The basic gameplay loop for Pokemon Pokopia is relatively straightforward. As Professor Tangrowth quickly explains, our main goal is to restore various Pokemon habitats to attract the creatures back to the world. Along the way, Ditto learns new skills to help it do just that. The Pokemon we meet will have requests for us, as will the PC near the rundown Pokemon Center. But despite a straightforward enough premise, the game is huge, and it can feel like a lot. So, here are my beginner tips for starting your Pokemon Pokopia journey.
7) Experiment to Discover New Habitats
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The best way to progress in Pokopia, and to meet adorable new Poke Pals, is restoring habitats. You’ll sometimes encounter glowing spots that give hints about a specific habitat to restore. Some Pokemon will even request that you find a specific friend for them. You can review these hints by opening up the Habitat Dex from the main menu. Pokemon can teach you new skills and abilities, and they also help you increase the environment level. That means you want to meet as many of them as you can.
Along with hints, I find it helpful to just play around with my skills. Use leafage to restore grass in different spots. Once you learn Drilbur’s helpful Rototiller skills, move flowers around. Sometimes, you’ll chance upon a new habitat this way, which can further expand the Pokemon you’re able to meet. Keep in mind that there’s usually more than one Pokemon that will be attracted to a specific habitat. You can check whether you’ve found them all in the Habitat Dex. The PokeBall icon will be green if you’ve met every possible Pokemon for a specific Habitat. If there are more to find, it will be grey instead.
6) When In Doubt, Complete Pokemon Requests and Improve Their Comfort Levels
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Generally speaking, Pokopia is pretty good about telling you what you need to do. In fact, you can ask Professor Tangrowth for hints at any time. But if you’re not sure what to prioritize or how to move the story forward, talk to your Pokemon friends! Completing their special requests or asking about their comfort level can help you restore the environment. If you ask, “What’s your comfort level?” you’ll get a hint for items to add to that Pokemon’s home. Similarly, completing Pokemon requests will make them happier, improving the environment level even more.
As you restore the environment and complete Pokemon Requests, you’ll eventually get bigger, more Important Requests. These are the main drivers for the story and will unlock once you hit a specific Environment Level or discover certain Pokemon in each biome. So, completing requests and improving Pokemon’s comfort is the best way to reach your next goal if you’re not sure what’s next.
5) How to Improve Skills Like Water Gun and Leafage
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If you’re anything like me, being able to only water a little + worth of tiles at a time will get old pretty fast. I know I spent the first several hours of gameplay wondering if it would ever get any faster. So, I’m here to tell you that yes, you can improve certain skills in Pokemon Pokopia. It just takes getting to a certain point in the game. Once you unlock cooking, certain meals will power up Ditto’s moves. This will temporarily increase how many tiles your Water Gun restores, how much grass you pull up with Leafage, and more.
But be patient. This game’s mechanics unlock over time. For me, it took about 10 hours before I got to the point in the story where you finally unlock cooking. This happens in the 3rd biome, which means you’ll need to increase your Trainer Rank a few times. Rest assured that restoring areas will get easier eventually. But until then, take your time and trust in the process.
4) How to Increase Your Backpack Size in Pokemon Pokopia
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Any game with crafting and materials begs the question… how do I make my bag bigger? Thankfully, Ditto can learn to hold more items as you move through the story. Each biome’s Pokemon Center will offer a bag upgrade, which you can buy with Life Coins. That means you’ll have to keep moving forward in the story to get more space in your bag, as you can only buy one upgrade at each PC.
If you’re running out of space often, remember that you can build storage boxes to stow things away. Putting a storage box next to a workbench lets you use materials directly from that box when you craft. So, you can load these boxes up with materials like Sturdy Sticks and Stone so it doesn’t take up space in Ditto’s backpack.
3) How to Unlock New Crafting Recipes
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When you start out, you’ll only have a few recipes for your workbench. If you’re trying to tidy up the town and improve Pokemon’s comfort levels, you’ll need to unlock more recipes. There are several ways to get new recipes. You can sometimes find them in sparkling spots in the water or by smashing glowing rocks. Talking to Pokemon or finding materials for the first time will also sometimes give Ditto ideas for new recipes. So, interact with every Pokemon and every glowing spot you can to find more recipes!
Some recipes will also be unlocked via progressing the story, while others can only be purchased at the Pokemon Center PC. So be sure to save up life coins and check for new recipes whenever you increase the environment level. This will let you get recipes for blocks that match a specific biome, as well as other useful items.
2) Build a House Early In Each New Area So You Can Fast Travel
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The world of Pokemon Pokopia gets pretty big as you unlock gates and travel to new areas. There is a fast travel mechanic, letting you “Return Home” from the main menu. But to do it, you’ll need to first build and claim a home base in each biome. You’ll be guided to do this pretty early on in the Withered Wastelands. But from Bleak Beach onward, you’ll want to remember to do it on your own.
I suggest starting with the “Hut” kits available in each new area’s PC. These typically don’t require many materials and are quick to build. Buying the new one in each biome means it will match the aesthetic and use materials that are easily found in that location. Once you’ve built your home, craft a Ditto Flag and place it to claim that as your house. Then, you’ll be able to fast travel back to that biome easily.
1) Go At Your Own Pace
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Above all, the best way to enjoy a game like Pokemon Pokopia is to take your time. It can feel overwhelming looking at the messy chaos and wanting to restore it to picture perfection. But this game is designed for you to take your time. Exploring is rewarded at every turn, with all kinds of hidden items and secrets to uncover. So don’t be afraid to just wander around, smashing rocks and finding hidden nooks and crannies. This can lead to some fun Pokemon Easter Eggs and useful items, not to mention a few new Pokemon pals.
The main story is engaging, but Pokopia gives you plenty of other goals and activities to complete. Spend some time settling into and restoring each biome before rushing on to the next. I promise you’ll be rewarded for, as I’m still finding new secrets even many, many hours into the game. There will be plenty of time to build your perfect town or get to the end of the story. But the real reward is the Pokemon friends we make along the way.
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