In Underlords, it is important to understand the mechanics of the shared unit pool and how it works.

Although there is a lot of RNG involved in the game, knowing this information can help you make better decisions when buying and upgrading heroes or forming your composition.

This guide will teach you how the unit pool works, how many pieces are available (unit pool size), and the chances of drawing specific hero pieces (unit odds).

Overview

In Dota Underlords, the chances to draw a specific Hero unit in the shop depends on the following factors:

Unit cost/tier Player level What other players are buying

In general, lower-cost units appear more in the shop and the powerful higher-cost ones are rarer. The rarity of high tier heroes also depend on your level—the higher your level the more likely they will roll.

Finally, due to the nature of the shared unit pool, the chances to roll a specific hero drops as more players buy that hero.

Now, let’s talk in detail about the mechanics of the unit pool in Underlords.

Disclaimer: These data are based on Dota Auto Chess and the assumption that these major mechanics are carried over to Dota Underlords without modifications. Although it is the general consensus of the community, it is in fact not 100% verifiable.

How the Shared Unit Pool works

One of the common questions newbies ask is, “are unit pieces shared to all players in a game?”

The answer is yes. Dota Underlords has a shared unit pool for all hero pieces in a single match.

In every game, there is a limited amount of pieces for each unique Hero. This pool is shared across all players in a match.

So, if lots of players buy and upgrade Drow Rangers, there will be lesser Drow Rangers in the pool and it will be more difficult to buy them from the shop.

How many unit pieces are in the shared pool?

The limited number of pieces available per hero is based on its cost/tier.

Here is the list of the amount of units available in the shared pool, based on their cost/tier:

Unit Cost Pool size Max # of 3-Star units 1 Gold 45 pcs 5 2 Gold 30 pcs 3 3 Gold 25 pcs 2 4 Gold 15 pcs 1 5 Gold 10 pcs 1

(Source)

The third column is the maximum number of possible 3-Star units that can be built for a certain hero, based on its cost.

Let’s take Enigma for example, a $5 Cost hero. Since there are only a maximum of 10 Enigma pieces in the game, and upgrading a unit to 3-Star requires 9 pieces, then there can only be one 3-Star Enigma in the game.

What does this all mean then? Well, it means don’t focus too much on upgrading $4-5 cost units into 3-Star because it’s very difficult to pull off. It is much easier and more achievable to build $1-2 cost units into 3 Stars. Higher cost units most of the time stay at 1-2 Stars only.

Secondly, it pays to pay attention to what your enemies are building. If they’re holding upgraded versions of a high-cost unit, then it will be more and more difficult to build that hero.

When do rare, high-tier units start to appear in the Shop?

Higher tier (i.e. higher cost) heroes start to appear on the shop as you reach higher levels. This is one of the benefits for buying EXP and leveling up. (Related: How to Level Up and Gain EXP)

These are the significant levels where you’ll start to see higher-tier units in the Shop:

Level 1 for Tier 1 ($1) units

for Tier 1 ($1) units Level 2 for Tier 2 ($2) units

for Tier 2 ($2) units Level 3 for Tier 3 ($3) units

for Tier 3 ($3) units Level 5 for Tier 4 ($4) units

for Tier 4 ($4) units Level 8 for Tier 5 ($5) units

What are the chances to roll a Hero per tier? (Unit Odds)

Here is the unit odds table—the chances to roll a specific hero piece per unit cost/tier, depending on your level:

(Green cells indicate player level where the tier starts appearing in the shop)

Player Level Tier 1 ($1) Tier 2 ($2) Tier 3 ($3) Tier 4 ($4) Tier 5 ($5) 1 100% 2 70% 30% 3 60% 35% 5% 4 50% 35% 15% 5 40% 35% 23% 2% 6 33% 30% 30% 7% 7 30% 30% 30% 10% 8 24% 30% 30% 15% 1% 9 22% 25% 25% 20% 3% 10 19% 25% 25% 25% 6% 10 + 1 13% 20% 25% 30% 12%

This data can be seen in-game on the level/XP tooltip (PC) or on the shop (mobile).

The Global item A Higher Class of Criminal will offer units in the shop as if you were 1 level higher. The last row in the table (10+1) indicates the odds when you have the item at level 10.

When do units go back to the pool?

Hero pieces go back to the shared pool if they are sold, or if the player who owns them dies and is eliminated from the game.

When 2-Star and 3-Star units go back to the pool, they are deconstructed to their 1-Star components:

2 Star = three (3) 1-Star pieces go back to the pool

3 Star = nine (9) 1-Star pieces go back to the pool

Conclusion

Hopefully this clears any confusion you have regarding unit pieces, the shared unit pool, and the chances to draw certain pieces in a game.

If you have any more questions or tips, let us know in the comments!