If you’ve logged into Brawl Stars in the last few weeks, you’ve definitely seen the flashy popups teasing new hypercharges for some of the game’s most popular brawlers. You might have even fought against a player using one and wondered how they’re dealing so much extra damage, or surviving fights they had no business winning. If you’re asking what are the new hypercharges in Brawl Stars, and whether they’re worth putting in the grind to unlock, you’re in the right place. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars since its global launch, have 12 brawlers at rank 30 or higher, and I’ve spent the last two weeks testing every single one of these new hypercharges across all game modes to give you unfiltered, real-world feedback.
What Are the New Hypercharges in Brawl Stars, Exactly?
For anyone who needs a quick refresher, hypercharges are endgame ability upgrades for brawlers that unlock once you hit power level 11. They boost damage, speed, and shield for a short duration, plus add a unique, game-changing perk specific to each brawler. The latest batch of hypercharges dropped for five fan-favorite brawlers, each with perks tailored to their existing playstyles.
Meg’s Hypercharge: Mech Overdrive activates only when she’s in her mech form, boosting her movement speed by 40%, damage by 25%, and making all her basic attacks explode in a 1-tile radius on impact. I found this perk is especially useful for clearing out grouped enemies holding a hot zone or guarding a brawl ball goal. Edgar’s Hypercharge: Vampiric Frenzy cuts his jump cooldown in half, increases his lifesteal by 30%, and gives him a 20% shield while he’s mid-leap. It turns Edgar from a fun but inconsistent flanker into a legitimate 1v2 threat if you use his jumps correctly.
Penny’s Hypercharge: Cannon Barrage makes her turret fire 3 extra explosive shells per burst, and leaves a 3-tile poison pool that lasts 4 seconds when the turret is destroyed. It fixes Penny’s biggest weakness, which was enemies easily destroying her turret to eliminate all her area control. Ruffs’ Hypercharge: Supply Drop Boost upgrades his support ability to give both himself and the nearest ally a 50% shield for 3 seconds, plus a stackable 10% damage buff. It’s a game-changer for coordinated 3v3 teams. Bea’s Hypercharge: Supercharged Sting makes her fully charged basic shot stun targets for 0.75 seconds, and lets her super pierce through 2 extra enemies. It turns Bea from a niche sniper into one of the strongest brawlers in long-range game modes.
Key Perks and Tradeoffs of Each New Hypercharge
None of these hypercharges are straight-up overpowered, and each comes with clear tradeoffs you need to consider before you spend credits to unlock them. For Meg’s hypercharge, the biggest upside is the splash damage and movement speed that lets you push through enemy lines in brawl ball or siege. The downside is that it only works when you’re in mech form. If your mech gets destroyed 2 seconds after you activate the hypercharge, you’ve wasted the entire charge for no benefit. I learned this the hard way when I activated it right as a Bull walked up and melted my mech in two shots.
Edgar’s hypercharge is perfect for open solo showdown maps, where you can jump between targets nonstop and use the extra lifesteal to outheal incoming damage. But it’s almost useless on tight, maze-like maps where you can’t get enough distance to jump away from crowd control effects. I tried using it on Snake Prairie once and got stunned by a Emz mid-jump three matches in a row, so I switched back to my usual brawler for that map after that.
Penny’s hypercharge makes her turret nearly unignorable in hot zone and siege, even if you place it a little further back from the objective. The poison pool left when it’s destroyed means enemies can’t just rush it and take control of the area right away. The only downside is the turret still has the same base health, so high-damage brawlers like Colt or Brock can take it out before it gets off a full barrage if you don’t place it behind cover.
Ruffs’ hypercharge is a top-tier pick for competitive 3v3 play, since the shield and damage buff can turn a losing team fight into a win in seconds. It falls flat if your team is spread out, though, since it only buffs you and one other nearby ally. If you’re playing solo queue with randoms who don’t stick together, you’ll rarely get full value from it. Bea’s hypercharge lets you pick off escaping targets and stun flankers before they can reach you, but you still have to fully charge your shot to get the stun effect. If you get caught off guard by a close-range brawler like Mortis, you won’t have time to charge your shot before you get eliminated.
