The Radical: AFK Farming Guide

Master Ball x Pit's ultimate hands-off character with AI automation, AFK farming strategies, and zero-input progression

Tier Ranking

B-Tier

Difficulty

Easy

Best For

AFK Farming

⚡ Quick Radical Tips

✅ 100% AI-Controlled - Movement, aiming, and upgrades selected automatically
✅ Best AFK Farming - Perfect for resource grinding while multitasking
✅ Wind Ball Start - 30% enemy slow but 25% less damage than standard balls
⚠️ Lower Optimization - AI plays at ~70% efficiency vs manual control

Overview

The Radical is Ball x Pit's ultimate AFK farming character, featuring fully automated AI-controlled gameplay that requires zero player input. The AI handles movement, aiming, and upgrade selection entirely, making The Radical perfect for hands-off resource grinding, progression farming, or multitasking while playing.

Starting with the Wind ball, The Radical provides crowd control with a 30% enemy slow (5 second duration) but deals 25% less damage than standard balls. This trade-off favors sustained farming over burst damage, which aligns perfectly with the AFK playstyle. The Radical excels at lower-difficulty farming runs after you've progressed through harder content manually with stronger characters like The Pitling or Iron Fool.

Passive Ability: AI Automation

Fully automated AI-controlled gameplay with auto-upgrade selection. The AI makes all decisions including movement patterns, target prioritization, upgrade choices, and evolution paths. Performance is approximately 70% as efficient as skilled manual play but requires zero attention.

AI Automation Mechanics

Understanding how The Radical's AI works helps you maximize AFK farming efficiency:

✓ AI Strengths

Consistent Movement: Predictable kiting patterns avoid most projectiles
Target Priority: Focuses high-value enemies (elites, bosses)
Upgrade Balance: Picks balanced stats for sustained farming
Zero Fatigue: Maintains performance across long sessions

✗ AI Weaknesses

Dodge Timing: Cannot perfectly dodge boss telegraphed attacks
Build Optimization: Doesn't execute synergy builds (Bomb + Nuclear)
Positioning: Sometimes stands in hazards longer than needed
Evolution Choices: May pick suboptimal fusions vs manual strategy

The AI operates on a priority system: survival > damage > XP gain. This means The Radical will always prioritize staying alive over maximizing damage, which makes it safer for AFK farming but slower for pushing high difficulties. The AI cannot learn or adapt to specific enemy patterns like players can, so performance caps out around Wave 15-20 depending on your building upgrades and character level.

AFK Farming Strategies

🌾 Resource Farming Loop

The Radical's primary use case is farming resources for New Ballbylon upgrades. Here's the optimal AFK farming strategy:

Set Difficulty Low: Choose difficulty 1-2 levels below your manual progression max
Pick The Radical: Select The Radical + pair with The Repentant (if Matchmaker unlocked)
Start Run: Begin the run and minimize/tab away
Return After 15-20 Minutes: The Radical should reach Wave 15-20 and die naturally
Collect Resources: Claim gold, XP, and blueprint rewards
Repeat: Restart the loop (can repeat 5-10 times per hour of AFK time)

⏱️ Expected AFK Farm Performance

2,000-3,500

Gold per Run

15-20

Waves Cleared

15-20 min

Run Duration

*Performance varies based on building upgrades, character level, and difficulty selected. Estimates assume mid-game progression with Intelligence/Strength buildings at A-B Rank.

🎯 Optimization Tips

Upgrade Intelligence Building to S Rank: Permanent baby ball damage boost directly increases AI clear speed. See Stat Buildings Guide.
Unlock Antique Shop: Pre-select passive items at run start to guarantee consistent builds. Prioritize Health Regen or Movement Speed for AI survival.
Pair with The Repentant: If Matchmaker is unlocked, pair The Radical + The Repentant for double passive abilities (AI control + bonus XP gain).
Level The Radical to 8+: Higher character level increases base stats significantly. Each level adds ~5% HP, damage, and speed.

Best Builds for The Radical

While the AI handles upgrade selection automatically, understanding optimal build directions helps you influence the AI's choices through item selection at the Antique Shop:

Build #1: Wind AoE Farming

BEST FOR AFK

Maximizes Wind ball's crowd control for safe AFK farming with area damage.

