If you’re diving into the Stranger Things event in Brawl Stars, the Hawkins Hunt mode is probably one of the most exciting and challenging. This guide will walk you through how the mode works, what to expect in each stage, and which Brawlers and strategies can help you secure a full run.
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What Is Brawl Stars Hawkins Hunt?
Hawkins Hunt is a special 3-player boss battle mode released during the November 2025 Stranger Things collaboration, running from November 6 to December 3, 2025. In this mode, you team up with two other players to take down bosses inspired by the series, including Spirit Frank, Vecna, and the Demogorgon. Although the setup sounds similar to other PvE challenges, Hawkins Hunt has several mechanics that make it feel faster, harder, and more coordinated than the usual boss fights.
Want to learn more about this crossover and the exclusive skins? Check out Brawl Stars x Stranger Things collaboration.
How Hawkins Hunt Works
To understand the mode, think of it as a five-stage gauntlet. Each full attempt is called a “run,” and every stage pushes you harder than the one before it.
Progression and Difficulty
Your run begins at Stage 1 on Normal difficulty. As you advance, the boss gains more health, speed, and attacks. By the time you reach the final stage, the difficulty can climb as high as Impossible III, so the mistakes you could survive early on can easily get you wiped later.
Losing a Run
A run ends immediately if all three players are defeated or the 5-minute timer runs out. If that happens, you go right back to Stage 1. The event itself resets every 6 days, giving you new daily attempts.
Power-Up Cards
Before each stage, the team chooses one of three power-up cards. These cards shape your entire run — the right picks can carry you through Impossible stages, while the wrong ones can make even early rounds frustrating. Cards may offer bonus damage, faster movement, quicker reloads, or even double jump. Among all cards, Goat Mode is the rare prize: a big boost to HP, speed, and Super-charge gain.
Rewards
Clearing stages earns Waffles, a special event currency you can use to buy booster packs and other rewards.
Super Limitations
All Brawlers generate Super and Hypercharge roughly 70% slower in this mode. This changes the pace of the fight dramatically, especially for Brawlers who depend heavily on Supers.
Major Boss: Spirit Frank (Spirit Knight Frank)
The first half of the mode focuses on Spirit Frank, followed by the more dangerous Vecna. Spirit Frank is usually the first boss players tackle, with difficulty that can climb up to Insane. Even though he’s considered the “early” boss, he has a wide set of attacks that punish slow reactions.
Spirit Frank’s Attacks
Throughout the battle, Spirit Frank becomes more aggressive as the timer goes down. He moves through several “Anger Levels”: Normal → Angry → Furious → Enraged → God Mode. Each step makes him noticeably stronger. His main attacks include:
Flame Shots
A ground slam that releases 12 piercing flame shots in a wide arc. These can chunk your HP if you aren’t moving.
Stunning Shots
A full 360° burst of 14 flame shots that deal damage and stun you briefly. Getting caught in this often leads to a team wipe.
Charge
Frank rushes forward in a straight line. This deals heavy damage but can be stopped by water.
Lambent Mortis Minions
Frank throws out a projectile that summons a Lambent Mortis minion on landing. These minions chase players and deal strong melee damage.
Pull + Stunning Shots Combo
Frank creates a vortex that drags players toward him, then follows up with his 360° stun attack. An alarm sound plays just before he uses it — that cue is your signal to start repositioning.
How to Fight Spirit Frank
Beating Spirit Frank is less about raw damage and more about movement and team roles.
Stay Mobile
The biggest mistake is staying still. His 360° attack always has small safe gaps — keep an eye on the pattern and move toward the openings. Standing a little closer to Frank’s center can also help you slip between flame lines.
Control the Minions
Assign one teammate to watch for summoned minions. These enemies hurt far more than they look, and ignoring them usually leads to your team getting boxed in.
Pick the Right Cards
High-damage cards, gadget reload cards, and movement speed boosts are extremely helpful here. Faster movement in particular gives you more room to dodge the wide flame patterns.
Use the Map
Walls can block flame shots, which is useful for breathing room, but remember, they break eventually. Don’t rely on them for the full fight.
