Action speed
Action speed (Japanese: 行動順 action order) is a battle mechanic in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that determines the action order in which Pokémon use moves. The player can view the action order during battle, and can press Y to toggle the menu's visibility, which shows the action order of the next six moves.
Action speed is primarily determined by each Pokémon's Speed stat, but this can be affected by the moves they use. Using a move in the agile style allows the user to take its next turn sooner, whereas using a move in the strong style makes the user's next turn come later. The expected order of actions, accounting for the currently selected move and its style, is visible on the battle interface. This is often inaccurate when using moves in the agile style, however, as the game usually claims the user's Pokémon will move again immediately after an agile style move is used when most of the time it doesn't.
Mechanics
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Requires a more detailed and technical breakdown of how Action speed is calculated. How much do consecutive agile moves diminish? |
In the game, the action order is determined via the participating Pokémon's action time, a value that acts as a wait timer and determines when a Pokémon will have its next turn. Increasing a Pokémon's action speed is equivalent to decreasing its action time, and vice versa.
In battle, every Pokémon's action time counts down at the same rate. When a Pokémon's action time reaches zero, it will be awarded its turn. After completing a turn, action time returns to the default value. If multiple Pokémon's action time reaches zero at the same time, then priority is given in the following order:
- The Pokémon that has gone the longest without a turn (does not apply to initial turn)
- The highest Speed stat
- The player's Pokémon
The default action time is directly based on the Pokémon's Speed stat.
| Speed Stat | Default Action Time |
|---|---|
| 15 or lower | 14 |
| 16 - 31 | 13 |
| 32 - 55 | 12 |
| 56 - 88 | 11 |
| 89 - 129 | 10 |
| 130 - 181 | 9 |
| 182 - 242 | 8 |
| 243 - 316 | 7 |
| 317 - 401 | 6 |
| 402 or higher | 5 |
Usually, battles begin with both Pokémon at their default action times. However, hitting a wild Pokémon with a back strike will catch it unaware; this sets the player's Pokémon action time to zero, and the wild Pokémon's to one, automatically awarding the player the first turn regardless of Speed. Conversely, if the player runs away from a battle and reinitiates a battle with the same Pokémon, the wild Pokémon's action time will be zero, and the player's will be one. (If both events occur at the same time, the game will prioritize the back strike and allow the player's Pokémon to move first.)
In Trainer battles, if a Pokémon is knocked out, then the next Pokémon sent out will inherit its elapsed action time. In many cases, this allows the next Pokémon to immediately execute a move, if its Speed is not significantly lower.
Moves that affect action speed do so by adding or subtracting from action time. Strong style moves always add to the user's timer. However, agile style moves work a bit differently:
- Agile style moves that target a foe adds to the target's action time
- Agile style moves that target the user subtracts from the user's action time
This means that in battles against multiple Pokémon, using an agile style move on one foe will not push up the user's next turn before the other foes'. In addition, moves in the agile style consecutively has a diminishing effect on action time.
Items
In most circumstances, using items will simply take a turn and not affect the wait timer. However, using items that in any way buff the player's Pokémon will add 3 to that Pokémon's action time. These items include:
- Aux Power
- Aux Guard
- Aux Powerguard
- Aux Evasion
- Dire Hit
- Choice Dumpling
- Twice-Spiced Radish
- Swap Snack
List of moves by action time modifier
Moves in Pokémon Legends: Arceus have several action time modifiers, which may be applied to both the user and the target after the move is executed. The following lists all moves in Pokémon Legends: Arceus by their action time modifiers.
In other languages
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This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |
