Excitement is in the air. Pokéxcitement. The best kind of excitement there is.
Pokémon Sun and Moon are almost out for the 3DS, with the November 18 release date looming. I’m sure you’re all pumped to start you new Pokémon adventure, and I want to make sure that your first few hours go as smoothly as possible.
Below, I’ve given out a few tips that’ll help you start your quest to catch them all or at least start out on the right foot. And if you’re worried about spoilers, don’t be! I’m not revealing anything about the story or what Pokémon you discover.
Above: Increase your text speed to get this guy to stop talking faster.
Increase the text speed
Sun and Moon has a bit of a slow start filled with lots of people talking. You can make it go a little faster by increasing the game’s text speed. Just push the X button on your 3DS to open the menu, and then select Options. It’ll be the first item you can change. And if you’re really looking to speed things up, you can also turn off battle animations in this menu.
Don’t start grinding right away
You might be tempted to start power-leveling your first Pokémon right away. Hold off a bit. An hour or so in, you get the Exp Share item. This makes sure that every Pokémon in your party gets some experience from battles even if they don’t fight during them. It helps you have a more balanced team instead of just one overly-powerful fighter.
Go to the Festival Plaza
The Festival Plaza is a social hub you can access from your menu about an hour or so in. While there, you can talk to people and do bonus activities to earn Festival Coins. You can use these at shops there to buy things like bundles of Pokéballs. There’s also a lottery that you can enter once a day to earn random prizes. Invest a little time in the Festival Plaza each day, and you’ll get some decent rewards.
Above: You’ll have a lot of exploring to do, but don’t run past the first few areas.
Don’t avoid the grass
Normally, the first areas where you can catch Pokémon in these games have weak, boring stuff. In Sun and Moon, however, you can discover some interesting monsters pretty early. I won’t spoil what they are, but you’ll get a good idea of what’s around just from seeing what the trainers you battle use. Once you fight a Pokémon, you can use your Pokédex to see where you can catch one. If you avoid walking in the grass as much as possible, you’ll miss out. Take some time early on to fill out your party.
Talk to everyone
Each town and route is filled with people. Talk to them! Most of them won’t have much to say, but some will give you items ranging from OK (like a potion) to great (like a TM that can teach Pokémon a new move). Some of them will even have special requests. For example, one person will want you to catch at least 10 different types of Pokémon. Make a note of where these people are so you can visit them later and get a reward once you complete their tasks.