Pokémon Legends Arceus Daybreak update is harder than Elden Ring
Souls-like games and the Pokemon franchise were incomparable before 2022, but now that we have Elden Ring and Legends Arceus on our plates, it’s hard not to see their similarities.
Game Freak released Legends Arceus to critical acclaim and many fans of the franchise hailed it as the best Pokemon game in recent history. Similarly, Elden Ring is From Software’s latest project that many are calling a landmark megahit for gaming.
Outside of their fantastic receptions, they also share some mechanics. From dodge rolling to summoning mounts to fighting groups of punishing monsters, transitioning between the two isn’t all that difficult. While the mechanics aren’t groundbreaking, releasing so close together makes it hard not to draw a comparison.
But it wasn’t until the Daybreak update released on February 27 that Legends Arceus’ difficulty would surpass that of Elden Ring. Not because the game added content that required more skill, but because the Massive Mass Outbreaks highlight PLA’s biggest flaws.
Pokemon Legends Arceus can’t dodge everything
Dodge rolling is a mechanic in Pokemon Legends Arceus which allows players to avoid enemies attacks. Like Elden Ring, this dodge roll gives players invincibility frames (I-frames) allowing them to negate any damage they would have taken.
Before Daybreak, I had no issue dodge rolling past oncoming attacks. Even the vanilla mass outbreaks didn’t pose a threat, and I wasn’t using Sticky Globs to stun aggressive ‘mon back then. All of the story bosses were a cakewalk even without the use of my partner Pokemon.
But the Massive Mass Outbreaks have added layers to the game’s difficulty. Like Elden Ring, Legends Arceus players can draw the attention of multiple hostiles at a time. For those hunting Shiny Pokemon in massive mass outbreaks, this will happen quite frequently.
Any ‘mon from Pichu to Garachomp will have ranged homing attacks you need to dodge. However, dodging isn’t quite as effective when you have multiple energy balls hurled your way at one time. And unlike Elden Ring, you can’t heal your character meaning you have to run away from the fight and wait to regain health. And if you have a status effect, you can’t summon your mount until it has dissipated.
The Pokemon CompanyTime is against you in Pokemon Legends Arceus Daybreak
The new Massive Mass Outbreaks summon around 12 Outbreaks in a single portion of the map with increased Shiny odds for each one. However, players have a limited amount of time to visit as many as they can as quickly as possible.
This means that getting into battles is a huge waste of time. It’s the safer option for the character, but attempting to battle a wave of Alphas will take much longer than stunning and catching them.
Not to mention, you’ll likely enter a battle with multiple ‘mon at once. Having four attack your active partner is detrimental and could lead to having your team wiped.
The time limit also forces players to pick and choose which mass outbreaks they want to encounter. It’s impossible to fully encounter them all, and you often have to have precise inputs swapping between stun items and Poke Balls to reach all of the ones you’re interested in.
The Pokemon CompanyWhere are my dang Crimson Tears
Let’s go back and talk about health in Legends Arceus. If my Pokemon faints, I can craft revives and use Berries/Potions to raise them back to maximum health. I can do this all while paused and get right back into the battle.
But if my player character is harmed, I can’t use items to heal myself. Where in Elden Ring, you can pop Crimson Tears and keep fighting. I can also equip better armor to lower the damage taken, or use spells to negate damage altogether.
In Pokemon, you can take about two to four hits depending on the attack. If it’s Hydro Pump, you’re knocked down to red health. If it’s tackle, you can take three more. But thanks to massive mass outbreaks, you have to stun and dodge almost constantly to keep yourself alive.
The Pokemon CompanySticky Globs, locking on, and swapping items
Sticky Globs are an item that players could access in Legends Arceus’ late game, and they are incredibly useful. Like Mud Balls or Spoiled Apricorns, these items stun wild Pokemon. But the catch is they only take one to stun normal ‘mon (Alphas take four).
These items are a necessity in Massive Mass Outbreaks. However, they don’t stop a Pokemon from attacking. If one is charging up a Grass Ball or Hyper Beam, even after they are stunned, they still perform their attack. This feels kind of ridiculous, and often times leads to getting hit or killed by a stunned creature.
But the biggest issue with using items during these mass outbreaks is locking on and swapping between items. These are issues that Elden Ring also has, but aren’t as invasive as Legends Arceus’.
I often find myself locking onto a Pokemon that I don’t want to. My camera will perform a 180 and instead of stunning/catching a hostile ‘mon, I target one really far away. But unlike Elden Ring, switching to the one you want to target isn’t that simple. You have to click A while targeting until you finally get to the correct monster.
But even more nefarious is switching between items. The most efficient way to clear out mass outbreaks is locking on, using a Sticky Glob, and then swapping to a Poke Ball to throw. But on a number of occasions, I have pressed the button to switch to my Poke Ball only to throw one or two more Sticky Globs.
The Pokemon CompanyGo back to taking my money
I whited out a few times before Daybreak, and it never really impacted my game. I lost a few Tumblestones or an EXP Candy I forgot I was carrying, but I didn’t care. But Massive Mass Outbreaks have changed that.
I make a habit of carrying three items on my person while doing Mass Outbreaks: Sticky Globs, Ultra Balls, and Aguac Berries. You blow through these very quickly when doing them, and often have to restock every three runs or so.
That’s if you’re lucky and you don’t die. In Elden Ring, you die, you lose your Runes, but you can go pick them back up. In Arceus, you die, you lose 30 Poke Balls and 30 Sticky Globs, and you have to wait for someone else to pick them up for you.
This wouldn’t be that big of a complaint if I could retrieve my own items, but I can’t. I would much rather lose thousands of Pokedollars on whiting out than my precious resources.
When you die in Pokemon Legends Arceus, you lose a large number of precious items.So yes, I do think Pokemon Legends Arceus Daybreak is harder than Elden Ring. I can’t learn how to dodge four homing attacks like I can an enemies attack pattern. I can’t tank more than three hits. But I still want to face Daybreak’s challenges head-on.