Recommended Brawlers for Spirit Frank
A balanced team usually includes at least one stopper, one ranged damage dealer, and optionally a melee attacker for added flexibility. Here are some recommended Brawlers:
Spike / Buzz / Emz / Shelly
These Brawlers excel at slowing and controlling Spirit Frank and his minions. Spike stands out with his Super, which can trap Frank, and his Plant Life Star Power, giving him enough sustain to survive close-range attacks.
Colt / Rico / 8-Bit / Amber / Brock
Ranged Brawlers that can safely deal consistent damage from a distance, perfect for staying out of Spirit Frank’s flame attacks.
Edgar / Stu
Melee Brawlers with high mobility. Edgar is strong thanks to his burst damage and double jump, which help him dodge flame patterns. Stu’s repeated dash allows him to avoid both Flame Shots and Charge attacks effectively.
Major Boss: Vecna
If Spirit Frank is a warm-up, then Vecna is where the real test begins. He is the second major boss in Hawkins Hunt, and his difficulty jumps sharply compared to Frank. The fight becomes even more chaotic because Vecna never fights alone—his Demogorgon pet constantly pressures your team, forcing you to multitask while dodging some of the most punishing attacks in the event. Vecna’s stages begin at Hard and climb all the way to Impossible III, and the higher the difficulty, the more his attacks can wipe you out instantly if you slip even once.
Vecna’s Abilities
Just like Spirit Frank, Vecna grows more aggressive as the timer ticks down. His Anger Levels boost both his speed and damage until he eventually reaches God Mode, where even a small mistake can end a run. Here’s what he can do:
- Vortexes
Vecna creates three vortex zones that pull all players toward their centers, dealing damage and causing a 5-second stun. Getting caught by these often results in a follow-up attack that finishes you instantly.
- Hurricanes
He sends out six cone-shaped hurricanes that lift players into the air. While airborne, you cannot move or attack, though you are temporarily immune to direct damage. However, the hurricanes also pull you closer to Vecna, often setting you up for his next ability.
- Exploding Rocks
Vecna spawns five rocks that explode outward shortly after appearing. These explosions cover a wide radius, so staying mobile is crucial.
- Teleport Strike (Clock Projectile)
Vecna fires a large clock-shaped projectile. If it hits a player, he teleports directly behind them and deals heavy burst damage. The projectile always targets the nearest Brawler.
- Pull (Expert Difficulty and Above)
At higher difficulties, Vecna gains a stronger pull ability that drags players directly toward him and hits for around 4400 damage to anyone close by. Skilled players can dodge this attack by moving early during the short wind-up animation.
Demogorgon Pet
Vecna’s companion constantly targets the nearest Brawler, dashing forward to deal damage and knockback. If left uncontrolled, it can interrupt dodging, break your positioning, and trap players in Vecna’s lethal combos.
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How to Fight Vecna
Vecna hits incredibly hard, and many of his attacks can chain together into unavoidable kills if you get too close. The key to winning lies in distance, control, and smart role distribution.
1. Prioritize Range and Movement Speed
Vecna’s pull, vortex, and hurricanes all punish players who stand too close. Movement speed is one of the strongest stats in this fight—it helps you break free of dangerous zones, escape the pull, and dodge the teleport projectile. High-rarity cards that boost speed, reload speed, or damage should be your top choices throughout the run.
2. Maintain Maximum Distance
Most of Vecna’s attacks target whoever stands closest to him. Ranged Brawlers can stay far away and avoid nearly every dangerous situation. Assassins like Edgar will almost always be one-shot unless heavily buffed, so engaging at point-blank range is rarely worth the risk.
3. Bait Vecna’s Targeting
Since Vecna fixates on the nearest target, a strong strategy is to designate one player—preferably someone fast or tanky—to act as the “bait.” This player keeps Vecna’s attention by staying closer while the other two attack safely from afar. Vecna primarily attacks in front of him, so the bait player only needs to maintain careful spacing and avoid sudden bursts.
