The new MOBA Pokémon Unite has been released for the Nintendo Switch. We at MeinMMO would like to provide you with tips that beginners and newcomers can immediately use to get acquainted with the game.
What is Pokémon Unite? Pokémon Unite is a new free-to-play MOBA where two teams of 5 Pokémon compete against each other. In its basic features, it is reminiscent of League of Legends, although there are significant differences:
- There are 2 lanes to navigate, as well as a “Jungle” in between, which is sometimes referred to as the Midlane.
- You start as a Pokémon with a simple auto-attack, but as time goes on, you level up and learn new abilities. Many Pokémon also evolve during the leveling process.
- However, instead of capturing the enemy base, you have to score points in Pokémon Unite. A match lasts 10 minutes, and the team with the most points wins.
- Points can be earned through collected Aeos energy, which you must deliver to the enemy base. You earn energy for almost everything, including defeating wild Pokémon, bosses like Zapdos, or enemy players. The aforementioned enemy players will try to prevent you from delivering the energy.
- In the last 2 minutes, all collected points are doubled.
To make it as easy as possible for you to get started and to keep you informed about all happenings, we have put together 10 tips for you. For those who want to learn more about Pokémon Unite, here is a preview article by MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen:
Pokémon take on different roles, but the type is irrelevant
What roles are there? Similar to other MOBAs, each Pokémon takes on a different role in the game:
- Attackers deal a lot of damage
- Speedsters are Pokémon that can quickly escape from fights and deliver energy at the base
- Defenders can take a lot of damage
- Supporters provide useful buffs for the team and debuffs for the opponents
- All-rounders are a hybrid of attackers and defenders
Depending on the chosen Pokémon, your playing style and a bit of your role on the map will change. Some roles are better on specific lanes, which we will delve into more throughout this article. Especially in the top lane, fighting often occurs, so it’s best for attackers and a supporter or defender to team up here. In the middle/jungle, speedsters or all-rounders work best.
Which Pokémon has which role? Pokémon Unite starts with 20 different Pokémon that can be assigned these roles. You can find detailed information about these Pokémon in our overview.
- The Attackers – Pikachu, Quajutsu, Bisaflor, Alola-Vulona, Urgl, Liberlo
- The Defenders – Relaxo, Castellith, Lahmus
- The Speedsters – Fiaro, Absol, Gengar, Zeraora
- The Supporters – Pantimos, Knuddeluff, Cottomi
- The All-rounders – Glurak, Lucario, Machomai, Knakrack
In each team, each Pokémon can only be present once. Additionally, you will not start with all Pokémon. We will also explain how you can obtain the licenses throughout this guide.
Do types play a role in Pokémon Unite? No. While in Pokémon, Bisasam as a plant would have a major disadvantage against Gluamanda as a fire Pokémon, the type has no effect in the MOBA.
A glimpse of the gameplay of Pokémon Unite is offered by this video from YouTuber Arekkz Gaming, who already shares some important learnings:
How to level up quickly
A central aspect of the game is leveling up your Pokémon to make it stronger. The fastest way is to defeat wild Pokémon that are scattered all over the map. However, there are also some helpful tips for that.
Last hits give more XP: Whoever delivers the final blow to a wild Pokémon (the so-called last hit) receives about twice as many experience points as team members who helped. This makes last hits an important mechanic.
This mechanic also applies when you kill an enemy player. Here, too, the last hit is crucial.
Especially attackers and all-rounders with many evolution stages, such as Glumanda or Bisasam, should quickly be equipped with XP in the early game to gain strength quickly.
Delivering energy also grants XP: Those who take their collected Aeos energy to the enemy base will also be rewarded with experience points. For example, speedsters can earn additional XP this way. In the last 2 minutes, the XP is also doubled, just like the points.
Supporters should buy the XP share: Another way to accelerate leveling up the team is the so-called XP share. This is an item that can be purchased in every match. It allocates the collected XP from defeating Pokémon to the weakest team member but prevents the holder from receiving this XP. The item is ideal for supporters who do not want to secure last hits.
These bonuses you get from leveling up
When you level up your Pokémon, you receive special bonuses and gradually learn new moves. In this overview, we show you when you receive which bonuses:
| Level | Bonuses |
| 1 | Choose between two new attacks |
| 3 | Learns the attack you did not choose at level 1 |
| 4 to 6 | Choose between two new attacks |
| 7 to 9 | Learns the attack you did not choose at level 4 to 6 |
| 9 to 10 | Learns the ultimate |
| 11+ | Receives minor buffs for your attacks |
How to trigger an evolution? Collecting experience points plays an important role in triggering evolutions. If you have enough, they will automatically trigger.
What the items bring in Pokémon Unite
As in other MOBAs, Pokémon Unite also offers the possibility to use items. These can be worn passively or used as active items. Each Pokémon can carry up to 3 items, which must be selected before the match.
- Battle items, for example, provide a temporary buff, but have a cooldown, so you cannot use this buff continuously. They also cannot be upgraded.
- Passive items, on the other hand, permanently increase your stats and can be upgraded over time.
Depending on the role of your Pokémon, different items are of course suitable. Battle items are ideal for attackers, while passive items are better for defenders.
In addition to the items you can set up beforehand, more items appear on the map that can heal you or temporarily increase your movement speed.
