Category: Games

World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic is getting in on the summer sport festivities by bringing back an event not seen in-game since the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Called the Spirit of Competition (via WoWhead), the event sees players across the Horde and Alliance competing in the game’s PvP Battlegrounds to earn special rewards in the form of a unique tabard that mimics the Olympic Rings symbol as well as a unique dragon pet.

Conceived to coincide with the 2008 Summer Olympic games in the original version of the Burning Crusade expansion, it seemed Blizzard thought it would be fitting to bring it back for this year’s delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. It’s currently unclear how long the Spirit of Competition event will run. The Spirit of Competition event coincides with this year’s annual Midsummer Fire Festival in-game event, which adds new quests, cosmetic rewards, and dungeon bosses.

Horde players will likely want to take advantage of this week’s ongoing same-faction Battleground test in order to score the exclusive Olympic-themed cosmetic items. Prior to Blizzard enabling same-faction Battleground matchmaking, Horde players found themselves waiting up to an hour to participate in matches thanks to the faction’s much larger population, which would make earning the exclusive rewards far more difficult. The game’s most recent same-faction matchmaking test offers extra rewards for Alliance players who choose to participate in Battlegrounds.

The launch of the event comes just as Activision Blizzard is dealing with the fallout from a new California lawsuit against the company, stating it fosters a “frat boy” culture rife with sexual harassment. Many players are calling for the removal of NPCs in both WoW Classic and the current Shadowlands version of the game that are named after an ex-Blizzard veteran and former WoW creative director mentioned in the lawsuit.

All month long, IGN Premiere is spotlighting some of the biggest upcoming releases in entertainment. Today, we have an exclusive clip from The Suicide Squad! In this scene — which you can view via the player above or the embed below — Nathan Fillion’s T.D.K., aka The Detachable Kid, is called into action during Task Force X’s beachhead assault on Corto Maltese. As his name implies, The Detachable Kid’s powers are … strange and silly. 

This isn’t the first time pals James Gunn and Nathan Fillion have worked together, of course, having previously collaborated on Slither, Super, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. 

The Suicide Squad’s beach scene was inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. It’s been long promised that Gunn’s The Suicide Squad will be a “gritty war movie,” and that intent was evident to the press during a visit to the set back in November 2019. Producer Peter Safran and production designer Beth Mickle both cited specific modern war movie classics as their template for The Suicide Squad.

“The opener of our movie, it’s basically Saving Private Ryan,” Safran said. “It’s our team landing on a beach in a big battle and there’s got to be water. There’s got to be sand, a pond. It’s supposed to take place on Corto Maltese. So we built a beach on the backlot here that’s 260 feet across, giant tank, wave machines, thousands of trees. This is what Beth and her team built. And we shot there for the first 10 days of shooting where it was Saving Private Ryan at night, on this beach, explosions and helicopters and the whole thing.”

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Some of this sequence was revealed in a behind-the-scenes teaser at last year’s DC FanDome, which showed the cast storming a tropical beach at night as explosions rage around them. Mickle’s team built a giant water tank to serve as the ocean from which the team emerges. It was all part of Gunn’s mandate to make the film, which is undoubtedly outlandish, still, feel as realistic as possible. That meant doing as much of the effects in-camera as possible as well as building massive sets on the Atlanta backlot rather than creating fully CG environments via green screen.

“It’s a very naturalistic film and,” Mickle explained, “it’s a war film, but it feels like Platoon and Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down where you’re literally in the boat with them arriving on the beach from, Saving Private Ryan, with bullets whizzing past you and running through the sand with bullets hitting the sand and jungle leaves hitting your face as they race through. And that’s where the limitations of CGI worlds really do come into play because you just don’t get that same sort of interaction with sand flying back and hitting people, and them coming up from the water. And I really think you can tell when it’s not physically there. So in James’ mandate to try to make this as a naturalistic, gritty, dirty, rough movie that we’re all in the midst of a battle with them, the only way we could really do that with all these sets is to have them standing physically.”

While producer Safran and production designer Mickle cited modern fare from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott as influences on The Suicide Squad, James Gunn sees the film as more of a throwback to old school “buncha guys on a mission” movies.

