One of the biggest 2018 releases for the Nintendo Switch is finally here. Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee is the first core Pokémon game to release on a console since Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness in 2005. But this isn’t a completely traditional game as it includes many elements from the recent global smartphone phenomenon Pokémon Go. As such, Pokémon Let’s Go is a bit more of a casual experience meant to bridge the gap between Pokémon Go and traditional Pokémon games. As such these games are ideal for new players to the series.
Pokémon Let’s Go is a revisit to the very first region, the Kanto region. This game was built as an HD remake of Pokémon Yellow Version on Game Boy Color. Many of the locations and events are identical to how it was in Pokémon Yellow, including having your Pokémon follow you. Additionally, there are plenty of elements from some other games that are featured as well. However, there are some brand new side quests and secrets that would be easy to forget or pass up in this nostalgia-heavy game. You’ll find trainers that didn’t appear in the original game, changes to the game mechanics that adapt to this unique game, and cool easter eggs that might mean more than they appear. Here we will cover 25 secrets and hidden side quests that can be found within Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee. Some of these may be familiar to veteran players, but even then there are some cool changes that can offer a different experience this time around.
25 Special Moves For Your Special Partner
Depending on which version you choose, your starter Pokémon will be either Pikachu or Eevee. However, your partner isn’t a normal individual of the species. They are much stronger than the average Pokémon of the same kind. They can also learn unique moves that can only be taught by some move tutors placed throughout the game.
These attacks are exclusive to your partner Pokémon and also have the worst attack names of all time such as Zippy Zap.
These attacks are very powerful and in the case of Eevee, have a variety of types, making up for its inability to evolve into any of its various evolution forms.
24 Team Rocket Doesn’t End With Giovanni
In the original games, once you chase Giovanni away from the Viridian City Pokémon Gym, he announces that he is disbanding the entire organization to go on a journey. In Pokémon Let’s Go, defeating Giovanni at the Pokémon Gym may end his role in the game, but the remnants of Team Rocket still remain. If you go back to the Team Rocket hideout after defeating the Elite Four, you will encounter the admin Archer. Archer is a familiar character to those who played Pokémon Heart Gold or Soul Silver as one of the leaders trying to revive Team Rocket. It is a nice touch that serves as a good reference to Pokémon Gold and Silver.
23 Let A Psychic Manipulate Your Pokémon’s Nature
Pokémon games seem to always make raising Pokémon a bit more convenient for competitive trainers. One of the ways that Pokémon Let’s Go makes farming Pokémon easier is that there is a way to affect the nature of the Pokémon you catch.
In Celadon City, you will meet Madam Celadon, who is a psychic that will ask you to water a certain flower and let another flower wither out.
The color of the flowers corresponds to a specific stat type, you can choose to water (increase stat nature) a specific color and then chose another one to let thin out (decrease stat nature).
22 A Way To Get Multiple Master Balls?
Cerulean Cave has remained mostly unchanged from how it was in the original games. Of course, it is best known as a location filled with exploding Electrodes, annoying Golbats, and the iconic encounter with Mewtwo. In Pokémon Let’s Go, there is an interesting addition to the cave that will have trainers coming back. At the top floor are special crystals that spawn common and very rare items. These items vary from regular pokéballs to even Master Balls.
These item drops respawn at a varied rate, some time minutes, sometimes hours, but it is worth coming back for the potential items you can obtain.
Additionally, this also spawns fossils, so you can use this to get the opposite fossil to the one you obtained in Mt. Moon.
21 Gotta Keep Up The Catch Combos!
Catch Combos is one of the new mechanics in Pokémon Let’s Go. Catch Combos can be built by catching the same species of Pokémon consecutively. By building up a large number of Catch Combos, you get a lot of bonuses. First, you can receive a lot of additional experience points and candy items the higher your combo reaches. Higher IVs are also more common as your combo increases, so the more Pokémon you catch, the stronger they will be. The best results from Catch Combos are increasing the chances of encountering a shiny Pokémon as well as rare spawns of Pokémon that normally don’t appear in the wild.
20 The Trick To Boosting Your Pokémon’s Stat To The Max
If you skipped out on Pokémon Sun and Moon, you probably are unfamiliar with Hyper Training. Hyper Training is where you can take a Pokémon at level 100 and max out its IVs as long as you have a bottle cap. Hyper Training has returned in Pokémon Let’s Go, but it is only accessible after you defeat the Elite Four. The old man named Mr. Hyper is the guy you need to see, he is located in the daycare center just south of Cerulean City. As long as you have a bottle cap, he will increase one of your max leveled Pokémon’s IV to the max.
