Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension expansion is a big ol’ grind. It’s a fun one, and it paves the way to some really cool reveals and story moments, but it is a lot more time-consuming than fans probably expected. I’ve put about a dozen hours into the DLC’s new roguelike mode, so I’m practically an expert, right? If you’re getting tired of making donuts for the mysterious Pokémon Hoopa and heading into portals to an unknown world when you just want to see one of the new Mega Evolutions, I’ve got a handful of tips to help you make the most of these time-limited expeditions into Hyperspace.
Keep a flying Pokémon on your team
Now, I don’t mean you need a flying-type Pokémon on your team; I mean a Pokémon capable of flight or quickly moving through the air. Your biggest asset in Mega Dimension’s Hyperspace zones is time, and it’s possible to miss out on an objective by literal seconds if you don’t have a Pokémon that can readily reach an object or target on high ground. This is especially important when you’re trying to reach the floating Poke Balls throughout the zone that you’ll often have to destroy as part of a Hyperspace run. If you’ve only got land-based monsters, it will take them longer to reach these objectives, which means precious seconds lost before you’re pulled back to reality. So keep someone on your belt who can fly to harder-to-reach places.
Find moves that don’t take long to cast
Speaking of saving time, one thing that will help you accomplish more in a Hyperspace run is to make sure your Pokémon have moves that don’t take long to execute. Moves that have to charge up or have phases might be strong, but you’re going to lose more time casting them than you will with a different attack. I tried using my Raichu, who knows the ground-type move Dig, against a long string of fire-type Pokemon weak to that move, but because it requires the mouse to dig into the ground and then sprout up underneath an opponent, I lost time using it that I could have saved by swapping to another monster who has a ground-type move that doesn’t take as long to use. Be mindful of your movesets before you head into Hyperspace so you can take out enemies more quickly.
Get to high ground while searching for the Bonus Ball
After you complete all the missions in a run, a golden Bonus Ball will spawn somewhere on the map. Mega Dimension doesn’t give you any guidance as to where, and you’ll have to find it in whatever time you have left before Hoopa pulls you off the stage with a hook. Your best chance at finding this spherical treasure chest is to get to high ground. Sometimes you’ll be able to get to the top of buildings with a Holovator; other times, you might have to climb scaffolding. This isn’t foolproof because the Bonus Ball might be tucked in a corner on the lower levels of a zone, but it’s a quick way to eliminate some possibilities so you’re not wasting time.
PSA: You can fast-travel to the exit if you’re not in battle, and you should
If you’ve caught every Pokémon you want in a zone, completed every objective, and found the Bonus Ball, keep in mind you can fast-travel back to the Hyperspace entrance, and this will get you out much faster so you can get to the next run. It’s a small thing, but when you’re grinding runs back to back, every second counts.
Don’t worry about being at or too far above the raised level of a zone
One of the big changes Game Freak harped on in the lead-up to Mega Dimension’s release was that the roguelike segments would break the series’ level 100 cap. You meet these superpowered monsters where they’re at by feeding Hoopa berry-filled donuts, which it uses to boost your team’s level in the Hyperspace zones. While I understand the instinct to try and be at or above the projected levels of monsters in a zone, in my experience, even if you’re maybe 20 or so below you can reasonably accomplish what you need to on a run. Don’t be reckless, but don’t feel like you’ve gotta waste all your best berries each time you need to make a donut. Do try and have a team of six that is all at a base level of 100 so they can make the most of the donut-based upgrades, though.
You don’t get experience from Hyperspace battles, so don’t come here to grind levels
As cool as the thought of fighting superpowered Pokémon and raking in experience sounds, you will not gain any of that in Hyperspace. The rewards you get for running through the bizarro Lumiose City are often very specific to the Mega Dimension content, rather than something you can use to grind for other parts of the game. You’ll get a ton of berries and survey points, but not experience that will raise your monsters’ base levels. You might find Exp. Candies sometimes, which will give you experience, but it’s inconsistent.
Don’t haphazardly load up Donuts with whatever Berries you’ve got
Every Donut Hoopa eats is made up of various Berries you’ll come across throughout Lumiose City. You can mix any combination of them, which each will increase your level in a Hyperspace run, but they also have different perks like stat upgrades, resistance to certain attacks, and maybe even an upgraded Shiny spawn chance. As tempting as it is to just load your best Berries into one pastry, this will come back to bite you, especially in the later story segments when you need to create specific Donuts with a list of high-flavor requirements. You’ll wish you hadn’t wasted some of those rare Berries, and you’ll have to go on runs with your fingers crossed hoping they will spawn in Hyperspace. So bake your Donuts responsibly.