T
Tier B Easy AFK/Automation
The Radical
AFK farming specialist. AI plays the game and selects upgrades automatically.
Starting Ball
Wind
Passive Ability
Fully automated AI-controlled gameplay with auto-upgrade selection
Unlock Requirement
Unlock via progression
Playstyle Guide
The Radical is the ultimate hands-off character - the AI controls movement, aiming, and upgrade selection entirely. Perfect for AFK farming resources or progressing while doing other tasks. Wind starting ball provides crowd control (slows enemies 30% for 5s) but deals 25% less damage than standard balls. Works best when paired with The Tactician or The Repentant for AFK synergies. Struggles with trajectory-based characters like The Shade or The Physicist. Cannot dodge boss attacks effectively, so best used for lower difficulty farming after you've progressed. Set it, walk away, come back to resources. Unique playstyle that requires zero input but lower optimization than manual play.
Recommended Evolutions
These evolutions synergize best with The Radical's abilities and playstyle:
Strategy Tips
✓
Beginner Friendly
Forgiving playstyle makes The Radical excellent for learning the game's mechanics.
Great choice for your first character unlock.
Role: AFK/Automation
Passive Ability Analysis
The Radical's passive removes all player control: the AI handles movement (positioning), aiming (targeting), and upgrade selection (evolution paths). This creates a completely hands-off experience where you can start a run, walk away, and return to collected resources. The AI's decision-making follows predictable patterns: it prioritizes high-value targets (bosses, elite enemies), moves to center-screen positioning to maximize coverage, and selects upgrades that increase raw damage or AoE (like Lightning Storm, Sandstorm, Toxic Cloud). However, the AI has critical limitations: it cannot execute advanced techniques like kiting, prediction shots, or positioning for character-specific mechanics (critical hit zones, execute thresholds, reflection angles). It treats all characters identically, meaning it doesn't leverage passive synergies (e.g., won't position for The Shade's execute mechanics or The Repentant's bounce chains). The Wind starting ball adds 30% slow (5s duration) for crowd control, helping the AI manage enemy swarms, but the 25% damage penalty means you'll always lag behind manual play in raw DPS. The AI upgrade selection is 'safe'—it avoids niche builds and sticks to universally strong evolutions (AoE, damage, projectile speed), which works for consistent wave 15-20 clears but prevents optimization. Think of The Radical as a 70% efficiency auto-pilot: good enough to farm resources overnight, not good enough to push wave 40+.
Early Game Strategy (Waves 1-10)
**Waves 1-10 (AFK Setup):** The Radical's early game is entirely AI-controlled, so your only job is to start the run and walk away. The AI will automatically collect Wind balls (30% slow, 25% less damage) and prioritize basic enemies. Wind's crowd control helps the AI manage early swarms, slowing enemies so even with reduced damage, you'll survive wave 1-5 easily. The AI positions itself center-screen to maximize ball coverage and rotates to face the highest concentration of enemies. By wave 5-7, the AI will start selecting upgrades: expect it to prioritize **damage increases** (Projectile Damage +10%), **AoE evolutions** (Lightning Storm, Sandstorm), or **projectile speed** (faster clear times). The AI won't optimize for character-specific synergies, so it treats The Radical identically to any other character—meaning it won't leverage Wind's slow for kiting or chain slow effects. Your first evolution will likely be **Sandstorm** (Wind + Earth) or **Lightning Storm** (Wind + Electric)—both are strong AoE options that the AI favors. By wave 10, you should have 2-3 evolutions and be clearing waves consistently at ~60-70% the speed of manual play. The AI's positioning is 'safe' (center-screen, avoiding edges), which prevents deaths but reduces optimization. Early game is smooth but slower than manual—expect 8-12 minutes to reach wave 10 AFK vs 5-7 minutes manually.
Mid Game Strategy (Waves 11-25)
**Waves 11-25 (AI Optimization Peak):** Mid-game is where The Radical shines—the AI handles increasingly complex enemy swarms efficiently, and the automation advantage outweighs the performance penalty. The AI will continue selecting AoE evolutions: **Dust Cyclone** (Wind + Desert, +50% Wind damage), **Toxic Cloud** (Wind + Poison, DoT application), and **Lightning Storm** (chain lightning). These evolutions synergize well with Wind's crowd control, slowing enemies while applying AoE damage. The AI's upgrade selection becomes more predictable here: it prioritizes **projectile count** (+1 Ball), **damage increases** (Projectile Damage +20%), and **evolution-specific buffs** (Wind Damage +30%). By wave 15-18, you should have 5-7 evolutions focused on AoE/Wind synergies. The AI's positioning remains center-screen, which works well for AoE builds but prevents leveraging edge-bounces or corner strategies. Waves 11-20 are fully AFK-capable—the AI will clear waves, collect upgrades, and survive boss fights (though expect 2-3 hits per boss due to poor dodge timing). By wave 20-25, the AI's limitations become apparent: it won't dodge complex boss patterns (Lantern Knight bosses, multi-phase enemies), so you'll take damage and may need healing evolutions (Soul Sucker, Vampiric Touch). The AI also struggles with high-HP elites—it won't focus-fire, instead spreading damage across all enemies, which prolongs fights. Mid-game is The Radical's peak efficiency: 65-70% performance vs manual, fully AFK-capable, and consistent wave 15-25 clears. Expect 25-35 minutes to reach wave 25 AFK.
