Pokémon Legends: Arceus has finally been released, introducing plenty of new and exciting changes to the Pokémon franchise, such as the ability to easily change a Pokémon’s moveset at any time. Up to this point in the series, any time a Pokémon wanted to learn a new move, an old move would have to be forgotten, leaving that Pokémon unable to use it again without the help of a Move Relearner or TM to teach it back to them. Pokémon Legends: Arceus still only lets a Pokémon have four moves at a time, but players can easily swap their moves as often as they want.
This new move system not only allows Pokémon Legends: Arceus players to experiment with different movesets as they train with the Pokémon they encounter and befriend throughout Hisui, but it takes the grind out of relearning moves as well. Previously, players would typically have to find a special item, such as Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Heart Scales, and take them to a Move Tutor in order to recover a forgotten move, which could easily turn into a grind if the items were rare in their respective games. Any time a Pokémon wanted to learn a new move, players would have to decide whether to forget an old move or give up on learning the new one, but Pokémon Legends: Arceus allows each Pokémon to retain every move it has learned in its move pool.
However, it’s worth noting that new moves will not be automatically added to the Pokémon’s moveset in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which means players will have to add them manually if they want to use them in battle. Fortunately, Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes swapping moves incredibly easy, allowing Pokémon battles to be much more dynamic than previous games since players need to strategize about which moves they need to approach each new battle. Players can change the moveset of any Pokémon in their party directly from their satchel whenever they want, giving them a lot of freedom to try new moves.
How To Swap Pokémon Moves In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
To change a Pokémon’s moveset in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players simply have to open their satchel and select the Pokémon whose moves they want to change. Players can then scroll down to the “Change Moves” option to open the Pokémon’s moveset menu, which shows the Pokémon’s entire move pool on the left and their current moveset on the right. From there, players can simply swap moves by selecting the move they want to learn first, followed by the move they want to replace.
Players can add new moves to their Pokémon’s move pool by speaking with the Move Tutor, Zisu, in Jubilife Village. Each new move costs a certain amount of money, and the moves available will depend on the Pokémon’s level and evolution. However, like games of the past, Pokémon will also occasionally discover moves on their own through leveling or evolving, allowing players to save some money to spend on other goods or materials. Pokémon Legends: Arceus gives players a lot of freedom and flexibility when it comes to training their Pokémon, and the new move system is definitely a welcome change from past games.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available on Nintendo Switch.