Pokémon Legends: Arceus has officially had its street date broken, and leakers have begun sharing info on the game’s new Pokémon and early moments.
While the game is not set to officially launch until January 28th, leakers were able to obtain the game well before its street date, with one even sharing a picture of themselves handling a physical copy of Pokémon Legends: Arceus to Twitter.
It’s not clear how leakers were able to get their hands on the game, but it’s possible they did so thanks to a large quantity of copies being stolen, as Eurogamer reports that 15 copies of the game were bought on EBay for up to $75 from a seller allegedly based in New Jersey. Another leaker claimed that one user had listed roughly 50 copies of the game for sale.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo has been ruthless in attempting to contain these leaks, quickly issuing DMCA takedowns on any tweet sharing the leaked information.
Nonetheless, at the time of this article’s writing, some leaks have survived, such as those shared by Twitter user JohnPoryIsYes.
Though they appeared to have played only the earliest moments of the game, likely due to only having just acquired it, JohnPoryIsYes was still able to provide players with some surprising revelations- such as the player being sent back in time to the ancient Sinnoh region, or Hisui as it was know then, by or because of the actions of Arceus.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483859047476465664
RELATED: Pokémon Legends: Arceus Promises New Immersive Gameplay In The Sinnoh Region
Later footage reveals that the (roughly) 15 year old protagonist begin his journey by falling from a rift in the sky, not unlike the “Fallers” – characters from other dimensions and older games who fall through the Ultra Wormholes seen in Sun and Moon and enter into the world with little memory of their past seen in previous entries.
The player’s phone is also transformed into the “Arc Phone,” granting the player access to the game’s menu and map options [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
It seems that the player soon after meets the game’s resident researcher, Professor Laventon, who helps to catch what will later be your starter Pokémon.
Upon being welcomed into Jubilife Village, Galactic Exploration Team head Cylenne tasks you with a mission, forcing you to either earn your keep or face being expelled to certain death in the wilderness [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].
Each Pokémon’s stat also has a number in a circle next to it (0 and 1 shown), presumably a rating for either the Pokémon’s Individual Value (IV) and Effort Value (EV) stats.
Typically, these Pokémon’s “genetics” can be passed through breeding (IVs) or points gained through battling certain Pokemon that improve a stat’s growth (EVs).
As you sleep in your own room before the night of your first mission, a strange lightning storm strikes an area, and a Pokémon cries out. While the leaker could not identify the Pokemon’s cry, the large tree hints that it could be the Noble version of the Pokémon Kleavor, driven berserk by this strange phenomena.
After gaining your map, you have your first battle, and then attempt to catch your first Pokémon. Players are shown freely walking around and moving the camera during battles, including during attack animations.
While some wild Pokémon will flee at the sight of you, those who are more aggressive can become enraged, knocking Pokéballs away and leaving them to be caught only in battle.
Completing your mission earns you the recipe to make your own Pokéballs, and eventually your own Pokédex. As shown in prior reports, the Pokédex needs you to catch Pokémon in certain ways or witness them using certain moves, to fully fill out the entry for the individual species and earn points to improve their rank.
There’s also character customization, more characters who resemble those in the modern games (such as Karen and Darach), and plenty of fun interactions with NPCs. For example, at one point, Commander Kamado challenges you to wresting, deftly tossing you aside [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11].
One piece of interesting information to come from the leaks was that Pokémon don’t automatically evolve when they meet the criteria. Instead, players select this from the Pokémon’s stats screen. This may be to prevent a Pokémon that you need to turn in for side mission from unexpectedly evolving before you turn them in.
The evolution cutscene also suggests that the scene changes based on the user’s type, as a Starly, a Flying-Type, is shown evolving in a shroud of whirling winds. Fall damage for the player was also confirmed.
Pokemon Legends evolution cutscenehttps://t.co/4RU9T6a26X
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) January 19, 2022
In addition, two Pokemon can be fought at once in a battle – though sometimes they may take no action.
The game also has a first person mode.
You can battle multiple Pokémon at the same time!https://t.co/MVclFdhxHU
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) January 19, 2022
Finally, the biggest of the leaks came from datamining, which revealed the game’s unannounced Pokémon, including both Hisuin forms of existing Pokémon and brand-new species.
