Pokemon Legends: Z-A shakes up the classic formula for the series in a number of ways. However, it’s still possible to get ahead early on and give yourself an edge in the game. In this guide, we will go over some beginner tips to help take advantage of the new systems, get more Pokemon, and level up quickly.
1. How to Catch Pokemon Easier
With Z-A being more real time, it is possible to catch Pokemon without even battling them. This is especially useful for the more timid Pokemon, who will run away when you start attacking them. There are a few ways you can increase your chances while doing this.
- Out of Sight: You have a higher chance of catching a Pokemon if it hasn’t noticed you — crouching in bushes when possible will help with this
- Increased Chances from Behind: Throwing a Poke Ball from behind the Pokemon will increase your chances of catching it
- Use the Right Poke Ball: Certain Poke Balls can increase your catch rate
- Knock them Out: If catching them unseen fails, knocking them out will greatly increase your chances to catch them
Sneaking up on a Pichu can let you catch it before it runs away
1.1 How to Know What Poke Ball to Use
There are several Poke Balls that will increase your chances of catching a Pokemon, depending on a few factors.
- Great and Ultra Balls: For general use, these are better versions of a Poke Ball
- Dive Balls: These have a better chance at catching Pokemon that are in a body of water
- Dusk Balls: Are best used when it’s nighttime
- Nest Balls: These have a higher catch rate on lower-level Pokemon
- Net Balls: Water and Bug types will be caught easier with these
- Quick Balls: These are the best to use if a Pokemon hasn’t spotted you yet
- Repeat Balls: If you have caught the Pokemon before, these will have a higher catch rate
- Timer Balls: These are more effective the longer a battle goes on, so these are best used for tougher Pokemon that will take a while to defeat
- Master Balls: Will have a 100% catch rate, no matter the Pokemon
1.2 What to do if You Miss Poke Balls
As Pokemon are moving around in real time and some can be agile, it’s possible to completely miss them when throwing a Poke Ball. Luckily, there is an easy way to get these back.
- Go to a Pokemon Center: In front of them, there is a nameless NPC wearing a blue outfit
- Retrieve Lost Poke Balls: Talk to the NPC to retrieve all of the Poke Balls you missed
- Does Not Include Failed Attempts: He will not give you Poke Balls that hit, but failed to capture
Look for this guy if you’ve been missing your throws
2. Pay Attention to Positioning
As Pokemon Legends: Z-A has real-time combat, positioning your Pokemon has now become an important part of battle. You can use this positioning to your advantage to help avoid attacks completely.
- Stay Mobile: Your Pokemon will generally move towards you when they’re not attacking, so move yourself to where you want them to be
- Frontal Attacks: You can move your Pokemon behind the enemy during frontal attacks to avoid them
- Elevation Matters: Some attacks can be avoided entirely by behing higher or lower than the enemy
- Massive Attacks: Some powerful abilities will attack an area around the Pokemon — you can avoid these by dismissing your Pokemon entirely
3. Know Your Pokemon’s Strengths and Weaknesses
As with the other games in the series, Pokemon Typing is very important for combat. If you know an enemy Pokemon’s Type, you can take advantage of using one that’s strong against them.
- Type Variety: Try to have access to as many Types as possible in your party to take advantage of an enemy’s weakness more frequently
- Indicators During Combat: When battling a Pokemon, there will be indicators on your moves telling you how effective they will be
- Two Typed Pokemon: If a Pokemon has two Types, using an attack effective against both Types will deal extra damage
- Mind Your Own Types: Enemies can take advantage of your weaknesses as well, so don’t bring out a Pokemon that has a weakness to the enemy
3.1. How to Tell What Moves Are Effective
While battling, you can see symbols on your offensive attacks. These will tell you just how effective the attack will be against your enemy.
- Circle – the attack will deal normal damage
- Circle with a dot in the middle – the attack will be super effective, dealing increased damage
- Triangle – the attack will not be very effective, dealing less damage than normal
- X – the attack will have no effect at all
You can see that Thunder Shock will be super effective against Fletchling
4. Get the Upper Hand on Enemy Trainers
Trainers in Pokemon Legends: Z-A are very aggressive and will begin a battle with you on sight. However, it is possible to get the jump on them before a battle begins, giving you an upper hand as soon as the battle starts.