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“I’m a huge fan of the original John Ostrander run of Suicide Squad, which he created the whole Dirty Dozen as city super-villains team,” Gunn said. “To me, that’s one of the greatest superhero runs of any comic series. And to keep that sense of it being a caper film, a war caper film, a lot of the film is within the genre of the war caper film, which is not really something that’s existed for a long time. But in the ‘60s, late ‘60s with films like Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes and Where Eagles Dare, that was a real vibrant genre and one of the big genres in the world, and you kind of take that engine and then add the fun of Suicide Squad to it.”

The Suicide Squad debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6.

For more on The Suicide Squad, discover how James Gunn tricked the press about the identity of Idris Elba’s character, and learn what you need to know about Peacemaker, Polka-Dot Man, Blackguard, and the rest of the team.

Blizzard seems to have pulled a new Overwatch map reveal amid controversy related to a recent lawsuit.

Eurogamer (citing a since-archived piece by Dexerto) reports that a new deathmatch map was seemingly set to be added to the Overwatch Public Test Region update yesterday, July 22.

However, Blizzard has seemingly pulled the announcement after a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and more was made public. Following a two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on Tuesday. You can read the full details of the lawsuit right now.

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The new map, named Malevento, would send players into a quaint Italian town built upon high walls at the edge of a countryside vista. Images of Malevento show it to be set during daylight hours, with players battling through its sun-baked cobbled streets. The map’s romanesque architecture appears to make use of narrow archways and looming buildings to create tight passageways and wider open areas for combat around a secret Talon base. Meanwhile, bright orange rooftops are shown to be scattered with colorful green foliage that adds character to the vibrant map.

The new Overwatch map was apparently set to be released on August 17. However, since the allegations, the company has halted all social media communications and it is unclear whether this will impact any upcoming releases.

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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN.

The PC gamers who lost their high-end graphics cards while playing Amazon Games’ MMO New Worlds will be receiving a replacement. That is, as long as they had an EVGA model.

Speaking to PC Gamer, a spokesman for EVGA has confirmed that all EVGA RTX 3090 cards that have been broken or damaged “are being replaced.” The cards all broke while playing a closed beta for New World with an uncapped frame rate, which Amazon is blaming for the issue.

In a statement given yesterday, Amazon said, “The New World Closed Beta is safe to play. In order to further reassure players, we will implement a patch today that caps frames per second on our menu screen.” It’s worth noting though that while the patch caps New World’s frame rate while in the main menu, it does not implement any change in any other segments of the game. “This does not affect settings in game world available via the Settings/Video menu,” reads a post from a New World community manager on the game’s forums.

It doesn’t seem like EVGA is taking its sweet time sending gamers their replacement 3090 cards either. In a video posted by JayzTwoCents, host Jason Langevin confirmed with his own contacts at the hardware manufacturer that replacements are currently being sent out. “I straight-up asked them ‘What are you going to do for the customers that have EVGA cards that have failed while playing this game?’ And I was kind of surprised, actually, he said ‘oh, they’re already getting replacement cards.'”

Despite the challenges players with EVGA RTX 3090 graphics cards have been facing, New World has seen a significant amount of success pre-release. The game, set to release on August 31, has already been the most-viewed game on Twitch and is currently a best-selling game on Steam.

The Olympics opening ceremony featured a medley of music from iconic Japanese video games, including tracks from Nier, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics kicked off on Friday with the parade of nations marching out to an array of songs from popular video games developed by Square Enix, Capcom, and Sega. The first song played was Roto’s Theme from the Dragon Quest series, followed by tracks from Monster Hunter and Sonic the Hedgehog before finally concluding with Soul Calibur.

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Here’s the full video game tracklist for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony, per Nikkan Sports:

• Dragon Quest “Overture: Roto’s Theme”

• Final Fantasy “Victory Fanfare”

• Tales of series “Sorey’s Theme – The Shepherd”

• Monster Hunter “Proof of a Hero”

• Kingdom Hearts “Olympus Coliseum”

• Chrono Trigger “Frog’s Theme”

• Ace Combat “First Flight”

• Tales of series “Pomp and Majesty”

• Monster Hunter “Wind of Departure”

• Chrono Trigger “Robo’s Theme”

• Sonic the Hedgehog “Star Light Zone”

• Pro Evolution Soccer “eFootball Walk-on Theme”

• Final Fantasy “Main Theme”

• Phantasy Star Universe “Guardians”

• Kingdom Hearts “Hero’s Fanfare”

• Gradius “01 Act I-1”

• Nier “Song of the Ancients”

• SaGa series “The Minstrel’s Refrain: SaGa Series Medley 2016”

• SoulCalibur “The Brave New Stage of History”

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Gamers across the globe watched in delight as they listened to the carefully curated arrangement celebrating Japan’s rich video game history. Many took to social media to comment on the sporting event’s memorable opening fanfare, with many giving “kudos” to the orchestra providing the soundtrack for the show.

