You wanna be, the very best? Well, with miles of lush landscapes to navigate and nearly 200 creatures to catch, it’ll be no mean feat.

Luckily we’ve got you covered with some top tips to help you master the lay of the land, critical new fighting mechanics and the critters you can expect to find in this epic new adventure.

Get to know the area

The game is set in the region of Hisui, later known as Sinnoh. Players of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be familiar with the modern variation, but the action here is set way back.

As such, its appearance is vastly different to the high-tech land that came later. Here, players must navigate snow-capped mountains and rolling hills in their pursuit of Pokémon. Interestingly, there are regional forms of Pokémon to find, including new iterations of Growlithe and Braviary.

Study your Pokédex!

The official list of Pokémon is yet to be released, but 182 types are rumoured, including two brand new kinds plus several regional variants.

As ever, this information will be housed in your Pokédex – every trainer’s best friend. Operating as both a bestiary and field manual, it’ll list creatures’ names, types, and strengths and weaknesses as you acquire them. Knowing these is critical to turning the tide of battle.

Master two new attack styles

So you’ve swotted up on your Pokédex studies and taken in the sights, now it’s time to FIGHT!

One of the series’ enduring strengths it its easy-to-learn, hard-to-master fighting system. But in Arceus, there are two wholly new styles to master: Strong style and Agile style. 

The former adds greater strength to your selected move, at the expense of speed, while the offers the reverse. Sounds easy enough? On paper yes, but players hoping to excel in harder fights must be mindful of their Pokémons’ specific stats should they run out of steam too quickly, or miss a move entirely!

Get crafty

That nifty napsack you’re sporting isn’t just for show, you know. Arceus is the first mainline game in the series to feature crafting, which means you’ll need to research materials, hunt for resources and get familiar with the ol’ crafting bench to be in with a shot of nabbing the higher-level creatures.

Watch your personal space!

The world of Arceus is markedly different to that of previous iterations. Here, the gentle, loving relationship between Pokémon and humans has yet to fully develop, with the monsters much wilder and unpredictable than before. You’ll need your wits about you, because certain situations can spell danger for your character.

Not only can the Pokémon in Arceus attack you, but an odd phenomenon can drive some types berserk, forcing you to react quickly lest you get lashed at by a Luxray, or worse, forced to endure a marathon run of Mr. Mime’s latest play.

How big is Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

When can I play Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available to play on Nintendo Switch from Friday 28 January.