19 The Secret Of Awakening Values
While Individual Values (IV) and Effort Values (EV) has been around in Pokémon for a very long time, Pokémon Let’s Go adds another value that trainers are unaware of. This value is called Awakening Value. This basically replaces EVs in the game, but it has fewer restrictions, each AV value equals one stat point and can go as high as 200.
You could raise a low-level Pokémon to have higher stats than a level 50 Pokémon by maxing its AVs.
AVs are what the candies in this game are used towards. But they have multiple caps to once they are maxed out, you’ll then need to use the larger candies. The good news is that you have the option of battling others with or without AVs accounted for.
18 Shiny Pokémon Are More Common Now
Catching a shiny Pokémon used to yield quite an achievement among trainers, to be able to trigger a very rare occurrence and to catch it. Over the games, shinies have been a bit easier to catch with additional mechanics like the Masuda Method.
In Pokémon Let’s Go, Shiny Pokémon are easier to catch more than ever.
Since breeding isn’t present in this game, Pokémon Let’s Go makes up for the lack of Masuda Method by reducing the base rate to 1 in 4,096, half of what the original base rate was. Additionally, a lure can reduce that by half again, and even more once you obtain the shiny charm and combine it with a lure. If you combine those factors with a high Catch Combo, your rate of encountering a shiny Pokémon is high as 1 in 273.07!
17 Where Could Red Possibly Be?
As you are going through Kanto in Pokémon Let’s Go, you’ll encounter Blue a few times. As you (should) know, Blue was the original rival to a Pokémon trainer named Red. If Blue is in this game with a separate role then where is Red?
He will only appear to Pokémon Trainers who are worthy.
To become a worthy trainer, you’ll need to defeat the Elite Four as well as defeat six Master Trainers. After that, you can find him at the Indigo Plateau. Once you defeat him, he will leave, but you can have him respawn every time you defeat the Elite Four.
16 Your Partner’s Hidden Ability Is Easy To Miss
Pokémon traditionally can learn only 4 moves. However, your partner Pokémon, Pikachu or Eevee, know of a secret 5th and 6th move. These special moves can only be used during a battle by shaking your controller whenever you see an icon of your partner and a joy-con swinging back and forth. The move can vary depending on whether or not your Pikachu or Eevee is in battle or on the sideline.
If they are on the sideline, they will provide support for your Pokémon currently in battle by increasing all of its stats by one level. If they are in battle they use a signature move, Pika Papow and Veevee Volley respectively, which performs similar to Return, but will also never miss. This hidden ability can come quite handy in a pinch if you need it.
15 Cats VS Dogs
One of the new side quests in Pokémon Let’s Go features the Pokémon Growlith and Meowth. Once you reach Vermilion City, you’ll notice a black belt NPC sitting on a bench outside the gym. If you talk to him he’ll ask you which of the two Pokémon do you prefer. After your answer he will ask you to catch five of the version exclusive Pokémon that are in your game, Growlith in Let’s Go Pikachu, Meowth in Let’s Go Eevee.
When you return, he will give you a special gift, the evolution of the opposite Pokémon!
This means you can obtain a Persian in Let’s Go Pikachu, and an Arcanine in Let’s Go Eevee. Additionally, since it was a gift Pokémon, it will be guaranteed to have amazing IV’s making it a strong species to add early on in the game.
14 The ONLY Way To Complete The Full 151 Pokédex
Since Pokémon Let’s Go features only the original 151 Pokémon in the game, completing your Pokédex at 100% might actually be an obtainable goal. However, there could be an issue to obtaining Pokémon numbered 151, which is none other than Mew. As of the time of writing, the Mythical Pokémon Mew can only be obtained through the Pokéball Plus accessory that is compatible with the game, essentially locking Mew behind a $50 paywall.
You can’t even transfer Mew from Pokémon Go if you have it there. Of course, this can change over time as there is the mystery gift option, but as of right now that is the only way to obtain Mew and complete the full 151 Pokédex.
13 The Mew Truck Has Returned!
While we are on the topic of Mew, one of the most infamous mysteries about the original Pokémon games was a strange truck that is parked at a location that is off screen in Vermilion City. Fans speculated that the truck contained Mew inside and that it was only accessible either through hacking or bypassing the S.S. Anne event by trading a Pokémon with Cut into the game. It was a rumor that caught a lot of attention among fans.