While we be linking to them [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17], we will not be hosting images of them.
We will warn of spoilers from here on out, as some appear to be story relevant. You can expect them below this image of the player fighting a trainer’s Munchlax.
Many of the new Pokemon line up with cryptic clues leakers had shared before.
https://twitter.com/A0ZZero/status/1483916193098608654
Each of the starters’ final evolution also have a new Hisuin form.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483969451728977920?s=20
Decodueye, a Grass and Fighting type with a samurai like appearance, gains straw-hat like feathers on its heads and much shorter wings, exposing its long legs, in the ancient region.
Hisuin Typhlosion is sleeker, and has a more sleepy look on its phase. However, the red dots that typically make up its fiery mane are now purple and go around the front of its neck. As a Fire and Ghost type, it could be these flame spouts will look more ghostly (as the ghost move Will-O-Wisp typically shows purple flames).
Meanwhile, Hisuin Samurott looks mostly like it usually does, albeit with darker blue skin, though now sports a longer and more sinister moustache. It’s claws are also red, and the shells on its arms and legs are black, red, spikey, and more jagged.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483965988643168256?s=20
Ursaring also gets a new evolution in Ursaluna (Normal and Ground). The square tufts of fur are around it’s face, shoulders, and back, and it has a white circle on its face. It also appears to be on all fours, has longer claws, and most of its body is caked in mud. It’s face also has a little mud on it.
Sneasel is now a Poison and Fighting, with a white body with purple claws. The hands have purple liquid-like marks on them, suggesting the hands are covered in poison. When it evolves, it is much taller and slender, and the single feather on its ear growing longer, while its paws bear red and black claws and are covered in black liquid-like markings.
Quilfish’s evolution becomes Poison and Dark, turning black on the top half with purple markings while retaining its cream coloring on the bottom. It’s spikes are extremely long, with those on the top half of its body tipped in purple.
Avalug has two large blade-like tusks on either side of its head, and while its head and flat top of its body is ice blue, the sides and legs are rocky and brown. Unsurprisingly, it’s an Ice and Rock Type.
Sliggoo and Goodra are now Dragon and Steel types, both of them now spouting a large grey shell. While Sliggoo’s shell is on its side, Goodra is – barely- carrying a very large shell where its tail usually would be, with a tired look on its face.
The Grass and Electric Hisuin Electrode has a wooden top half much like the Hisuin Voltorb’s bottom half, and while it’s eye holes are small and oval, it has large deep pits around them, evoking leering eyes. While its bottom half is red, it’s mouth is an unhappy grimace, unlike the normal Electrode’s snide grin.
Hisuin Arcanine gains a secondary Rock type, as well as dark grey slick fur in places the normal Arcanine would have spiky white fur. The fur around its legs and tail take a cloud like shape, while fur on top of its head has three large spikes, and thick eyebrows.
Liligant, now Grass and Fighting, loses its “petal dress,” in favor of showing off its long slender white legs that turn purple and end in yellow “shoes” with curled toes. The flower on its head is also smaller and pinker, while it’s eyes appear to be leering slightly.
Presumably a Water type, Basculin (presumably Water) loses its enlarged lower jaw, now sporting a more surprised or shocked look on its face. While its body is dark green, it’s back has a white or very pale blue stripe down its back.
In addition to the red Basculegion seen in prior trailers, a blue Basulegion was also found by leakers, this one pale blue with more marks around it’s jaws, shorter whiskers, and an unimpressed look on its face.
There also seems to be a new member of the “Genie trio”, joining Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus to form a quartet. The more feminine looking Pokemon has a sunburnt-pink body with a cloud like lower-half, bearing red markings, yellow eyes, four horns on its face, white lips, and white hair on its head that feature two long tufts that form a heart shape.
Rather than a “tail” like other genies, it has a brown snake-like protrusion wrapped around its neck with red heart patterns on it. It ends in a snake like head over its shoulder, with its own lips but no eyes.
As with the other genies, it has a beast-like Therian Forme, this one’s cloud-covered body resembling a turtle with webbed feet, though its still has its white lips and the heart-hair. The “snake” is now coiled on its back, evoking a shell.
Legendaries Dialga and Palkia have new “Lord” forms, both of which transforms them into an Arceus-like shape.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483992967220109316?s=20
Dialga’s “crest” is now on its neck, with a ring around its waste with four clock-hand like protrusions. It’s front legs are bulky with three claws beneath them.
