I still remember the first time the GRUESOME Challenge appeared in Brawl Stars. A Halloween event with a creepy-cute Gus skin, limited lives, and a 12-win requirement? That sounded like my kind of chaos. But before you start planning your run, let’s set the timeline straight: I’m writing this in 2026, and the GRUESOME Challenge is not a live event right now. It originally ran from October 24 to October 31, 2024. So treat this as a retrospective guide and a prep sheet for a possible rerun, not a “go claim it today” post.

The pitch was simple: complete four spooky stages, earn the exclusive GRUESOME Gus skin, and get Gus himself if you didn’t already own him. Each stage required three wins, which meant 12 wins total to finish everything. And here’s the twist that made plenty of players groan: you only had four chances. No unlimited retries. If you burned through your lives, you could spend gems for extra attempts. Is that a challenge or a pay-to-win trap? Honestly, a bit of both.

The event structure at a glance

Stage	Mode	Map	Wins Needed	Starr Drops per Win	My Quick Take
1	Gem Grab	Last Stop	3	1	Control mid, protect the gem carrier
2	Bounty	Hideout	3	2	Stay alive and avoid feeding stars
3	Heist	Safe Zone	3	3	Break the safe fast and defend yours
4	Knockout	Out in the Open	3	4	Win two rounds, avoid the poison

That table is the whole event in a nutshell. Four stages, three wins each, and a reward ladder that ended with GRUESOME Gus. The extra Starr Drops were nice, but let’s be real—most of us were there for the skin.

Stage 1: Gem Grab on Last Stop

Gem Grab is a 3v3 mode where you collect gems from the mine in the middle of the map. You need to hold ten gems for a set amount of time to win. Once you hit ten, a countdown starts, and suddenly every enemy wants your gem carrier’s head. Sound stressful? That’s because it is.

My approach was simple: contest mid with Piper, 8-Bit, Gene, or Gus, then use Darryl, Squeak, Buster, or Moe for laning and support. You get 1 Starr Drop per win here, so don’t overthink the rewards. Just focus on staying alive and protecting whoever is holding the most gems. If your random teammate grabs ten gems and runs toward the enemy spawn, that’s not bravery—that’s a donation.

Stage 2: Bounty on Hideout

Bounty is all about earning Stars by defeating enemies. Each elimination increases your bounty by one Star, up to seven, so the more you dominate, the more valuable you become as a target. The first team to 20 Stars wins, or the team with more Stars when the countdown ends takes it. And yes, ties go to the team holding the Blue Stars.

For this stage, I liked Piper, Gus, and Byron in the middle. Gus and Piper are also solid for laning, while Gene and Belle give you good pick potential. Larry & Lawrie felt great on the left side of the map. You get 2 Starr Drops per win, so it’s worth playing carefully. The worst thing you can do in Bounty is trade your seven-Star brawler for a one-Star enemy. Don’t be that player.

Stage 3: Heist on Safe Zone

Heist asks one question: can you break the enemy safe before they break yours? If time runs out, the team that dealt more damage to the opposing safe wins. You get 3 Starr Drops per win, which makes this stage feel more rewarding, but it also hurts more when you lose because of a random teammate who refuses to defend.

I’d go with Piper, Colt, Brock, and Nani for mid-dominance. For laning and map control, Colette, Eve, Chuck, and Gale are strong choices. Gale on the right lane can be a nightmare with his ultimate, especially when the enemy team tries to rush your safe. Coordinate your attacks, protect your safe, and don’t all pile into the same lane like it’s a group photo.

Stage 4: Knockout on Out in the Open

Knockout is the final boss of the challenge. It’s a best-of-three 3v3 mode where defeated brawlers don’t respawn for the rest of the round. Poison clouds also creep in from the edges, so camping forever isn’t an option. You get 4 Starr Drops per win, but more importantly, you get one step closer to the skin.

I’d pick Piper, Gus, and Byron for center control. For laning and map control, Eve, Angelo, Brock, and Buster are solid. The key is to win two rounds without throwing away your lives. If you’re down a player, play safe and let the poison force the enemy into bad positions. Patience wins Knockout—panic loses it.

Was the GRUESOME Challenge worth it?

If you completed all four stages, you unlocked the GRUESOME Gus skin and the brawler himself if you didn’t own him. That’s a great reward. But the limited lives and gem-based extra attempts made the event feel more pay-to-win than skill-to-win. Teaming up with friends was the safest path, because randoms in Brawl Stars are basically a box of chocolates—you never know which one will make you question your life choices.

So, in 2026, what should you do with this guide? Keep it as a reference. If Supercell reruns the GRUESOME Challenge, you’ll already know the maps, modes, and brawler picks. And if it never returns, at least you can remember the Halloween season when Gus got a glow-up and everyone panic-spent gems for one more attempt. 🎃