That music hit hard. #Tokyo2020 #OpeningCeremony

— NieR Series (@NieRGame) July 23, 2021

The Olympic opening ceremony using video game music as the athletes walk in is officially the Best Thing Ever.

— TC 💛 🎮🕹 (@TCLovesGames) July 23, 2021

Kudos to the organiser who decided the orchestra should play Olympus Coliseum from the KH series during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Welcoming the countries to the Olympics with video game music in general, big thumbs up from me!

— Anna 🎶🐱 (@AnnaWayfinder) July 23, 2021

They are playing video game music from iconic franchises like Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!!!! This is incredible 😭😭😭❤❤❤ @Olympics

— البناي (@AlBannai_90) July 23, 2021

Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, Kingdom Hearts, Sonic the Hedgehog, NieR, and a ton of other video game music playing during the olympics opening ceremony where everyone in the world can finally hear them feels so nice 🥺❤️✨

— TAHK0 ☕️ (@TAHK0) July 23, 2021

When it comes to making a lasting impression, video games have few better tools than music. While the gameplay, graphics, and story mechanics are often in the spotlight, a game’s soundtrack can enrich the experience like nothing else and turn the game into a lasting memory for the player.

While plenty of games have high-profile soundtracks, famous guest composers and even concert tours, the actual exercise of creating that music is something we rarely see explained. Fortunately, we can offer a little bit of insight into that process, as the team behind the Borderlands 2 soundtrack previously told us all about how video game soundtracks are made.

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Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Pokemon Unite is a match made in heaven: the most successful franchise in the entire world coupled with the gold standard format for competitive gaming. This new MOBA from The Pokemon Company and Tencent brings the tenured series to a whole new world of competition, playing unlike anything with the Pokemon name on it. As such, those fans might have some questions about the fundamentals of Pokemon Unite, specifically ones like, “What the heck is this game?” and, “How does it work?” Fear not, loyal Pokemon trainer, as this is a handy guide that will give you the foundation you need to succeed on Aeos Island, whether it’s your first or 100th Unite match.

MOBA? What’s a MOBA?

First and foremost, let’s address the Phanpy in the room for longtime Pokemon fans: What is this “MOBA” you keep hearing about? MOBA stands for “multiplayer online battle arena,” a highly competitive multiplayer format featuring two teams of (typically) five in a giant arena. Battlefields usually include paths along the top, bottom, or middle called “lanes,” with areas between the lanes populated by monsters or, in this case, Wild Pokemon. League of Legends–the most popular MOBA game in the world–refers to these areas between the paths as “jungles,” but for Pokemon fans, an easy way to think of them is “wild areas” a la Sword and Shield.

A standard MOBA match’s objective is for one team to make its way across the map to the other team’s starting point, destroying checkpoints (or “towers”) in the lanes along the way to gain more access to the map. Eventually, the winning team will force its way into the opposing starting area, destroying a final tower (the “Nexus” in League of Legends terms) to claim victory.

The PokeMOBA Approach

So how does Pokemon Unite approach this MOBA format? While there is an arena with lanes and wild areas in between, the Pokemon Unite arenas are slightly different. First, there are only two lanes, top and bottom, with the entire section between the lanes a wild area populated by AI Pokemon. Second, instead of towers to be destroyed, lanes are dotted with goals in which Pokemon score points with Aeos Energy they’ve collected.

Goals can be destroyed through scoring points–more on the scoring format later–but unlike other MOBAs, victory is achieved by total points scored instead of objective destruction, so matches can technically be won without destroying a single goal. However, there is a good reason to destroy goals, as the area between two opposing goals is called a “Speed Flux Zone.” Any opponents caught in that zone will see their speed slowed until they make their way out of it, making them a prime target for attack while they’re in there. There are some MOBA tropes that aren’t included in Pokemon Unite, such as the lack of AI-controlled minions or “creep” and the removal of buying items mid-match. There are still items, but they are designated to be held by Pokemon before a match begins.

