nWay Inc. (Power Rangers: Legacy Wars, ChronoBlade, etc.) recently released an all-new, officially licensed WWE game for iOS and Android devices, and it’s called WWE Undefeated. It is advertised as an “out-of-ring fighting game” that features real-time competition against other human players, and promises a mix of arcade-style action and some RPG and card collecting elements.
You can unlock more than a dozen WWE Superstars from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands, as well as a few legends, and customize their moves and upgrade them as you go along in the game. The action may be “over-the-top,” as suggested, but it certainly offers a different twist to the world of wrestling-based games.
Even if this isn’t a hyper-realistic version of the sports entertainment giant’s product like its WWE 2K series for other platforms, this new title is a high-end fighting game that requires a deeper dive than most other games do. Even with only 18 available wrestlers (including the soon-to-arrive “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Triple H and two apparently hidden characters), each of these Superstars has a distinctive move set and style, and the card-playing mechanic is something that many fighting game veterans might not be too familiar with off the bat.
So with that out of the way, here’s our WWE Undefeated beginner’s guide, which covers a wide range of tips that all sorts of players, regardless of experience, can use to their advantage.
1. The Basics Of WWE Undefeated
While Scopely’s WWE Champions is a match-3 game with RPG elements and 2K Sports’ mobile version of WWE 2K from several years back tried to replicate the realistic action of the console version, WWE Undefeated is an old-school PvP side-scroller where each of the wrestlers in the game do exaggerated, super-powered versions of the moves they perform on television. It is also a side-scroller in which you perform moves by playing the cards that are available in your deck at any given time, as opposed to hitting onscreen buttons — you can, however, swipe left or right to move your character backward or forward, respectively.
In the tutorial stage, the game will show you how to play these cards and how to control your character — your stock character will be none other than the People’s Champion himself, The Rock, and you will be tasked to defeat three other wrestlers (Finn Balor, Kofi Kingston, and Roman Reigns) while learning different fighting mechanics. During the first match, you will learn how to perform basic melee attacks or strikes, which are performed by playing the yellow Move Cards.
As the game explains, each card consumes energy, of which you have ten units to start with by default. Your energy is restored automatically anytime you are not on the attack. Next, you will be shown how to use the Grapple Cards, which are orange, and you will be asked to play the blue Block card, which can be used to block an opponent’s strikes.
As you’ll learn during this first match, it is possible to string combos together, and while some cards are combo cards in themselves, the chains that will arguably be most useful are the ones that are created by playing two cards in succession — the most basic example, as demonstrated in the tutorial, would be the Rope Throw card followed by the Flying Clothesline. Each offensive card played takes some Stamina out of your opponent’s bar, and once it reaches zero, you can pin them — each battle in the game is best two pins out of three, with a 240-second limit.
After the game will allow you to finish the first tutorial match by applying what you’ve learned, you will move on to the next bout, where you will be taught about Grapple Clashes — this happens when you and your opponent use Grapple Cards at the same time. The game will tell you that the player with the card that consumes the most energy will get to perform the grapple, but what isn’t stated is that grapples that consume an equal amount of energy cancel each other out, with no damage done to either side.
Next, you’ll be taught how to use moves that can only be performed on an opponent who’s on the ground — one example of such is The Rock’s People’s Elbow, which is also Special Move, as designated by the pink Move Card.
Lastly, the Hype Meter will be discussed — this fills up as you successfully perform moves on your opponent, and when it’s all filled up, you can tap on it in order to perform your wrestler’s Finisher. In The Rock’s case, that would be the Rock Bottom, which, as a bonus tip, can be chained into a combo with the People’s Elbow. (With that said, Finishers take out a great deal of Stamina, but do not necessarily result in a pin!)
Related: WWE Undefeated Character Tier List: An In-Depth Look at All Characters in the Game
After you get to complete the second match with that you learned, you’ll essentially be on your own in the third and final tutorial match — it will be another weak AI opponent, and once you pick up the win, you will get the chance to choose your player name and challenge other users from around the world by tapping on the Battle button on the lower right corner of the main screen.
Last, but not the least for this tip, there are four menu options in the left side of the main screen that you can choose at any time — Deck allows you to view information on all the Move Cards you currently have unlocked (among other pieces of info), Roster lets you select your active Superstar (while viewing those you haven’t unlocked yet), Shop lets you purchase gold coins, boxes, and special bundles, and Factions allows you to form or join a faction, which is WWE Undefeated’s equivalent of clans or guilds in RPGs.
2. Keep Winning More Battles In Order To Get Promoted From League To League
Winning a match — including the three tutorial matches — rewards you with a box filled with Move Cards, Battle Bucks (the common currency), Gold (the premium currency), and the occasional Superstar Card. Gather enough Move Cards of the same kind and you can level them up them with your Battle Bucks by going to the Deck sub-menu and tapping on the cards you wish to upgrade.
