Pokémon Legends: Z-A Officially Confirms The End Of An Era

While there was some initial pushback for the Pokémon Legends series, it seems like a lot of that has blown over, as Z-A has just celebrated a new sales milestone. As of February, it was toe-to-toe with Arceus, likely ensuring that the Legends series will continue with new iterations over time.

I’m definitely down for more Legends exploration. It feels way too sudden to play through a full generational region and then not see it again for another decade, until a remake. Spinoffs are a fantastic way to revisit beloved areas and see them in a new light, so I hope the Legends series continues on.

As of now though, there is some strife in the Pokémon Legends era, especially as it pertains to Z-A. Thanks to a new seasonal update, there’s a bit of chaos going on. As stated on the official Pokémon website, there are many changes.

Ranked Season 12 just kicked off, and fans are torn about how wild these battles are going to be. It’s the end of an era, as all Pokémon are now eligible to fight, regardless of legendary or mythical status.

Here’s the big change: “Eligible Pokémon for Ranked Battles Season 12 include Lumiose Pokédex No. 001–232 and Hyperspace Pokédex No. 001–132. You can register Pokémon from Lv. 1 to Lv. 100, but all Pokémon will automatically be set to Lv. 50 during battles. No more than one Pokémon with the same Pokédex number may be used.”

If you’re keen on this ruleset, you can earn the following rewards:

Rank A

• Gold Bottle Cap ×3
• Bottle Cap ×5
• Seed of Mastery ×3
• Big Nugget ×1

Rank B to Rank E

• Gold Bottle Cap ×2
• Bottle Cap ×3
• Seed of Mastery ×2
• Nugget ×2

Rank F to Rank I

• Gold Bottle Cap ×1
• Bottle Cap ×2
• Seed of Mastery ×1
• Nugget ×2

Rank J to Rank M

• Bottle Cap ×1
• Seed of Mastery ×1
• Nugget ×2

Rank N to Rank R

• Seed of Mastery ×1
• Nugget ×1

Rank S and Below

It’s a lot of effort for just a few seeds and bottle caps, but if you’re playing regularly anyway, it’s doable. You can also earn some Mega Stones for your time: “Mega Stones returning as promotion rewards for Rank Y through Rank S include Greninjite, Delphoxite, Chesnaughtite, Baxcalibrite, Sceptilite, Swampertite, and Blazikenite stones, respectively.”

Game Freak

It’s going to be wild to see the likes of Mewtwo, Zygarde, and Rayquaza (among others) pop off in the arena, though it will get old fast for a subset of players who have enjoyed the previous eras of online play. We’ll need to see how things play out, as it’s only been a day so far since this season kicked off.

If you haven’t booted up Pokémon Legends: Z-A yet, now is a good time. Join in on the chaos and see if you can earn a few Mega Stones.

Released

October 16, 2025

ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases

Developer(s)

Game Freak, Creatures Inc.

Publisher(s)

Nintendo, The Pokemon Company

Engine

Proprietary