Best Pokemon To Catch Early In Pokemon Legends: Z-A And Where To Find Them

Are you still contemplating the finest early-game Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A? While there exist over 200 creatures to capture in the game, a select few are effective if you’re just beginning your journey. Our guide elaborates on these selections, so settle in, unwind, and prepare your Poke Balls.

The finest early-game Pokemon to capture in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Before diving into our guide, we’d like to provide one disclaimer: Generally, the “best” Pokemon is often a matter of personal opinion based on what the player prefers and other variables. Given that many of the Pokemon mentioned here are returning from past installments, long-time enthusiasts should already have their favorites. Therefore, we have listed the choices that truly made a difference within the initial dozen hours of our playthrough.

It’s obvious that one of the top early-game Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A usually is the one you begin with. Similar to many other titles in the series, your companion in Legends: Z-A will serve as a staple of your team from the initial quest to the final one. With numerous battles and chances to level up, it’s destined to become a powerhouse throughout your journey.

Related guide: Best starter Pokemon

As the most beloved Pokemon and the franchise’s mascot, it naturally earns a spot on this list. Although Pikachu/Raichu isn’t the most powerful of all creatures in the game, it still provides a respectable skill set when you need to zap opponents with Electric damage–e.g., Spark, Thunderbolt, and similar moves. Even better, you can snag one (or more) quite early in the game.

Related guide: Where to find a Pikachu

As this is our premier early-game Pokemon Legends: Z-A guide, it would be an oversight not to mention a true powerhouse of a beetle: Heracross. This Fighting/Bug creature gains significant attack and HP, in addition to adequate defense, while leveling up. Moves like Brick Break, Close Combat, and Megahorn guarantee that it can overpower most foes when it strikes first.

Note: You acquire a distinct Heracross named Bois as part of Side Mission 2: A Use for an Evolution Stone. Simply catch a wild Pikachu and deliver it to the NPC to receive your prize. Yes, the second side quest in the game already rewards you with this standout, er, Bois.

Meanwhile, Side Mission 22: A Call from Mable, gives you the option to select from the three original Gen 1 starter Pokemon–i.e. Red, Blue, and Green. These include, naturally, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.

We recommend selecting the complete opposite of your primary partner in Legends: Z-A. So, if you chose Tepig, then opting for Squirtle during this side quest may be optimal. This way, the former handles Fire-type damage, while the latter provides Water-type damage.

We must mention the Mareep here primarily because you can obtain a guaranteed Shiny variant as part of Side Mission 17: A Shiny Mareep. Considering how rare Shiny Pokemon are, having one that you can develop very early in the game is a significant advantage.

Mareep presents the usual collection of Electric-type moves, such as Charge, Thunder Punch, and Thunder Bolt. Moreover, they also have access to Power Gem (Rock) and Light Screen (Psychic). Light Screen is particularly beneficial as it mitigates damage from special moves, and the effect endures even if you switch to another creature in your team.

Related guide: Where to find Shiny Pokemon

Concerning variants, Alpha Pokemon represent some of the finest early-game choices in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. This is primarily due to the fact that they appear at a higher level in comparison to everything else found in a Wild Zone. If you manage to capture one, you can utilize them to eliminate the inhabitants of Wild Zones and Battle Zones. This enables the remainder of your team to gain XP passively–i.e., similar to a catch-up mechanic.

Related guide: Where to find Alpha Pokemon

Aerodactyl, Tyrunt, and Amaura are obtained from special items that you can purchase at the Stone Emporium. However, you still need to complete Side Mission 27: Restored from a Fossil to enable the functionality of the Pokemon Research Center. Here are some additional details:

• Aerodactyl is a Rock/Flying type Pokemon. It is acquired from the Old Amber item.
• Tyrunt is a Rock/Dragon type Pokemon. It is obtained from the Jaw Fossil item.
• Amaura is a Rock/Ice type Pokemon. It comes from the Sail Fossil item.

Among the trio, we truly favor Aerodactyl as they possess a superior blend of types/elements. Additionally, Tyrunt and Amaura still require evolution into Tyrantrum and Aurorus, respectively, prior to utilizing their Mega Evolution stones. On the other hand, Aerodactyl has no further evolutionary route, meaning the Mega Evolution can be triggered as long as you possess the Aerodactylite Stone.

Related guide: How to acquire Pokemon from Fossils and Ambers

Finally, there is Eevee, another favored choice in the series. Similar to Pikachu, Eevee may not prevail in prolonged battles against some of the toughest adversaries in the game. Nevertheless, they can transform into several different forms based on the elemental stone used—such as Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Glaceon, Leafeon, Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon. If you manage to acquire several early in the game, you will have a greater selection when assembling your team.

Related guide: Where to locate an Eevee

That concludes our guide on the top early-game Pokemon to capture in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. We hope these suggestions assist you as you seek the ideal members for your squad. In any event, since we’ve touched on variants briefly, you might want to explore our Mega Evolutions guide.

You don’t have to tackle the obstacles in Lumiose City alone. We have a Pokemon Legends: Z-A guides hub available to assist you in rising from the bottom to the peak of the rankings.