How the battle pass works in Pokémon Champions

Pokémon Champions‘ battle pass is your ticket to getting free stuff, including Pokémon, though the game expects you to put in the work for it. Champions is picky about how you earn battle pass XP and only hands it out if you complete in specific types of battles (and gives you a lot less if you lose). Like most battle passes, Pokémon Champions‘ has a free and paid tier, though unlike most passes, the desirability of items exclusive to the paid track is rather limited.

Below, we break down how Pokémon Champions‘ battle pass works, including what you get in the paid track and how to get pass XP.

How does the battle pass work in Pokémon Champions?

Pokémon Champions‘ battle pass is set up like passes you’ll find in most free-to-play games. Each season brings a new battle pass, and there’s a free track and a paid track. The paid track costs $9.99. You’ll reach new reward tiers by earning battle pass XP. The first 30 tiers feature rewards such as Pokémon, Mega Evolution stones, or clothing items. Unique rewards stop after tier 30; tiers 31 through 50 give you bonus VP instead, at least in the debut battle pass.

What do you get in Pokémon Champions’ paid battle pass?

The first season’s paid battle pass features a handful of items you won’t get in the free pass, including additional Pokémon (Emboar and Feraligatr in the first pass) and their Mega Evolution stones. However, both Pokémon are part of Pokémon Champions’ roster, so they may appear in recruitment draws. If you have them in other Pokemon games, you can also just transfer them from Pokémon Home to Champions. You can get their Mega Evolution stones in the in-game Frontier Shop for 2,000 VP each, too.

You do get some Teammate Tickets from the paid pass, but those are obtainable for free by completing daily missions in Pokémon Champions. The bonus VP from tiers 31 to 50 is also part of the free pass. Training Tickets are another reward type. These let you adjust a Pokémon’s stats without spending VP, and normally, the only way to get these is to purchase a membership and complete member-exclusive missions.

That means the only items actually exclusive to the paid battle pass are cosmetics, like trainer icons and clothing.

So, unless you feel very strongly about the Pokémon on offer, you want to make sure you get them without having to endure the randomness of recruitment selections, and/or you don’t want to spend VP on their Mega Evolution stones or on training, you’re probably fine to just stick with the free battle pass.

How do you earn battle pass XP in Pokémon Champions?

Image: The Pokémon Works/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company via Polygon

The only way to earn battle pass XP is by taking part in ranked battles and ranked competitions. Winning earns you significantly more points. At the Poké Ball rank, for example, a win equals roughly 100 points, enough to reach the next tier of battle pass rewards. Losses earn you roughly 25 battle pass XP — not a lot, but enough to still inch toward the next tier. You earn no battle pass XP from casual battles, regardless of whether you win or lose.