Pokémon Legends: ZA’s Ranked Battle Boulder rewards become easier to obtain

Pokemon Legends: ZA is getting an update that will make Ranked Battle rewards (specifically a set of desirable Mega Stones) much more accessible.

in a Official press releaseThe Pokemon Company has revealed that players will be able to earn Greninjite at Y level and Delphoxite at S level at the start of Season 2 of its online ranked battle mode. Previously, in Season 1, players had to reach K level to obtain Greninjite (Delphoxite was not yet available).

This is a pretty big deal, as the difficulty of obtaining these giant stones has been a point of criticism from the community since they were first announced as rewards. The original Kalos starter Pokémon trio: Fennekin, Froakie, and Chespin appeared early in Pokemon Legends: ZA, and all three have new Mega Evolutions. However, these Mega Evolutions can only be unlocked through items obtained as rewards in Online Ranked Battles, and are not available at all in the story campaign. This is frustrating for many players, as many simply don't engage with online gaming and would rather just play the story.

This update doesn't make it possible to earn rewards without participating in the ZA online component, but it does make them more accessible. In Season 2, you basically get Glenidget through a ranked battle even if you lose, since you earn ranked points for actions you take in battle as well as for actually winning. If you play well enough, you can level up multiple levels at once, making Delphoxite going from Z to S pretty quickly. and It looks like Game Freak is updating the way points are distributed to make it easier to get ranked.

Additionally, if trends continue like this, it sounds like the Season 3 update will introduce Chesnaughtite, which is similar to S-level, and lower the level requirements for Delphoxite to an easier level. According to the announcement, “Mega Stones will continue to be re-released frequently in future seasons.”

Overall, this is a pretty good change for anyone who wants to collect all the giant rocks. A few ranked matches in Seasons 2 and 3 will allow you to easily obtain all three gems, and then, if you choose, you'll never have to compete in a ranked match again.

Pokemon Legends: ZA Season 2 starts on Wednesday, November 5th.

I reviewed Pokemon Legends: ZA and gave it 8/10saying it “finally feels like Game Freak has taken a big step forward in the 3D era of Pokemon, with a fun environment to explore, a well-written story, and an overhauled battle system that works surprisingly well.” Nearly six million copies sold Within a week of opening.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter at IGN. You can find her posts at BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Have a story tip? Send it to [email protected].