Five new Pokémon Legends Z-A Mega evolution were revealed during yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, but none of them will be available through regular gameplay. In a surprising move by The Pokémon Company, Kalos Starter Mega evolutions are locked behind a multiplayer ranked ladder, and Raichu mega evolutions require you to purchase a DLC.
To no one’s surprise, the community ain’t too happy about that, as you can see here. Here is a complete breakdown of the new Megas and how to get them.
Kalos Starter Megas Locked to Ranked Rewards
The biggest reveal was the long-awaited Mega Evolutions for the Kalos starters: Chesnaught, Delphox, and Greninja. However, their corresponding Mega Stones won’t be found through regular adventure or exploration. Instead, they’ll be distributed exclusively as Ranked Battle rewards in the Z-A Battle Club, the game’s competitive online ladder.
- Season 1: Greninjite
- Season 2: Delphoxite
- Season 3: Chesnaughtite
The official site confirms these stones “cannot normally be obtained during regular gameplay”, though they may be redistributed in future seasons. You will have to complete online with Ranked Battles to get the stones:
The Mega Stones required to Mega Evolve them—Chesnaughtite, Delphoxite, and Greninjite—can be obtained from the Z-A Battle Club as rewards for being promoted up the ranks in online Ranked Battles. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Ranked Battles offer three types of rewards: battle rewards earned after each battle, promotion rewards earned upon rising in rank, and season rewards that vary by rank and are obtainable at the end of each season
Because Ranked Battles require an internet connection, players also need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. This turns Mega Evolutions into content gated by a paid service, at least initially, as the press site shared a few rules for getting the stones:
- Chesnaughtite, Delphoxite, and Greninjite stones cannot normally be obtained during regular gameplay.
- Mega Stones obtainable as promotion rewards are planned to be redistributed in future seasons.
- It is possible to have no more than one of each kind of Mega Stone. If you already have one of these Mega Stones, you will be unable to receive another as a Ranked Battles reward.
Raichu Megas exclusive to DLC
The additional purchase saga doesn’t stop there. Two additional Mega Evolutions — Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y — are tied to the “Mega Dimensions” DLC, making them entirely inaccessible without an extra purchase on top of the base game!
We still have no idea what the Mega Dimension DLC will include, and it may be as well worth the price, but still, knowing these Pokémon exist and you will have to purchase a DLC to get them, feels less like a celebration of Megas and more like a shakedown.
If you weren’t following along, here are all the new Mega evolutions coming with Pokémon Legends Z-A, with 5/9 being locked behind some type of additional purchase:
We’re really not happy about this, but we hope that there will be more Mega reveals which will be available for normal, pay-once players.
