Stick It to the Stickman Worker Archetypes and Ability Builds
How to choose a worker archetype, read its opening kit, and adapt abilities without pretending there is one universal best character.
Pick the worker for the problem you need to solve
Quick answer
Worker archetypes are starting constraints, not permanent tier labels. Choose a role that fixes the room you are losing to, then build a small portfolio around that role: core damage, control, and a recovery or movement answer.
Current-system boundary
Build boundary
The available references describe multiple archetypes, secondary weapons and three-stage move evolutions. They do not justify a universal ranking for every patch, so this page compares jobs and trade-offs instead of copying a tier table.
Start with a repeatable core
Use the archetype's dependable starter move as the anchor, then add a control or mobility tool before chasing a specialist weapon. Workplace weapons are burst resources with limited durability or ammunition, so they support the core rather than replace it.
Archetype fit by job
| Crowd control | Choose a kit that groups, launches or stuns so the first promotion creates room. |
| Close pressure | Use a durable melee core, then add movement so armored targets cannot pin you. |
| Ranged or utility | Take the supporting perk tier first; a ranged move without ammo or escape support is fragile. |
| Summon/social | Use allied pressure to split attention, but take health or control while the army is still small. |
Archetype decision matrix
| Crowd-control starter | Grouping, launch or stun | Best when the first failure is being surrounded. |
| Close-pressure starter | Durable melee and stagger | Best when armored targets reach you before a ranged setup is ready. |
| Ranged specialist | Safe burst with ammunition support | Best after the support perks and an escape are available. |
| Summon/social | Allied pressure and split attention | Best when early defense can cover the setup time. |
| Mobility-first | Escape and re-entry | Best when props, grabs or boss reach are the recurring problem. |
| Secondary-weapon branch | Burst tool supporting the archetype core | Best when one dangerous room needs a tempo swing. |
Ability and promotion order
- Choose the archetype whose starting job answers the next room.Expected: The first promotion improves a real weakness instead of a hypothetical endgame plan.
- Add control or movement before a second specialist damage branch.Expected: You can start and exit an exchange reliably.
- Evolve the core move only when its secondary effect matches the role.Expected: A stun, bleed, elemental or kinetic effect changes the fight you are actually losing.
- For ranged or summon roles, buy the support that keeps the engine running.Expected: Ammo, movement or survivability prevents a specialist build from collapsing early.
- Spend a limited workplace weapon on a boss window, then return to the archetype core.Expected: The role still works after the burst resource is gone.
Role-aware combat loop
- Open from the archetype's safe range or first control action.Expected: The room is shaped around the role before the expensive move starts.
- Keep one target or lane clear for the recovery step.Expected: You are not trapped behind props or inside a grab while the kit cools down.
- Use the signature move during the control window, not as an opener into a full crowd.Expected: The archetype's advantage converts into damage or space.
- Reset position and rebuild momentum before the next chain.Expected: The role remains repeatable across rooms instead of relying on one lucky physics interaction.
- Against a boss, wait for recovery and use the shortest reliable punish.Expected: The archetype survives a mistake instead of trading every frame.
Role packages to test
- For a crowd-control role, keep one repeatable strike and add a launch, stun or displacement tool.Expected: The first promotion creates a lane before you chase damage.
- For close pressure, pair a durable melee core with movement or stagger.Expected: Armored targets cannot pin the archetype before the next recovery window.
- For ranged play, buy ammunition support and an escape or slow before taking another projectile.Expected: The specialist kit still works when a target reaches the same screen space.
- For summon/social play, take health or control while the allied pressure is still small.Expected: The engine survives long enough for the extra attention to matter.
- Add a secondary weapon only after the role works without it.Expected: The archetype remains functional after the burst resource is spent.
When to switch archetypes
Switch when the recurring failure is structural: no way to create space, no answer to armor, or no support for the chosen ranged/summon engine. Do not switch because a single room rolled badly.
How to read an archetype's strength
A useful strength is a repeatable advantage—kinetic force, bleed pressure, mobility, stun immunity or allied attention—not a marketing label. Keep the claim tied to the signature move or passive that creates it.
How to read the weakness
The same role exposes a trade-off: a close kit can be pinned, a gun kit can run out of support, and a summon kit can be weak before its army is established. Take a direct defensive answer before adding more ambition.
Use the planner by situation
Use crowd-control archetypes for dense rooms, close-pressure kits for armored targets, ranged kits for safe burst when support is available, and summon/social kits when splitting attention is more valuable than immediate damage.
If the archetype feels wrong
If it fails
Keep the starter move, replace the weakest supporting slot, and test one floor. If the kit still fails the same way, switch role rather than stacking more tier-list advice. The goal is a stable loop that survives imperfect rooms.
No universal tier promise
Source note
Archetype strengths depend on the current move pool, promotion choices and room geometry. This page preserves the role-based decision rules and leaves patch-sensitive rankings to a separately verified comparison.
Quick FAQ
What is the best archetype?
There is no permanent best choice for every patch. Pick the role that fixes the room you are losing to, then add control and recovery before a specialist damage branch.
When should I choose a ranged archetype?
Choose it after the supporting perk tier, ammunition plan and escape route are available. Without those, safe distance is a theory rather than a repeatable advantage.
Do secondary weapons replace the starter kit?
No. They are burst resources. Use one to change a dangerous exchange, then return to the archetype core so the build still works after the resource is gone.
Worker fit planner
Start with the problem your opening kit solves, then use the next promotion to cover the first gap.
Use this as a quick lookup, then confirm the selected route in the current-build details above.
How to use this route
- Start at the summary: choose the archetype that addresses the failure you can actually see.
- Follow the sequence: unlock the core ability, test its supporting perk and then commit to the route.
- Use the decision points: compare role, range and recovery needs before copying a build.
- Recover locally: return to the stable archetype path when a specialist setup lacks support.
- Respect the build boundary: recheck unlock order and balance values after patches.
Sources and update boundary
References for the worker archetypes and ability builds route are listed below.
Re-check volatile values after a patch.
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