Pokémon Unite Players Look to DOTA 2 & LoL To Solve The Zapdos Problem

A Pokémon Unite player has pitched an idea to solve the game’s Zapdos problem, taking inspiration from other popular games in the same genre: DOTA 2 and League of Legends. Pokémon Unite fans have been enjoying the free-to-play game since its release, but have found the Legendary Pokémon Zapdos to be a serious issue.

Pokémon Unite is the first MOBA in the longstanding franchise, and the game has naturally drawn comparisons to other big MOBAs on the market since its launch on Nintendo Switch. Unlike League of Legends and DOTA 2, Pokémon Unite offers a more casual experience, with players taking part in short 10 minutes matches as opposed to the 30 – 40 minute matches typically seen in the genre. The title also appeals to more ages, forgoing the complexity of DOTA 2 with its simple interface and gameplay. Pokémon Unite adds a sports element into the game, with players needing to not only defeat opponent Pokémon, but also score goals to win.

Despite the success of Pokémon Unite, the game’s Zapdos has been frustrating players for a while. Teams can be close to bringing down the Legendary bird only for the other team to swoop in during the final moments and secure its defeat. This can help other teams to win, even if they’ve been struggling with keeping up throughout the rest of the match. On Reddit, Pokémon Unite fan Indigopurple97 has shared their idea to fix the problem, taking inspiration from DOTA 2. The user explains that DOTA‘s Roshan, described by the player as the “Zapdos equivalent,” has a cave completely concealed by fog, making Roshan impossible to see unless their character is inside the cave. This makes it much harder for the opposing team to know when Roshan is at low health, preventing sniping. The player also notes that Roshan can only take damage from within the cave, once again preventing enemy players from stealing the defeat without having put the work in. Noting that the Switch game should implement something similar to better balance play, they said:

“A Zapdos steal should be a rare and incredibly hype moment in a match. Not something that happens every other game and feels incredibly cheap to everyone involved.“

See the post on Reddit here.

The Pokémon Unite solution is a neat one that would prevent enemy teams from bringing down Zapdos at the last moment, unless their team had been the ones to deplete its health in combat. The DOTA-inspired answer to the Pokémon Unite problem would mean that Zapdos can stay in the game and continue to provide an additional challenge for players, and wouldn’t need to be removed to solve the issue. Commenters on the thread even suggested how the fix could work, with one noting that the character could spawn from a power plant. Whether or not Pokémon Unite‘s developer TiMi Studio Group will incorporate the idea, or something similar, remains to be seen.

As Pokémon Unite prepares to launch on mobile, it’s likely TiMi will have various bugs and issues to contend with, meaning updates and patches are probably on the way. This could make now the best time for a Zapdos fix, but so far the developer hasn’t made any announcements on the matter. TiMi has seemingly been listening to fan feedback though, nerfing various Pokémon Unite characters since the game launched earlier this summer. It’s hoped the players’ Zapdos suggestions are also implemented into the game.

Pokémon Unite is available now on Nintendo Switch and comes to iOS and Android on September 22.

Source: Indigopurple97/Reddit

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