Brutal Demon is one of the playable characters in The Strongest Battlegrounds. It was originally a paid character when released on July 2, 2023, but became free on October 22, 2023. This character specializes in close-range combat with a metal bat, though many of its abilities have ranged or mobility properties to keep you competitive.
If you want an aggressive, straightforward fighting style with powerful unblockable moves, Brutal Demon is a solid pick.
Passive Abilities
Brutal Demon has two core passives that define how you'll play:
Pumped Up: Taking damage builds up your Ultimate Mode meter. Important note: damage from enemy ultimate skills does not count toward this progress. This means you'll need to get hit by regular moves to charge up.
Metal Bat: Your basic punches are replaced with bat swings. Your final M1 swing performs an automatic downslam that's similar to a normal downslam but can't be blocked—it just smashes enemies into the ground. However, your M1s are slower than most characters, which can put you at a disadvantage in fast-paced exchanges.
Base Moveset
Here's what you can do in your normal state:
| Attack | Damage | Cooldown | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 Chain | 14% | 2 seconds | Three bat swings followed by a ground slam. The final hit is an automatic downslam—can't be blocked, just knocks enemies down. |
| Homerun | 15% | 17 seconds | Upward swing into a spinning strike that launches enemies away. Can't be blocked, grabs grounded opponents, applies armor on hit, and reflects projectiles on the first swing (small window). |
| Homerun Miss | 10% | 17 seconds | If you miss the upward swing, you dash forward and slam down instead. Can't be blocked, longer recovery, can deflect projectiles with good timing. |
| Beatdown | 17% | 23 seconds | Dash forward and hit 6 times while moving toward your opponent, ending in a ragdoll. Can be blocked, grabs ragdolled/rolling enemies mid-air, gives armor on successful grapple. |
| Grand Slam | 17% | 20 seconds | Arc into the air and slam down with AoE damage. Standing or blocking enemies get ragdolled; already ragdolled enemies launch upward and evade roll. Can't be blocked. Does not grant armor, so you're vulnerable after. |
| Grand Slam Air Variant | 12% | 20 seconds | If your arc hits an opponent in the air, you suspend mid-path, smash them down, and roll. Can't be blocked, stuns them in place before they roll, can grapple ragdolled/rolling opponents. |
| Foul Ball | 15% | 23 seconds | Small leap, ground slam, launch a debris block forward. Affected by gravity, travels until hitting a wall/floor/enemy. Causes rolls on ragdolled/blocking enemies, deals AoE. If countered, it's unstable. |
| Foul Ball Grab | 14% | 23 seconds | If the initial hit connects, you grab and slam down, bounce them, and hit them away. Grab-based, can't be blocked, long recovery if you miss, gives armor on successful grab. |
Pumped Up Ultimate Mode
Once you've taken enough damage to charge your Ultimate Mode (using the G key), you enter Pumped Up. This lasts 47 seconds and changes your moveset with two powerful new abilities:
Pumped Up (Ultimate Activation): You hit yourself with the bat 3 times before creating a shockwave that knocks down everyone nearby. This deals 18% damage and grants you the Pumped Up buff.
Savage Tornado: After a short windup, you perform three sets of spinning attacks, each creating massive tornadoes that suck enemies in. The third tornado lasts longer and the final gust is wider, rolling anyone outside the whirlwind. Enemies caught inside and failing to cancel their ragdoll take extra damage.
- Damage: 24%
- Cooldown: 16 seconds
- Can be interrupted during windup, but you can cancel into Death Blow before the windup ends (this doesn't reset Savage Tornado's cooldown)
- Can't be blocked
- Basic armor during the attack
Brutal Beatdown: After a short windup, this devastating combo deals 50% damage across all hits. This is your heavy hitter in ultimate mode and will finish most fights.
- Damage: 50% (all hits combined)
- Cooldown: 28 seconds
Playstyle Tips
Land your unblockable moves: Homerun, Grand Slam, and Foul Ball can't be blocked. These are your most reliable damage sources. Use them when your opponent can't escape or when they're vulnerable.
Watch your M1 speed: Your bat swings are slower, so don't try to M1 spam against faster characters. Instead, use your moves with longer cooldowns and rely on good positioning.
Ultimate mode is your finisher: Brutal Beatdown hits hard during Pumped Up. Save it for when you know you can connect, because the 28-second cooldown is long.
Protect yourself after Grand Slam: Grand Slam doesn't give you armor, so enemies can punish you right after. Only use it when you're confident it'll land or when you have space to recover.