Tips & Tricks to take down Zapdos in Pokémon UNITE to win the game

Today we’re taking a look at beating out the legendary Pokémon Zapdos, which can be a big deal when it comes to winning games in the final stretch.
What is Zapdos exactly?

For those who don’t know, Zapdos is a Wild Boss Pokémon that provides an enormous buff to the team that’s able to take it down. The legendary Pokémon will show up in the last 2 minutes of the game and if you take it down, you’ll gain points while scoring on enemy goals becomes an instant cast lasting for 30 seconds. Once Zapdos has been taken down, it won’t return again, however.

For points, 30 points go to the person who gets the last hit, while the rest of the team gets 20 points each. That means there is a total of 110 points to be earned, which can add up to 220 if scored during those final two minutes, which can turn a game completely on its head.

Why is it important?

Well, to put it bluntly, Zapdos is ridiculously overpowered and a lot of the Pokémon UNITE community and player base has already spoken out about the strength of the buff it provides, asking for it to be toned down a notch. With the amount of points Zapdos provides and the scoring timer reduced to zero, taking Zapdos basically enables teams to make ridiculous comebacks (or blowout victories), kind of rendering the rest of the match pointless. For now though, knowing how and when to take down Zapdos, is crucial.

Tips & Tricks to take down Zapdos
  • Zone away enemies

Okay, let’s take a deeper look at taking down Zapdos itself. Much like big objectives in other MOBA games, you’ll have to last-hit Zapdos, opening up the possibility of a steal. Therefore you should try to zone away your enemies as much as possible and don’t allow them to enter the fight.

  • Expect a teamfight

Chances are your enemies know the importance of securing Zapdos and will be ready to put up a fight, even if they’re the ones that are behind (yes, it’s that important). You can prepare for this by saving up your Unite Move for exactly the right moment, so it’s available when a fight inevitably breaks out.

  • Coordinate with teammates

A huge fight such as the one for Zapdos requires you to work together with your teammates, so make sure everyone takes up a logical position in the fight that’s coming. You’ll want your tanks to soak up damage and your ranged damage dealer in the back, doing what they do best, while a support Pokémon such as Eldegoss keeps everyone in the fight.

  • Think, then act

Make sure you know where the enemy is and if it’s safe to start fighting Zapdos. If you time it wrong, you’re opening up the avenue of the enemy team joining late and running you over. On the other hand, sometimes you can be the team to ambush and join late, ruining things for your opponents. In any case, don’t just start fighting Zapdos without assessing positioning and the game state.

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Image Credit: Pokémon / Nintendo
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