Understanding Pokemon Unite’sTypes

Let’s make one thing clear: This is a MOBA that features Pokemon; this is not a Pokemon game that’s also a MOBA. As such, there are a few conventions that Pokemon fans typically expect that don’t fully translate over. The most notable difference is Pokemon types. When a longtime trainer thinks about types, they typically think Fire, Grass, Water, etc. None of that applies in Pokemon Unite. Instead, Pokemon are split into one of five categories:

• All-Rounder (Charizard, Garchomp, Lucario, Machamp): Pokemon that are evenly skilled in attack and defense.
• Attacker (Alolan Ninetales, Cinderace, Cramorant, Gardevoir, Greninja, Pikachu, Venusaur): These Pokemon excel on offense, bringing the fight to the opposite team.
• Defender (Blastoise, Crustle, Slowbro, Snorlax): These Pokemon sport high defense stats and movesets focused on keeping enemies away from your goal.
• Speedster (Absol, Gengar, Talonflame, Zeraora): Speedsters play like assassins, quickly moving around the arena and strategically attacking.
• Support (Eldegoss, Mr. Mime, Wigglytuff): Supporters are focused on buffing and healing teammates to keep everyone alive and fighting.

Knowing the classes and how each Pokemon fits into that class makes a world of difference when first getting into Pokemon Unite. Knowing how they fit your personal style is paramount to victory, too; those familiar with Assassin classes in other MOBAs probably won’t fare well with Defenders here, for example.

Scoring Goals Is The Key To Victory

Victory in Pokemon Unite goes to the team that scores the most points in ten minutes, and thankfully scoring points is a simple, straightforward process. Players must use their Pokemon to collect energy from wild Pokemon in the arena, with each monster worth a certain amount of energy. Once the player has energy stored–up to a max of 50 energy points–they must head over to one of the opposing team’s goals and hold X to dispense them. The more energy the Pokemon is currently storing, the longer the player must hold X. When the meter fills, the Pokemon will throw the energy through the hoop, and points equal to the amount of energy held will be scored. Some goals limit how many points can be scored on them–80 to 100 are the usual limits–before they are disabled for the rest of the match.

There are ways to manipulate the goal in order to score points faster. If multiple Pokemon on the same team are standing in the same goal zone, the meter will fill faster while holding X. Defeating certain special wild Pokemon in the arena can render the goals “defenseless,” dramatically decreasing the amount of time needed to hold X in order to score. Conversely, there are ways the opposing team can hinder point-scoring, like interrupting the meter by attacking while the enemy is holding X and forcing the player to start again. Furthermore, goals will restore the HP of the Pokemon from that side of the arena, so if you’re approaching a goal and an opponent is standing in it, do not approach until it’s gone.

The best approach on how and when to score points depends on the type of Pokemon you’re using. Speedster Pokemon should focus on fast and frequent scoring, as their mobility gives them the ability to get in and out of opposing goal zones quickly. Defender and Supporter Pokemon, on the other hand, should only score when the opportunity presents itself. If the other team is crowding the top of the map, for example, a Defender or Supporter on the bottom has a chance to score with little resistance. These types will want to try and score eventually, though; getting knocked out with 50 energy could swing the momentum of a match to the enemy team.

Attacker and All-Rounder strategies fall somewhere between Speedster and Defender, depending on the flow of the game. These two types thrive when focused on wild Pokemon, but when the energy is filled, you’ll want to be close to a goal. However, if the team needs extra help defending a goal zone, both can step in and clean house. As long as you don’t get caught in a skirmish with low health and max energy, you’ll be golden.

Going Wild With Wild Pokemon

As mentioned above, multiple wild Pokemon appear throughout the arena, each holding energy that can be turned into points. Aipom, Combee, Vespiquen, Corphish, and Audino are a few examples of the familiar faces you’ll see when walking around the map. Attacking and defeating each Pokemon nets you energy, which eventually becomes points on the board once sent through the goal. A great strategy for defeating these Pokemon is the idea of “kiting” or luring the wild Pokemon to the edge of the area it defends, then attacking it as it walks back to its starting point.

