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Are you looking for Pokemon Legends: Z-A tips? Well, you’ve come to the right place. As a new trainer who’s just arrived at Lumiose City, you’ve got your work cut out for you, especially with constant bouts against Z-A Royale participants and the looming threat of Rogue Mega Evolutions. Fortunately, our guide has all the info to help you start your journey on the right foot.
Our guide is filled to the brim with tips regarding general mechanics, as well as those related to combat and exploration. We begin, naturally, with the core gameplay functions that you should familiarize yourself with for the first few hours. We then delve deeper into other facets that you’re bound to encounter as you progress further into the campaign.
As with other games in the Pokemon series, you get to choose from three starter Pokemon when you begin Z-A’s campaign. You have the following options for this particular title:
Given that this creature is considered your partner, you’re very likely to use them often in battle, so much so that they’re likely to be one of the strongest members of your team later on. Moreover, there are other creatures that you can catch in just a few hours, which should greatly impact your team composition. These picks include the Gen 1 Pokemon–i.e. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
One of the most important Pokemon Legends: Z-A tip to remember is that Lumiose City has a strict day-night cycle that affects the available activities and even Pokemon spawns. Here’s what you need to know:
Many locations in Lumiose City are fully explorable. To speed things up, we advise you to tag all kinds of fast travel points, including:
Note that you can traverse streets, alleyways, rooftops, sewers, and other areas while free-roaming or advancing through the campaign. Many of these spots also have wild Pokemon roaming about.
As with previous titles, you do need to remember how Pokemon types and elemental abilities match up against your opponents. For instance, Fire is super effective against Grass, Ice, Insect, and Steel, but it’s next to useless against Water and Dragon types.
Assuming you brought a Pokemon out, you can hold the ZL button to target an enemy. The available attacks have symbols telling you which moves ought to be used against your foe:
Another key Pokemon Legends: Z-A tip to keep in mind is that battles are in real-time. This means your active Pokemon follows you as you move around the battlefield. There are some caveats to take note of:
You can freely change the moves of your Pokemon via the “Boxes” menu:
Catching creatures in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is relatively straightforward, but there are some caveats:
Furthermore, you can purchase all sorts of Poke Balls from stores, and some are even handed out for free. These tend to have different functions when catching critters all over Lumiose City.
Pokemon Centers:
Poke Ball Boutiques:
The Battle Zone is a major component of the gameplay loop and, as such, we ought to discuss various Pokemon Legends: Z-A tips related to the activity:
Moreover, it’s imperative that you do your best when sneaking up behind opposing trainers. This is done by pressing the left thumbstick to crouch and walking slowly to an NPC while their back is turned:
Outside of a select few quests and missions, your prize money–i.e. gold/cash–only comes from Battle Zones. That’s why it’s imperative that you maximize your earnings each attempt:
Halfway through the campaign, you’ll face tougher variants of Pokemon known as Rogue Mega Evolutions. These are, essentially, protracted boss fights against monstrous foes.
Speaking of other Pokemon variants, Lumiose City has a bunch of critters for you to find:
When roaming around Lumiose City, you’re bound to stumble upon curious-looking objects and obstacles. Your Pokemon can actually interact with these by casting certain elemental abilities. Here are some examples:
Speaking of using Pokemon abilities on objects, you definitely need to smash any Mega Crystals that you see. These pink crystalline nodes appear in clusters all throughout the city. Any type of attack can destroy them, which then nets you Mega Shards.
Mega Shards are a resource used to purchase additional Mega Evolution stones from the Quasartico, Inc. building. Even better, the crystal nodes respawn after a few minutes pass in-game, allowing you to amass as much of the resource as you need.
A good Pokemon Legends: Z-A tip to bear in mind is that Lumiose City has even more goodies for you to acquire. So, keep your eyes peeled for glowing items, especially those on rooftops and scaffolding:
And, of course, while trekking around the city, you’re bound to meet countless NPCs. Some need your aid, while others offer goodies given your exploits:
Pokemon games are often about making memories throughout your journey, and what better way to do this than using the Photo Mode function. This is done by pressing the “-” (i.e. select) button. You can then check other functions, such as:
You might want to show your sense of fashion, too. There are boutiques in the northern, southern, and southwestern parts of the city. These have several shops that sell outfits and cosmetic frills. You may even change your hairstyle and hair color via salons.
That does it for our Pokemon Legends: Z-A beginners guide. We hope these tips help you as you venture forth in Lumiose City and beyond.