Brutal 12-3 is still the go-to spot for leveling food and farming silver, and it all hinges on one thing: a single champion has to clear the stage alone while three food champions stand aside. Below we break down who actually solos 12-3 on auto, what separates a real farmer from a strong damage dealer, and how to build one without overspending.
Why everyone farms 12-3 on Brutal
Stage 12-3 isn't the hardest stop in the campaign, but it's the most efficient one: one run gives XP to the whole team, silver for the win and a shot at shield drops, for around 8 energy. Those three free slots for food are the whole point — one champion does the clearing while the rest level up.
Nightmare campaign, once unlocked, hands out more XP per run, but it demands a properly built farmer and takes noticeably longer. For everyday food leveling, Brutal 12-3 stays the standard: faster, more consistent and far less frustrating when the AI decides to improvise.
What makes a good auto farmer
A high rating for Clan Boss or Arena means almost nothing here. A 12-3 farmer doesn't need the biggest damage in a single fight — it needs to clear three waves in as few turns as possible, every time.
- AoE from the start. The earlier a champion hits everything, the better. An AoE on the A1 is ideal: no cooldown dependency, no stalling on auto.
- Self-sufficiency. No buffs or debuffs from allies — the three food slots contribute nothing. Survival comes from a Lifesteal or Immortal set, or the champion's own shield or heal.
- Predictable AI. On auto the champion has to press the right skill at the right time. If it opens with a useless buff, the run drags.
- Speed. The farmer must move before the waves. A slow champion with huge damage loses to a fast, stable one.
- No cooldown trap. If all the damage sits on one skill with a long cooldown, some waves will stall.
Legendary and epic farmers
Among highly rated champions there are workhorses of the campaign — and champions you should never park in 12-3.
- Skullcrown — a classic AoE nuker used for campaign and Arena alike. Clears waves fast and scales well with gear.
- Sun Wukong — several AoE hits plus passive survivability. An expensive option, but reliable on auto: one bad roll doesn't end the run.
- Ninja — AoE with HP burn shreds waves. He shines more on bosses, but handles 12-3 on auto comfortably.
- Deacon Armstrong — AoE with Decrease DEF and a passive that speeds up the team at the start. A solid budget farmer, though he's more valuable in dungeons and Clan Boss.
- Dark Kael — AoE with poison, often available early. More than enough for campaign with a decent crit rate.
Champions like Cardiel or Mithrala Lifebane, on the other hand, farm 12-3 slowly: their strength is supporting a team, not clearing waves. Clan Boss ratings and campaign farming are different jobs.
Starters: Kael, Athel, Elhain and Galek
Early on you don't need a dedicated farmer — your starter does the job. The difference between them in campaign is noticeable.
- Elhain — two AoE skills, simple and predictable on auto. Probably the most convenient starter farmer for 12-3.
- Galek — also AoE plus HP burn. Clears waves quickly, with slightly noisier AI.
- Kael — AoE with poison plus a strong single-target hit. A bit slower in campaign, but he carries Clan Boss and Arena later — the versatile pick.
- Athel — AoE with Weaken and a triple hit on one target. Farms fine, but is slower at clearing waves than Elhain.
Any of them can handle 12-3 with reasonable gear and 100% crit rate. Swap the starter for a legendary farmer only when it genuinely speeds up the run.
Farmer build: gear, masteries, settings
- 100% crit rate. Without it, damage swings and auto somehow leaves one enemy alive with a sliver of HP.
- ATK% and crit damage. The core of an AoE nuker: crit rate or crit damage gloves, ATK% chest.
- A survivability set. Lifesteal or Immortal solves survival without a healer in the team.
- Speed. The farmer should move first; on Brutal around 130–160 speed is usually enough, depending on the waves.
- Masteries. Offense tree; for pure campaign farming you can often skip the full grind, though Warmaster helps if the champion also fights bosses.
- AI settings. Turn off unnecessary buffs and prioritize the AoE — that speeds up runs more than another hundred attack.
Common mistakes
- Putting a support or a tank in the farmer slot — slow and unreliable.
- Building pure damage with no survivability, then wondering why the run dies on wave three.
- Farming 12-3 below Brutal "for speed": less XP, and the savings are questionable.
- Stacking crit damage and ignoring crit rate — damage becomes a coin flip.
- Expecting a solo farmer to jump into Nightmare without a gear rebuild.
Summary
Soloing 12-3 on auto isn't about tier-list rankings — it's about AoE, speed and self-sufficiency. Early on, Elhain, Galek and Kael get the job done; later they're replaced by Skullcrown, Sun Wukong or Ninja. Get 100% crit rate, a survivability set and clean AI settings, and 12-3 will clear itself.
21/10/2026