Is the Pokemon Unite Battle Pass worth it? Earlier today I asked myself that exact question, scratching my head as I crunched the numbers and wondered whether or not I truly wanted to pay real money for hip-hop Pikachu. I mean, obviously I did - but I'm an adult with adult responsibilties. Can I justify the cash? I decided to find out.
The Pokemon Unite Battle Pass is just as battle-y and just as pass-y as all of the other Battle Passes out there. You use real money to buy fake currency and then select either a regular or premium boost, which accelerates you up an arbitrary leveling list tied to special rewards. If you put the hours in, you should technically be able to exhaust a Battle Pass without ever spending a single cent - but it's a lot of hours, and ten levels for a few quid often seems much more convenient.
I've looked through all of Pokemon Unite's various in-game currencies, exchanges, and Battle Pass options to determine whether or not the Pokemon Battle Pass is actually worth it. Want to know the truth? Well, as it happens, you're in luck - the results are all neatly collected below.
Is The Pokemon Unite Battle Pass Worth It?
To put it plainly: I don't think so. I'm sceptical of Battle Passes at the best of times - back in October I wrote a long piece on how the Genshin Impact Battle Pass is a bit rubbish. I'm not against Battle Passes, per se - I just don't want to bother with one unless I feel as if I'm genuinely getting bang for my buck.
Like most Battle Passes, Pokemon Unite's rewards scheme goes on for a set amount of time. As you can see from the screenshot above, season one of Pokemon Unite is scheduled to go on for another 62 days. Loads of time to rack up rewards, right? I mean, it should be, but progress is slow. When I say that I personally don't believe the Pokemon Unite Battle Pass is worth it, it isn't because I think you're going to be able to nab every single reward from playtime alone. It's because the rewards themselves just aren't really that great - this is what you get from purchasing the basic Battle Pass, which will set you back €8.99.
- Hip-Hop Style: Pikachu
- Captain Style: Cinderace
- Pikachu Set: Tops And Bottoms [Editor's note: What the hell???]
- Pikachu Set: Shoes
- Pokemon Face Hat: Pikachu
If you go for the premium pass - which requires yet another €8.99 worth of gems - you get all of the above and ten extra Battle Pass levels. The item enhancement materials are good, but the rest of the rewards you get from this are just... unimportant. I've seen plenty of people complain about Pokemon Unite's microtransactions, but they're completely avoidable. They're all cosmetic - as shown above - and you can get characters, items, and item enhancement materials by simply playing the game.
So, is the Pokemon Unite Battle Pass worth it? If you like dressing up your Pikachu then sure, maybe. If you just want to play the game, though, it's probably best to hold on to your cash. Pokemon Unite is perfectly playable without a Battle Pass... although I do kind of want hip-hop Pikachu now. Damn!