Starr Road is gone. As of the September 1, 2026 update, Brawl Stars unlocks new Brawlers through a completely different system called Brawler Blast — a shooting-gallery mini-game that trades the old "pick exactly who you want" control for randomness, but pays you back with bonus progression on every single unlock. It's the biggest change to Brawler progression in years, and if you were saving Credits for one specific Brawler, the rules just changed underneath you. This guide breaks down exactly how Brawler Blast works, the official odds, what happened to your Starr Road progress, and how to play it smart.
Quick answer (TLDR): Brawler Blast replaced Starr Road on September 1, 2026. You still spend Credits to unlock Brawlers and the rarity costs are identical (Rare 160 → Ultra 5,500), but you no longer choose which Brawler you get — the game gives you a random unowned Brawler from the rarity you're unlocking next. In exchange, every unlock now drops Gem Fragments that convert into bonus progression (extra Power Levels, a Gadget, Gear, Star Power, Hypercharge, or Buffie). There's a 50% chance each opening lets you pick from 2–4 Brawlers. Supercell handed out 1,500 free Credits on August 29 as compensation, but that claim-before window closed when the update landed. Rare and Super Rare Brawlers now come from Brawler Blast instead of Trophy Road.
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What is Brawler Blast in Brawl Stars?
Brawler Blast is the new core system for unlocking Brawlers with Credits, introduced in the September 1, 2026 release and headlining the Season 54 "Royal Academy" update. It replaces Starr Road entirely — the Starr Road and Fame buttons have been removed from the Home screen, and Brawler Blast now lives inside the Brawler Collection (to the left of your roster; Fame moved to the right).
In Supercell's own words from the official release notes:
"Starr Road has been reworked into Brawler Blast, a new shooting gallery-style unlocking experience where Credits progress you toward your next new Brawler (with potential upgrades)! Rarity costs are unchanged, and Rare and Super Rare Brawlers that used to come from Trophy Road now come from Brawler Blast." — Brawl Stars September 2026 Release Notes
The one-sentence version: you lose the ability to target a specific Brawler, but every unlock now comes with guaranteed bonus progression on top of the Brawler itself. A Brawler Blast opening is never just the Brawler anymore.
How does Brawler Blast work step by step?
Brawler Blast plays out like a carnival shooting gallery. Here's the exact flow, straight from the in-game system:
- Earn Credits. The moment you have enough, they count toward the next rarity in a fixed unlock order. Check the Brawler Blast section of your Brawler Collection to see which rarity you're unlocking next.
- Open Brawler Blast. A gallery fills with up to 10 unowned Brawlers of that rarity as targets.
- Knock the targets down. You fire shots to eliminate targets one by one. The last Brawler standing is the one you unlock.
- Collect Gem Fragments along the way. As targets fall, there's a chance each one reveals 1–4 Gem Fragments.
- Convert to progression. After you receive your new Brawler, those Gem Fragments turn into bonus progression for that Brawler — extra Power Levels or an ability.
If there are more than 10 unowned Brawlers in that rarity, the game randomly picks 10 as targets. If there are fewer than 10, the empty spots become blank targets — and blank targets are always eliminated before real Brawler targets. Every target, blank or not, has the same chance to drop Gem Fragments.
The choice mechanic (50% of the time)
Here's the part that softens the randomness: there's a 50% chance any given opening lets you choose your Brawler instead of leaving it to the last-standing target. When a choice is offered, the split is:
| Choice offered | Chance |
|---|---|
| Get a choice at all | 50% |
| Choose from 2 Brawlers | 57.14% |
| Choose from 3 Brawlers | 28.57% |
| Choose from 4 Brawlers | 14.29% |
If only one unowned Brawler is left in that rarity, no choice is offered — you simply get that Brawler (still with the bonus progression).
Brawler Blast unlock costs (Credits per rarity)
The Credit economy did not change. Costs per rarity are exactly what they were on Starr Road, so nothing you saved lost value:
| Rarity | Credits |
|---|---|
| Rare | 160 |
| Super Rare | 430 |
| Epic | 925 |
| Mythic | 1,900 |
| Legendary | 3,800 |
| Ultra | 5,500 |
Unlocks follow a set rarity order — you can't skip ahead to grab a Legendary before you've cleared the earlier tiers. The Brawler Collection shows your next rarity target.
What are Gem Fragments and how do they convert?
Gem Fragments are the reward layer that makes Brawler Blast more than a slot machine. During an opening, knocking down targets can reveal fragments; after you get your Brawler, they convert into progression for that specific Brawler. The official conversion table:
| Gem Fragments | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1 | +1 Power Level |
| 2 | +2 Power Levels, a random Gadget, or a random Super Rare Gear |
| 3 | +3 Power Levels or a random Star Power |
| 4 | +4 Power Levels, a Hypercharge, or a random Buffie |
The number of fragments you find per opening is itself weighted. Most openings land in the 3–5 fragment range — here are the headline odds:
- 4 Gem Fragments: 20.04% (the single most common result)
- 3 Gem Fragments: 16.03%
- 2 Gem Fragments: 14.03%
- 5 Gem Fragments: 14.03%
- 1 Gem Fragment: 12.02%
- 6 Gem Fragments: 10.02%
- 7 Gem Fragments: 6.01%
- 8+ Gem Fragments: rare, tapering from 2.20% down to a fraction of a percent for the 15–17 fragment jackpots.