- Stay Hidden: Crouch and take advantage of cover to get closer without getting spotted
- First Hit Advantage: Using an attack before you’re spotted deals bonus damage, giving you a head start
- No Cooldown: Your first strike attack will not go on cooldown, so you can use your strongest attack again immediately
- Caught Off Guard: If a Trainer sees you first, there is a chance you and your Pokemon will be surprised, being unable to move or attack briefly
5. Keep an Eye Out for New Pokemon
Wild Pokemon will be able to be seen while exploring Lumiose City, allowing you to quickly tell if there’s a new one or not. While there are designated spots for finding wild Pokemon, they can be found all over the city.
- Wild Zones: Most Pokemon will be found in Wild Zones, designated by green areas on your map
- Tracking What You Caught: You can keep track of what you’ve caught in a Zone by hovering over it on the map
- Pokemon in the City: Some Pokemon can be found outside of these areas while exploring the city
- Catch A Wide Variety: Try to catch as many different Pokemon as possible, to give yourself more options in battle
6. Loot Everything That You See
There are plenty of items you can pick up throughout Lumiose City, and they are fairly easy to spot. Pick up as many of these as possible, as you can find many helpful items this way for free.
- What to Look Out For: Items will appear on the floor either as a simple shine effect or an object that looks like a Poke Ball
- A Variety of Items: These items can give you stuff to sell, consumables, various Poke Balls, and even TMs
- Where They Spawn: Most of these items spawn periodically at random spots
7. Pay Attention to NPCs
As the game takes place in a massive city, there are plenty of NPCs you can interact with. However, there are some NPCs you can get some free stuff from if you interact with them.
- NPCs with a Yellow Bubble: These NPCs will give you an item by talking with them
- NPCs with a Blue ‘!’: Talking to these characters will give you a side quest
- Tracking Side Quests: Available side quests will be marked on the map once you see your first ones in the story
- Useful Items: Both of these types of NPCs can give you useful items for your journey — side quests will give you money as well
- New Pokemon: Some of these NPCs can even give you a Pokemon that you may not have yet
Talking to this NPC will give you a free item
8. Experiment with Your Pokemon’s Moveset
Pokemon Legends: Z-A makes it easier than ever to customize the abilities of your Pokemon. Use this to your advantage to give each of your Pokemon a perfect loadout to take out enemies.
- Swapping Moves: You can swap moves from their movesets at any time outside of combat by going to the menus
- Available Moves: You can only change to moves that your Pokemon has learned previously
- Take Advantage of TMs: TMs in this game are not consumed on use, so once you obtain one, you can teach the move to any and all Pokemon that can learn it
- Moveset Tip: As moves go on cooldown during battle, you will want to have at least two damaging moves on your Pokemon at all times so that they can attack more consistently
- Keep a Weaker Attack or Two: More powerful moves have a higher cooldown, so it’s a good idea to have a weaker attack or two to prevent having too much downtime
9. How to Level Up Quickly
Once you have a group of Pokemon that you want to use, you will want to level them up quickly. Luckily, there are a few ways you can level Pokemon quickly and easily.
- EXP Share: All of the Pokemon in your Party get partial experience from defeating an enemy, even if they did not participate in the battle
- Easy Leveling for Weak Ones: The EXP Share will help level up weaker Pokemon, such as Magikarp, until they can evolve
- EXP Candies: Many EXP Candies can be found on the floor in the city — these can be used to level a Pokemon instantly
- City Obstacles: If a Pokemon knows a move that can clear out obstacles, such as Rock Smash to destroy boulders, you can easily get extra experience for it by clearing them out
- Traded Pokemon: If you trade a Pokemon with someone, the traded Pokemon will receive more experience than normal
10. How to Make Money
Money is a very important resource in any Pokemon game — you need to buy Poke Balls, consumables, and held items. In this game, however, it could be a little tricky to earn a lot of money if you don’t know how.
- Battle Zone Medals: The most consistent way to earn money is to build up medals in Battle Zones at night
- Build Up Medals at Night: When it’s nighttime, defeat as many trainers as possible and complete Bonus Cards to get as many medals as possible
- Excess Items: If you have an excess amount of an item or items you have no intention of ever using, you can sell them for extra money
- Selling Treasures: Items in the Treasure tab of your Satchel have no use outside of being sold for money, so don’t worry about selling items from here immediately
