12 tips and tricks for Pokémon Legends: Z-A

The Pokémon™ Legends: Z-A game has been out in the wild for a couple months now, and we hope you’ve been enjoying your time in Lumiose City! However, if you’re just about to start your adventure, we have a few tips to keep in mind!

General stuff

1) Let’s start with a couple of tips that will make your life a little easier. After chatting with Mable in the Pokémon Research Lab, you’ll be able to help her with her research. By fulfilling certain requirements, you’ll get TMs that can be used to teach your Pokémon valuable moves. Open the main menu and check out “Mabel’s Research” from time to time to redeem your in-game rewards. Please note that you won’t get the rewards until you do so!

2) Speaking of menus, there’s a lot you can do in them. For example, you can instantly swap out Pokémon from your Boxes (when not in battle), heal your team with items (even during battles), freely change their moves (including ones that your Pokémon just learned), and even evolve them. There’s a lot of flexibility, so experiment around to find your favorite combinations.

3) Fast travel is your friend! As you explore the city, certain places like Pokémon Centers will be registered to your map as fast travel locations. Just open your map and select one of these locations to instantly warp there. Oh, and as an extra tip: you can also use taxis to reach places you haven’t been to yet.

4) Once you’re far enough into the game, you can rest at benches to move time forward. This is a quick way to access the Z-A Royale at night or get some training in during the day.

5) When trying to earn enough Challenger’s Ticket for your next promotion match, remember that you can gather Ticket Points across multiple nights—you don’t have to do everything in one night! Also, promotion matches can typically be started during the night OR day if you’ve got the Challenger’s Ticket for it.

Catching and battling

6) While battling, did you notice that there are symbols over your Pokémon’s moves? Why, yes, they do mean something! Two circles mean that a given move is super effective against the Pokémon you’re targeting. A single circle means the opposing Pokémon has no weakness or resistance to that move. A triangle means that the move will not be very effective. And an X means that the move will have no effect on that Pokémon.

7) Be sneaky. Whether you’re throwing a Poké Ball at a wild Pokémon or about to battle another Trainer, try to remain undetected by hiding or moving around while crouching. You’ll gain a good advantage if you take your target by surprise.

8) Positioning your Pokémon matters quite a bit in battles, so get to know how your Pokémon’s moves will change their position. For example, some moves will blast your Pokémon forward, which can be used to evade attacks or get them into a favorable spot for their next attack. On the other hand, blasting forward when you don’t mean to might wreck your strategy!

9) Don’t be afraid to recall your Pokémon if you think your opponent is about to launch a big attack. If you time it right, your Pokémon will be safe and sound in its Poké Ball when the move fires off. Just make sure the attack doesn’t hit you instead!

Ranked Battles and Private Battles

Now, let’s cover some final tips that mainly apply to Ranked Battles (playable online*) and Private Battles (playable online* and locally**).

10) If you’re trying to knock out a Pokémon to earn points, remember that whoever gets the last hit that knocks out the opponent Pokémon scores the point. However, there are multiple ways to score points if you’d rather not focus on knockouts. For example, being the first to deal damage or landing the most attacks will earn you points, as well.

11) During multiplayer battles you may want to choose specific moves or Pokémon that you may not typically use. Since online battles are faster paced, try moves with lower cooldown times, moves with wide areas of effect (like Surf or Earthquake), or moves that help avoid attacks like Fly or Dig.

12) Be strategic when you swap out Pokémon. You can only swap three times per match, but it can be a handy way to avoid damage. Also, Mega Evolving your Pokémon will give it a quick moment of invincibility, so use that to your advantage!

OK, that’s all for now. We hope you enjoy your time in Lumiose City!