How to Unlock and Use New Hypercharges Effectively
Unlocking these new hypercharges follows the same rules as older ones. First, you need to get the brawler to power level 11 using coins and power points. Once that’s done, you can unlock their hypercharge using hypercharge credits, which you earn from the free and premium battle pass tracks, daily rewards, special event challenges, and occasional shop offers. It takes roughly 5000 hypercharge credits to unlock one hypercharge, so you’ll want to prioritize the brawlers you play most often to avoid wasting resources.
Once you’ve unlocked a hypercharge, you can activate it during a match once your hypercharge meter is full, which fills as you deal damage to enemies. I’ve tested every one of these hypercharges across 20+ matches each, and these are my top 3 tips for getting maximum value every time you use them:
- Save your hypercharge for high-stakes moments, not just for random 1v1 fights. For example, activate it right before a team fight in gem grab when you’re 2 gems away from winning, or when you’re pushing the ball into the enemy goal in brawl ball. Wasting it on a low-stakes fight against a single enemy when your team is already winning means you won’t have it when you really need it.
- Pair your hypercharge with complementary star powers and gadgets. For Meg, use the "Mech Repair" star power so you can stay in mech form longer to use your full hypercharge duration. For Bea, use the "Quick Charge" gadget to get your stun shot ready faster when you activate your hypercharge. For Edgar, use the "Jump Boost" gadget to extend your jump range and catch enemies off guard right after activating your hypercharge.
- Adjust your playstyle to match your hypercharge’s strengths. If you’re using Penny’s hypercharge, don’t place your turret right in the open where it gets destroyed instantly, put it behind a wall so it can fire off multiple barrages before enemies can reach it. If you’re using Ruffs’ hypercharge, stick close to your highest-damage teammate so you can buff them for every team fight instead of running off alone.
You don’t have to unlock every new hypercharge right away even if you have enough credits. I made the mistake of unlocking Ruffs’ hypercharge first because I thought the support buff would be useful, but I almost never play Ruffs, so I wasted 5000 credits that I could have used for Edgar’s hypercharge, which I use almost every day. If you’re a casual player who only plays a few matches a week, stick to unlocking hypercharges for the 2 or 3 brawlers you use most often.
Are the New Hypercharges Worth the Grind?
The answer depends entirely on how you play Brawl Stars. If you’re a casual player who only plays a few matches a week with friends, you only need to grind for hypercharges for the brawlers you play regularly. You don’t need to unlock all five to have fun, and you can still win most matches even if you’re going up against players who have them. I’ve won multiple matches against players with Edgar’s hypercharge using a power 9 Mortis, just by playing around his jump cooldown and avoiding 1v1 fights when his hypercharge is active.
If you’re a competitive player who pushes for rank 30+ brawlers, plays in tournaments, or climbs the leaderboards, these hypercharges are absolutely worth the grind. Recent tier lists from top Brawl Stars competitive players rank 3 of the 5 new hypercharges as S-tier for 3v3 modes, and they give you a noticeable edge in high-rank matches where almost every player has maxed brawlers and perfect game sense. The hypercharges don’t break game balance but they do reward players who put in the time to learn how to use them correctly.
For free-to-play players, the grind for one hypercharge takes roughly two weeks if you play 3 to 4 matches a day and complete all your daily and weekly challenges. If you buy the premium battle pass, you can get enough credits to unlock two hypercharges a month easily, plus extra coins and power points to level up your brawlers faster. If you’re on a tight budget, you don’t need to spend real money to unlock these hypercharges you just have to be patient and prioritize the brawlers you want to upgrade first.
At the end of the day, knowing what are the new hypercharges in Brawl Stars and how to use them can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy the game, whether you’re a casual player just having fun with friends or a competitive player climbing the ranks. Don’t feel pressured to unlock all of them right away, take your time, test the ones you’re curious about, and adjust your playstyle to make the most of their unique perks. Next time you log in, try out one of the new hypercharges in a quick match, you might be surprised at how much they change how you play your favorite brawlers.