Pokémon Unite is a unique MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) originally released on the Nintendo Switch with cross-platform capabilities now expanding to mobile devices. The purpose of the game is to score more points then the opposing team by dunking in their goal zones. Each goal zone starts with 80 points of health for the first tier and with 100 for the second and final tiers. As you defeat Pokémon you gain Aeos orbs which you use to reduce each goal zone’s health. You will need to destroy enemies' goal zones in a specific order starting in the middle and working towards their spawn point.

The more you play the game and level up you will earn a variety of resources which you will use to improve your Pokémon. When your journey in Pokémon Unite begins after the tutorial you will get to choose 1 starter Pokémon for free. This choice is final and can not be changed. You can unlock the other options with new Pokémon licenses by saving up Aeos Coins, completing tasks or purchasing gems; don't worry if you unlock a task reward Pokemon with coins, you will be refunded coins when you get the license in-game. When you are investing your hard earned resources you want to try to make sure that you're getting the biggest bang for your buck, but also have versatility to avoid being stuck if your main Pokémon is stolen by a teammate during Pokémon selection. 

There are 2 types of items used in Unite to help enhance your Pokémon, Held items and Battle items. Battle items can be assigned to your Pokémon and are limited to 1 per battle; they are unlocked as you increase your trainer level and each item has different effects and reload times. Held items provide a variety of effects and boosts to your Pokémon. Held items can be upgraded using an item enhancer which is found in the shop under the Aeos Emporium section. Aeos Tickets can be exchanged for item enhancers also at a cost of 10 tickets for 1 item enhancer. Enhancers can also be obtained in-game from rewards for ranked matches, event rewards, Battle pass rewards, trainer level-up rewards and energy rewards. Each Held item has 30 total levels along with 4 levels of effects. The higher the level of the item the more Item enhancers it will cost to upgrade, so it is advised to level up your items to level 20 which will unlock the level 3 effect of that specific item. To level one item from 1 to 10 it will cost 82 total item enhancers. To level from 11-20 it will cost an additional 485 item enhancers. Lastly, to go from 21-30 it will cost 2020 more. We have broken down held items into tiers of which to invest in to help utilize your valuable item enhancers.

 

Before matches begin it is a good idea to decide which Pokémon you plan to use and which lane or area you will be defending. This is when playing with friends enhances the experience of gameplay. 5 stack is when teams of 5 players coordinate together in coms to optimize their team strategy. There are 3 lanes that need to be chosen and they include: Top lane, Middle lane (Jungle) and Bottom lane with each having different strategies on how to best utilize the neutral Pokémon in the area. 

 

 

Who are the wild neutral boss Pokémon and what benefits do they give when defeated? In order to defeat the boss Pokémon you need to get the last hit so be careful to watch for enemy Pokémon stealing it. There are 3 wild bosses that spawn during the game and each have unique ways to impact the game. 

Rotom is the boss that spawns at the 7 minute mark of the match in the middle of the top lane in Remoat Stadium. Rotom will respawn 2 minutes after it is defeated and can be beaten multiple times, but will despawn with 2 minutes left in the match. After it is defeated, it grants 20 points to the Pokémon that got the last hit, will score 20 points upon reaching the targeted goal zone, and allows instant scoring for 14 seconds at that goal.

Drednaw is the boss that spawns at the 7 minute mark of the match in the very bottom of the bottom lane in Remoat Stadium. Drednaw will respawn 2 minutes after it is defeated and can be beaten multiple times, but will despawn with 2 minutes left in the match. Drednaw is arguably more important than Rotom because when defeated it gives your entire team extra experience points which help you level up quicker, a shield to your entire team and 20 points to the Pokémon that got the last hit.

Zapdos is the boss that spawns with 2 minutes left in the match in the middle of the map in Remoat Stadium. Zapdos can only be defeated once and grants 30 points to the Pokémon that got the last hit plus 20 points to all the rest of your teammates which is important since In the last 2 minutes all points scored are doubled!

 

Lastly, one of the most important aspects for all players; Brand new and returning veterans, is the ability to move your camera view away from your character model. Being able to see what's going on in the team fight across the map or even being able to line up your skill shots a screen width away creates a massive advantage over the players who don't use this feature. For those playing on the switch the controls to move your camera are: Press and Hold L and move your right thumbstick, simple! In the settings menu you can change the sensitivity of the camera. Under camera sensitivity there will be 2 sliders. The one that says "Minimap Shown" is the sensitivity of your camera while you are waiting to respawn. The second option saying "Minimap Hidden '' is the sensitivity of your camera when pressing and holding the L button. As for the mobile version, controls are different. You have 2 options for camera movement. "Slide" and "Movement Panel''. When the slide option is enabled, you can slide your finger across the screen anywhere near the middle to quickly move your camera. When the Move panel option is selected, the area of the screen that enables you to move the camera is adjusted slightly more to the right side of the screen, right above the buttons to use attacks. There is a slider to adjust the sensitivity of your camera to your personal preference underneath the previous options.

-KingDucksPool