Pokemon Legends: Arceus – How Long To Beat And How Missions Work

TL;DR

  • Main story completion takes approximately 20-25 hours with credits rolling after calming five Noble Pokemon
  • Post-game offers substantial additional content including new story missions and Pokedex completion challenges
  • Star ranking system functions similarly to gym badges, controlling Pokemon obedience levels
  • Each new area unlocks additional mounts and exploration opportunities
  • Research point accumulation through Pokedex completion drives progression

Pokemon Legends: Arceus represents a significant departure from traditional Pokemon RPGs while maintaining core monster-catching mechanics. This innovative approach fundamentally alters both gameplay pacing and overall completion time expectations compared to mainline series entries.

While retaining the fundamental appeal of capturing, training, and battling diverse Pokemon, Legends: Arceus introduces action-oriented mechanics that transform the player experience. The ability to capture creatures without initiating battles, combined with expansive open-world environments, creates a distinct rhythm that affects how quickly you’ll progress through the narrative.

The central narrative focuses on a mysterious rift appearing in the skies above the Hisui region, causing wild Pokemon behavior to become increasingly aggressive. This phenomenon particularly affects the massive Noble Pokemon revered by both the Diamond and Pearl clans, requiring your intervention to restore balance.

Completing the primary storyline, which involves pacifying the enraged Noble Pokemon and addressing the celestial anomaly, typically requires 20-25 hours of gameplay. Players who focus exclusively on main objectives can reach the credit sequence around the 20-hour mark, while those engaging with side content may extend this to 25 hours.

The adventure continues well beyond the main story conclusion, with substantial post-game content awaiting dedicated trainers. Loading your completed save file unlocks entirely new narrative missions that expand the game’s lore, alongside the comprehensive challenge of completing your Pokedex and achieving maximum star rankings.

For completionists aiming to fully complete the Pokedex and reach the highest star ranking, total playtime can extend to 60-80 hours. This includes hunting for rare spawns, completing research tasks, and pursuing legendary Pokemon encounters that become available after the main story.

Throughout your journey, you’ll primarily engage in capturing and studying wild Pokemon to compile research for the Pokedex. Accumulating research points through various observation methods directly contributes to increasing your star ranking, which in turn unlocks new regions and advances the plot.

The story requires achieving five out of ten possible star rankings, with each level functioning similarly to traditional gym badges by raising the maximum level at which Pokemon will follow your commands without disobedience.

As you access new areas, your missions typically involve contacting the Warden responsible for a Noble Pokemon, discovering the specific Balms needed to calm it, and engaging in unique boss battle sequences. Successfully completing these encounters often rewards you with new rideable Pokemon mounts that enhance exploration capabilities across the Hisui region.

After pacifying all five Noble Pokemon, you’ll have naturally reached the five-star ranking threshold required to trigger the endgame sequence. We’ll avoid spoiling the specific details of this climactic section to preserve your discovery experience.

To maximize efficiency in star ranking progression, focus on completing multiple research tasks for each Pokemon species rather than simply catching numerous specimens. Many players mistakenly prioritize quantity over quality in their Pokedex entries, missing out on bonus research points available through varied observation methods.

Advanced players should utilize the Class Guide principles of strategic specialization when approaching different Pokemon behaviors and habitats.

Action Checklist

  • Complete main story by calming all five Noble Pokemon (20-25 hours)
  • Achieve five-star ranking through Pokedex research completion
  • Explore post-game story missions and complete Pokedex entries
  • Utilize newly acquired mounts to access previously unreachable areas
  • Reference the Complete Guide for advanced completion strategies

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