Late Game Strategy (Waves 26-40+)
**Waves 26-40+ (AI Limitations):** Late game exposes The Radical's weaknesses—the AI cannot handle complex mechanics, boss patterns, or optimization required for wave 30-40 progression. The AI will continue selecting damage/AoE upgrades, but without strategic positioning or ability timing, you'll struggle. Late-game bosses require dodging telegraphed attacks (laser sweeps, charge attacks, AoE explosions), which the AI cannot execute—expect to take 50-70% of boss attacks directly, necessitating defensive evolutions (Reflection, Barrier, Soul Sucker). The AI's center-screen positioning becomes a liability: you're constantly surrounded, taking chip damage from swarms, and the AI won't kite or reposition strategically. By wave 30-35, The Radical's AFK capability drops to ~50-60% efficiency—you can still progress, but it's slow and inconsistent. The AI's upgrade selection remains focused on damage/AoE, which is correct, but it won't adapt to late-game needs (survivability, boss burst damage, elite focus-fire). Waves 35-40 are borderline impossible AFK—the AI will die to boss mechanics or get overwhelmed by elite swarms. **Best late-game use case:** Don't push wave 40+ with The Radical. Instead, use it for **wave 15-25 AFK farming loops**—start a run, let it farm to wave 20-25, collect resources, restart. This maximizes efficiency (consistent 25-minute runs) without hitting the AI's performance ceiling. If you want to push wave 30+, consider switching to a manual character (The Pitling, Iron Fool) after The Radical unlocks key evolutions. The Radical is not a late-game powerhouse—it's a mid-game farming specialist.
Best Evolutions for The Radical
**1. Sandstorm (Wind + Earth):** AoE evolution that creates swirling sand clouds dealing damage in a large area. The AI loves Sandstorm because it requires no aiming—just fire and the AoE handles everything. Wind's 30% slow + Sandstorm's AoE creates a deadly combination: enemies are slowed while taking continuous damage. The AI will prioritize Sandstorm in 90% of runs because it's universally strong and requires zero optimization. **2. Lightning Storm (Wind + Electric):** Chain lightning evolution that bounces between enemies, dealing 80% damage per bounce. The AI targets high-density enemy clusters, maximizing chain efficiency. Lightning Storm scales well with projectile count (+1 Ball upgrades), and the AI will consistently select this evolution for boss fights (chain lightning chunks boss HP). **3. Dust Cyclone (Wind + Desert, +50% Wind damage):** Direct upgrade to Wind balls, increasing damage by 50% and adding a dust trail that damages enemies. This compensates for Wind's 25% base damage penalty, bringing you closer to standard DPS. The AI will select this early (wave 7-12) to boost raw damage output. **4. Toxic Cloud (Wind + Poison):** DoT evolution that applies poison (3% max HP per second, 8s duration) to all enemies hit by Wind balls. The AI doesn't optimize DoT play (won't focus-fire to stack poisons), but Toxic Cloud's passive application works well with AoE strategies—hit multiple enemies, let poison tick while repositioning. **5. Soul Sucker (Life Steal):** Defensive evolution that heals 5% max HP per enemy killed. The AI takes more damage than manual play (poor dodging), so Soul Sucker is critical for survivability waves 20-30. The AI will auto-select this when HP drops below 50%, making it a consistent late-game pick.
How to Unlock The Radical
The Radical is unlocked via standard progression: as you complete runs, unlock blueprints, and expand your character roster, The Radical becomes available through the blueprint system (exact unlock blueprint not specified in sources, but likely tied to mid-game progression around wave 15-20 clears with other characters). **Recommended unlock path:** 1. Complete wave 15-20 runs with **The Pitling** or **Iron Fool** (S-tier starter characters) to build your evolution database and resource pool. 2. Unlock key biomes (Desert, Shadowlands, Electric zones) to access Wind-synergy evolutions (Sandstorm, Dust Cyclone, Lightning Storm). 3. Focus on collecting **Stone** and **blueprint materials**—The Radical's unlock likely requires 20-30 Stone and a specific blueprint (check your blueprint menu after wave 15-20 clears). 4. Once unlocked, test The Radical on **wave 1-15 runs** to understand AI behavior before committing to longer AFK sessions. **Time estimate:** 2-4 hours of active play (wave 15-20 clears with other characters) before The Radical becomes available. **Common unlock mistake:** Don't rush to unlock The Radical first—it's a specialist character best used after you've unlocked S-tier characters and built your evolution database. Unlock order: The Pitling → Iron Fool → Lantern Knight → The Repentant → The Radical.