You will also earn trophies for a win and lose trophies for a defeat, with these trophies going toward your progression from league to league — get promoted by reaching a certain trophy total and you can unlock more Superstars and more Move Cards! The quality of the boxes you can receive for winning battles will also improve as you get promoted.
During WWE Undefeated’s tutorial stage, you will be in the Training League, where the only available Superstar is The Rock and the only Move Cards are those that belong to him. But you can get promoted all the way up to the Elite League, which requires a total of 5,600 Trophies — at this point, it’s still unclear what type of special rewards will be available, given that the last available wrestler, The Undertaker, gets unlocked at League 8.
However, the folks behind WWE Undefeated are constantly adding new Superstars and moves to the game, so that’s something you’ll want to look forward to in the weeks and months to come.
3. Familiarize Yourself With Your Moves And Your Superstars
Although you may be thinking of winging it the moment you complete the tutorial stage and start competing against other human players, it may serve you better if you take a look at your deck and review as many of your moves as possible, choosing the ones you believe would fit your play style the best.
This doesn’t just apply to The Rock — while certain moves, such as the Punch Combo, Chop Combo, and Sharpshooter are available for different wrestlers, there are others, such as The Rock’s People’s Elbow and Otis’ Avalanche, that are unique to the wrestler using them. That means each time you unlock a new wrestler (or Superstar, as they are referred to per WWE branding), it’s best to repeat this process and study those moves to know when and how to use them.
When reviewing a Move Card, simply tap on the card, then tap on the blue Info button to get an overview — you will be able to view pertinent information on the move, including its current level, its rarity, the number of hits (especially important for combo moves), the range in which you can use it, the damage it inflicts, and the speed in which it is executed. You’ll also see a brief text summary of the move, and in here, you may see some useful tips, or even warnings — for example, the Punch Combo is described as a “quick but low damage” three-punch combo.
The summer will also show you if there are specific effects, such as changing sides, stunning the opponent, or if a move can only be executed if an opponent is in a certain position. The People’s Elbow, once again, is an example of the latter, as it can only be used successfully if an opponent is lying on the ground.
Of course, you’ve also got the basics that can be seen even without tapping on Info, including the type of move (as designated by color and explained above) and the amount of energy expended when using it. At the bottom of each card, you may see a green arrow, which signifies that you have enough Move Cards corresponding to that move to level it up. We would again recommend focusing on your favorite moves when upgrading, though earning Battle Bucks will be so easy at first that you’ll likely have more than enough of it to upgrade everything that you can upgrade early on.
Also worth noting is the fact that you can store a maximum of three decks with different combinations of moves — tap on the number of the deck you wish to use before hitting the Battle button, should you decide to choose something other than the default, or #1 deck!
Additionally, we might as well note that you can view Superstar information for owned and unknown wrestlers in the Roster menu. Just tap on a character, then tap on Info — this will allow you to view their Finisher Damage and Stamina, as well as their rarity, level, style, and a brief bio detailing the basics of their WWE career.
4. Keep A Close Eye On Your Character If Both Of You Are Using The Same Superstar
Now this one will be very common during your first few battles, where you’ll be matched against other players who likely have yet to unlock anyone else aside from The Rock. This won’t be as common once you’ve been promoted from the initial league to the next, but beginners may find themselves thrown off in those “two Rocks” situations, especially since the game does not differentiate between both duplicate characters by changing the color of their trunks/tights or other parts of their ring gear.
That means you’ll have no choice but to take note of which side you’re starting at, and pay even closer attention once you change sides due to one move or another getting executed.
One useful trick to help you ascertain which of the two duplicate characters you’re controlling is to swipe left or right to move your character around. Monitor both characters and once you’re sure you are moving backward or forward, you can continue focusing on the match at hand, performing moves at the right time in order to avoid wasting energy and avoid leaving yourself vulnerable to attack.
5. Backing Away From Your Opponent Is Arguably The Best Defense
While the blue cards are useful in two ways — they allow you to block an opponent’s attack and launch a counter-attack on them — it may be hard to play them at just the right time, especially if you’re just starting out. You should still use counters whenever you could, especially when you unlock more Counter Cards after advancing to the higher leagues, but it’s arguably more important to back away from your opponent — not just as a preventative form of defense, but also as an opportunity for you to regain some energy so you can use your higher-energy, higher-damage Move Cards.
If you notice your opponent is starting up a combo of strikes, that’s one instance when you can move back — timing is still important here, because if you move back too late, your opponent’s attacks will still land. Similarly, if you see them preparing a grapple move, you can also move back, and have more time to do so, as these moves take longer to set up.