In Pokémon Let’s Go, the truck has made its return, but this time you can actually access it normally once you can surf. There isn’t any Mew or anything worthwhile, but it is pretty cool to see a reference that only the most dedicated fans would know about.
12 Those Are Some Powerful Stones You’re Selling
Once you have defeated the Elite Four, you’ll then have access to become an even more powerful trainer. A special salesman will appear at the Indigo Plateau and he sells the Mega Stones needed to perform a Mega Evolution. With the exception of the starter Pokémon evolutions and Mewtwo, every Mega Stone is available from this individual.
Since this game doesn’t feature hold items, all you need is the stones and Key Stone in your bag. You then could simply select Mega Evolution in the battle screen. For Pokémon with multiple Mega Evolution forms like Charizard and Mewtwo, you have a choice from selecting their X or Y versions, making things a bit more flexible for the user.
11 You Can Catch Legendary Pokémon At Level 3?
Pokémon Let’s Go will have certain Pokémon spawn in the wild known as Rare Spawns. These Pokémon are often Pokémon you normally can’t find in the wild like starter Pokémon and gift Pokémon. The higher your Catch Combo, the rarer the Pokémon will appear. Among the rarest tier of Pokémon are powerful flying Pokémon like Charizard, Dragonite, and Aerodactyl. But once you catch the Legendary Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres from their regular location, there is a small chance that they could appear in the wild too.
The catch is that you must be riding a flying Pokémon like Charizard to even see them. An interesting possibility is that the range of levels these wild Pokémon could appear are between 3 and 56, so there is a chance that you could catch a Legendary Pokémon as low as level 3!
10 Green Finally Makes Her Video Game Debut
Fans of the Pokémon Manga series know about a third main trainer to Red and Blue named Green. Green has been one of the main characters in the manga series, but has never appeared in any of the video games or even the anime, until now.
Green finally makes her gaming debut in Pokémon Let’s Go as a rival trainer who is aiming to catch Mewtwo.
You will first encounter her in the Cerulean Cave after you find Mewtwo. She will become jealous if you catch Mewtwo and she will challenge you to a battle, and like Blue and Red, she is tough. After you defeat her in the cave, you then have the option to have a rematch with her in Cerulean City.
9 Celadon City Is A Gamer’s Town
Celadon City is a city that is known for its department store as well as a slot gambling area. However, due to the gambling nature, the slots don’t come back in Pokémon Let’s Go. Instead, they are replaced by arcade cabinets. What players may not notice is the video game cameos found by checking out the different cabinets. Three of the cabinets reference other Pokémon games including Pokémon Trozei, Pokkén Tournament, and the surfing Pikachu game in the original Pokémon Yellow. Additionally, the other major easter egg is that Game Freak’s HQ is still in the city, and within it, you’ll find cameos from Pokémon Quest. Celadon City definitely is a gamer friendly environment.
8 Out Of Pokéballs? No Problem
In Pokémon Let’s Go, it is very important to have a heavy supply of Pokéball items. There is so much catching going on in this game that you’ll be using up hundreds and hundreds of them.
If you don’t prepare properly, you will easily run out, but if that happens, no worries!
If you have less than 10 Pokéballs remaining, there is a middle-aged man located in caves such as Mt. Moon that will give you plenty of pokéballs, all completely free. That way, you can go back to catching many Pokémon located throughout the caves without having to leave, come back, and risk breaking a high Catch Combo.
7 The Unfortunate Path To Obtaining Melmetal
A few months before Pokémon Let’s Go released, there have been an odd release that could only be described as a viral event where a brand new Pokémon started appearing in Pokémon Go. That Pokémon turned out to be a mythical Pokémon Meltan. Unlike any other Mythical Pokémon, Meltan can evolve into another Pokémon, Melmetal. However, the only way to do this is to collect 400 Meltan candies in Pokémon Go and it can only evolve that way. In order to do that, you’ll have to continue to deploy mystery boxes to spawn Meltan, and even then that would take a while.
6 You Can Recreate Ash’s Kanto Team
Many older players have watched the original season of the Pokémon animated series that featured Ash in his quest throughout the Kanto region. During his quest, he would obtain a Pokémon team that weren't easy to accumulate in Pokémon Red and Blue. Unless you have played Pokémon Yellow, you were unable to go through your adventure as Ash would.
Since Pokémon Let’s Go is based on Pokémon Yellow, the same events that are referencing the anime are present here, meaning you could have a traveling team of Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, and Pidgeotto and take down Jessie, James, and Meowth of Team Rocket. Brock and Misty also make frequent appearances in this game, fleshing out their character a bit more than what they were like previously.