Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon! The franchise has had a massive following since it burst onto the scene over 15 years ago. Now it’s time to explore the Hoenn Region yet again in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for 3DS and 2DS, remakes or the GBA hits Ruby and Sapphire. There’s a lot to learn, so keep these tips in mind while on your way from being a Youngster Joeyto becoming a Pokémon Master.
Choose your starter, and choose it wisely
One of your most important decisions also happens to be your first. Which starter Pokémon will you choose? In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, you have Treecko (a grass type), Torchic (a fire type) and Mudkip (a water type). Each starter has its own strengths and weaknesses. This Pokémon will be with you the rest of the game and will mostly likely be your best Pokémon. Whichever Pokémon you choose will shape how you build the rest of your team. You will not have a redo on this decision, so choose wisely.
Check out these quick tips for each starter Pokémon.
Treecko is strong against Water, Ground, and Rock types, and weak against Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying and Bug types. You’ll quickly beat the first Gym Leader, Roxanne, because she’s a Rock type. Over time it will learn maneuvers to drain HP from its opponents. Finally, Treecko evolves into Grovyle at level 16 and then Sceptile at level 36.
Torchic, meanwhile, is strongest against Grass, Ice, Bug and Steel types, and weak against Water, Ground and Rock types. Evolve it to Combusken at level 16 and Blaziken at level 36.
Finally, there’s Mudkip. This little guy excels against Fire, Ground and Rock types, and struggles against Grass and Electric types. It’s a great starter to choose because it has the highest attack stat, making it the best starter Pokémon to use in Gym battles. It evolves into Marshtomp at level 16 and Swampert at level 36.
Catch all the Pokémon
As a wise person once said, you gotta catch ‘em all. Wild Pokémon reside in caves, water and in tall grassy areas. All you need to do is walk over (or if it’s the water, surf or fish) to these areas to come across them. There are also some Pokémon that will pop their heads out of the grass, and you should lightly move the circle pad to sneak up and try to catch these critters.
In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, you are equipped with a DexNav that will help you find wild Pokémon as well as tell you which Pokémon species you’ve found in the area. As a newcomer, you don’t know every Pokémon, so it is vital that you catch as many as possible. This helps diversify your Pokémon team as well as boost your Pokémon knowledge. You get to learn about the different types of Pokémon, seeing which kinds and styles work best. It also allows you to field different teams for different situations. Sometimes you want to use a certain numbr of Pokémon types against certain trainers.
Know your Pokemon types
There are 18 different Pokémon types to familiarize yourself with. Knowing all the different Pokémon and their types will help make battling that much easier. Each Pokémon type has its own strengths and weaknesses. As you play throughout the game you will learn which types are stronger against the others. For example, if you are battling a Fire type trainer, it would be foolish to battle him with an all Grass team. Fire is strong against Grass, and this would put you at a major disadvantage. It would be wise to use more Water Pokémon against a Fire type trainer.
While type advantages don’t guarantee victory, it is a step in the right direction to take advantage of type differences. The best teams are usually ones that have a diverse set of Pokémon types.
Talk to everyone and get free stuff
While on your Pokémon journey, you will interact with hundreds of different people throughout the Hoenn Region. Talking with a lot of different people is a key element in the Pokémon games. Most folks that you meet will want to battle you. The more people you battle, the more experience your Pokémon gains, which is better for you in the long run. Some people you speak with give you helpful hints on how to play the game, clues to a side mission or where some Pokémon are located. Others will give you useful items and even free Pokémon. It is important to talk to anyone and everyone because you don’t know what kind of information they will give you.
Going to the gym, bro
When you hear the word gym, you think of muscle-bound guys lifting weights. In the Pokémon world a gym has a different meaning. There are eight Pokémon gyms in the Hoenn Region. A very strong Pokémon trainer runs each gym, and it is your mission to beat the eight gym leaders to collect eight Pokémon badges to gain entrance to the Pokémon League. The gym leaders are some of the stronger trainers you will meet, and you will need to train your Pokémon quite well to defeat them. Each gym has a type theme, so it is imperative that you use your type knowledge to your advantage.
Increase your skills further with Prima’s Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire advanced tips!
Explore a world filled with Pokémon in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: The Official Hoenn Region Strategy Guide provides a complete walkthrough of all the Gym battles, the Elite Four, becoming the Champion, and beyond!
Plus, the guide includes a pullout map of the Hoenn region! Get your copy today!
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