Moves in Pokemon Legends: Z-A that boost the stats of friendly Pokemon or lower the stats of enemy monsters will follow a different formula than the one used in mainline Pokémon games, according to a new leak. There are already some obvious differences between Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the gameplay of classic Pokemon games, but players who make heavy use of moves like Swords Dance will need to adjust their strategies to account for one deviation from the norm.
Contained inside the Kalos Region’s Lumiose City, the upcoming spin-off game will place a heavy focus on Mega Evolution as it takes a finer look at some of the plot points first introduced in Pokemon X and Y. Boasting a potential roster of 232 Pokemon, there will be a lot of options for players in building their teams, but classic Pokemon players should be prepared for a few differences from the standard formula.
Pokemon Legends Z-A Stat-Adjustment Moves Won't Stack
One of these gameplay changes applies to how the game will handle the Pokemon series’ collection of stat-adjusting moves, which will no longer stack as they do in mainline Pokemon games. Instead, these moves will still provide buffs and debuffs, but only for a limited amount of time, and at a constant rate until they expire. Information shared by one reliable leaker, Centro Leaks, via their Twitter account, shows a still image from a YouTube video of playtesting footage that includes an informational pop-up regarding the change. This alteration from mainline Pokemon rules will instead follow a similar formula to the one used in Legends: Z-A‘s predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, whereby using stat-adjusting moves before their time limit has run out will extend their duration rather than increase their effectiveness on a per-use basis.
Some other changes to gameplay will aid players, however. Previously released information has shown changes to Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A that will allow players to Mega Evolve each Pokemon more than once per battle and even potentially have multiple Mega Evolutions fighting on a team at the same time. Both these changes account for the Legends series’ use of real-time battling, which is a departure from the traditional turn-based structure of mainline Pokemon games.
With the revelation from nearly a week ago that some early copies of Pokemon Legends: Z-A were already in the wild, some fans have been eagerly on the lookout for leaks that could share secrets about the game, while others are desperately trying to avoid spoilers. Fortunately for the latter group, spoilers from these early copies have been relatively tame, but those wanting to dive into a fresh experience may want to stay vigilant as time creeps closer to Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s launch date on October 16.