Pokémon Legends: Arceus features Mass Outbreaks in the Coronet Highlands, which spawns Sudowoodo, Yanmega, Heracross, Elekid, Rotom, and more.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus features Mass Outbreaks that appeared in previous Pokémon games, but they aren’t available for every species in the Coronet Highlands. Legends: Arceus features five main areas to explore, with each modeled after a unique environment for the native species. Over a hundred different Pokémon can appear in Mass Outbreaks, but their restriction to certain areas ensures players can prepare for various encounters.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place in the Hisui region, and allows players to explore a beloved region in its natural state. Players can freely roam across five unique territories with different environments and Pokémon species. Arceus asks player characters to catch every known Pokémon, leading them to assist the Galaxy Expedition Team as a member of the Survey Corps. Pokémon Legends: Arceus vastly changes the Pokédex, forcing players to battle, catch, and interact with wild species to correctly record its information. Mass Outbreaks can help players fill out their Pokédexes, but they aren’t a reliable world event to depend on.
Similar to time-space distortions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players can’t force a Mass Outbreak to happen. Instead, players are informed by a Security Corps member that one is occurring and can locate it on their map. Overworld sprites help players discover the incident and can help players understand the risk they face by interacting with them. Mass Outbreaks only last a few minutes, but over a dozen monsters can spawn close to one another. Hostile species may team up against the player and their Pokémon, resulting in dangerous battles. Thankfully, the Coronet Highlands features plenty of tall grass for players to use when hunting Pokémon.
The Coronet Highlands contains the Hisui region’s mountainous ranges. Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon thrive in the dry climate, meaning Water-type teams have a distinct advantage over the local fauna. Thankfully, Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Coronet Highlands unlocks after players complete the Cobalt Coastlands missions, meaning there are many opportunities to create the appropriate team composition. Many powerful Pokémon are available in the Coronet Highlands, including Kanto’s Rhyhorn, Onix, and Gyrados, but not every monster appears in Mass Outbreaks. The following monsters are available in Coronet Highlands Mass Outbreaks:
Unfortunately, these Mass Outbreaks don’t include Coronet Highlands’ Alpha Pokémon in Legends: Arceus. While it’s possible for Alphas to spawn during Mass Outbreaks, players won’t find an Outbreak of exclusively Alphas. Additionally, Mass Outbreaks don’t include rare Pokémon like Steelix or Rhyperior. These restrictions force players to hunt for these monsters in the overworld, encounter static Alphas or evolve their own creatures to obtain the best addition for their team.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus uniquely uses Mass Outbreaks, encouraging players to seek them out and experience a traditional series mechanic in a new way. It’s unknown whether Nintendo intends to create more Pokémon Legends games, but it’s likely Pokémon Legends: Arceus won’t be the last core game to adapt traditional mechanics. Mass Outbreaks, time-space distortions, a revamped Pokédex, side quests, and the Arc Phone are all ways Legends: Arceus sets itself apart from other Pokémon games. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is now available exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
