How DLC could make Legends Arceus the perfect Pokemon game

Pokemon Legends Arceus has already been considered a ground-breaking moment for the franchise, but with rumors of DLC apparently on the way to flesh out the universe even more, we think one gameplay feature could make it the best Pokemon game ever.

There was a lot of skepticism surrounding Pokemon Legends Arceus in the build-up to its release. Were the graphics up to par? Could Game Freak make a living, breathing, Breath of the Wild-style Pokemon game interesting and full of life? Well if you check out our review, we can confidently tell you right now — they most certainly did.

Legend Arceus is a wonderful experience that ticks all the right boxes for long-time fans that have yearned for this kind of expansive and dynamic Pokemon adventure. For all the right notes it hits, there’s one key area that we feel Game Freak need to address ahead of any DLC. If they do, it could make the game complete.

Trainers could bring Pokemon Legends Arceus to life

The Hisui region features many different sub-areas for you to explore and interact with new Pokemon. You can battle Pokemon, catch them, feed them, and even be attacked by them. The reoccurring theme here? It’s all about the Pokemon, which, to an extent, is only fair.

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Arceus is set during a time when people were still learning about Pokemon and were scared of interacting with them. So it makes sense that there wouldn’t be too many trainers around, let alone crazed fanatics running about catching every Magikarp in sight to wait by a bridge for one unfortunate soul.

However, without delving too heavily into spoilers, the events of Pokemon Legends Arceus changed the attitude of humans towards Pokemon, opening the door for deeper exploration. This should kickstart the presence of aspiring trainers, and make the people of Jubilife want their own collection of Pokemon.

Legends Arceus’ map and lands are vast and great to explore, but wouldn’t it be better if they were filled out a bit more with fellow Pokemon trainers?

I’ve lost countless hours roaming around, flying, and running to try and own all 242 Pokemon, but I’ve definitely missed the presence of trainer battles. As we pointed out in our article about features we don’t want to see again in future Pokemon games, forced trainer battles can sometimes be frustrating.

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They’re restrictive and stop you from exploring the wonderful land before you in your own time and leisure. But if you have the choice, then it would be awesome if you could talk to a trainer, maybe even negotiate terms for a fight, a wager, how many Pokemon you can each use, etc. It could potentially give us realistic Pokemon trainers possessing more depth than the volcano on Cinnabar Island.

Pokemon trainers don’t even have to be there to battle

If you’re content with only battling and catching Pokemon and don’t really care to test your mettle with Pokemon trainers, then more power to you! However, all good RPG games feel more alive and immersive when there’s a veritable presence of NPCs.

Admit it, how cool would it be for you to be walking along flinging your Psyduck at objects to forage for berries and crafting materials, and out the corner of your eye, you see a battle going on between a towering Onyx and a plucky trainer.

That sense of a truly lifelike atmosphere is something we can only dream of at present – but when we’ve already got the most authentic Pokemon experience to date, why stop there?

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There have been criticisms echoed in certain corners that the world of Pokemon Legends Arceus can feel empty at times, and this would certainly go a long way to alleviating those issues.