The Mad Scientist class is overpowered once its hand cannon is upgraded, with infinite ammo, strong single-target damage, huge crowd control from the blast, and crawler summons that work best as distractions.
Mad Scientist becomes one of the strongest late-game classes in Bake or Die after you invest in the hand cannon. The base kit is decent, but the real route is simple: build the Research Station, pour cash into cannon upgrades, then use Cannon Blast for rooms and regular fire for bosses.
Public patch notes and class docs leave the full Mad Scientist kit out, and the in-game performance gives the clear verdict: upgraded Mad Scientist is a top late-game damage and crowd-control class.
Is Mad Scientist broken in Bake or Die?
Yes, once upgraded, Mad Scientist is overpowered. The base hand cannon starts as a serviceable rapid-fire weapon, but the class does not peak immediately. Early regular shots handle zombies well, while Cannon Blast is the first ability that shows how hard the class can swing a fight.
The class becomes wild after Research Station upgrades. The upgraded cannon fires faster, gains stronger damage, changes appearance through color tiers, adds more summoned crawlers, and eventually reaches a max level where regular fire deletes tank zombies and handles crowds much more comfortably.
Cannon Blast is the room-clear tool, regular hand cannon fire is the boss-melting tool, and mutated crawlers add pressure and distraction. That mix makes Mad Scientist broken in real play.
Mad Scientist abilities and class levels
| Level | Unlock |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Slightly better night visibility and Quick Cannon |
| Level 2 | Mutated crawler summons |
| Level 3 | Cannon Blast charged beam |
Mad Scientist uses a mutating hand cannon with three main powers. Quick Cannon fires rapid energy balls, giving the class its basic ranged DPS. The cannon can also swap into a summon mode that calls in mutated crawler allies to fight nearby enemies.
The third power is Cannon Blast, a charged beam attack with a 30-second cooldown. This is the big area tool: it wipes packed mobs, reaches across a large area, and later becomes strong enough to clear rooms through walls when the cannon is upgraded.
How to upgrade the Mad Scientist hand cannon in Bake or Die
Build the Research Station, place it in your base, then buy each hand cannon upgrade from that station.
STEP 1/7
Build the Research Station
Make the Research Station at your base; this is the station tied to Mad Scientist hand cannon upgrades.
STEP 2/7
Place the Research Station
Set the Research Station down in the base spot so its upgrade prompt becomes available.
STEP 3/7
Buy the $1,000 upgrade
Spend $1,000 at the Research Station for the first hand cannon upgrade.
STEP 4/7
Buy the $5,000 upgrade
Purchase the next Research Station upgrade to push the cannon into its stronger blue-shot tier.
STEP 5/7
Buy the $12,500 upgrade
Spend $12,500 on the later upgrade before the final tier.
STEP 6/7
Buy the $20,000 final upgrade
Spend $20,000 for the last upgrade; the visible prices put the max spend near $40,000, with one total rounded lower.
STEP 7/7
Check for max level
The hand cannon is fully maxed once the station stops offering another upgrade.
Video help
Mad Scientist hand cannon upgrade path
| Upgrade | Cost | Observed change |
|---|---|---|
| First upgrade | $1,000 | Regular shooting feels slightly better |
| Second upgrade | $5,000 | Shots improve, and crawler summons increase from two to four |
| Blue-shot tier | Not shown | Blue projectiles, stronger damage, six blue crawler summons, better Cannon Blast damage |
| Later upgrade | $12,500 | Faster firing, alien-arm look, stronger mob shredding, around ten summons |
| Final upgrade | $20,000 | Black-and-red ray-gun beams, tank-zombie one-taps, crowd control on regular fire, about twelve summons |
The Research Station turns Mad Scientist from a fun class into a problem for enemies. The upgrade path changes both performance and visuals, so the cannon is easy to track as it scales: shots improve, summons multiply, and the beam becomes much more useful for big pulls.
KEY!
For planning, the visible upgrade prices total $38,500. Carrying about $40,000 is the clean target if you want to max the cannon in one push.
Mad Scientist mob clearing and boss DPS
Against mobs, Cannon Blast is the star. It deletes packed zombie groups, clears enemies spread across rooms, and hits targets through walls in facility areas. Its range is not endless, but when enemies are grouped or trapped in nearby rooms, it can clean out a whole section before they ever reach you.
Against bosses, regular fire does more of the work. Cannon Blast still helps by clearing adds around the boss, but it is weaker into some boss health bars than it is against mobs. The upgraded hand cannon is better for single-target DPS because it has infinite ammo, shoots quickly, and does not show an obvious movement-speed penalty while firing.
Summons are useful, but not because they melt bosses. Mutated crawlers can chew through weaker enemies and keep pressure off you, but against stronger bosses they barely move the health bar. Their real value is distraction during dangerous phases, especially when the boss is spawning extra enemies or forcing you to reposition.
Mad Scientist vs Wizard
| Class | Best use | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Mad Scientist | Infinite-ammo hand cannon DPS, huge Cannon Blast mob clears, crawler distractions | Needs Research Station cash upgrades before it feels broken |
| Wizard | High-end late-game power benchmark | Comes across as harder to upgrade in this comparison |
Mad Scientist belongs in the same late-game conversation as Wizard when the hand cannon is maxed. The strongest argument for Mad Scientist is not just damage; it is how many jobs the class covers at once, from infinite-ammo boss pressure to emergency crowd clearing.
Mad Scientist is easier to bring online because its hand cannon upgrades are simple money purchases at the Research Station. Wizard remains the high-end late-game power benchmark, but Mad Scientist gets its biggest spike through a straightforward cash route.
Practical Mad Scientist tips
Max the hand cannon first; the class’s real DPS, crowd control, and summon count come from Research Station upgrades.
Use Cannon Blast when mobs are packed together, chasing you through hallways, or sitting behind walls in facility rooms. Save regular hand cannon fire for bosses and tanky targets, because the infinite ammo lets you keep pressure up without pausing for resources.
Related Bake or Die guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you unlock Mad Scientist normally right now?
Mad Scientist was available through early developer access in the tested build. Use the in-game class menu for the normal requirement when it appears before planning a grind.
Does Cannon Blast work better on mobs or bosses?
Mobs. Cannon Blast is built around large-area clearing, while boss damage is better handled by upgraded regular hand cannon fire.
Do Mad Scientist summons deal good boss damage?
No. Mutated crawlers help most as distractions against strong bosses, even though they can still clean up weaker enemies around the arena.
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