In this guide we’ll be looking at the star ranking system works in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
I’ll explain what Star Ranks are why you’ll want to be climbing up them as quickly as possible.
Being a higher Star Rank comes with many benefits – we’ll look at all of them below.
Your journey through Hisui will be centered around these Star Ranks, so you’ll need to become pretty familiar with them.
What Are Star Ranks?
Pokemon Legends: Arceus has introduced a brand new system of progression that essentially replaces gym leaders from games of old.
The classic Pokemon story of starting out and building a team to take on all eight gym leaders and then eventually the Elite 4 was brilliant, don’t get me wrong, but I did start to wonder when it would become a little stale. Maybe it already did exactly that.
Well, the star ranking system has breathed new life into Legends: Arceus, but that won’t stop there being 8 gyms in the next mainline game, which I really like. It gives the Legends series its own personality and makes for a really fun take on Pokemon.
How Does the Star Ranking System Work?
The Pokemon Legends: Arceus star ranking system is essentially based around how much information you can gather for your Pokedex.
You’re working to try and help Team Galaxy, who have given you a place to live after you inexplicably fell out of the time rift. They’re looking for data on new species of Pokemon and you’re the person tasked to do that. Every time you find a new Pokemon you will be paid by Team Galaxy, so there are perks to the job.
Where this gets interesting though is that you will earn more money per new species found when you rank up in star rankings.
All of the information you gather and findings that you present to Professor Laventon will earn you research points. Gain enough research points and you will earn a new Star Rank. Of course, like many level-based games, the amount of research points you need will increase every rank. For rank 1 you’ll need 500 points, then 1300 for rank 2, 1700 for rank 3 and so on.
How to Earn Stars & Rank Up
Once you have enough research points to gain a rank, make sure to check in with Captain Cyllene as she will be the person to promote you to the next rank. It doesn’t happen automatically.
So, if you’re struggling to figure out how to rank up in Pokemon Legends: Arceus even though you have enough research points, this is the reason why. A quick trip to Captain Cyllene will do the trick.
Like with many things in Legends: Arceus, such as changing your Pokemon party, speaking to an NPC (or non-playing character) is essential.
The Benefits to Ranking Up
There are multiple perks to ranking up.
Firstly, Pokemon over a certain level will obey you. For example, if you were only at Star rank one, then Pokemon over level 20 would start to ignore orders in battle and may even use different moves or just go to sleep. After rank one, Pokemon up to 20 will always obey you, after that, rank 2 will mean Pokemon up to level 30 are obedient, rank 3 will allow up to level 40 and so on. Once you get past rank 5 though, the level cap will start to go up in increments of 5 instead of 10. This is exactly how gym badges used to work in the main series games, so should be familiar to existing fans of the franchise.
Other benefits of the higher star ranks include recipes to craft better Pokeballs such as Heavy Balls and Feather Balls, which help you catch Pokemon in different ways. A Heavy Ball will give you a higher chance of catching a Pokemon but will not be able to be thrown as far, whereas a Feather Ball doesn’t increase the chance of catching, but allows you to catch Pokemon further away or in the air easier, so they all have their benefits. You can also craft new potions such as Super Potions and Hyper Potions, which heal more HP on your Pokemon.
Probably the biggest advantage of gaining ranks is that it grants you access to new areas of Hisui for you to explore. You’ll start off just being able to explore Obsidian Fieldlands, but as you progress you’ll unlock Crimson Mirelands, Cobalt Coastlands, and so on.
Another big benefit to ranking up in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the extra cash you’ll receive for catching new Pokemon. Whilst money was limited in the main series games, in Legends you can earn a lot, just through catching new Pokemon and completing the Pokedex. This is important as well, as you’ll need certain items such as revives and potions for long journeys, which are hard to find enough of the materials for to craft them.
Unfortunately, earning new stars doesn’t increase your satchel space.
So that just about wraps up explaining how star ranks work in Hisui.
