It has been a busy, expensive time for Pokemon fans. After the subsequent releases of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in November 2021 and Pokemon Legends: Arceus in January 2022, numerous events in titles like Pokemon GO and Pokemon Masters EX were announced during the February 27 Pokemon Presents livestream. Game Freak also revealed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet during last month's event, confirming Generation 9 will debut in late 2022.
Though much of the world's attention was focused on Scarlet and Violet, their Spain-inspired region, and trio of starters, a good deal of content was also unveiled for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. An online anime series is in the works based on the Hisui region, representing Sinnoh at a time before humans and Pokemon lived together, and a free "Daybreak" update released for the open-world title. Daybreak is relatively small but has some stand-out additions that could point to a healthy future, including its new Massive Mass Outbreak mechanic.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus - How to Unlock Massive Mass Outbreaks
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A number of smaller requests are introduced in Legends: Arceus' Daybreak update, for example one asking players to quell an Alpha Onix in Oreburrow Tunnel - a distant part of the Obsidian Highlands that went mostly unused but now seeds the origins of Oreburgh City. While visiting the Obsidian Highlands, players will also be able to initiate a longer chain of requests involving Wyrdeer's Warden Mai.
Mai can be found around the Heights Camp, where she reveals her partner Munchlax has been acting strangely. The player can then use their Arc Phone to find it may be drawn to a space-time anomaly on Ramanas Island where a group of Hisuian Zorua have begun spawning despite usually sticking to the Alabaster Icelands. As players and Mai investigate this strange phenomenon alongside members of the Galaxy Team, Diamond Clan, and Pearl Clan, they come to realize it only impacts areas with heavy rainstorms (or blizzards) that form in each of the game's major levels.
How Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Massive Mass Outbreaks Work
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After completing these initial investigations into Massive Mass Outbreaks, they begin to appear at random when players leave Jubilife Village. Regular Mass Outbreaks were a part of the base game that appeared at random in any given area, letting players find a small horde of one particular Pokemon. For example, a Mass Outbreak of Luxray can appear in the hills around Lake Verity in the Obsidian Fieldlands, letting people catch (or battle) a number of the high-level monsters in a row. More often than not this is useful to shiny hunters who want to increase the odds of a Pokemon appearing.
Massive Mass Outbreaks are similar in concept, but will only appear for a limited time under inclimate weather conditions that result in upwards of a dozen Mass Outbreaks at once. Unlike regular Mass Outbreaks, the Pokemon which appear at each hotspot are obscured, through players can reveal their contents by feeding Mai's Munchlax five Aguav Berries. These berries are not available throughout the game like Oran Berries, but can be obtained by defeating Pokemon at particular outbreak sites.
Once again, the main purpose of Massive Mass Outbreaks appears to be shiny hunting. Not only will a horde of specific Pokemon appear for repeat catching and battling opportunities, but the potential to experience numerous outbreaks at once (including rare Pokemon like the Hisui starter trio) means there's a higher likelihood someone can run into their target. However, Massive Mass Outbreaks are also unique in that hordes of Alpha Pokemon can appear, as well as evolutions like Kleavor showing up within packs of Scyther. After completing one Mass Outbreak, players may find that spot updated to an outbreak of its target's evolution, like Roserade replacing Roselia.
Why Legends: Arceus' New Outbreaks Could Lead to DLC Pokemon
Though Massive Mass Outbreaks appear to notably be useful for shiny hunters, they present a clear opportunity for Game Freak to frame DLC. The original Hisuian Zorua outbreak suggests these are the result of space-time anomolies much like pocket distortions that form as players explore any given level. With characters like Unova's Ingo being flung into Husui via the large Space-Time Rift over Mount Coronet, there's nothing to suggest Pokemon from any number of regions are restricted from appearing in Mass Outbreaks.
It has previously been confirmed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus will connect to ILCA's cloud storage app Pokemon Home, and even if this is one-way compatible it would offer an excuse to create in-universe quests that find Pokemon from outside Hisui are bleeding into the region. There are still a number of Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum monsters absent from Legends: Arceus, so DLC with new content for Massive Mass Outbreaks would be a fun means of adding them back.
While it's unclear whether Pokemon Legends: Arceus will receive content beyond its Daybreak update, there is a strong possibility. Though Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are coming soon, Legends: Arceus' strong sales mean it would be a waste to let the game fall aside so quickly. The chain of quests in Daybreak do end on a conclusive note with players looking at the sunrise alongside Irida and Adaman, thinking about a bright future, but some loose ends are established. For example, characters wonder why Mai's Munchlax seems attuned to Arceus, and why rainstorms attract these events.
One of Daybreak's quests also establishes a doppleganger Mai who asks the player to bring them a set of 10 Mushroom Cakes. It's heavily implied this is a Zorua given the game teased the Zoroark line's Disguise ability in an earlier quest, but it's never firmly stated who the player performs this task for. Given the Mai doppleganger talks to players, it's easy to imagine this story beat building into more than a pedestrian encounter with a single Pokemon. Regardless of how Game Freak approaches potential DLC, Massive Mass Outbreaks offer a strong foundation to build upon.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.
