Most Pokemon journeys are all about building a balanced team that can handle whatever threat may come their way. That is not the case in Pokemon Legends: Arceus when you choose to travel on the Path of Solitude. Instead, you'll be taking a single Pokemon up against another Pokemon that has a clear advantage.
While there are some specific requests tied to this, it is possible to take on this challenge with every Pokemon in Hisui. It'll require a lot of training and strategy, especially if you want to get that mark on every Pokedex entry. If you do, here are some tips to take on the Path of Solitude.
10 Do Your Research
Every match-up on the Path of Solitude is unique. It'll be your Pokemon against an opponent or team that has an advantage against it. In order to achieve victory, you'll need to know what exactly you're heading into. So, you've got to do your research.
This can be done in a couple of ways. The easiest would be to go online and look up your Pokemon's opponent and their moveset. There's no shame in that! But if you want to keep everything pure and in the game, the other option is to repeat the battle until you learn almost everything about your opponent. You will fail a lot, but failure is just a step on the path to success.
9 Train Your Pokemon
This one might seem pretty obvious. If you want to win in any Pokemon game, you'll do better if your team is at a higher level. However, training for the Path of Solitude goes a bit beyond that. Yes, you'll have to raise your Pokemon's level, but you'll have to raise their effort level as well.
Next to each of your Pokemon's stats, you'll see a number ranging from zero to ten with a circle forming around it. This is their effort level, which works the same way as effort values in regular Pokemon games. To increase it, you need to give that Pokemon Grit Dust, Gravel, Pebbles, and Rocks to max it out at ten. Note that you don't have to do this with every stat, just the ones that are important for each battle.
8 Learn And Master Super-Effective Moves From Zisu
All of your opponents will have some kind of leg up against you, usually with one or more type advantages. How on earth can you combat an Onix when you're using a Scyther? Well, the best way to do that is to learn some super-effective moves yourself!
In the same area where you challenge the Path of Solitude, Zisu can teach your Pokemon a variety of moves they wouldn't normally learn. For example, Scyther can be taught Close Combat, making Onix no problem at all. On top of that, you can use a Master Seed so your Pokemon can use Agile or Strong Style versions of the moves they learn. All of this is necessary to come out on top against Ingo.
7 Use Bulk Up And Calm Mind
A great way to take out your opponent faster is to boost your moves. Pokemon Legends: Arceus has a lot of options for that, like Double Hit, Swords Dance, and Nasty Plot. However, two moves that are way better than the rest, and are moves that most Pokemon can learn: Bulk Up and Calm Mind.
As opposed to mainline Pokemon games, boosting moves in Arceus increases general offensive and defensive stats by only one stage, and they can't stack. For example, Iron Defense increases both Defense and Special Defense by one, instead of Defense by two. This means that Bulk Up and Calm Mind together will increase four different stats. This is great not just for increasing your Pokemon's power, but their longevity as well.
6 Healing Moves Are Your Friend
Another wrinkle in the Path of Solitude is that you can't use any type of item during battle. So, if you're boosting your stats and find yourself low on HP, it may seem that your chance to win this battle is gone. Fortunately, most Pokemon can learn moves that will heal themselves.
While some Pokemon may learn moves like Recover and Soft-Boiled by leveling up, a majority of Pokemon can also learn Rest from Zisu. This may make your Pokemon drowsy, but it will also restore well over half of its health. It's a great choice, and one that can give you an edge in any battle.
5 Know When To Use Strong Style Moves
Pokemon Legends: Arceus introduces Agile Style and Strong Style moves, which change how regular moves work. Agile Style gives you the chance for more turns at the cost of some power, while Strong Style increases power and accuracy at the cost of speed. This risk-and-reward style is interesting, but using it becomes necessary with the Path of Solitude.
Your opponents are going to have a massive advantage over you, so the best answer to them is to finish them off as quickly as possible. Knowing when to use a Strong Style move is essential in this case. Think of it like a finisher in pro wrestling — it's meant to be the final move that decides the battle. If you use it too soon, your opponent is going to be left with a massive advantage, and probably win.
4 Take Advantage Of Priority And Agile Style Moves
Early on in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, there was a glitch that made it so that fast Pokemon using a priority move could utilize Agile Style to create an infinite loop of attacks. This way, your opponents would never even have a turn to act before they're defeated. While this was eventually fixed, it's still a great tactic to deal a lot of damage.
This strategy works perfectly for Pokemon like Sneasel or Zoroark, but any Pokemon that learns a priority move can use it to squeeze out as much damage as possible in a turn. Using priority followed by Agile Style priority, and finishing with a powerful attack, can make any battle a breeze.
3 Use Alternative Forms
There is a good number of Pokemon in the Hisui region that have different forms. While they may be recognized for a certain appearance, they might have an advantage with the Path of Solitude.
For example, Rotom has to battle Garchomp. While this is terrifying, because Rotom is an Electric-type without the ability Levitate, the best option becomes the Frost Rotom form. It will learn Blizzard, which can probably defeat Garchomp in a single hit. Keep this in mind for Pokemon like Wormadam, Sneasel, and Arceus itself.
2 Consider Unusual Strategies
In some rare scenarios, specifically with requests that are related to the Path of Solitude, just going for an all-out attack approach will not work. To get through these, your strategy is going to have to become pretty unique.
The best example of this is Abra. Its opponent is Mr. Mime, and the only move it will use is Mimic. To defeat Mime, you'll have to use Teleport so that Mr. Mime copies that move. After that, the whole battle is smooth sailing! Other Pokemon that use unusual strategies are Magikarp, Bastiodon, and Blissey.
1 Be Patient
Look, this isn't going to be easy. You probably won't beat most of these challenges on your first attempt. All 242 challenges are supposed to be difficult, and as such require a lot of prep. It might not even seem like it's worth the effort, since you won't be getting anything except for more Exp. Candies and a mark in your Pokedex.
However, if you're a completionist, it's absolutely worth it. Figuring out each battle is a puzzle in itself, and it feels incredibly satisfying when you finally succeed. Just remember that even though it's called the Path of Solitude, you aren't alone — you still have a Pokemon by your side, and that's what playing Pokemon games is all about.