A new update was announced for Pokemon Legends: Arceus during the Pokemon Day livestream on February 27. This update contains new battle challenges, side missions, Pokemon spawning mechanics, and more, but the most important factor is that it comes at no extra cost.
The Pokemon franchise is no stranger to paid expansions after Sword and Shield received two rounds of additional content, adding tons to the original game that justify its price point. This first update to Legends: Arceus is smaller, though it will undoubtedly bring many hours of gameplay to those who already can't put down the base game. This free, small-scale style of update works better for Pokemon Legends: Arceus than larger paid expansions would, especially with Scarlet and Violet just around the corner.
Pokemon Sword and Shield's Massive Expansions
Pokemon Sword and Shield first released in late 2019 and went on to receive two paid expansions in June and October 2020. These expansions, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, each include a new hub area to explore that are filled with Pokemon to catch (some of which were new to the series). They also included new game modes, like Dynamax Adventures. These updates are bundled as part of the $30 Expansion Pass, which is a reasonable price for the amount of new content offered to players.
These large-scale updates worked on Sword and Shield for multiple reasons. In the past, updated versions of Pokemon games would release, such as the third generation's Pokemon Emerald after Ruby and Sapphire. These games' plots are primarily unchanged until near the end, or after completing the game. Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass changes this, as players no longer need to play through the same game twice to access new content. More importantly, players do not have to buy a second fully priced game to do so.
On top of this, news of Sword and Shield's DLC came at a time when nothing else was on the franchise's horizon. The next big releases, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, were not announced until February 2021's Pokemon Day, and they released in November that year. The two-year gap between this and Sword and Shield gave Game Freak more than enough time to improve upon the eighth generation while holding fans over until the next major release.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Expansive Hisui Region
Pokemon Legends: Arceus differs greatly from Sword and Shield when it comes to a need for updates. For starters, Arceus' Hisui is much larger than Sword and Shield's Galar. Galar; a very linear region despite the open Wild Area. Major updates to the game would be impossible without adding entirely new areas. Yet Hisui has plenty of space to add more, with some criticizing the game's world for being too empty. This gives developers plenty of room to add new events and encounters, encouraging exploration of the same areas without them getting stale.
Aside from this, the content of the Daybreak update is much smaller than what is included in either of Sword and Shield's expansions. The newly included battles present a nice challenge, and it is easier than ever to catch many Pokemon with massive outbreaks, but these additions are only for players who want to keep playing the game until Scarlet and Violet's release. This type of update may not convince those who are fully done with the game to pick it back up, but it represents bite-sized enjoyment for those who will.
This works in Pokemon's favor. Updates like these give die-hard fans more to do while avoiding burnout (and diminished sales later in the year) for the series' more casual audience. Most importantly, this type of update is free, so anyone who is even the slightest bit interested has no reason not to check it out.
Looking Towards Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Future
The potential for future updates to Pokemon Legends: Arceus is exciting. Keeping the updates smaller than Sword and Shield's expansions, as is the case with this first Daybreak update, satiate Pokemon's biggest fans who are craving more and ensure no one is tired by the time Scarlet and Violet release. There is still a lot of time until then, so Legends: Arceus will hopefully receive a few more updates just like it. The land of Hisui is massive regardless, and will surely occupy the time of anyone who wants to explore the region in its entirety.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.