4. Managing the Demogorgon Pet — The Key to the Fight
The biggest difficulty spike in the Vecna encounter comes from the Demogorgon pet. The ideal strategy is:
One teammate isolates the Demogorgon by dragging it far away from the fight.
That player then loops back and defeats the pet alone.
Meanwhile, the remaining two teammates keep sustained pressure on Vecna.
Removing the Demogorgon drastically lowers the chaos level. Without it, the team can focus entirely on Vecna’s attack patterns instead of juggling both threats.
5. Helping Teammates Escape Stuns and Pulls
If a teammate gets trapped in a stun or hurricane, you can sometimes rescue them by luring the Demogorgon into bumping them out of the danger zone. This isn’t always easy, but in clutch moments, it can prevent a near-certain death.
Recommended Brawlers for the Vecna Fight
The safest and most consistent team composition is three long-range damage dealers. Their ability to fight from afar directly counters Vecna’s entire kit. Below are the top choices, organized by practical performance rather than pure ranking:
Max — Speed and Consistency
Max’s high movement speed and strong range make her one of the best picks. With reload speed cards, she can deal fast, consistent damage while easily avoiding most of Vecna’s attacks.
Colt — Reliable Burst Damage
With cards that add extra projectiles, increase range, and boost movement speed, Colt becomes a powerful ranged threat. He excels at shredding Vecna from a safe distance.
Brock — Heavy Long-Range Pressure
Brock’s missiles deal high damage over long distances. His gadgets offer emergency escape options, and his Super or Hypercharge can burst down large chunks of Vecna’s health.
Amber — Strong Sustained Damage
Amber’s range and burning damage make her excellent for long fights. Currently, her Super charges unusually fast, allowing her to maintain pressure almost constantly.
Piper — High-Precision Damage
If you can aim well, Piper is devastating at long range. Keeping her Super ready is crucial for escaping sudden pulls or teleports.
Nani — Extreme Long-Range Burst
Nani has one of the highest damage ceilings from range. Movement speed cards are essential if you choose her, as she is fragile when caught.
Jessie — A Valuable Distraction Tool
With the +1 pet card, Jessie becomes surprisingly strong. Her turret draws Vecna’s attention, often forcing him to teleport to it instead of a teammate.
Crow — Utility and Survivability
Crow’s shield stacking and Super make him hard to pin down. His Hypercharge allows him to land all daggers at once, refreshing his Super and offering powerful burst windows.
Melodie — The Only Viable Assassin
Melodie’s mobility lets her escape Vecna’s damage zones more easily than other melee fighters. Her music notes also help deal with the Demogorgon pet.
Edgar — Not Recommended
Although Edgar is strong in many boss modes, Vecna can delete him instantly with a single pull. Unless you have near-perfect execution, Edgar is too risky for this fight.
Additional Tips and Team Techniques
Card Priorities
To survive Vecna’s hardest phases before God Mode activates, prioritize:
Movement Speed: This is the most important stat in the entire fight.
Damage Upgrades: You must kill Vecna before he overwhelms your team.
Range Improvements: The farther you can fight from, the safer you are.
Team Coordination
While it’s possible to beat Vecna with random teammates, coordinated teams have a much higher success rate. You need clear communication on:
Who is baiting Vecna
Who is handling the Demogorgon
When to regroup or reset positioning
Once two players fall, the remaining teammate gets overwhelmed almost instantly, so staying alive as a group is crucial.
Card Deck Strategy
Unlocking Brawler Decks gives you more entry options for the event. Some Brawlers become extremely powerful with the right card combinations:
Hank: His mutation that fires torpedoes when he takes damage deals massive burst if timed properly.
Griff: Faster Super charge and healing from attacks make him surprisingly durable.
Nita: With the +1 pet card and healing synergy, her bear can tank and sustain damage massively during boss fights.
Conclusion
Hawkins Hunt rewards smart movement, teamwork, and the right card choices. Master ranged Brawlers, keep mobile, and control adds like the Demogorgon, and even Impossible stages become doable. For a smoother event experience, consider Brawl Stars top up on LootBar to get extra resources and boost your runs.
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