How to start a battle with a wild Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

One unique element of Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the freedom of choice it gives trainers when deciding how to engage with a wild Pokémon. Those starting out may believe battles will always happen when encountering a new Pokémon like past games, but it has become much more complex. Now, players will have to gain the attention of a wild Pokémon by using one of two methods.

Trainers can guarantee a battle with a wild Pokémon by throwing a member of their party close it. To do this, press X until your Pokémon are shown in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You can then cycle through your Pokémon by pressing L or R until the one you’d like to use is highlighted in the center. From there, throw their Poké ball in front of the wild Pokémon with the ZR trigger and a fight should initiate.

However, another option you have is simply throwing an empty Poké ball. While aiming it with ZL, you’ll notice a symbol above the wild Pokémon’s head (as shown below). If this is green, this means it is likely that the Pokémon will be caught on the first attempt. If it isn’t, you’re likely to only anger the wild Pokémon if the ball is thrown, typically resulting in a battle.

Related: All Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus