Pokémon Unite ‘pay-to-win mechanics upset some players

In the beginning, players can earn Aeos Coins (capped at 2,100 per week) and Tickets. Either of these currencies can be used to purchase items held in the Aeos Emporium. The items held are similar to items in traditional Pokemon games and can be equipped for a single Pokemon. In Pokémon United, they increase stats like health, defense, movement speed, and offense. Each item you own can be upgraded to increase these perks up to 30 times. To do this, you need to invest in another currency: item enhancers.

This is where fans of Pokémon United call the game ‘pay to win’. Item Enhancers are normally earned through Limited Time Challenges and the Battle Pass. You can also spend 10 Aeos tickets to buy them, but if you don’t have enough you can buy them with Aeos Gems – Uniteis real money currency. If you choose to get them this way, the exchange rate between Aeos Gems and Item Enhancers is one to one. This means that to upgrade an item to the first levels it will only cost you around $ 1. But as you upgrade, the number of item upgrades required increases, requiring around $ 40 to fully upgrade them 30 times. Without real money, you will have to spend several hours to level up to the first 10 or so levels and many more beyond.

None of this would matter if the increased stats didn’t impact the game so much, but in the context of a MOBA, where small perks snowball into big perks as you go. and as the game progresses, it really is. An item like Shell Bell goes from 1.6 Special Attack increased at level 1 to 24 at level 30. The Assault Vest increases its base health ten times per level cap. Equip up to three of these items in a single match, and you’ll easily outshine all opponents in terms of levels and strength gained at any stage of the game.

Twitch streamer moistcr1tikal demonstrated this method in a popular YouTube video last week. You can see him playing matches where the enemy team can barely leave their spawn with whatever damage they may have done. The worst part is that it’s currently impossible to tell which items your opponents have, so it’s difficult to strategize against players like him. It is possible that the matchmaking takes into account the elements held, but to see a constant improvement in the ranked mode of the game, you may need to put some money aside.

Fans of the game have been discussing this issue with the game since its release, comparing it to traditional gacha games with multiple currencies designed to hide effective methods of earning them in favor of spending real money. In addition to owned items, many players are also upset with the time it takes to accumulate Aeos Coins to purchase new Pokémon.