So a typical unlock nets you a few bonus Power Levels plus a real shot at a Gadget, Gear, or Star Power the moment you get the Brawler — occasionally a Hypercharge.
The caps: what a single opening can and can't give you
To keep any one Blast from handing you a fully-maxed Brawler, Supercell set hard per-opening limits:
- Limit 1 Gadget per opening
- Limit 1 Gear per opening
- Limit 1 Star Power per opening
- Limit 1 Hypercharge per opening
- Limit 1 Buffie per opening
- Limit +10 Power Levels per opening
Two important extras: you can receive Gears, Star Powers, Gadgets, Hypercharges, and Buffies for a new Brawler before you're at the Power Level that normally lets you use them — and Brawler Blast is now the only source of random Gears in the game. A Brawler in early access (not fully released yet) cannot receive a Hypercharge or Buffie from a Blast until it's fully out.
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What happened to Starr Road and my Credits?
This is the question everyone had, so let's be precise:
- Your Credits kept their full value. Nothing was reset or converted at a loss — costs per rarity are unchanged.
- What you lost is the target. Under Starr Road you could grind toward one exact Brawler. That guarantee is gone; the next unlock is now a random Brawler of the appropriate rarity (or a small choice pool 50% of the time).
- Rare and Super Rare Brawlers moved. They used to come from Trophy Road; they now come through Brawler Blast.
To compensate for pulling the rug on targeted unlocks, Supercell dropped 1,500 free Credits into the Shop on August 29, 2026 (15:30 UTC). Their own advice was simple: claim them before the update if you were desperate for the specific Brawler on your Starr Road and wanted to finish that unlock, or save them for after if you didn't care who you got — because a Brawler Blast unlock now carries more total value thanks to the bonus progression. Since the update went live on September 1, that claim-before window has closed; any Credits you claim now flow through Brawler Blast.
How do new Brawlers work with Brawler Blast?
New Brawlers like Cosmo (the Mythic Controller arriving with Royal Academy this September) still get their own dedicated Release Event — when one is active, it gets its own button on the Home screen, so that targeted path is unchanged and you can still grind directly toward a brand-new Brawler when it launches. New Brawlers also join their rarity's Blast pool afterward, but a Brawler in early access can't receive a Hypercharge or Buffie from a Blast until it's fully released. If you want the newest character on day one, the release event is still the way.
Is Brawler Blast better or worse than Starr Road?
It depends on what kind of player you are — and here's the honest decision tree:
- Newer / mid-progression players → clear win. You were going to unlock most of the roster eventually anyway, and now every unlock comes with free Power Levels and a chance at abilities. The bonus progression compounds fast when you have lots of Brawlers left to get.
- Veterans chasing one specific Brawler → a real downgrade. If you have almost everyone and wanted, say, one particular Legendary, you can no longer beeline for it — you'll unlock other Brawlers of that rarity first. The 50% choice mechanic softens this but doesn't remove it.
- Everyone → more value per Credit overall. Because abilities and Gears now fall out of unlocks (and Blast is the only random Gear source), the raw value of spending Credits went up, even if the control went down.
Supercell has framed this as part of a broader push to move away from paid early-access and let more players unlock Brawlers through normal play. A "Credit Rush" occasional event is also planned to accelerate unlocks further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still choose which Brawler to unlock in Brawler Blast? Not directly. Brawler Blast gives you a random unowned Brawler from the rarity you're unlocking next. However, there's a 50% chance each opening lets you pick from 2 to 4 Brawlers instead. New Brawlers keep a targeted path through their dedicated release events, but they can't be prioritized inside Blast.
Did my Starr Road progress or Credits get wiped? No. Your Credits kept their exact value and the cost per rarity is unchanged (Rare 160 up to Ultra 5,500). The only thing that changed is that you can no longer guarantee which specific Brawler your Credits unlock. Supercell gave out 1,500 free Credits on August 29 to compensate, but the claim-before-the-update window closed on September 1.
What are Gem Fragments in Brawler Blast? Gem Fragments are bonus rewards revealed while you knock down targets during a Blast. After you get your new Brawler, they convert into progression for that Brawler — from +1 Power Level (1 fragment) up to a Hypercharge or Buffie (4 fragments). The most common outcome is finding 4 fragments (20.04% of openings).
What's the maximum I can get from one Brawler Blast opening? A single opening is capped at +10 Power Levels and at most 1 Gadget, 1 Gear, 1 Star Power, 1 Hypercharge, and 1 Buffie. The best realistic jackpot is a Brawler arriving close to fully kitted, but you can't max a Brawler in one shot.
Where did Brawler Blast go in the menu? The Starr Road and Fame buttons were removed from the Home screen. Brawler Blast now lives inside the Brawler Collection (to the left of your roster), with Fame on the right. When a Brawler Release Event is active, it gets its own Home-screen button. The Brawler List was also rebuilt to scroll horizontally with a new search bar.
Is Brawler Blast pay-to-win? No more than Starr Road was. It uses the same Credits, which are earned through normal play (Trophy Road, quests, drops). If anything, tying bonus progression to unlocks pushes value toward free players — but it does remove the ability to buy your way toward one exact Brawler.
