Barley is another great example: he’s one of the highest damage dealers in Heist mode, because his area of effect attacks can chip away at the safe from a safe distance while the rest of your team holds off enemy players.
Tips to Unlock Rare Brawlers Faster
Even though rare brawlers have a high drop rate, it can feel frustrating if you’re stuck waiting for that last one you need to complete your rare collection. I’ve been there: I spent 3 months waiting to unlock Carl after I got every other rare brawler, and I tried every trick in the book to speed up the process. First, prioritize earning as many Brawl Boxes as possible by completing daily quests, seasonal pass challenges, and event rewards. Every box you open gives you another chance to pull a missing rare brawler, so don’t skip out on limited time events that give out free boxes. Even small event rewards that only give one box are worth chasing when you’re missing a character.
Another tip is to save your gems for the Brawl Pass if you’re willing to spend a small amount of money. The paid Brawl Pass gives you dozens of extra boxes every season, plus guaranteed character unlocks at certain tiers. You can also buy specific rare brawlers from the in-game shop when they show up in the daily rotation, but I don’t recommend doing this unless you have extra coins to burn. It’s always cheaper to unlock brawlers through boxes than to buy them directly from the shop, unless the brawler is on a steep discount of 50% off or more. Just be patient: the drop rate is high enough that you will get all rare brawlers eventually if you play regularly. I ended up pulling Carl from a free box I got from a weekend event right after I almost bought him from the shop for 1000 coins, so I’m glad I waited.
Best Rare Brawlers to Upgrade First for New Players
If you’re a new player who just unlocked a handful of rare brawlers, you might be wondering which ones are worth pouring your hard-earned coins into first. You don’t have to upgrade every rare brawler right away, but focusing on a few strong picks will help you climb ranks much faster. First, El Primo is a great pick for almost any player. He has high health, fast melee damage, and a super ability that lets him jump across the map to take out enemy snipers or escape bad fights. He works well in every game mode, so you can use him no matter what daily events are running.
Next, Poco is a must-upgrade if you like playing with a team. His healing super can keep your entire squad alive through team fights, and he has enough range to deal damage from a safe distance. Poco is also one of the most forgiving characters for new players, because you don’t need perfect aim to be effective with him. If you prefer more aggressive play, Darryl is another great option. His dual shotguns deal massive damage at close range, and his super is a rolling shield that lets him charge into enemy lines without taking too much damage. He’s especially strong in Showdown and Brawl Ball, where he can catch enemies off guard and secure easy kills.
Don’t sleep on Rosa either: her super gives her a temporary 80% damage resistance shield that makes her almost unkillable for a few seconds, which is perfect for holding objectives in Gem Grab or Siege. I use Rosa all the time for competitive friendly matches with my friends, and she’s saved us from so many lost matches where we were outnumbered at the gem mine.
At the end of the day, knowing how many rare brawlers are there in Brawl Stars helps you set clear goals for building your roster and spending your resources wisely. Rare brawlers might not have the flashy designs or reputations of legendary characters, but they’re the backbone of almost every player’s collection, and they’re more than capable of carrying you to high trophy ranks if you take the time to learn them. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different rare brawlers to find the ones that fit your playstyle best – you might be surprised at how powerful they can be, even against much rarer characters.