10 things to know ahead of Pokemon Legends Z-A

GHENT, WV (WVNS) – With Pokémon Legends Z-A is set to release on October 16, 2025 and trainers have been anticipating the franchise's newest title with bated breath. The title boasts a lot of changes, however, so there will be some things to keep in mind that will be different heading into the game. So, what do you need to know before loading up your copy of the title? Without further ado here are 10 things to keep in mind as you wait for your copy of Pokémon Legends Z-A. 

10. Grace period for catching fainted pokémon. 

Unlike in other titles, we've seen in footage from Pokémon Legends Z-A that there is a grace period after causing a pokémon to faint where you, the trainer, can throw a pokéball and try to capture the pokémon. This is very different than in former titles where if you fainted a pokémon it was just gone. Be aware though that this is not an infinite time period that you have to catch the pokémon – it appears to just be a few seconds after the HP hits zero.

9. Moves are valuable in different ways than usual.

While many trainers are used to getting high powered moves on their pokémon and spamming those attacks in turn based battles, things are different in Legends Z-A. Moves have cooldowns and it's likely that higher power moves have a longer cooldown. During the time that you're waiting for that cooldown to be over, you're going to want other moves so that you don't just become a punching bag for the enemy during that time period. That means that you'll want a selection of moves with a different cooldown amount and, by extension, different power levels. You may also consider status moves if you haven't used them previously as things like poison chip damage doesn't have to wait for a round to be over – it just activates each time a certain amount of seconds have passed. Moves affecting the field will also work differently. With all this in mind, you'll likely be using moves in different ways than you have before. You might even be using moves you wouldn't have in turn based battles.

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8. Watch for visual cues of stat changes.

Something you'll notice early on is that Legends Z-A has a visual system to display stat buffs and debuffs. It appears in the form as 5 dots beside your pokémon's level. Each dot represents a stat – attack, special attack, defense, special defense, and speed. A blue triangle with the point facing downwards is a stat lowered and a red triangle with the point facing upwards is a stat up.

7. Get ready for a surprise attack! 

It might seem a little underhanded, but we're not becoming pokémon trainers to fight fair (we all know we tried to join Team Rocket back on the Nugget Bridge in Gen 1; don't be ashamed). You can sneak up behind trainers and pokémon to start battles with an advantage in Legends Z-A. That extra attack time could be what makes or breaks a battle, so you'll want to take advantage of that as much as possible. Be aware though – your opponent can also gain this advantage. 

6. Prep for some unfair fights.

Just like how the trainer battles can be a bit unfair because you're going to be jumping out of hiding spots and attacking trainers while they're just looking for the right route home for the night after a long evening of battling in the Z-A Royale, battles with wild pokémon can be super fair too. Mostly, wild pokémon in Z-A haven't been informed that battles are meant to be 1v1 it seems since multiple pokémon will jump into battles with you at once. This was showcased in some video released recently after pokémon influencers were invited to the Eiffel Tower to play the game. Two houndour actually attacked the trainer's pokemon at once, showing how pokemon in the environment can team up and cause issues.

5. KEEP. MOVING. 

Do you remember playing Legends Arceus and getting hit with pokémon attacks relentlessly as the border of your screen slowly turns red? Do you remember the panic as your trainer ran around the area, dodging attacks from an oversized, red-eyed rapidash?

Well, good news!

Your trainer can take damage once again! Actually, many of the gamers who have had the chance to experience the game in advance have said pokemon seem to target the trainer in many cases rather than their pokemon. For that reason, it's important to keep moving.

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4. Heal when it matters. 

Healing is a huge part of pokémon games. Lots of people love to spam potions and revives and you may be tempted to do that in Z-A too, but hold up there because there's a big catch this time. Using healing items, just like using your moves, actually has a cooldown as well. Once you heal, you won't be able to for some time, so you should plan to heal when it is most advantageous. 

3. Get the goal!

As you're running around in the new game, you might see something that looks like a card on the round. Thanks to recent footage, we were able to see that these cards give you goals to aim for like hitting a certain number of super effective moves, using a certain type of move, etc. Use these to gain more coins while trying to level up in the Z-A Royale. 

2. Engage in some mega mania!

Mega evolution has long since been one of the most beloved features ever to be added to the Pokémon franchise. Pretty much everyone loved mega evolution when it made its debut and now that it's returning, people are ready to activate their key stone once again and watch their pokémon burst forth in new, fun, and powerful forms. With that in mind, don't overlook adding a mega to your team. Not only are they cool to use, they also seem to do more damage to the rogue mega pokémon you'll be taking on in the game. 

1. Pick your champion! 

Let's be real – picking a starter pokémon is one of the most iconic and important parts of a Pokémon game, so it's pretty obvious that this would be something included here. The starters this time around are Totodile, Chikorita, and Tepig. While there isn't a wrong choice here, it's important to give some thought to since the rest of your team will be formed around this pokemon as you charge forward. 

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