Say Goodbye to These Items in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Pokemon games have a lot of ongoing traditions, with the biggest ones typically being upheld in new releases. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is already quite revolutionary, as it has an entirely new battle system that doesn't rely on turns, and it's also the first non-remake mainline Pokemon game to introduce no new critter species or regional forms. The way battles work in PLZA is very different from what fans are used to, as everything happens in real time, and Speed determines how often a given Pokemon can dodge attacks and how long cooldowns on each move take to recharge. This massive shift can be very exciting, but it can also be sad for longtime fans, as at least 7 iconic items are removed from the game.

One big part of turn-based combat in the series has been the strategy behind each move used in a battle, as well as which moves a Pokemon knows in order to succeed. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A will still have four moves available for each critter, it's all but confirmed that PP-related consumables will meet the reaper. These are:

PP Up (increases a move's PP by 20%, usable up to three times)
PP Max (increases a move's PP by 60%)
Ether (restores 10 PP for a single move)
Max Ether (restores a single move's PP in full)
Elixir (restores 10 PP for all moves)
Max Elixir (restores every move to max PP)
Leppa Berry (restores 10 PP for a single move automatically when a move runs out of PP)

It's worth noting that it's not officially confirmed that PP items won't be in PLZA, but it's very likely based on the UI of the game, the various leaks and previews, and how the items have historically worked.

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By Andrea Trama

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is Cutting PP Items

Since moves will have cooldowns that recharge over time in the game, there is really no space for PPs, especially seeing how these are completely absent from gameplay trailers and previews. Considering that Pokemon Legends: Z-A cuts abilities and ties the rate at which cooldowns recharge to the Speed stat, a PP-increasing item would have no purpose whatsoever.

Likewise, with no PP to restore, items like Leppa Berry, Elixir, and Ether are extremely unlikely to return, though the caveat could be that they are used to instantly recharge a move's cooldown in battle. This is unnecessarily convoluted, however, and it simply makes more sense to remove Pokemon items associated with PP from the game. There could still be ways to instantly refill the recharge bar of a given move in the game, but they are more likely to just have different names, if at all present.

Why PP Items Have No Place in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

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Players will already have a lot to juggle in the game, such as Pokemon Legends: Z-A's new Mega Evolutions and their respective Mega gauge that fills up during battles, all while dodging enemy moves and aiming moves at them. There is simply no room for PP items or mechanics in the game, and it would be another thing to micromanage while also taking care of items and other consumables mid-battle.

5 Out of 7 Cut Items in Pokemon Legends: Z-A Are From Gen 1

Most of the PP items in Pokemon games date back all the way to Gen 1, with the exceptions being PP Max (introduced in Gen 3) and Leppa Berry (introduced in Gen 3). The other items have always been present in every new generation of games, from Pokemon Red and Blue to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In most games, these items cannot be bought, and instead, players have to rely on getting them randomly or from fixed locations and characters, which further makes them more valuable.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus cut many items and didn't include the usual PP ones, except for Leppa Berry, Max Ether, and Max Elixir, which could be crafted by using the former.

As such, it's sad that they are presumably missing from a new game entirely, but it also makes sense when considering Pokemon Legends: Z-A's new features and gimmicks. If anything, this change may make it more important than ever to choose which four moves a given Pokemon knows, as players will inevitably have to cycle through them more frequently.