WWE 2K Battlegrounds is finally here, and fans are already diving in and seeing what the arcadey take on WWE has to offer. There’s plenty of story to see and new characters to play as, and you’ll have 70 different WWE superstars to throwdown with in the ring. That said, there are also plenty of new mechanics to learn and systems to get your head around, especially in regards to unlocking characters, earning Battle Bucks, navigating the interactive environments, and general gameplay, and we’re here to break down everything we’ve learned to get you headed in the right direction when you boot up the game.
Some of that involves things in the ring, and while you’ve seen things like tossing people into the mouths of alligators (which is admittedly incredibly cool), there are some other elements in arenas you’ll definitely want to take advantage of, like say, a very powerful Ram.
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We’ve also got tips on Power-Ups, Daily Challenges, Classes, and more, and we’ll keep updating this with new tips and tricks as we make our way through more of the game. In the meantime though you can see everything we’ve learned starting on the next slide, and to check out the full roster you can head right here.
You can find the official description for WWE 2K Battlegrounds below.
“The world of WWE is your Battleground with all-new, over the top, in-your-face arcade action as your favorite WWE Superstars and Legends battle it out in outlandish interactive environments around the world. Compete in your favorite match types with an arsenal of exaggerated maneuvers, special abilities, and devastating power-ups, including steel Cage, Royal rumble, Fatal four way and more, as Mauro Ranallo and Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler Call all the mayhem! Are you ready to enter the Battleground?”
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch right now.
What do you think of Battlegrounds? Let us know in the comments, and as always feel free to talk all things WWE 2K Battlegrounds with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
Don’t Forget The Ram
Many of the arenas in Battlegrounds have things or characters in the environment that you can interact with, and in the Mexico arena, you can actually take control of a remote-controlled Ram.
That’s right, you can actually control the Ram and use him to attack your opponent. You’ll need to head to the upper left side of the map and hit the L1 button, and if you do you’ll hop over the barricade and take the remote. You’ll then be able to control the Ram and enter the ring with him, and then it’s just a matter of chasing the opponent and hitting x.
Every time you hit them you stun them but you also stun the Ram, and you’ll typically get 3 tries at this, but be quick because if someone can maneuver around you the timer will run out.
Now, if you’re trying to avoid the Ram, a strategy that has worked for me is hopping in or out of the ring, running across, and hopping in or out again. The Ram has to hop over the ropes to get in and out of the ring, and the delay helps you avoid some of the hits if not all of them.
No Disqualifications
Something to remember about Battlegrounds as you are playing is that there are no disqualifications in this game, period. That means regardless of what type of match you’re playing you can still go under the ring and grab a chair or a motorcycle (crazy, right?) and start using it without losing the match.
Other things of note are the Kendo sticks that pop up by the crowd, and they can do significant damage to your opponent and please the crowd at the same time, which is important to build your crowd meter, so make sure to take advantage.
A Touch Of Class
Your chosen superstar will be part of a certain class, and you’ll need to take what each class does best into account when you’re in a match. Granted, you can do many things in the ring regardless of which class you choose, but once you figure out your playstyle you will want to find a class that leans into your style of play.
For instance, you can throw, use submissions, and use weapons with anyone, but as a Technician you have stronger throws and are able to deliver stronger submissions. Meanwhile, Brawlers can use weapons more effectively than any other class, and if you need a health boost, Powerhouses have the most of it, which is great for learning the game early on, though All-Rounders are also great for that.
Here’s the official breakdown of classes in 2K Battlegrounds.
Technician: A specialist in wrestling technique and unrivaled at submitting opponents. You’ve got the strongest throws and submissions.
High-Flyer: A specialist in aerial maneuvers, including jumping off the ropes and turnbuckles. You’ve got the highest speed and stamina.
Powerhouse: The strongest Superstars that use their strength to perform powerful moves. You have the most health.
Brawler: A bruising specialist that excels at strikes. You’ve got the strongest kicks and are the best at using weapons.
All-Rounder: A master of all styles with spectacular combos and the ability to quickly win the crowd’s favor. You also have the best running hits.
Unlocking Characters
Half the fun of playing any wrestling game is working your way towards unlocking more wrestlers, and WWE 2K Battlegrounds is no different. The game rewards in game currency (or Battle Bucks) every time you level up, complete a challenge, or simply make your way through the campaign. You can then use this in the Superstars part of the menu, where you can spend it to open an action figure like package and unlock your fave superstar, though that’s not the only way to unlock superstars.
Many superstars are unlockable simply by playing the campaign, and you’ll often have to face the superstar before unlocking the reward that makes them playable. This is the case for Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and others, so you don’t need to spend anything more than a little patience as you work your way through for many stars. There are also stars you can only unlock throughย playing this mode, so it’s worth your time for several reasons.
If you want to unlock your favorite superstar ASAP, you can do so with Battle Bucks and Golden Bucks. Regular Battle Bucks are blue and are the main currency, though Golden Bucks are purchasable at anytime (with real money) if you want to expedite the process. Let’s assume you want to unlock characters for free though, and if that’s the case there are two main ways to make this happen. First making your way through the campaign and playing matches of any type will net you XP, and every time you level up you will gain around 1000 or more Battle Bucks. The other main way is Daily Challenges, which will refresh daily and net you more opportunities to earn Battle Bucks.
There are different tiers of characters, and the higher the tier the more they cost. Legendary tier is the highest tier while Common is the lowest, and here are the prices associated with the tiers.
Legendary: 12000 Battle Bucks (300 Golden Bucks)
Epic 9000 Battle Bucks (225 Golden Bucks)
Rare: 6000 Battle Bucks (150 Golden Bucks)
Common: 3000 Battle Bucks (75 Golden Bucks)
As for Alternate Costumes, these are cheaper to unlock but also vary by tier.
Legendary: 6000 BB (150 GB)
Epic: 4000 BB (100 GB)
Rare: 3000 BB (75 GB)
Common: 2000 BB (50 GB)
Customize Your Power-Ups
Going through the campaign will let you unlock a multitude of Power-Ups to use, but it can be easy to bypass the edit screen on the player selection menu. You will want to customize this though to get the most out of them, as your playstyle will make some moot and others much more effective.
You get to activate 3 Power-Ups, so you’ll have more choices than the standard 3 relatively quickly, so don’t forget to dive into that menu and see what new options you’ve unlocked. There are Power-Ups you unlock that increase your durability, while others let you freeze opponents or make your hits impossible to block for a duration of time. If you’re stuck on a level, don’t be afraid to switch things up here, because it could help quite a bit.
Daily Challenges
Daily Challenges are the other main way to unlock Battle Bucks to then unlock more superstars (or alternate ring gear for ones you’ve already unlocked). These refresh daily and can reward you some substantial Bucks once completed. For instance, a recent set of challenges rewarded you for earning 100 Battle Bucks, winning 2 Steel Cage matches at a certain difficulty, and one as simple as performing 3 successful basic hits in a match.ย
Those three challenges earned 500, 1500, and 1000 Battle Bucks respectively, and 4000 isn’t anything to sneeze at. Not only that, but making your way through these will move you up the Daily Challenges bar at the bottom, and you’ll get Battle Bucks for achieving certain levels, which range from 1000 to 5000, and making it all the way to 20 will net you what appears to be a superstar skin.
There are 3 Daily Challenges at a time, so if you’re going to spend some time playing the game, make sure to glance at these and get them out of the way early, because it’s more than worth it.
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