And whenever you notice your energy is down to just two units or less, you can swipe on your screen to create some separation between you and your opponent, giving you the brief luxury of recovering your energy so you can move forward again and perform your best moves. Still, you’ll need to make sure those moves are the right moves, especially if it’s a finisher!
6. Know When To Use Your Finisher At The Right Time
Speaking of your finishing move, it’s important that you review it as well when in the Deck menu — tap on the move icon next to the Superstar’s name to view the finisher’s damage, speed, and range, as well as a short description that explains what the move does. It could take quite a few seconds to build up your Hype Meter, and landing a finisher, if it doesn’t lead to a pin, could nonetheless be a huge game changer if used at the right time. However, it also could be a game-changer — this time, for your opponent — if you waste your finisher because you used it from too far away a distance.
The best time to use your finisher would definitely be when your opponent has about 25 percent Health or less, as that would invariably result in a pin. If that isn’t quite enough to pin your opponent — meaning, they still have a small sliver of Health remaining — you should make sure you use the right move to finish your opponent off and not get too overconfident! It’s natural instinct for human players to get more aggressive after taking a finisher, so you may actually want to move back, regroup, and play it safe until you find the right opportunity to wipe out their Health.
Another thing to remember when using finishers is NOT to use them right after you see your opponent building up to use their own finisher! That said, there is a combination of factors that would determine which wrestler’s finisher connects when both are launched at around the same time — these include who hits the Hype button first, the finisher’s speed, and how much damage the finisher inflicts. Make sure to have a good idea of the latter two so that you don’t waste all that effort into building up Hype — that’s another demoralizing situation that you would want to avoid when battling in WWE Undefeated!
7. What Are Wrestler Styles And How Do They Work?
One other piece of information you can view in the Deck menu is the Style for your currently active Superstar. This is not to be confused with their designation as Brawlers or Technicians — Style would actually refer to a special buff that kicks in when certain conditions are met during a battle. For example, The Rock’s Style is People’s Champion, which means he gets a 10 percent Damage, Defense, and Energy Regeneration buff whenever his Hype hits 100 percent.
Finn Balor’s Style is Finishing Touch, and that increases his Damage by 20 percent when his opponent’s Health goes below the 40 percent mark. And for one final example, Adam Cole’s Style is Star of the Show, which allows him an 8 percent Damage and Energy Regen increase whenever his Hype is not yet at 100 percent.
As you may have observed, these Styles activate automatically and organically, but knowing what they are could help you make the most out of them when they’re active. These buffs, small as they may seem at first, may be just what you need in order to turn the tide and get an advantage over your opponent!
8. You Can Practice Against Random AI-Controlled Superstars
At this point of the guide, we should clarify that you can only have a maximum of four prize boxes queued up on the right side of the main screen — only one of these boxes can be unlocked concurrently, and if you want to speed up the process, you’ll need to pay gold coins.
The game will also notify you if all your box slots are full, advising you that you cannot win any new boxes, though you can still choose to battle if you tap on “okay” then tap on Battle once again. Instead of going through all the trouble of facing a tough human opponent and getting no reward at all, you might as well head to the Deck menu and tap on Practice in order to work on your moves against AI opponents.
During practice matches, you will be pitted against random, computer-controlled Superstars, and you can choose any one of your three decks to use during the practice session, where the matches are of infinite length and your health and that of your opponent regenerates automatically.
That means you can play any Move Card you wish and practice your timing with your finishers, with no stakes involved, no time limit, and no pressure. Take note, however, that you can only practice with Superstars you have already unlocked — if you’ve yet to unlock them, you cannot use them in Practice mode.
9. Level Up Your Superstars And Moves To Increase Your Talent Level
As you move forward in WWE Undefeated, you will slowly unlock more Superstars through the Superstar Cards you may receive from the prize boxes, as well as by completing missions, which we will discuss in the very next tip. After unlocking a new wrestler, you can then upgrade them once you’ve received enough duplicate cards corresponding to them — once that happens, that will bring you closer to increasing your Talent Level by rewarding you with XP. Upgrading Move Cards also allows you to earn XP that could help you level up.
What does increasing your Talent Level do for you? Usually, this will result in a Health increase for all your Superstars, but this will sometimes unlock new features, such as Factions, which become available once you reach Talent Level 2. It will cost you some Battle Bucks, but considering the Health improvements we discussed, it will be worth it to level up as many Moves and Superstars as you could during the early goings.
You will, however, want to drill down your focus to your Epic and Legendary rarity Superstars — not to mention your favorite and rarer, more powerful moves — once you start unlocking them.