A few wild Pokemon also hold special perks that are passed along when defeated, which could make a huge difference in the heat of battle. Let’s look at Remoat Island, the first arena you’ll play in Pokemon Unite and the arena with the standard 5v5 gameplay. Unique Pokemon on this map include:

• Bouffalant gives the Pokemon that defeats it an orange aura, which grants it the ability to slow down opposing Pokemon with every successful attack.
• Ludicolo gives the Pokemon that defeats it a purple aura, which powers up the Pokemon’s attacks when used against opponents with low health.
• Drednaw gives a temporary shield to the entire team of the Pokemon that takes it down.
• Rotom gives 20 points automatically to the team that defeats it. It then travels to the nearest goal of the opposing team. If Rotom makes it to a goal, it renders it defenseless for a short time.

The prime wild Pokemon targets are the Legendary Pokemon that appear in the Legendary Pit at the very center of the map. Remoat Island’s Legendary Pokemon is Zapdos, appearing only in the last two minutes of a match, and defeating it renders all opposing goals defenseless for 30 seconds. This advantage can turn the tide of battle in the late game, letting a team come from behind or increase its lead to unreachable lengths. However, do not try to take on a Zapdos alone; no matter what level you’re at, you’re going to have a bad time.

This leads to a very important tip before we move on: whether battling wild Pokemon or the opposing team, be mindful of your team’s goals and depend on them to restore health in a pinch. Retreating from a skirmish to heal and fight another day is far more advantageous than overdoing it, getting killed, and then having to wait the lengthy respawn time to get back into the fray. Your absence will leave your team in a huge disadvantage.

Gaining Experience And Leveling Up

You might have noticed that while you selected Charizard on the Pokemon select screen, when the match begins, you’re controlling Charmander. No, that’s not a mistake; along with energy, each Wild Pokemon on the field also gives experience when defeated. As a Pokemon gains experience, it gains access to more powerful moves–which we’ll get into shortly in the battle section–and access to more powerful forms. If a Pokemon evolves in the main Pokemon franchise, it can also evolve here.

Using the Charmander example, the fire dino will evolve into Charmeleon at level five and then to the big bad Charizard at level 9, gaining strength, defense, and HP accordingly. Pokemon with evolutions include:

• Alolan Ninetales (Alolan Vulpix, Alolan Ninetales at Lvl. 4)
• Blastoise (Squirtle, Wartortle at Lvl. 5, Blastoise at Lvl. 9)
• Charizard (Charmander, Charmeleon at Lvl. 5, Charizard at Lvl. 9)
• Cinderace (Scorbunny, Raboot at Lvl. 5, Cinderace at Lvl. 9)
• Crustle (Dwebble, Crustle at Lvl. 4)
• Eldegoss (Gossifleur, Eldegoss at Lvl. 4)
• Garchomp (Gible, Gabite at Lvl. 6, Garchomp at Lvl. 10)
• Gardevoir (Ralts, Kirlia at Lvl. 6, Gardevoir at Lvl. 10)
• Gengar (Gastly, Haunter at Lvl. 5, Gengar at Lvl. 9)
• Greninja (Froakie, Frogadier at Lvl. 5, Greninja at Lvl. 7)
• Machamp (Machop, Machoke at Lvl. 5, Machamp at Lvl. 9)
• Slowbro (Slowpoke, Slowbro at Lvl. 4)
• Talonflame (Fletchling, Fletchinder at Lvl. 5, Talonflame at Lvl. 9)
• Venusaur (Bulbasaur, Ivysaur at Lvl. 5, Venusaur at Lvl. 9)
• Wigglytuff (Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff at Lvl. 4)

Knowing when your chosen Pokemon evolves is just as important to your success as knowing its moveset. Speaking of which…

Learning Attack Strategies

Everything we’ve talked about so far centers around the battles your Pokemon will wage in Pokemon Unite, so let’s take a look at how you’re going to fight. Each Pokemon starts a match with a basic attack on the A button and two special moves on R and ZR. As the Pokemon gains experience and levels up, the special moves can be upgraded, first to a more powerful move and then to enhanced versions of that particular move. Special moves can be aimed by holding the attack button and using the right stick to aim, or they can attack the closest enemy just by pressing the button. Finally, there’s also the Unite Move at ZL, which unlocks at later experience levels and acts as the Pokemon’s “ultimate move.”

