Pokémon Legends: Arceus will have crafting elements

Pokémon Legends: Arceus will have crafting mechanics, according to the game’s official website.

Though it wasn’t mentioned in this morning’s feature-packed Pokémon Presents, the Pokémon Legends: Arceus website was later updated to include item crafting as one of the game’s major mechanics. The website includes a screengrab of the player’s inventory with the option to craft a Poké Ball out of an Apricorn and a Tumblestone. The Poké Ball itself looks a little different, with a more old-fashioned and weathered appearance to it to match Arceus’ setting.

The game’s website mentions that materials can be found in the wild throughout players’ travels. Materials can then be combined to form new items, like Poké Balls. The site specifically uses “regular Poké Ball” as an example, meaning that other kinds of Poké Balls are also craftable. Players will be able to craft items on specific workbenches at base camps and in Jubilife Village, the game’s hub area.

Other examples of craftable items on the site include Smoke Bombs, which keep wild Pokémon in the area from noticing you, and Heavy Balls, which are better at catching Pokémon that haven’t noticed a nearby trainer yet but can’t be thrown very far. These items will likely work in tandem to help players catch a variety of Pokémon.

This is the first time that major Pokémon games will include crafting mechanics, though eagle-eyed fans will notice that Apricorns were also items given to a particular NPC to make Poké Balls in Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Arceus appears to be taking a lot of inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, another nature-focused open-world game. Although Breath of the Wild doesn’t explicitly include crafting, players can combine ingredients to make different foods in that game.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus launches on Jan. 28, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.