Pokemon Legends: Arceus is quite different from other Pokemon games, so it's inevitable that players will make some mistakes as they get used to it. It's a harder game that requires an innovative approach, it's not all about spamming the hardest-hitting move with a starter Pokemon and knowing type advantages by heart. But, being such a distinct game is what makes Pokemon Legends: Arceus stand out and worth playing, even if its graphics can be a little off-putting.
It's a fun game to master and knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. This article will talk about typical beginner mistakes that many players will naturally make as they journey through the Hisui region.
7 Forget To Check A Pokemon's Disposition To Be Caught
One of the many things that changed in this latest Pokemon game is that catching monsters in Legends: Arceus doesn't require players to battle them so they can get them to low health before throwing a Poke Ball. Of course, that's still viable but most of the time it's not necessary and it's just easier to throw a Poke Ball at the Pokemon without engaging in a battle.
However, once one gets used to not battling, it's common to forget to check the Pokemon's disposition before catching them. If a red circle with a cross appears on top of it, it means it has to be weakened in battle before being captured.
6 Not Releasing Pokemon
In previous Pokemon games, it wasn't unusual for players to only catch a Pokemon simply to complete its Pokedex entry. But this doesn't happen anymore, since Pokemon Legends: Arceus requires players to complete various research tasks, many of which will have the trainer catching the same Pokemon dozens of times.
This will fill up boxes quickly with below-average Pokemon multiples rather than strong monsters. So, it's important to go over all the Pokemon in the boxes and analyze which ones are worth keeping and which ones should be released. You may also be rewarded with some items when releasing Pokemon.
5 Throwing An Item Instead Of A Pokemon Or Vice-Versa
While exploring the wild, players can throw their Poke Balls with captured Pokemon when they see berry trees or rock formations that can be broken. The Pokemon will then come out of its ball and shake the tree or break the rock.
The player has to press X to switch between the items option and the Pokemon option and sometimes in the heat of the moment it's easy to forget this and throw an item at a tree rather than a Pokemon. This can be frustrating because it's not possible to pick it back up, and it's simply just wasteful.
4 Forget To Swap Moves
Unlike most Pokemon games, Legends: Arceus doesn't show players a warning asking if they'd like to forget a move and learn a new one as soon as their Pokemon levels up and learns something new.
A notice is shown on screen in the left upper corner saying that the Pokemon can now learn a new move. However, it's up to the player to select the Pokemon manually and decide which moves they'd prefer that the Pokemon have in its moveset.
3 Pressing - To Close The Map
To open the map in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the player has to press the "-" button. In most games, the map is closed by pressing the same button again. However, that's not the case here, pressing the "-" button again will just make the map zoom out. To close the map the B button has to be pressed.
2 Ignoring NPCs
There are tons of non-playable characters in the game that'll give the player side quests to complete in exchange for certain rewards. When a character has a request, a black circle will appear near them just like main storyline quests.
However, there are a few hidden quests that can only be obtained when speaking to certain characters that don't have this circle over their head. So, it's always best to interact with as many NPCs as possible since it might be rewarding. An example of this is Sho, a kid sitting near the gates at Jubilife Village with his brother, Waka, sitting next to him.
1 Engage In A Fight With Other Pokemon Around
In certain areas of the map, there are zones where more dangerous and aggressive Pokemon will be lurking and ready to attack.
Starting a battle can be particularly complicated in these areas, not only because of how beating wild Pokemon is much harder in Legends: Arceus than in previous games but also because if there are other Pokemon around they'll also join in on the fun and try to take the player down. Players need to pick their battles wisely.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for the Nintendo Switch.