Sorry for the newbie to Zwift question. Confusion regarding power ups? From what I can find on line it appears that these can be used at the correct time for the rider once they have been awarded. From what I have seen in my limited riding on Zwift what I get is a fast rotating selection that presumably you have to click on, get whatever you end up selecting and then this starts straight away regardless of its use, so mostly pointless. If you don’t try to click on these as they rotate they disappear??. Can someone please advise me once I get those rotating options, what to do, whether they are stored for use at the right time and if they are, how to access the correct one for the situation… many thanks
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The spinn is like a wheel of fortune. You get what you get, it’s totally random. But you can choose yourself when you want to use it. Ie you would use a feather when climbing or an aero helmet when sprinting or attacking. (Deleted a faulty statment.)
Edit: I think the impression that they disappear might come from the fact that a lot of the time you only get some extra XP:s. They add up, but don’t give you any advantages as a power up would do. Anyway, the only thing you have to do is wait and see where the wheel stops rotating.
Edit 2: And then apply it when you want to by clicking on it.
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you can read all about them here but basically at Utan said, they are randomly doled out
“PowerUps are randomly given when you go through an arch (start/finish, end of KOM, end of sprint). If you have an unused powerup as you pass through an arch, you won’t receive a new one. In official events, powerups can be disabled entirely, or set to be distributed in a customized way (for example, a 50/50 split between the aero boost and burrito).”
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Thank you for correcting me. I thought they were replaced. Good to know!
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Thanks, so just to clarify, I don’t click on the rotating wheel but wait for it to stop. So if I do get a power up where is it located in the game/profile etc? I know from what I have read how to access it/them but up until now I had been clicking on them and apparently using them straight away so haven’t seem any saved anywhere… thanks again
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Once the rotating wheel stop the power up you’ve been awarded will remain saved on screen until you tap to use it (unless you’ve been awarded xp points)
In the photo below I have an unused feather.
Note that if you’re riding a TT bike you will only be awarded xp points.
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Many thanks, that explains it… cheers
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If you are on a laptop/computer, you can consume a power up by pressing the space bar as well as clicking on the power up. You can also consume power ups on the companion app on a mobile device.
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Many thanks
For what it’s worth… when I first tried Zwift (several years ago), I thought things like power-ups were a total gimmick. Once I started racing though, I liked their inclusion. Most races limit the type of power-ups you’ll receive (as mentioned by @rinaf above), and I find this adds an interesting extra dimension to races. That being said, having an invisibility or burrito power-up near the end of a race does indeed suck.
Make sure you read the article @rinaf linked to. Lots of people don’t know how to use power-ups properly and sabotage themselves by using them at the wrong time.
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agreed, I started Zwift a few years ago and felt the same as @simon - a bit gimmicky, what’s in it for me, etc.? But since I got the free Zwift through Wahoo a month ago, I decided to check out racing in the app and have had guidance from other avid Zwift users, and learned about how useful they can be tactically during a race! And I get excited to get the ‘right’ power up for the next important point, like an aero helmet before a sprint finish.
So yeah, read the article as Simon said but maybe also try riding in environments (group rides, or even races) where you can see and feel the impact of using a power up!
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