Pokémon Legends: Arceus features Mass Outbreaks, which increases the spawn rate of certain Alabaster Icelands Pokémon like Gardevoir and Mamoswine.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus features a world event called a Mass Outbreak, which increases the spawn rate of local species, but only certain Pokémon can appear in the Alabaster Icelands. With five different areas available in Legends: Arceus, the game’s hundreds of monsters are spread relatively evenly throughout the Hisui region. Over a hundred different species can appear during Mass Outbreaks, giving players unique opportunities to catch and interact with monsters more frequently than usual. Additionally, the game’s overworld sprites make spotting these events easier, making Mass Outbreaks more accessible.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the core series’ first free-roaming title, allowing players to explore five vast territories with unique environments and powerful monsters. Set in Ancient Sinnoh, back when locals referred to the territory as Hisui, players assist the Galaxy Expedition Team as a member of the Survey Corps. Catching, battling, and interacting with wild Pokémon helps fill an expansive Pokédex, encouraging players to explore the world in many ways. One of the ways players can accomplish this monumental task is by encountering Mass Outbreaks, which sharply increase the spawn rate of certain species.
Unfortunately, Mass Outbreaks are a completely randomized world event that the player cannot manually activate. Instead, those wishing to experience one must travel back and forth between Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Jubilife Village and one of the game’s five territories. This repetitive process can be slightly time-consuming and fail to deliver the intended results. Still, once a Mass Outbreak appears, players are informed by the Security Corps before leaving Jubilife. The event appears on the region map then leaves players to navigate the territory to reach the Outbreak site. Similar to time-space distortions, Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Mass Outbreaks are timed and can only last a few minutes at a time.
The Alabaster Icelands is Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ fifth main area to explore and one of the most difficult when interacting with aggressive or skittish monsters. The heavy snowfall removes the possibility for players to use tall grass in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, making it far more difficult to sneak up on creatures and catch them by surprise. Unfortunately, since the Alabaster Icelands is the game’s final area, players must ensure their party is a high level and well-rounded to resist powerful attacks; otherwise, a Mass Outbreak could result in a knockout. Thankfully, if players prepare to encounter the following species in Icelands Outbreaks, they can avoid dangerous encounters:
Unfortunately, several rare Pokémon won’t spawn in Legends: Arceus’ Alabaster Icelands Mass Outbreaks. This means that players must depend on their skills, patience, and luck to capture and research unique species. The lack of rare spawns during Mass Outbreaks also means players can’t use the increased Shiny odds to catch several evolved species. Additionally, Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ lack of breeding mechanics means that players must depend on open-world spawns to collect information and find powerful specimens, such as Garchomp and Wyrdeer.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ many changes from traditional Pokémon games may serve it well in the long run. Adjusting existing mechanics to improve the gameplay loop can only benefit the Pokémon franchise, especially when many fans have complained about repetitive formulas. Thankfully, there are many ways for players to enjoy the Hisui region and experience events like Space-Time Distortions and Mass Outbreaks in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, keeping the story (and gameplay) fresh and entertaining.
