Pokémon Legends Z-A introduces tons of new changes, like the day-night cycle, to the long-running monster collection series by Nintendo. One of the biggest changes is in the form of how you perform battles in-game. With the game overhauling the battle system for the first time, it might seem confusing if you are a new player or a returning player. So, here are all the new battle system changes and how they work in Pokémon Legends Z-A.
How the New Battle System of Pokémon Z-A Works
Unlike previous Pokémon games, where the combat was primarily in a turn-based format, Pokémon Legends Z-A introduces a brand-new way of fighting against Pokémon and fellow trainers. The game drops the turn-based system for a real-time battle system, allowing players to move around and reposition themselves during the battle.
Positioning
Arguably, one of the most important new battle systems in Pokémon Legends Z-A comes in the form of the positioning system. You can move and dodge attacks coming from the opponent, and your position determines your performance in a battle. So, if you position your Pokémon near your opponent and use an attack that benefits from that, your Pokémon will do a lot of damage.
Additionally, since the player trainer character also comes with their own health bar, you have to be mindful of their positioning and surroundings. Some Pokémon attacks will also target your trainer character. So, you can dodge and reposition at any point in time.
The New Cooldown System
Unlike previous games, where each attack of a Pokémon had a Power Point requirement, Pokémon Legends Z-A introduces a brand-new thing called Cooldown Time. Cooldown Time is exactly what it says – each attack, like Rock Smash, for example, goes into a cooldown timer, which doesn’t allow that Pokémon to attack their opponents until the countdown finishes.
Each Pokémon move has a different cooldown time, and the key to using the attacks effectively is to find a combo that works best. Ideally, the status effect attacks are the ones with a higher cooldown time, compared to the standard attacks. So, use the status effects, then attacks, and when the cooldown time resets, rinse and repeat.
Status Changes
Status from attacks has always been a mainstay in the Pokémon games, and that isn’t changing in Pokémon Legends Z-A. What is changing, however, is how the status change works. Previously, if your Pokémon were poisoned and you moved instead of curing poison, they would take damage. In Z-A, however, it’s a little different. Your poisoned Pokémon will take damage only when they are outside their Poké Ball and moving. It won’t knock out your monster, and it stops right at 1HP.
Similarly, paralyzed Pokémon will move slower than their standard movement speeds. Sleep effects reportedly haven’t changed from their previous iteration; hypnotize, however, now immobilizes the Pokémon.
Status Moves
Status moves have also returned, with each Pokémon getting the chance to increase its attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed. They are denoted by the five dots on the top of a Pokémon, with the first dot being the attack, the second being defense, the third being special attack, the fourth being special defense, and the fifth being speed.
So, if you use status moves on your Pokémon, these dots will turn into an up or a down arrow. Up being increased, and down being decreased. The game has completely ditched the plus and minus system in favor of this streamlined system.
Mega Evolution
Mega Evolution is a brand-new system in Pokémon Legends Z-A, which is important when you are fighting any powerful monster. Whenever you hit an enemy, they’ll sometimes drop mega stones, which, when you pick up, will fill a gauge at the bottom of the screen. When that gauge fills up, you can Mega Evolve your Pokémon multiple times in the battle, as long as that bar is filled up.
You can also mega evolve multiple Pokémon multiple times in the battle, based on your mega evolve bar. Mega Evolution also doesn’t have any cooldown, so you can mega-evolve whenever the game permits you or when you feel like it.
