Are there Multi-Target Moves in Pokemon Legends: Arceus? – Answered

Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released last month after much fanfare and hype. It is the latest installment in the Pokémon series and takes a much different turn than its predecessors do in terms of storytelling and game mechanics.

The game takes place in the ancient Hisui region, which would become modern-day Sinnoh. Fighting and capturing Pokémon is drastically different with battles taking place on the overworld instead of turn-based instance battles, as was the staple of the series thus far.

One of the changes made to the game was how moves function and their varied usage in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Pokémon Moves

Moves in the Pokémon franchise are how Pokémon battle each other, either in PvP or against the AI. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the way the moves function is a little bit different.

Each move has a mastery limit. Once that move is used often enough, it will start to level up alongside the Pokémon that uses it. As the moves level up, they unlock Strong Style and Agile Style variations of that move. These variations alter the playstyle of the Pokémon.

Apart from these, moves are generally divided into offensive and defensive moves. Defensive moves are either healing, stat buffing, or status recovery moves, while offensive moves are the damage dealing ones. In every game, offensive moves are divided into single-target and multi-target, but do the same methods exist in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Multi-Target Moves

Multi-target moves have been a part of all the Pokémon games since Generation 3’s games of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Ever since double battles were introduced, the concept of moves being able to hit more than one Pokémon came into play, with some of the older moves now doing area damage and some newer moves specifically being added for double, and later on, multi-battles.

Unfortunately for multi-battle fans of the franchise, with the battle mechanics of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, multi-target moves do not exist in the game. The moves earlier deemed as multi-target, like Earthquake, only hit a single Pokémon in battle, which would make some battles more difficult, but also more challenging and rewarding to the players that beat them!