The best items for each role:
- All-rounders: Beulenhelm, Leichtstein, Muskelband, Überreste
- Attackers: Leichtstein, Muskelband, Scope Linse
- Speedsters: EP-Teiler, Leichtstein, Muskelband, Schlauglas, Seegesang
- Supporters: EP-Teiler, Fokusband, Schlauglas, Seegesang
- Defenders: Beulenhelm, Fokusband, Offensivweste, Überreste
What roles do the different lanes play?
What lanes are there? In Pokémon Unite, there are three different lanes on the map:
- The Top lane (at the top edge of the map)
- The Jungle/Mid lane (in the middle) – which is not very pronounced in Pokémon Unite
- The Bot lane (at the bottom edge of the map)
Between the lanes is the so-called jungle. There, you will encounter wild Pokémon or can hide.
Although, unlike in LoL, it is not the goal to play through a lane completely and break into the enemy base from there, it has become clear throughout the demo that each lane takes on a different role.
What role does each lane take? The Top lane is the place where most of the battles occur. This is also due to the fact that strong Pokémon can be found there from minute 7, and the gained energy can quickly be brought to the enemy base. Here, it pays to station attackers and supporters or defenders as a team.
The middle in Pokémon Unite is more interesting for solo players but gains significant importance for the entire team later with the appearance of Zapdos. Before that, it usually only contains duels between speedsters and all-rounders.
The Bot lane is very similar to the Top lane but not as important in the late game.
The legendary Pokémon are important, but only fight them as a team
Pokémon Unite is a team game, and this applies not only to battles against the enemy team but especially for the boss Pokémon. These spawn only towards the end of the match, but they are so powerful that you should not attack them alone.
If you do engage Zapdos, coordinate as a team.
Keep a constant eye on the map
If you have already somewhat mastered your Pokémon, you should start to keep an eye on the map constantly. It tells you a lot about the overall game flow:
- You see if your allies are currently winning or losing
- You see where other players are located and can draw conclusions for your next moves, such as which lane to go or whether you can safely deliver energy
- You can infer from the movements of the opponents whether they are currently attacking one of the bosses
The better you get, the more you can focus on the entire game and not just your lane. And that is important for almost every MOBA.
Use the Jump Pads to cut corners
In Pokémon Unite, there are jump pads that transport your Pokémon from one point on the map to another in the shortest possible time, with the route being relatively short.
After 5 minutes, however, the “Super Jump Pads” appear in the game, which catapult you particularly far. They are therefore useful for quickly re-entering the fray.
However, be careful that there are no opponents at the destination of the jump pads, as they may be waiting to attack you directly.
This is how you unlock all Pokémon
Pokémon Unite offers you 19 different Pokémon, but you must first unlock them. This can be done through two different currencies:
- Aeos gems, which you can purchase for real money
- Aeos coins, which you can earn in-game
Additionally, you receive some Pokémon as rewards for reaching higher trainer levels or as gifts for certain quests.
Unlocking Pokémon in Pokémon Unite:
- Absol: 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Alola-Vulnona: Reward on the second day of the 14-day welcome mission or 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Bisaflor: Unlock at trainer level 5 or 345 Aeos gems or 6,000 Aeos coins
- Castellith: Unlock at level 7 of the beginner challenge or 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Cottomi: Can be selected as a free gift after the tutorial or 345 Aeos gems or 6,000 Aeos coins
- Fiaro: Can be selected as a free gift after the tutorial or 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Gengar: 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Glurak: Can be selected as a free gift after the tutorial or 345 Aeos gems or 6,000 Aeos coins
- Knakrack: 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Knuddeluff: 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Lahmus: Unlock at trainer level 2 or 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Liberlo: Reward on day 8 of the 14-day welcome mission or 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Lucario: 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Machomei: 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Pantimos: 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Pikachu: Can be selected as a free gift after the tutorial or 345 Aeos gems or 6,000 Aeos coins
- Quajutsu: Reward on day 14 of the 14-day welcome mission or 575 Aeos gems or 10,000 Aeos coins
- Relaxo: Can be selected as a free gift after the tutorial or 345 Aeos gems or 6,000 Aeos coins
- Urgl: 460 Aeos gems or 8,000 Aeos coins
- Zeraora: Welcome gift for Nintendo Switch players – In our guide we explain step by step how to get Zeraora
This is how you collect Aeos coins the fastest
Aeos coins are obtained through various challenges, events, and daily quests. Additionally, you earn in-game currency for wins and losses:
- A win brings 40 to 500 Aeos coins (max. 2,100 Aeos coins per week for won or lost matches)
- Losses bring 20 to 80 Aeos coins (max. 2,100 Aeos coins per week for won or lost matches)
- Challenges and missions can bring up to 1,700 Aeos coins per day
- Events can bring up to 600 Aeos coins
- Daily quests can bring up to 200 Aeos coins
Bonus Tip: Play against Bots first
From experience with other MOBAs, we have learned that the entry into such a game can be exhausting. PvP games exert a certain pressure when playing with and against other people. Therefore, we recommend you to get to know Pokémon Unite peacefully at first by playing your initial matches against bots.
What do you think of Pokémon Unite so far? Have our tips helped you, or do you have further questions? Feel free to share your tips in the comments.
