Pokémon Unite is poised to get a substantial update on October 20, which will kick off the Halloween event on mobile devices and Nintendo Switch. Though TiMi Studio Group has yet to drop the official patch notes, what’s expected are wild changes, including nerfs to Blastoise and tweaks to Rotom.
Let’s get the disappointing news out of the way first: the update will make Blastoise slightly less powerful. Specifically, Hydro Pump and Hydro Typhoon will have their damage decreased. Not all is bad, though, as Water Spout’s cooldown is getting shortened. But nerfs like these are impacting other Pokémon as well, with Lucario, Slowbro, and Venusaur’s abilities also taking a hit. For example, Lucario’s basic attack stat will be reduced while Venusaur’s Giga Drain HP recovery will be decreased.
Then there are the two wild boss monsters on Remoat Stadium, Drednaw and Rotom. Drednaw gets nerfed, as the amount of experience and shield gained from defeating them is decreased. On the other side, Rotom will see huge buffs: Their attack, HP, and movement speed will be increased when heading toward a goal, and the time a goal area is busted will be slightly extended.
And if you’re wondering about Zapdos, the update will hit them too, as the energy you gain from defeating the legendary Pokémon will be decreased.
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Tomorrow’s update is not all doom and gloom, however. Pikachu mains have something to look forward to, with their Thunder and Volt Tackle damage getting increased. What stuns me, though, are Garchomp’s adjustments. What’s already an annoyingly strong monster is getting even stronger. Garchomp’s basic attack speed will be increased and its Dragon Rush ability will inflict more damage. These seem like unnecessary fixes to a powerhouse Pokémon, and personally, I’m not too thrilled about getting rekt by more Garchomps.
These changes come not long after TiMi Studio Group pushed out a survey asking for feedback on Pokémon Unite. Though it’s unclear if any of the update’s tweaks are a result of player responses, it seems more changes are likely in the works, potentially including esports initiatives and extra game modes.
In the meantime, Pokémon Unite is gearing up for Halloween. A spooky limited-time event dubbed the Halloween Festival will totally overhaul the game’s look, letting you not only dress up your favourite Pokémon in Halloween costumes, but also turn other monsters into pumpkins. The update also adds the 26th playable creature, the Normal-type squirrel Greedent. The Halloween Festival runs from October 20 to November 7.
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