Advanced Tips & Tricks
**1. AFK Farming Loops (Wave 15-25):** The Radical's best use case is repeatable wave 15-25 farming loops. Start a run, let it AFK to wave 20-25 (~25-30 minutes), collect resources, restart. This maximizes efficiency without hitting the AI's performance ceiling. **2. Overnight Resource Farming:** Set up a wave 15-25 AFK run before sleeping—you'll wake up to collected Stone, blueprints, and evolution unlocks. The AI is reliable enough for overnight farming (60-70% success rate on wave 20 clears). **3. Wind Synergy Stacking:** The AI prioritizes Wind evolutions (Sandstorm, Dust Cyclone, Lightning Storm)—don't fight this. Let the AI build full Wind-synergy, and you'll have consistent AoE damage. Avoid trying to force non-Wind builds (the AI won't optimize them). **4. Defensive Evolution Priority:** The AI takes more damage than manual play—prioritize defensive evolutions (Soul Sucker, Barrier, Reflection) in your upgrade pool. The AI will auto-select these when HP is low, improving survivability. **5. Boss Skip Strategy:** The AI struggles with bosses (poor dodge timing)—if you're monitoring the run, consider manually skipping difficult bosses (pause, restart) to avoid deaths. The AI is better at wave-clearing than boss fights. **6. Multitasking Optimization:** Use The Radical while working, cooking, or doing chores—check in every 10-15 minutes to restart runs. This maximizes time efficiency without requiring active play. **7. Avoid Trajectory-Based Characters:** The AI doesn't leverage character-specific passives—don't unlock The Radical expecting it to optimize for The Shade's execute mechanics or The Repentant's bounce chains. It plays all characters identically. **8. Blueprint Unlocking:** The Radical is excellent for AFK blueprint farming—let it run wave 15-20 loops to unlock blueprints for other characters (The Cohabitants, The Embedded, The Shieldbearer).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
**1. Expecting S-Tier Performance:** The Radical is 60-70% efficient vs manual optimized play. Don't expect wave 40+ clears or competitive times—it's a farming specialist, not a power character. **2. Pushing Wave 30+ AFK:** The AI cannot handle late-game complexity (boss patterns, elite swarms, multi-phase fights). Stop at wave 25 and restart for optimal farming efficiency. **3. Trying to Manually Control:** You cannot override the AI—The Radical is 100% automated. If you want manual control, play a different character. **4. Ignoring Wind's Damage Penalty:** Wind deals 25% less damage than standard balls. The AI compensates with AoE evolutions, but expect slower clear times than other characters. **5. Not Using Defensive Evolutions:** The AI takes more damage than manual play—if you don't prioritize Soul Sucker/Barrier, you'll die to chip damage waves 20-25. **6. Expecting Advanced Mechanics:** The AI doesn't kite, predict-fire, or leverage character passives. It plays 'safe' with basic positioning and targeting—don't expect optimization. **7. Unlocking Too Early:** The Radical is best unlocked mid-game (after S-tier characters) when you have evolution databases and resources. Unlocking it first wastes its farming potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I manually control The Radical at all?
No. The Radical is 100% AI-controlled—you cannot override movement, aiming, or upgrade selection. The only player input is starting the run and pausing/restarting. If you want manual control, play a different character.
How efficient is The Radical vs manual play?
60-70% efficiency for wave 15-25 clears. The AI makes reasonably intelligent decisions (damage/AoE priority, center-screen positioning) but cannot execute advanced techniques (kiting, prediction shots, character-specific optimizations). Expect 25-30 minute wave 20 clears AFK vs 15-20 minutes manually.
What's the best use case for The Radical?
AFK farming loops (wave 15-25) and overnight resource collection. Start a run, walk away, return to collected Stone/blueprints. Perfect for multitasking or passive progression. Not recommended for wave 30+ pushing or competitive play.
Does the AI adapt to different characters' passives?
No. The AI plays all characters identically—it doesn't leverage The Shade's execute mechanics, The Repentant's bounce chains, or Iron Fool's armor stacking. It treats every character as a generic damage-dealer, which is why The Radical works best with simple, AI-friendly passives (Wind's slow is perfect).
Can The Radical beat wave 40?
Unlikely AFK. The AI struggles with late-game boss mechanics (telegraphed attacks, multi-phase fights) and takes 50-70% of boss damage directly. Wave 30-35 is the realistic AFK ceiling. For wave 40+, switch to manual characters (The Pitling, Iron Fool) after using The Radical to farm resources.
📚 Featured in Guides
Learn more about The Radical in these detailed strategy guides: