ZA players are still missing a popular Arceus item

Pokemon Legends: ZA fans are unhappy with a popular Pokemon Legends: Arceus is cut from the game. With the kind of success that Pokemon Legends: Arceus enjoyed after it came out it was impossible for Pokemon Legends: ZA to completely avoid comparisons. Pokemon Legends: ZA came out three months ago today, and despite facing backlash for decisions like slicing abilities and completely changing the gameplay and combat style, it's still arguably a great entry in the series that does a lot of things right.

Yet, Pokemon Legends: ZAs ranked exclusive Mega Stones sparked massive discussion about the series' reliance on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription for extra content, which in several cases applies to ZA one. In comparison, Pokemon Legends: Arceus was designed as a single player game that could be completed completely solo, including completing the Pokedex and capturing Arceus, so no extra steps were involved or needed to achieve this, such as the fact that NSO was not needed. Now things are completely different, and ZA has proven that some decisions should be reconsidered before being released Pokemon wind and wave.

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I just started playing Pokemon Legends: ZA and I'm already disappointed

My Pokemon Legends: ZA Adventure just started, but I'm already underwhelmed with some aspects of the game.

Pokemon Legends: ZA cuts out the best item in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Reddit user AdventurousForm6406 posted about how game-changing it was to have Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Link cord available. This isn't the first post on this issue, and the fact that it got over 3,600 upvotes in less than 24 hours, three months after the game came out, sends a clear message.

Pokemon Legends: ZAs trade-exclusive evolutions is a very odd choice, because while it would make perfect sense to have them in a full-fledged new generation alongside version-exclusive animals and even new trade-only Pokémon, ZA does not include any new species or forms except Mega Evolutions. As such, you cannot get the following Pokémon in the base game without trading:

Slowking (requires trade of Slowpoke with King's Rock)
Scizor (requires to trade Scyther with Metal Coat)
Aromatisse (requires trade in Spritzee with bag)
Slurpuff (requires trade in Swirlix with Whipped Cream)

Steelix isn't available in Pokemon Legends: ZA's base game until you start the post-game One Who Gives quest, but you can only catch an Alpha Steelix as a fixed encounter, with no way to get it outside of this quest or trade. All trade-only Pokémon other than these five can be found in the wild.

Pokemon Legends: ZA DLC doesn't atone for its trade-exclusive sins

Pokemon Legends: ZAs DLC partially fixes this, as all Pokémon in the game can be found in Hyperspace Wild Zones, even DLC-exclusive critters. This is true for all but one Pokemon – Milotic. For some reason, Milotic still requires online trading to obtain, making the DLC Pokedex impossible to complete solo. This further requires the Linking Cord to be used again in future games, especially for returning Pokémon that cannot be found in the wild.

It can be argued that trade-exclusive evolutions in Pokémon has always been a thing, and it would be right, except Pokemon Legends: Arceus. If Pokemon Legends: Arceus could include the link cable to make animals only available for trade, and then all games after that have this option as well. In the case of Pokemon Legends: ZAit was a conscious choice to give meaning to trading. However, given that the Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not free, the counter argument is that the game being priced as a triple-A title should allow fans to complete it at no extra cost, excluding DLC.

Not only that, but Pokemon Legends: ZA's Mega Sceptile cannot be obtained in Season 5 without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, as it is an exclusive reward from Ranked Battles. This isn't the only Pokemon subject to this treatment:

PLZA Season 1 featured exclusive Mega Greninja.
PLZA Season 2 featured exclusive Mega Delphox (and Greninja, if not available).
PLZA Season 3 featured exclusive Mega Chesnaught (and also Greninja and Delphox, if not obtained).
PLZA Season 4 featured exclusive Mega Baxcalibur (and also Greninja, Delphox and Chesnaught if not obtained).
PLZA Season 5 includes exclusive Mega Sceptile (and also Greninja, Delphox, Chesnaught and Baxcalibur if not available).
Season 6 will offer the Mega Swampert, which cannot be obtained anywhere else.
Season 7 will offer the Mega Blaziken, which cannot be obtained anywhere else.

While these are Mega Evolutions, there are at least seven Pokémon that cannot be obtained with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Combined with the lack of a link cable, this number will be at least eight, counting Milotic, and possibly nine if the unreleased Mega Garchomp Z is also a ranked reward.