10. Complete More Missions And Open The Battle Box For More Goodies
Aside from all the Move Cards and Superstar Cards you can earn by opening and unlocking boxes, you can also get them by completing Missions. These include a couple Daily Missions, a Weekly Mission, and several Milestone Missions, with the first two being limited-time quests that you need to respectively complete within the same day or the same week, and the rest being cumulative.
All of these Missions are based on things you can do by organically playing the game — for example, you may be asked to open 12 boxes in one day, deal a certain amount of damage in one week, or win a certain number of PvP matches overall.
The rewards you can earn for completing Missions may vary, but they may include Battle Bucks, gold, XP, Superstar Cards, and prize boxes. You can also collect up to three prize boxes via the Daily Check-In section found on top of your missions.
Furthermore, you can open another, bigger prize box once you accumulate enough XP across a given stretch, as seen on top of the Missions menu — for example, the Heavyweight Box would require you to acquire 200 XP from the last time you opened a box in that upper part of Missions, and it would include 91 common cards, nine Rares, and one Epic, plus 558 to 598 Battle Bucks.
Finally, there’s the Battle Box, which is available once per day and becomes available to open once you’ve won ten rounds. The rewards inside the Battle Box increase in quantity and quality as you progress through the leagues — for example, the League 3 Battle Box contains 49 Commons, two Rares, and one Epic, plus 319 to 372 Battle Bucks.
11. Use Your Gold To Buy Rarer Boxes In The Shop
Although you can get Cruiserweight, Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight, and Epic boxes by garnering more XP, you can also purchase these boxes in the Shop. Cruiserweight boxes cost 35 gold, Heavyweight 155, Super Heavyweight 425, and Epic 465, but given that gold coins are the premium currency and can be much harder to earn than Battle Bucks, you’ll want to save them up for the latter two.
Super Heavyweight boxes come with 138 Commons, 34 Rares, and two Epics, plus 1,329 to 1,594 Battle Bucks for League 3 (as an example), though the quantity/quality will vary depending on which league you’re currently in. Epic boxes, meanwhile, only contain Epic cards — no other type of card is available, and you won’t get Battle Bucks either. Using League 3 as an example, the League 3 Epic box comes with 10 Epic Cards.
Aside from boxes, you can also purchase gold packages with real money, and use your gold to purchase Battle Bucks — again, you’ll be better off saving up your gold for the higher-end boxes, as opposed to converting your coins to Battle Bucks or worse, using them to speed up the unlocking process for the boxes you earn after winning matches. There are also special offers that include boxes, cards, gold, and/or Battle Bucks — these also cost real-life money, and are only available for a limited period of time.
12. What Can You Get By Joining Or Forming A Faction?
Like many other fighting games of its kind, WWE Undefeated comes with a feature where you can join a guild or a clan — as this is a wrestling-themed title, it’s no surprise that these groups are known as Factions. At the moment, the features are quite limited, but as the game promises, being a member of a Faction allows you to get social and exchange strategies in the chat section, request Superstar or Move Cards, donate these cards to your fellow members, or take part in practice matches to hone your skills without any pressure.
While this may seem like a good opportunity to build up your card collection for Superstars and Moves alike, you should also make sure to do your part and be there for your fellow faction members when they’re making card requests of their own! Also, it goes without saying that you need to observe proper decorum in the chat room — nobody likes a pushy or arrogant member who doesn’t follow proper online etiquette, so don’t abuse the privileges afforded to you as a Faction member!
13. Make Sure You Have A Stable And Strong Connection While Playing
There’s nothing worse than seeing a sure win in a PvP fighting game stolen from you after you get booted from the game due to an unstable or dropped internet connection. These things do happen in WWE Undefeated, and when that happens, you will see a brief notification apologizing for the fact you had been kicked out, followed by a wait of anywhere from a few seconds to around a minute as your opponent finishes the battle without you.
Conversely, you will be notified if your opponent has “left (the) match,” upon which you can lay waste to their wrestler and pin them twice without them ever fighting back.
With all that said, we cannot stress it enough that you need to have a stable internet connection, preferably Wi-Fi, in order to ensure that you do not get booted out and essentially gift a win (and 20-something points, in most cases) to your opponent. The game takes no responsibility for fickle connections, so if you’re traveling, or if you’re in an area where the connection isn’t that strong, it’s best not to play for the meantime, or stick to practice mode so you can hone your skills and practice your combo chaining.
Also remember that if you forfeit a battle for any reason — whether you rage-quit the game or got kicked out due to a bad or unstable internet connection — you will NOT be credited for any pins when it comes to unlocking the Battle Box!
This wraps up our comprehensive beginner’s guide for WWE Undefeated. If you happen to know more useful tips or tricks for this exciting wrestling game, then be sure to drop us a line!