While there is undoubtedly lots of fun to be had inPokemon Unite, there was always a divide between paying players and those who were free-to-play. The latest patch intends to fix that by greatly through introducing a number of changes that ultimately benefit anyone who completes a full game.
While the core gameplay loop ofPokemon Unitemakes it easier to pick up and play, there was a persistent issue in balancing between players willing to reach for their wallets and those that either don’t want to or can’t afford to. Primarily, the newest patch intends to address this in being much more generous to the latter group ofPokemon Uniteplayers.
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The issue between this divide in players mainly came down to how the game’s monetization practices affected thein-game itemsPokemon Uniteplayers could equipto their respective Pokemon. These items had a wide set of effects, ranging from increasing critical hit rates on attacks to flatly healing a player over time. As these items level up, the bonuses they confer naturally become stronger, granting permanent effects. While players can gain levels in these items by simply playing the game, this process can become a real slog, and soPokemon Uniteincludes microtransactions to expedite the process.
While the edge that fully upgraded items give will likely not overcome a more skilled team, they most certainly give an inherent advantage over similarly coordinated teams. This would naturally create an uneven playing field against players who aren’t willing to break out the cash for this shortcut. ButasPokemon Unitecontinues to gain immense popularity, it shows that it is able to address these and other concerns.
With the new patch comes an event where players ofPokemon Unitecan earn special new items calledSuper Item Enhancers. With these items (which are earned at various leveling milestones), players can upgrade their items to their max rank immediately. Additionally, using these enhancers on items that already have progress towards their max level will make up the difference with less powerful versions of the enhancers, effectively “making change” for them.
The introduction of these Super Item Enhancers will assuredly make the game more even for players no matter their spending habits with the game, but the patch’s additions don’t end there. Aside from the enhancers, there are numerous customizable options as well as challenges, an event pass, and new events. The events in question reward players rather lavishly with both purely cosmetic rewards as well as prizes that can have a real effect on gameplay. With all of these incentives and tweaks to help new or casual players get to a level playing field, this will likelycurb frustrations someUniteplayers have found unfair.
Below is the full list of patch notes for Pokemon Unite version 1.2.1.3:
New Battle Pass: Galactic Ghost 094
This new battle pass features space-themed items straight out of a galaxy full of twinkling stars.
New Feature: Unite Squads
OTHER UPDATES
Changes have been made to some Pokémon stats and moves to adjust the balance of Unite Battles.
Wild Pokémon: Regigigas
BATTLE PASS
Any battle pass points from completing Season 1 First Half missions that have not yet been claimed will become unavailable for claiming.
However, reward items for reaching new battle pass levels, as well as battle pass prize boxes, will be sent to you via the game’s mail system at a later date.
EVENTS
If a reward’s claim period ends during maintenance, that reward will become unavailable for claiming once maintenance begins.
In addition, the stock of items in the following locations will change during maintenance:
Pokemon Uniteis available now for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
