Game Freak’s open-world RPG is packed with features and gameplay mechanics that players have to discover for themselves. Here are seven things Pokemon Legends Arceus doesn’t tell you.
After years of anticipation, Pokemon Legends Arceus has finally launched on the Nintendo Switch. The Sinnoh origin story is the series biggest departure from previous entries and features a wealth of new features.
Despite the game’s opening tutorial and tips, there are a handful of gameplay mechanics that some Trainers can go through the entire story without knowing to exist. Here are seven of them that you might have missed!
#7 – How to nickname Pokemon
One of the main features of Pokemon Legends Arceus is the ability to change your Pokemon’s attacks on the fly. Characters no longer forget moves and you can literally swap them in and out anytime using an option in the menu.
What flies under the radar is that players can also change the name of their ‘mon as well. You no longer need to visit a Name Rater NPC tucked away somewhere on the map. Just like abilities, you can make the change in the menu.
Even niftier is that you can delete a nickname and revert it back to a character’s original name at any time and there are no limits. Simply press Up on the D-Pad and highlight your ‘mon. Then press A and select “Change Name.”
#6 – You can literally run away from battles
While the game explains early on that you can run away from battles by selecting the “Run” menu option, there is actually a second way that the game doesn’t tell you about. Since it allows Trainers to move around freely during battles, you can – quite literally – turn and run away.
After sprinting a certain distance, the battle will automatically end without needing to press a button prompt. While this may not seem like a big deal, it has some useful utilities. If timed right, you can sometimes override an enemy Pokemon’s attack turn and avoid taking any damage to your own ‘mon.
This is incredibly helpful when you are trying to catch a rare Pokemon and get jumped by three other creatures in the area. After catching the species you want, immediately sprint out of there and end things before more turns play out.
#5 – How to break cracked rocks
Have you traveled around the map and randomly stumbled across a massive boulder blocking a pathway? It becomes immediately obvious that the object is breakable, but how? Many Trainers have been left stumped as the game doesn’t explain this mechanic at all.
You can actually destroy the rocks using a move akin to the classic Rock Smash attack. Unlike previous games where you have to select the ability from the menu, you simply have to throw any ‘mon’s Poke Ball at the boulder.
Your Pokemon will then automatically spring out from its Ball and smash the large stone into pieces, clearing the new path for you.
#4 – You can catch all three starters
Unlike previous entries, you no longer have to trade with another player multiple times to get all three starters. At the end of the game, Professor Laventon gives you the remaining two that you didn’t select as a reward for beating the main campaign.
Trainers can also find each of the starters in the Space-Time Distortions that appear randomly across the map. If you are really lucky, you can find Shiny variants in the distortions. This is great seeing as the original ‘mon given to you are Shiny-locked.
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Even neater is that players may stumble across their giant Alpha forms. Having a towering version of Typhlosion or Samurott on your team is pretty epic.
#3 – How to level up friendship
Early into the game, Trainers are introduced to Belamy in Jubilife Village. The NPC stands in front of the pastures and will rate your bond with your ‘mon after completing a quest for him. The only problem is, there’s no explanation on how to raise your friendship levels.
Compared to other titles in the franchise, the friendship mechanic has been scaled way down in Legends. In order to increase your bond with a ‘mon, you have to have the character in your Party and go battle and catch other wild Pokemon.
The level can also be raised by collecting materials in the overworld. Interestingly, if your Pokemon gets knocked out in battle, you lose points and your bond with it will actually go down.
#2 – The HUD can be toggled on & off
Players who just want to take in the beautiful sweeping vistas of the Hisui region will be surprised to learn that you can actually remove the HUD from your game while playing.
Click Up on the D-Pad to access the menu, then click R2 until you reach the Help tab. Now scroll down and click “Settings”. From here, set HUD Toggling to “Enabled.”
Game Freak has created an elegant solution here as clicking the right joystick to hide it or bring it back is easy. This is also perfect for fans who like to take incredible screenshots without having the cluttered HUD in their pictures.
# 1 – You can get more than one Spiritomb
In previous entries, special Pokemon such as Spiritomb can technically respawn if you accidentally knock them out. But once you catch them, the rare encounter will not appear again.
This is not the case in Pokemon Legends Arceus. After completing the lengthy Request 22: Eerie Apparitions in the Night, you can catch the Ghost-type.
It’s not just one and done, either. It can actually be caught multiple times. It has a 1% spawn chance where it was first caught at the Shrouded Ruins in Crimson Mirelands. You may even catch an Alpha Spiritomb which is downright terrifying.
And that’s it! Those are seven things not directly explained to players in Pokemon Legends Arceus.
For more help on your Hisui adventures, check out our other guides below:
Best starter Pokemon | All Hisuian forms | Hisuian Pokedex | How to catch Darkrai | How to catch Shaymin | All Noble Pokemon | How to beat Frenzied Noble Pokemon | All Gift Pokemon | Mystery Gift codes | Agile & Strong Styles | Alpha Pokemon | How to get Garchomp | How to catch Lucario | All Unown locations | How to catch Eevee | Where to find Pikachu | Hisuian Growlithe & Arcanine location | How to evolve Kleavor | Sylveon evolution guide | Hisuian Voltorb location | How to get Hisuian Sliggoo & Goodra | Where to find Hisuian Zorua & Zoroark | Hisuian Braviary location | How to evolve Overqwil | How to get Hisuian Sneasel & Sneasler | Shiny hunting guide | How to get all three starters without trading