I Am Already Heartbroken About My Shiny Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Evolution

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While *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* isn’t necessarily the most challenging *Pokemon* game, I actually found the core gameplay – battles, how things work, and exploring – to be quite simple. That’s why I was so frustrated with the long tutorial. It felt unnecessary and really limited my ability to explore Lumiose City. As soon as it was over, I immediately started searching for Pokemon I liked, like Staryu in the Wild Zone 2 at night, or Litleo in Wild Zone 3. After a few ranked matches, I started trying out the shiny hunting features, and I was lucky enough to find an Alpha Litleo sleeping in Wild Zone 3 as my very first shiny!

I was thrilled to discover Mega Pyroar, which is easily one of my favorite new Mega Evolutions. I’m really enjoying *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* so much that I even benched my usual starter, Emboar, to build a team around Mega Pyroar. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned.

I managed to find a shiny Alpha Litleo using a surprisingly easy method in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. In Wild Zone 3, you can essentially hunt for shinies while letting the game run mostly on its own. By simply holding down the left Joy-Con while walking up and down the stairs, the Pokémon in the area constantly reset, increasing your chances of finding a shiny.

I was thrilled to find the shiny Pokémon I wanted most early in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*, especially as an Alpha Pokémon! However, I’m already disappointed with the game’s design. While it’s known you don’t start with all the Mega Stones, needing to unlock them through the story, a shop, and trading shards is frustrating. Specifically, the Mega Stone for Pyroar, called Pyroarite, isn’t available until the very last mission before the game’s ending.

How to Get Every New Mega Evolution and Stone in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

I was really surprised that a *Pokémon* game featuring the popular Mega Evolution mechanic would lock access to those evolutions behind lengthy story missions. But what really caught me off guard is how late in the game many of the new Mega Evolutions become available. Even though there are 26 of them, you can’t build a full team of new Megas right away, no matter how much you play.

  • Mega Greninja: Greninjite is available in Ranked Battles when reaching Rank K or higher.
  • Mega Delphox: Delphoxite is available like Greninjite, but in Season 2.
  • Mega Chesnaught: Chesnaughtite is available like Greninjite, but in Season 3.
  • Mega Meganium: Meganiumite is obtained during Mission 10 if Chikorita is your starter.
  • Mega Emboar: Emboarite is obtained during Mission 10 if Tepig is your starter.
  • Mega Feraligatr: Feraligite is obtained during Mission 10 if Totodile is your starter.
  • Mega Drampa: Drampanite is purchasable for Mega Shards.
  • Mega Victreebel: Victreebelite is obtained after Mission 13.
  • Mega Eelektross: Eelektrossite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 14.
  • Mega Excadrill: Excadrite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 14.
  • Mega Hawlucha: Hawluchanite is obtained after Mission 17.
  • Mega Chandelure: Chandelurite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 19.
  • Mega Falinks: Falinksite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 19.
  • Mega Barbaracle: Barbaracite is obtained after Mission 22.
  • Mega Scolipede: Scolipite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 24.
  • Mega Skarmory: Skarmorite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 24.
  • Mega Froslass: Froslassite is obtained after Mission 27.
  • Mega Clefable: Clefablite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 30.
  • Mega Dragalge: Dragalgite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 30.
  • Mega Scrafty: Scraftinite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 30.
  • Mega Dragonite: Dragoninite is obtained after Mission 32.
  • Mega Starmie: Starminite is obtained after Mission 34.
  • Mega Zygarde: Zygardite is obtained during Mission 37.
  • Mega Malamar: Malamarite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 37.
  • Mega Pyroar: Pyroarite is purchasable for Mega Shards after Mission 37.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is Officially Timegating Its Best Content For No Reason

Unless you have Eternal Flower Floette or Mega Floette, Mega Pyroar and Mega Malamar are the very last Mega Evolutions you’ll unlock in the game, appearing even after you’ve gotten Mega Zygarde. It seems strange to me that these Mega Evolutions, for Pokémon that aren’t as commonly used, are only available after you finish the main story, and I was really surprised to find out that’s how it works.

It’s fitting that Zygarde appears so late in the game – no one would start with it. However, making players finish the entire game to unlock Mega Malamar and Pyroar in *Pokemon Legends: Z-A* feels unnecessary. It’s especially strange considering how prominently Malamar’s Mega Evolution was featured in the game’s marketing.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Timegated Mega Evolutions Are a Headscratcher

I understand why some Mega Evolutions might be unlocked later in the game – it can help with the story or keep things balanced. For example, Mega Starmie is very powerful in *Pokemon Legends: Z-A*, so I don’t mind that it’s available later. However, it seems strange that regular Pokemon like Pyroar are locked until the very end. It’s disappointing because my favorite shiny Pokemon will only become truly useful after I’ve finished most of the game. I wish I could have used Mega Pyroar earlier, like during Mission 19 against Mega Beedrill, but it wasn’t possible.

I’m really excited for Ranked Battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A! It’ll be awesome to finally test and perfect my shiny Alpha Pyroar – I’m going to really focus on building it to be a top competitor.

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2025-10-19 22:06