If you’ve ever queued up for a Brawl Stars match and seen your teammates flash silly, hype, or cheeky pins after a good play, you’ve probably wondered how to get those for your own loadout. Pins are one of the most fun low-stakes customization features in the game, letting you express yourself without typing a single word in match chat. If you’re not sure how to equip pins in Brawl Stars, we’ve got you covered with every step you need, plus pro tips to make your pin loadout actually useful, not just fun.
Step-by-Step: How to Equip Pins in Brawl Stars for Quick Match Access
The process of setting up your pin loadout takes less than two minutes once you know where to look. First, open Brawl Stars and tap your player profile icon in the top left corner of the home screen. Next, select the “Pins” tab from the menu that pops up – it’s the icon that looks like a little speech bubble with a face inside. From there, you’ll see all the pins you currently own, sorted by rarity, event, or brawler association. Tap the “Edit Loadout” button at the top right of the screen, then drag and drop up to 8 pins into the empty slots on your quick access wheel.
If you’re using a mobile device, the drag and drop function works just like it does for any other app – just hold your finger on the pin you want to add, then drag it to the empty slot you want to put it in. You can rearrange pins the same way, so you can put your most used pins in the slots that are easiest for your thumb to reach mid-match. You can test how your pin wheel looks before saving by tapping the “Preview” button next to the edit loadout option, so you don’t have to save and exit to check if your layout works for you.
You can swap out pins any time you’re not in an active match, so don’t stress about picking permanent options. If you want to equip brawler-specific pins that only show up when you’re playing that character, you can tap the “Brawler Pins” filter and assign them to individual brawler loadouts too. These don’t take up space in your general pin wheel, so you can save your general slots for pins you want to use no matter who you play.
Key Rules for Pin Loadouts You Need to Know Before Customizing
A lot of new players just pick their favorite cute pins and call it a day, but there are a few unspoken rules that make your pin loadout way more useful for team play. Once you’ve mastered how to equip pins in Brawl Stars, you can start optimizing your loadout to fit how you play. First, you only have 8 slots for your general pin wheel, so every spot counts. General pins work for all brawlers, while brawler-exclusive pins only appear when you’re using that specific character, so you don’t have to waste general slots on pins you only want to use for one main.
Another thing: you can’t equip duplicate pins, even if you have multiple copies from loot boxes. Duplicate pins automatically get converted to pin coins, which you can use to buy new pins from the in-game shop. You don’t have to save these coins unless you’re chasing a specific rare pin, since the shop rotates new pin options every 24 hours.
There are a few common mistakes new players make when setting up their first pin loadout that you can easily avoid:
- Filling all slots with meme pins that don’t communicate useful info to teammates during ranked matches
- Forgetting to assign event-specific pins for challenges like Championship Challenge or Brawl Pass missions
- Equipping too many negative pins that come off as toxic instead of playful when used with random teammates
You don’t have to be super serious about your pins, but keeping a mix of fun and functional options makes the game better for you and your team. For example, having a “Thanks” pin and a “Help” pin is way more useful than 8 different variations of a silly Colt face when you’re playing a high-stakes Power League match.
Best Pin Types to Prioritize for Casual and Ranked Play
Now that you know how to equip pins in Brawl Stars, you might be wondering which ones are actually worth keeping in your quick loadout. Let’s break down the most useful categories for every playstyle. First, communication pins: these are the functional ones like “Good job”, “Help”, “Sorry”, and “Let’s go”. If you play a lot of ranked Power League matches, these are non-negotiable, since you can’t type to teammates mid-match. Communication pins can turn a lost team fight around if you use them to call for backup or congratulate a teammate on a good play.
I used to fill all 8 of my slots with silly Mr. P pins when I first started playing, and I quickly realized I had no way to call for help when I was being chased by a Bull in Gem Grab. I swapped 3 of the meme pins out for communication pins, and my win rate went up a tiny but noticeable amount almost immediately, just because my teammates knew when to come back me up. You don’t have to ditch all your meme pins, but saving 3 to 4 slots for communication options makes a huge difference.
Next, playful, low-toxicity meme pins: these are the fun ones, like the Nita “GG” pin or the Spike laugh pin. Just avoid pins that are commonly used to harass teammates, like the “Oops” pin after a teammate dies, unless you’re playing with friends who get your sense of humor. Third, event-exclusive pins: if you’re grinding a limited-time event, equipping pins that match the event theme can help you connect with other players who are also working on the same missions. Some event pins are also limited edition, so equipping them is a fun way to show off that you participated in a past challenge.
How to Unlock New Pins to Expand Your Collection
If you only have a handful of basic pins right now, there are tons of easy ways to unlock more without spending real money. The most consistent way is through the Brawl Pass: both free and paid tiers have pin rewards every few levels, including limited edition seasonal pins that you can’t get anywhere else. Even if you don’t pay for the premium Brawl Pass, you’ll still unlock at least 3 to 4 pins per season just by playing regularly.
You can also buy pins from the daily shop using coins, gems, or pin coins you get from duplicate pins. Common pins only cost a few hundred coins, so they’re a great low-cost way to expand your collection fast. Limited-time event challenges often give out free exclusive pins as rewards for completing 3 or 4 tiers of the challenge, so make sure to check the event tab every week for new opportunities. These challenge pins are usually tied to specific events or brawler releases, so they’re great for showing off your participation long after the event ends.
Another underrated way to get pins is through club rewards: if you’re part of an active club that hits weekly club quest goals, you’ll often get pin boxes as part of your weekly reward. Just make sure you’re contributing to club quests to unlock those rewards faster. If you don’t mind spending a little money, special pin packs in the shop are usually a good value if you’re looking for specific brawler pins to match your main.
Pins are one of the smallest, most joyful parts of the Brawl Stars experience, and customizing your loadout to fit your playstyle takes almost no time once you know the process. Now that you know how to equip pins in Brawl Stars, you can mess around with different loadouts for casual matches, ranked play, and even friend group queues. Don’t be afraid to swap out your pins every few weeks to keep things fresh, and try to balance fun memes with useful communication pins to make every match a little better for you and your team. You never know when a well-timed “Great play” pin will make a random teammate’s day, or a quick “Help” pin will save you from losing a close match.