It’s actually somewhat surprising that no one has made a mobile game called WWE Universe (Free) until now. That’s because it’s the term that the world’s largest pro wrestling promotion has used as a name for its supporters for some time. It fits with the sheer grandiosity of Vince McMahon’s thinking, almost implying that there are fans of sports entertainment on planets beyond Earth.

And maybe there are, but they’ll need to join us here to try out this title from Glu Games, which somehow manages to fill a niche not already being satisfied by one of the other free WWE mobile games already out there. WWE Universe has some commonalities with WWE Supercard, but it goes beyond just comparing stats between wrestlers and actually makes skill a part of the in-ring action. It also has a roster chock full of superstars from throughout the promotion’s history, so if you have a favorite wrestler, they’re probably on it.

Let’s not just talk about it, though, let’s be about it. Our WWE Universe guide will tell you not just how to play and collect more wrestlers to fill out your own personal roster, but how to do it while spending as little money as possible — maybe even zero, unless you really feel compelled to shell some out. Ring that bell and let’s go!

Scheduled for One Fall … WWE Universe Basics

The object of a match in WWE Universe is kind of like the real thing: To pin or submit your opponent before they do the same to you. You can do exactly that by depleting your opponent’s energy using a turn-based combat system that has a risk-reward element and some quick reflexes at times.

During each “turn" in a match, you select one of three different moves: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light moves succeed every time but do the least damage, while Medium and Heavy moves hurt your opponent more but have a chance to be countered, at which point your foe does a move to you instead.

As you and your opponent successfully land attacks, a meter at the bottom of the screen will fill up and eventually let you execute either a Signature move (earlier in matches) or a Finisher (when you are in the endgame, as Doctor Strange would say). These moves do a lot of damage but also require you to stop a meter by tapping on the screen when the needle is as close to halfway as possible. Mess this up badly enough and your opponent may counter your move. The same is true in reverse when the other wrestler tries a Signature move or Finisher on you: Stop the needle close enough to the center and you will counter or reduce the damage, fail and you’ll get crushed.

After these big moves, you may attempt a pinfall or submission hold, but your opponent will have a chance to escape. However, if you knock their energy down all the way, you’ll automatically win the match as soon as you successfully pull off your Finisher,

Bonus tip 1: If you are the one being pinned or submitted and still have energy left, you’ll have a chance to escape by tapping on the screen as fast as you can.

Bonus tip 2: WWE Universe also has tag team matches, which work exactly the same way as singles matches except that there’s a button to  tap to tag in your partner.

Generally speaking, having a wrestler with a larger overall rating will give you a big advantage, and taking one at too big a deficit into battle will generally lead to a loss. Still, it’s nice to know that with some skill and practice, you can pull off some upsets from time to time.

Card Subject to Change: A Really Quick Overview of WWE Universe Game Modes

Now that you’ve got the game mechanics down, you’re ready to charge into everything WWE Universe has to offer, right? Well, yes, but wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what that is first? We like to think so.

Though not all available to you right away, the game has a number of game modes from which to choose.:

• Stories – The main single-player mode, Stories take you through the twists and turns of Raw and Smackdown, interacting with other wrestlers past and present and members of the McMahon family. Yes, there are actual stories in this mode, though you can skip past them if desired.
• Vs. – Here’s where you do your PvP, in best-of-5 bouts against other human opponents. It’s asynchronous, with the option to nudge the other player when it’s their turn as you’ve probably done in other mobile games.
• Special Events – These are limited-time stories that are either focused on a particular wrestler or an upcoming real-life WWE event. Some have exclusive rewards you can’t obtain in any other mode.
• Roster Battles – Put your best singles and tag teams in action … sort of. Roster Battles are played out in auto-play fashion, so you can play them quickly. They are time limited and reward you based on your rank at the end of that time.
• Daily Events – These are a rotating series of events that are the best place to find training supplies and gear to make your wrestlers more powerful.

Except for Roster Battles, which have their own energy mechanic, all other modes use a shared pool of Energy that refills at a point per five minutes. You can also buy 25 Energy for 50 Gold, which is the game’s premium currency.