Priority Evolutions:

Sandstorm Dust Cyclone Lightning Storm

Antique Shop Items:

• Health Regeneration - Sustain for long AFK runs
• Movement Speed - Better AI kiting patterns
• AoE Damage - Faster wave clear

Build #2: Tanky Survival

SAFE AFK

Prioritizes survivability over damage for longer AFK runs with minimal babysitting.

Priority Evolutions:

Toxic Cloud Wings of the Anointed

Antique Shop Items:

• Max HP - Larger health pool for AI mistakes
• Defense - Reduce incoming damage
• Health Regeneration - Stay topped off

Character Pairings (Matchmaker Required)

If you've unlocked the Matchmaker building, you can pair The Radical with a second character for double passive abilities. Best pairings for AFK farming:

⭐

The Radical + The Repentant

S-TIER PAIRING

Why It Works: The Repentant's passive provides bonus XP gain, accelerating character leveling during AFK farming. Combine AI automation with faster progression.

🛡️

The Radical + The Shieldbearer

A-TIER PAIRING

Why It Works: The Shieldbearer's defense passive compensates for AI's poor dodge timing. Safer AFK runs with 20-30% longer survival times.

🔮

The Radical + The Tactician

B-TIER PAIRING

Why It Works: The Tactician's passive boosts upgrade rarity chances. AI gets better upgrade options more frequently during auto-selection.

⚠️ Avoid These Pairings

• The Radical + The Shade: The Shade's trajectory-based passive wasted on AI (can't execute curved shots)
• The Radical + The Physicist: Physics mechanics require manual timing - AI cannot utilize effectively

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌

Using The Radical for Manual Progression

The Radical performs at ~70% efficiency vs manual control. Use The Pitling, Iron Fool, or Lantern Knight for pushing higher difficulties manually. Reserve The Radical exclusively for AFK farming easier content.

❌

Setting Difficulty Too High

The AI cannot dodge boss mechanics effectively. If The Radical dies before Wave 10, lower the difficulty by 1-2 levels. Target Wave 15-20 clear for optimal resource-to-time ratio.

❌

Expecting S-Tier Performance

The Radical is B-tier for a reason - the AI is competent but not optimal. Don't expect Wave 30+ clears or boss rushes. The value is hands-off farming, not peak performance.

❌

Neglecting Building Upgrades

The AI's performance scales heavily with permanent stat increases from Intelligence and Strength buildings. Upgrade to S Rank ASAP - each rank adds ~10-15% effective power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Radical good for beginners?

Yes, as a learning tool. The Radical lets beginners watch the AI play while learning enemy patterns, upgrade synergies, and evolution mechanics without pressure. However, beginners should NOT rely solely on The Radical - learning manual control is essential for mid-late game progression. Use The Radical to supplement learning, not replace it.

How do I unlock The Radical?

Unlock The Radical via standard character progression. Complete runs, earn blueprints, then construct The Radical's character house in New Ballbylon for 100 wood / 75 stone / 250 gold / 50 wheat (standard character house cost). Typically unlocks mid-game after your first 3-5 character unlocks.

Can I override the AI's decisions?

No. The Radical's passive grants 100% AI control with no manual override option. You cannot control movement, aiming, or upgrade selection once the run starts. This is intentional for true AFK farming. If you want control, use a different character.

What's the highest wave The Radical can reach AFK?

With optimal building upgrades (Intelligence/Strength at S Rank, character level 10+), The Radical can reach Wave 25-30 on mid-difficulties AFK. Performance caps around Wave 30 due to AI limitations with boss mechanics. For Wave 40+ pushing, use manual control characters like The Pitling with optimized Bomb builds.

Does The Radical work with all evolutions?

The AI can execute most evolutions, but performs best with passive damage sources (AoE, DoT) rather than skillshot-based evolutions. Recommended: Sandstorm, Toxic Cloud, Lightning Storm. Avoid: precision evolutions requiring manual aim or timing.

Is The Radical worth unlocking early?

No, prioritize S-tier characters first. Unlock order should be: The Pitling → Iron Fool → Lantern Knight → then The Radical (4th-6th unlock). The Radical becomes valuable mid-game when you need AFK farming for resource grinds, not during early progression when manual skill development matters most. See Best Character Guide for detailed unlock priority.