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.
| Attribute | Why it matters in early runs | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment cost | Cheap units let you fill the map before wave pressure ramps up | So expensive you can only afford one per run |
| Damage coverage | Area damage clears groups; single-target handles elites | All single-target, no splash |
| Range and placement | Flexible spots cover more of the path | Needs premium ground right beside the track |
| Upgrade curve | Small, steady upgrade costs keep power climbing | Cost spikes before the unit becomes useful |
| Trait synergy | Good traits multiply a starter's value | Base 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.
| Role | Job on the field | Early priority | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area damage | Clears clustered enemies before they stack up | Highest | Wide splash or multi-hit attacks |
| Single-target | Melts bosses and tanky elites | High | High damage per hit, decent range |
| Blocker / frontline | Stalls enemies so your damage dealers keep firing | Medium-high | Reasonable health, low cost |
| Crowd control | Slows, stuns, or repositions enemies | Medium | Any reliable slow or debuff |
| Support / economy | Boosts teammates or improves your income | Situational | Only 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.
| Step | What to do | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fill each role once with your cheapest viable units | A balanced board beats one over-leveled carry |
| 2 | Level your area-damage unit first | It touches the most enemies per wave |
| 3 | Add levels to your single-target unit next | Bosses end runs that trash clearing can't |
| 4 | Roll traits on your most-used unit only | Concentrated upgrades beat scattered ones |
| 5 | Farm Raids mode for Tokens | Tokens are the core progression currency |
| 6 | Park in the AFK Chamber between sessions | Passive resource gain while you're offline |
| 7 | Chase the S-tier lineup last | Meta 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 focus | What it improves | Priority on starter units |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | Raw output per hit | High — helps every role |
| Attack speed | How often the unit fires | High for single-target, medium for splash |
| Range | Map coverage and safe placement | Medium — great on long paths |
| Utility / economy | Slows, buffs, or extra income | Situational — 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.
| Role | Early approach | Meta target | Swap when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area damage | Cheapest wide-splash unit you own | Top-tier AoE from the S-list | Your splash unit can't clear late waves |
| Boss killer | Highest single-target damage you can afford | Mettaton NEO | Bosses start reaching your base |
| Frontline | Low-cost blocker to stall the path | A durable S-tier tank | Blockers die before they stall anything |
| Crowd control | Any reliable slow effect | Premium control unit | Enemies outpace your slows |
| Flex slot | Second damage dealer | Sans, Asriel, Undyne the Undying, or Papyrus | You 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.
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