How to Get More Wrestlers for Free

This is the big one. To take advantage of the wide range of wrestlers (sorry WWE, but that’s what they are when you come right down to it) in the game, you’ll want as many of them on your side as possible.

The game wants you to spend money to get them, and there are numerous ways to do that in the Store if that floats your boat. If you’d rather not pay for the privilege, here’s what you need to do to find more on your own:

• Just play a lot – Seriously, in just about any mode, there are wrestlers given out as rewards for finishing off a chapter of a story. Win a couple matches in a row and then bam, new wrestler — or another copy of one you already have, which is also useful, as we’ll get to shortly.
• Finish off objectives or achievements – WWE Universe has both Daily Objectives and ongoing Achievements that are good ways to secure some more wrestlers. Normally these come in the form of draft picks, where you will get a random wrestler of a certain rarity, but some Achievements do award specific superstars. Ah crap, now they have me calling them that too.
• Tackle Special Events – The game is pretty straightforward in admitting that the limited time Special Events are the best way to grab some of the better wrestlers. You should probably heed that advice.

How to Earn Free Gold in WWE Universe

There’s Gold in them there … well, not hills, exactly, but there are methods to piling up some of the shiny stuff that don’t involve IAPs. Good thing, too, because Gold can buy you draft pick cases with some really rare and powerful wrestlers in them.

Incidentally, though draft picks can be had for as little as 100 Gold, you’re better off saving up to buy the Gold Drafts at 500 Gold, as they guarantee you either a Silver or Gold wrestler. Might as well not even deal with Bronze if you don’t have to.

In any case, let’s get to that free Gold:

• Complete Daily Objectives and Achievements: Sounds like I’m repeating myself here, but I was talking about wrestlers before and Gold now. In any case, the same still applies, as this is a good way to get some free Gold — generally only a few pieces at a time, but it adds up. There’s definitely no reason not to do the dailies if you play regularly.
• Watch videos – There is literally a ‘FREE GOLD’ button near the bottom of the main menu screen, and it’s not a lie in the strict sense of the term. Tapping on it takes you to another screen where you have the option of completing “offers" to get free Gold, which sometimes end up not being free, or watching videos. The videos really are free, except in terms of whatever value you put on the time spent watching them, and that’s a discussion that’s too long to get into here. There’s a limit on how many videos you can watch per day, naturally.

Hit the Gym: How to Make Your Wrestlers More Powerful

The base value of your wrestlers is cute and all, but they’re going to need to keep getting better or else they won’t be much use to you as you  get further into the game. Happily, there are ways to do exactly that.

• Find more copies of the same wrestler – We’re talking about same wrestler, same rarity, as your Silver Chad Gable and Bronze Chad Gable are completely separate entities. How? I dunno, parallel universes or something. Anyway, this is the easiest way to power up a wrestler as it happens automatically as soon as you acquire another copy. Simple.
• Use trainers – Trainers look like dumbbells, as if that was the only exercise there is. You can spend them in place of a copy of a wrestler, along with the required amount of Cash, to bump a wrestler up a few points of overall power. As your wrestler moves up in terms of number of copies, it will take more and more Trainers to take the place of the next one, so keep that in mind.
• Gear up – Every wrestler has six gear spots: Wristbands, Knee Pads, Hand Wraps, Boots, Hand Exercisers and Weight Belt. You can find gear almost anywhere you’d earn rewards, then simply tap on a wrestler’s profile in the Roster screen and tap on the correct gear slot to equip it. Completing a full set of gear of a certain level then opens up the next level of gear above it.

Note that when you hit a certain number of copies, you can evolve your wrestler to the next star level by spending the required (sometimes pretty expensive) amount of Cash. You’ll need more and more copies as you advance up to seven stars, but you’ve probably deduced that yourself by now.

Congrats! If you’ve made it all the way through these 1700-plus words, you’re now ready to start winning some championship belts during your WWE Universe journey. Best of luck in your future endeavors, as Big John Laurinaitis once said.