Undertale Adventures X Best Starter Units: Early-Game Team Guide for New Players

New to this Roblox tower defense? Learn how to pick the Undertale Adventures X best starter units, balance team roles, and roll traits that carry you.

What Makes a Starter Unit "Good" in Undertale Adventures X

Undertale Adventures X is a Roblox tower defense game from Side Productions, the studio behind the earlier Undertale Adventures TD. It launched on July 16, 2024, and has since passed 17 million visits, which means its meta has had plenty of time to settle. That's important for newcomers: the names at the top of most tier lists — Sans, Asriel, Mettaton NEO, Undyne the Undying, and Papyrus — are long-term goals, not day-one answers.

So when players go searching for the Undertale Adventures X best starter units, they're really asking a practical question: which affordable, easy-to-get fighters carry you through your first dozen runs while you build a real roster? The honest answer is that no single unit wins the early game. What wins is a blend of deployment cost, role coverage, and how well a cheap unit scales once you invest levels and traits into it.

AttributeWhy it matters in early runsWarning sign
Deployment costCheap units let you fill the map before wave pressure ramps upSo expensive you can only afford one per run
Damage coverageArea damage clears groups; single-target handles elitesAll single-target, no splash
Range and placementFlexible spots cover more of the pathNeeds premium ground right beside the track
Upgrade curveSmall, steady upgrade costs keep power climbingCost spikes before the unit becomes useful
Trait synergyGood traits multiply a starter's valueBase stats too low for traits to matter

The through-line is efficiency. A starter unit doesn't need to be the strongest — it needs to be the cheapest reliable answer to the problems the early waves throw at you.

The Roles Every Early Team Needs

Tower defense lineups live and die by role balance. Community tier lists describe the ideal endgame team as a mix of area-of-effect damage, single-target boss killing, frontline tanking, and crowd control, and that same logic applies at level one.

RoleJob on the fieldEarly priorityWhat to look for
Area damageClears clustered enemies before they stack upHighestWide splash or multi-hit attacks
Single-targetMelts bosses and tanky elitesHighHigh damage per hit, decent range
Blocker / frontlineStalls enemies so your damage dealers keep firingMedium-highReasonable health, low cost
Crowd controlSlows, stuns, or repositions enemiesMediumAny reliable slow or debuff
Support / economyBoosts teammates or improves your incomeSituationalOnly if it doesn't cost you a damage slot

Mettaton NEO is widely regarded as the premier single-target damage dealer in the game, but a boss killer that expensive won't save you on your first runs. Early on you want the "good enough" version of each job: something that holds the line while you farm the currency to chase the real thing.

A Practical Early-Game Progression Plan

Knowing what to look for is only half the battle — the order you invest in matters just as much. The sequence below reflects what player experience and community reports consistently describe as the efficient path.

StepWhat to doWhy it works
1Fill each role once with your cheapest viable unitsA balanced board beats one over-leveled carry
2Level your area-damage unit firstIt touches the most enemies per wave
3Add levels to your single-target unit nextBosses end runs that trash clearing can't
4Roll traits on your most-used unit onlyConcentrated upgrades beat scattered ones
5Farm Raids mode for TokensTokens are the core progression currency
6Park in the AFK Chamber between sessionsPassive resource gain while you're offline
7Chase the S-tier lineup lastMeta units are the payoff, not the prerequisite

Raids mode is the money-maker here. Tokens collected there fund roster progression, and there's a gamepass that boosts Token yields from Raids by fifty percent if you decide to spend. The AFK Chamber quietly stacks resources while you're away, which is why logging in daily — even briefly — pays off.

One more tip: don't spread levels evenly across five units. Two strong units and three cheap role-fillers will out-defend a flat, mediocre board almost every time.

Traits and Leveling: How Starters Stay Useful

Traits are rolled bonuses that boost a unit's baseline performance, and they're the reason a "weak" starter can stay relevant far longer than its rarity suggests. Leveling raises the floor; traits raise the ceiling.

Trait focusWhat it improvesPriority on starter units
DamageRaw output per hitHigh — helps every role
Attack speedHow often the unit firesHigh for single-target, medium for splash
RangeMap coverage and safe placementMedium — great on long paths
Utility / economySlows, buffs, or extra incomeSituational — only on dedicated support picks

Community reports suggest a simple rule: roll traits on the unit you deploy in every single run, and leave the rest alone. Chasing perfect rolls on a unit you plan to replace in a week is one of the most common ways new players stall their own progress. Leveling works the same way — feed your most-used units first, then expand once your core is stable.

It's also worth remembering that traits are rolled, not bought, so there's variance involved. Set a budget for each rolling session and walk away when you hit it. That single habit keeps your Token stash healthy for the upgrades that actually matter.

Starter Picks vs. Meta Units: When to Swap

The goal was never to keep starter units forever. Starters are scaffolding — they hold your defense together while you assemble the lineup that the tier lists actually care about.

RoleEarly approachMeta targetSwap when
Area damageCheapest wide-splash unit you ownTop-tier AoE from the S-listYour splash unit can't clear late waves
Boss killerHighest single-target damage you can affordMettaton NEOBosses start reaching your base
FrontlineLow-cost blocker to stall the pathA durable S-tier tankBlockers die before they stall anything
Crowd controlAny reliable slow effectPremium control unitEnemies outpace your slows
Flex slotSecond damage dealerSans, Asriel, Undyne the Undying, or PapyrusYou unlock a genuine upgrade

Don't dismantle your early team the moment you land a meta unit, either. A leveled starter with a decent trait can outperform a freshly pulled S-tier that has no investment behind it. Keep both until the upgrade is leveled enough to take over.

FAQ

What are the Undertale Adventures X best starter units?

There isn't one universal pick. The best starters are cheap units that cover the four core roles — area damage, single-target damage, frontline blocking, and crowd control — so your board functions before you own any S-tier fighters. Prioritize low deployment cost and a smooth upgrade curve.

Do I need Sans or Asriel to clear early stages?

No. Those units sit at the top of the meta, but they're progression goals rather than requirements. Player experience suggests a balanced board of budget units with a couple of levels invested will handle early content fine while you save up.

How much do traits matter on starter units?

Quite a bit, because traits scale off base stats. A damage or attack-speed trait on a cheap unit you deploy every run is often the single biggest power spike available to a new player. Just don't over-invest in units you'll replace soon.

What's the fastest way to fund early upgrades?

Farm Raids mode for Tokens, use the AFK Chamber to accumulate resources passively, and avoid spending Tokens on rolls for units outside your main team. Focused spending beats scattered spending every time.

Get your roles covered, level two units hard, roll traits on your workhorse, and let the meta lineup come to you. That's the whole early game in one sentence — and it's the fastest route from brand-new player to a roster that can actually take on Raids.