For an example of how a moveset shakes out, let’s take Slowbro:

• Slowbro’s basic move is a ranged water attack, with every third consecutive attack being a “boosted” version.. The boosted version damages the target and any Pokemon in the general vicinity, while also decreasing their Special Defense.
• Its R special move is Water Gun, which can be charged for more damage by holding down the button and slows down any enemy it hits. Cooldown is 5 seconds after use. At level 4, you can choose between two more powerful moves to replace Water Gun:
  • Scald lays scorching hot water onto the ground for area-of-effect damage, while also lowering the speed and attack power of any enemies hit. Cooldown is also 5 seconds, and at level 11, the area of effect increases.
  • Surf sends Slowbro charging forward on a giant wave that can throw an opponent backward. Two more waves follow Slowbro, dealing additional damage, but at level 11, those waves do more damage and can knock opponents into the air. Cooldown on this move is 9 seconds.

• Slowbro’s ZR special move is Slack Off, where it lays down and recovers HP. The longer Slowbro can stay motionless, the more health is recovered. Cooldown is 11 seconds after use. At level 6, you can choose to replace Slack Off just like Water Gun, only this time with two different moves:
  • Amnesia restores some of Slowbro’s health, increases its defense, and makes it immune to status effects. It also powers up the next use of Scald or Surf, depending on which you chose. Cooldown is 12 seconds after use, and at level 13, the move also increases Special Attack.
  • Telekinesis makes a Pokemon float in mid-air temporarily, rendering them unable to attack. It also has a 12-second cooldown, and at level 13, the move’s speed and range are increased.

• Slowbro’s Unite move (ZL) is Slowbeam, which targets a single Pokemon and locks them in place, siphoning health over a few seconds. Unite moves are only available when the Unite meter reaches 100%
• Finally, every Pokemon has a Passive Ability that is constantly active during a match. Slowbro’s is Oblivious, which makes damage it sustains gradual instead of instant. Also, any successful attack from Slowbro restores some gradual damage and lowers the opponent’s Special Defense.

Every Pokemon in the game has a moveset that works this way, with more powerful moves at later levels and players choosing which moves to learn. Once you’ve chosen your main Pokemon, take time to understand its moves and the effects they yield. Sticking with the Slowbro example, you could find yourself depending on recovering health with Slack Off, only to lose the health gain by selecting Telekinesis instead of Amnesia. The more knowledgeable you are, the more intentional you can be in the heat of battle, instead of wildly flailing your special attacks around.

Gone shopping!

Not all Pokemon are unlocked when the game begins, as you’ll need to obtain Unite Licenses in order to use them. You’ll receive a few from the jump, but eventually, you’ll need to visit the in-game shops to build not only your Pokemon collection but also items for battle and new outfits for your trainer. The game offers a robust shop menu with multiple currency options, some are earned in-game and one is a premium currency for purchase.

• The Unite Battle Committee is our first stop, and this is where you purchase new Unite Licenses in order to use new Pokemon. Two types of currency can be used to purchase Unite Licenses: Aeos Coins which are earned after every battle, and Aeos Gems, a premium currency sold separately.
• The Aeos Emporium is the place where trainer cosmetics can be purchased. Hats, clothes, shoes, you name it and you can purchase them for your trainer here. There are sets themed after Pokemon–the Snorlax set is particularly cool–or more original pieces if you prefer. The premium currency Aeos Gems can again be used here, but so too can a different in-game currency called Aeos Tickets.
• Zirco Trading is where you purchase cosmetics for your Pokémon, special skins that can be worn into battle. Examples include Cinderace in a pirate captain’s outfit and Talonflame in battle fatigues, among others. Once again, the premium Aeos Gems are accepted here, but another in-game currency called Holowear Tickets can also be found and used with no purchase necessary.

There are microtransactions in Pokemon Unite, focused on the purchase of Aeos Gems, as well as a Battle Pass with 90 levels of content to earn as you play. The Battle Pass can be bought with Aeos Gems and is not sold by itself for real-world money. Make sure to be careful on how you spend those earned Coins and Tickets, though, as the currency flow slows significantly if you progress through the game without spending real money.