BALL x PIT Empty Nester Guide | How the Empty Nester Works

MMO

Oct 16

The Empty Nester sounds strong on paper. Its description promises no baby balls and multiple instances of one equipped special ball, which should mean pure focused fire. In practice though, it’s a little confusing, and the payoff depends entirely on how you build it. Here’s how the Empty Nester actually works, what’s bugged, and how to make it worth running.

How the Empty Nester Works

When you first unlock the Empty Nester, the idea is simple. Instead of spawning baby balls, every shot should launch extra copies of your current special ball. It starts strong with three Ghost balls that hit hard early. The problem is that once you pick up new special balls, the ability caps out fast. With four ball types, you only ever have four active balls on screen at once, just like a normal run.

Autofire also breaks its main perk. The game only fires one instance of whatever ball you caught last, instead of the multi-shot effect promised in the description.

That means you lose both baby balls and the intended burst power. It feels underwhelming at first, especially on faster difficulties.

The Right Way to Build It

The Empty Nester starts to shine once you control which balls you’re using. The trick is to level up manually instead of auto-choosing new balls. Turning on the “Manually Activate Level Up Screen” setting lets you skip unwanted options so you only keep one or two strong types. This stops your shots from cycling through weaker ones.

Pairing the Empty Nester with heavy single-hit fusions like Bomb or Nuclear Bomb works best. Catch your main ball first, then the others in quick order so your first shot launches multiple copies of that main type. The Ghost ball also pairs well here because of its natural pierce.

When both line up, you can build a setup that wipes entire lanes in seconds.

Strong Passives and Synergies

Some passives make this setup more consistent. The Bow and Hourglass increase attack speed and cooldowns, letting you keep multiple projectiles out without losing rhythm. If you want baby balls back for safety, combining Turret and Egg Sack brings them back without changing your main shots.

For late runs, aim for a Ghost plus Bomb build. Evolve Bomb into Nuclear Bomb, then rely on Ghost’s pierce to keep it cycling smoothly. It takes a few runs to perfect, but once the combo lines up, you’re firing a constant stream of mini-nukes.

Long-Term Potential

The developer confirmed that the Empty Nester’s effect isn’t fully functioning yet and that future balance changes might fix it. For now, it’s a challenge pick. It struggles early, but with the right passives and ball control, it can outperform most standard builds in mid to late layers.

→ Character Tier List for BALL x PIT

Final Blurb

The Empty Nester looks broken at first, but it’s not useless. You just have to shape your build around its quirks. Stick to one or two heavy balls, level up manually, and add passives that increase projectile uptime. Once everything syncs, you’ll turn what feels like a bugged start into one of the most powerful nuking setups in BALL x PIT.

FAQ

Why doesn’t the Empty Nester shoot multiple balls

Autofire breaks its effect. It only fires one instance of the ball you caught last, which cancels out its bonus.

How can I fix the Empty Nester build

Turn off auto level-ups and only choose one or two ball types. This keeps the focus on your strongest fusion.

What fusions work best

Bomb, Nuclear Bomb, and Ghost all perform well. They benefit from the multi-shot mechanic when it triggers.

Can you still use baby balls

Yes, Turret and Egg Sack together bring them back even with the Empty Nester’s restriction.