Palkia almost resembles a centaur, with horse-like hooves, and its torso (minus arms) sitting where Arceus’ neck and head would be. A single fin running down its back resembles a centurion helmet. The ring around its waste is smooth and made up two rings held together by balls. It also has multiple tails.
These new effects include Frostbite, which deals damage each turn and reduces the afflicted’s Special Attacks do, Obscured, wherein the user covers itself in mud and raises its evasion, and Primed, “a hard-hitting stance” which increases damage.
The Pokémon can also become Fixated, focusing in on the last move it used. While this causes said move to become stronger (and presumably locks the player into using that move) it also leads its user to take more damage.
https://twitter.com/zhouville/status/1483933722306965505?s=20
Drowsy is another new status condition, which may cause the Pokémon to not act, and also increases the damage it takes. It also appears Frostbite and Drowsy may be replacements for Frozen and Sleep, as neither of those status conditions are present.
Three of the new status conditions, Wild Might, Terrific Might, and Terrible Might, may be related to bosses. All of these reduce damage from status conditions, including the new Splinters, which much like Spikes, deals damage every turn. Additionally, Wild and Terrible boost all of the user’s stats.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483931229087010817?s=20
The game also has 25 new moves, many of which utilize the new status effects [1, 2, 3, 4]. However, it seems in exchange for these, as well as new animations, a jaw-dropping 674 moves from the possible 850 available in mainline Pokémon have been cut from Legends Arceus – though this does admittedly include moves that only appeared in single games, such as Z-Moves.
There are also new weather conditions [1, 2]. Snow increases the chances a Pokémon gets Frostbite, while Drowsy Pokémon caught in the cold will more likely fail to act. Ice-types also move faster in Snow. Strong Sunlight boosts the speed of Grass types, while Fog makes all but guaranteed hit moves more likely to miss.
Finally, new items [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] include Twice-Spiced Radish, which makes Pokémon Primed, the Swap Snack, an item that “temporarily swaps a Pokémon’s offensive stats with its defensive stats,” and the return of Gold and Silver’s Secret Medicine (instantly restoring health to a Pokémon).
Like the similarly named Band, Specs, and Scarf of prior games, the new Choice Dumplings spark the Fixated status in a Pokémon.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1483921050735988744?s=20
The aforementioned values over stats are allegedly Effort Values – rated 1 through 10 – with the new Grit Dust, Gravel, Pebble, and Rocks items being used to increase them. However, certain Grit can only be used at certain levels (Dust at 2 or less for example).
New Pokéballs include the Feather Ball, which presumably flies further and quicker and can also go higher for flying Pokémon.
Pokéballs also seem to have grades or improved versions based on their names, such as Wing and Jet (upgrades to the Feather Ball), and Leaden and Gigaton (upgrades to the Heavy Ball). There is also the Origin Ball, though details on this one are still sparse.
https://twitter.com/JohnPoryIsYes/status/1484011692103114752?s=20
The Adamant Crystal and Lustrous Globe are used to change Dialga and Palkia’s forms, while Arceus seems to have two new type-altering plates. The Blank Plate holds “the power of the Normal type” – Arceus’ default Type when not holding a plate – and the Legend Plate which “allows that Pokémon to gain the power of every type there is.”
Dataminers also report there are no Abilities in the game – a change previously claimed leakers – so the Legendary Plate may ask users to choose which type Arceus should take when holding it.
However, it should be noted that Pokémon are programmed with abilities, including new ones. While it’s unsure why this was done, it’s speculated that it will serve as a sort of future-proofing in case Legends Arceus ever allows for trading between itself and the mainline titles.
Those who previously leaked images from Sword and Shield’s official strategy guide, despite claiming that the reveal or discovery of these new Pokémon for fans was part of the excitement, were eventually ordered to pay $150,000 each in damages and attorneys’ fees to The Pokémon Company.
Nonetheless, The Company has struggled to keep a lid on leaks like this. Pokémon Sword and Shield, along with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, all broke their street dates. Some allegedly even completed the games before they officially launched.
What do you think of the newly leaked info? Heard any wild claims we’ve not mentioned here? Let us know on social media and in the comments below.
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