Pokémon Legends Arceus players, as well as Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl players, are in for a treat thanks to a new update coming to Pokémon Home. The application, which is free to download on Nintendo Switch, is due to receive a patch in the near future that will reward players with rare Pokémon for connecting the series’ most recent games to the service.
Players who connect Pokémon Legends Arceus will receive the game’s three starter Pokémon – Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott – with maximum effort levels. Those who connect Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will receive that game’s starter Pokémon – Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup – with their hidden abilities activated. Effort levels and hidden abilities are rare, stat-altering states that lead to the development of much stronger Pokémon in-game.
To claim the gifts, players will need to deposit a Pokémon from either game into their Switch version of Pokémon Home, then access their iOS or Android version to receive their rewards in the form of ‘Mystery Gifts’. After which, it should be possible to download your new Pokémon from the Switch version to any compatible game, including Pokémon Sword and Shield.
The news comes via a blog post from The Pokémon Company detailing the upcoming Pokémon Home update. After the update, Pokémon masters looking to catch ‘em all should once more find themselves with access to every generation of Pokémon title, though it might be something of a process to get at Pokémon from earlier titles in the series.
Players who own a Nintendo 3DS can download Pokémon Bank for free until the Nintendo 3DS eShop closes in March 2023, after which they can transfer their Pokémon from 3DS titles like X and Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and all four editions of Sun and Moon. By using the add-on application Poké Transporter, players can also gain access to Pokémon from the Black and White series of games, as well as the series’ earliest titles via the 3DS Virtual Console.
Serebii Note: Chart showcasing the different transfer details for Pokémon HOME as of the Version 2.0 update https://t.co/NWlAdn57aQ pic.twitter.com/yJuxLje1Sy
— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) May 12, 2022
Pokémon Home also features connectivity between earlier Switch titles like Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee! and Let’s Go Pikachu!, as well as the popular mobile phone game Pokémon GO. For free users, Home allows storage of up to 30 Pokémon at a time, while premium plan users will have room to store up to 2,000 Pokémon on the app.
It remains to be seen what rewards await players of the future Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet titles when those games launch reportedly later in the year. Meanwhile, it appears Pokémon Unite players will just have to earn their rewards the hard way by climbing the Championship Series for a far more tangible – but only equally desirable – $1m prize.