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As the much-anticipated followup to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Legends: Z-A attempts to be bigger and better. Whether it succeeds is a matter of personal opinion. But those opinions, though generally positive, are notably more mixed than those for Arceus. For a game that costs $60-70 (USD), plus another $30 for the DLC, is Pokémon Legends: Z-A a buy or a skip for Arceus fans?
Pokémon Legends: Z-A simultaneously encompasses the core of Arceus and also does the exact opposite. Commendably, Z-A isn’t just a rehashing of Arceus. It’s certainly a Legends title, but this is not the same game as before. That dichotomy throws off any game plan returning Legends players may have.
If you choose to enter the world of Z-A, here’s some helpful tips for starting your adventure.
Picking a Starter
Keeping with the precedent set in Arceus, the three starter Pokémon are from different regions. Like any Pokémon game, the player gets to choose a Fire, Water, or Grass-type Pokémon. This time, the starters are Chikorita (Johto region), Tepig (Unova region), and Totodile (Johto region).
Much like the mainline Pokémon games, your choice of starter can make the early game easier or harder based on the availability of the Pokémon types you didn’t pick. For example, in the Sinnoh region, you’ll encounter more Grass-type Pokémon at the beginning of the game than you will Fire-type. You don’t encounter Ponyta until after you beat the Grass Gym.
Though not nearly as egregious, players generally newer to Pokémon would have an easier time picking Tepig or Totodile. The best pick is probably Totodile because Fletchling and Pidgey, both available almost immediately, can balance out your team. Plus, once Fletchling evolves into Fletchinder, it becomes a Fire/Flying dual-type.
Battle Gameplay
Unlike Arceus, Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes place in modern-day Lumiose City. People and Pokémon live in “harmony,” and generally, people do not fear Pokémon. Battling is part of the Pokémon culture, so Z-A chooses to focus on a version of that. You’re not interested in being the very best in Kalos. But you can be the very best in Lumiose City.
Z-A doesn’t use the mainline turn-based battle mechanics. Instead, Pokémon battles draw from real-time combat. There is no PP per move. Instead, every move has a cooldown period. The more complicated (or better) the move, the higher the cooldown time. Because of this, many aspects of Pokémon battle had to be adjusted.
Status Conditions
Status conditions like Poison and Burn keep their core properties: your Pokémon loses a certain amount of HP over time until it either faints or you cure the status condition. However, conditions such as Paralysis and Frozen needed to be adapted to fit the time-based battle system.
Paralysis slows down your Pokémon’s movement, so moves take longer to perform. Frozen freezes your Pokémon for 10 seconds, making it the most devastating status condition. For reference, moves like Tackle and Growl have a 6 second cooldown. You’d be able to perform your next Tackle before a Pokémon thaws out.
Cooldown Times
Essentially, everything that was measured in turns is now measured in seconds. Due to the cooldown times, you have more options on what you want to do during battle. If your opponent uses Dig, then you have a chance to have your Pokémon dodge the attack by running away from the impact site. You can switch Pokémon, but lose a few seconds instead of a turn.
Stat changes last a certain amount of time instead of a certain number of turns. The better the move, the longer the stat change will last. For example, Screech will lower the opposing Pokémon’s defense for a longer amount of time than Tail Whip.
In what is probably the best adjustment to the battle system in new Pokémon installments yet, item usage is on a 10 second cooldown. Because moves and damage are now tied to time, there is no guarantee that your Pokémon will survive until the cooldown ends. You can’t use quick math and take your chances with the critical hit ratio. For the most part, you need to act if you don’t want your Pokémon to faint.
However, there’s a lot you can do in 10 seconds.
You can brute force your way through by having your Pokémon land a hit before your opponent’s Pokémon can. You can dodge by running away from a move’s impact site – this is especially effective against longer moves like Hydro Pump and Earth Power. You can swap out your Pokémon and attack within the next 3 seconds.
For any longtime players who find battles too easy now, the switch to time-based combat is a welcome change. Despite the new format, it’s similar enough to the mainline games that it’s easy to pick up.
Using Mega Evolution
Over ten years since its creation, Mega Evolution makes its grand return to the Pokémon games. In the mainline installments, Mega Evolution grants a Pokémon enhanced stats and a new design until the Pokémon faints or the battle ends, whichever occurs first. However, you can only Mega Evolve one Pokémon per battle.
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Mega Evolution acts more like an ultimate ability. Using certain moves marked with a plus symbol will charge your Mega Stone. Once the meter is full, your Pokémon can Mega Evolve until the meter completely drains. During that time, your Pokémon changes form and deals much higher damage.
However, you can Mega Evolve multiple Pokémon per battle. Only one Pokémon can be Mega Evolved at a time, but you can use Mega Evolution any time the meter is full. For example, you cannot have a Mega Gardevoir and a Mega Camerupt in your party at the same time. However, you can Mega Evolve Gardevoir and later, after Gardevoir returns to normal and the Mega Stone meter is full, you can Mega Evolve Camerupt.
Overall, Pokémon Legends: Z-A offers a new Pokémon experience that further blends the Legends series with the mainline games. Its best feature is reinvigorating battles for experienced players through expanding action choices and re-imagining the system in a way that makes it more challenging.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is available on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, both physically and digitally (through the Nintendo eShop). The DLC, Mega Dimension, releases on February 28, 2026.
Stay tuned to Gameranx for more news, updates, and guides for Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
