Topic: Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon discussion

I've straight up had to turn the EXP share on. It's just....you aren't doing this without it or scumbagging through things.

So I was on par with all the trainers on Route 12 and Blush Mountain at Ula Ula Island. The boss trainer on Route 12 though, screw that, Lv 35, a good 4 to 5 levels above me. When I get to Tapu Village no more than 5 minutes later, I fight the very next trainer who pulls out a Gabite, Sliggoo and Shelgon all Lv 36.

I have battled every trainer. I have done everything. I don't know where this level creep came from.

Better get on that grind rail to the infinite depths below.
Ain't no way the game's letting you pass even with the EXP Share on.

Considering I got wiped by the Water trial with a Rowlet and Pikachu more than five levels above the totem, I think I should know something about that.

@DarkRula To be fair the Water totem battle is just not fair no matter how you cut it. Like, cool, it has:

A berry to reduce Electric Damage.
A speed boosting aura.
It's first summon is it's pre-evolution with similar moves and the same ability
Said first summon has Spider Web to slow all your Pokemon down on switching in
It's second summon is a bloody Masquerain that sets up Tailwind to speed their side up further
The Totem and it's first summon have an ability that halves Fire type damage to them, boosts Water damage from them to you and prevents burns
The Totem has Leech Life for great recovery
The Totem has Aurora Beam so good luck with any resists
It's raining so Water moves get boosts even further
The Totem Pokemon is of a species with exceptional defences in both stats

And its two on one.

You know. Fun.

This game is seriously frustrating me. Like...its actually making me mad. And not in the "XY is stupid and boring" makes me mad.

No, this is legitimate frustration and I don't want to play anymore because the game is frequently kicking my ass down with OHKOs from things that SHOULD NOT OHKO ME because the game has beneficial natures, max EVs and IVs on all opposing Pokemon, where I, the player, cannot feasibly do that myself during the main storyline.

I'm going to be blunt. And after Sun and Moon I didn't think I'd say this: Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are bad games. Not on a technical level, but as RPGs they overwhelm the player in difficulty by utilising mechanics the player has no control over until post game, and frequently level jumps.

Well it sounds promising so far then. Let's see how I fare.

@Meowpheel For reference right now I'm at Tapu Village, trainers range from Lv32-36 right now, my team is Lv 31-33 with Brionne, Tauros, Araquanid, Amaura, Electabuzz and Malamar. I have not used the EXP Share once and this game is obliterating me.

I'm putting it down for some time. I cant...I just cant. Ive never been put off by a game being hard but its not just one part its multiple and its fluctuates so randomly from being comfortable, to challenging, to brutal and back down again with no warning on if a trainer is going to be 5 or so levels above you with max stat Pokemon.

I haven't hated a Pokemon games difficulty this much since the mess that was HGSS.

Sounds interesting. I don't recall struggling at all with HG. Maybe I'll look up some videos.

Gold and Silver were simply flawed in terms of balance. In those games it's almost impossible to keep a full team fully trained, because there's simply no good places to train your pokemon.

In an effort to give the trainer freedom in the second half of Jotho, the trainers reach a difficulty plateau after the Ecruteak gym, and they rarely go above level 30 outside of the last gym, meanwhile, the wild pokemon in Kanto, the aftergame area, are an utter joke.

This wasn't really fixed in the remakes.

@Meowpheel The remakes made it worse. No good places to train, wild Pokemon in general barely hit Lv 30. For some reason the Team Rocket Hideout is far lower level than the stuff you do to unlock it and the stuff you get for beating it, and you can do all that before anything else as soon as you get Surf.

And the Pokemon variety jesus christ it was TERRIBLE and shallow in Johto.

And in the originals most of the new pokemon had really really bad movesets.

Like for example, Jumpluff only learns two damaging moves by level up. One of which is tackle, and the other one, equally weak in terms of power, doesn't come until level 44.

And Xatu doesn't learn an actual damaging psychic move until level 65.

It doesn't help that most of the TMs in those games were basically useless.

@YummyHappyPills @Meowpheel This issue actually was fixed somewhat in the remakes (HGSS) over the originals (GS).

In HGSS, the wild Pokemon are still low-leveled BUT you can train by rematching gym leaders. While rematches with Johto gym leaders aren't that helpful, the Kanto gym leaders have level 60 and 70 Pokemon that make it much easier to level up. It's still quite a grind, but it's not as bad as in the originals. And at least in HGSS it was worth it for the epic final showdown against Red.

@shadow-wolf I'm talking about the main quest. You aren't rematching gym leaders.

@YummyHappyPills Well you aren't in the main quest but it's an available option to help you level up, in the same way battling wild Pokemon to level up isn't part of the main quest but is an available option to help you level up.

Oh well yeah, and the elite four also gets competent after you beat the game.

But the road there is still mostly unbalanced.

@Meowpheel Most of the Kanto Pokemon in Gold/Silver have bad movesets as well.

Oh well, but at least they can do nice damage without TMs.

I mean, at least those I used in my last playthrough.... Then again that aerodactyl never really learned a rock move besides ancientpower...

Good thing my entire team is made up of hatched pokemon from my sun game, with good ivs and ev training. Though i plan to replace one or two members with wild caught pokemon from Usun. Im planning on adding clauncher/clawitzer in the future or trapinch/flygon, maybe even tyrantrum or noivern.

But im still just starting on akala, so i have not faced the water totem yet. Looks like im still in for a tough battle.

Current team is flechinder, dewpider, wishiwashi, grubbin, skarmory, wimpod. With a second grunbbin in the pc.

Btw can i get vikavolt early this time?

@BlackTalon Vikavolt, Magnezone and Probopass are now evolved at Blush Mountain I believe

@Meowpheel Yeah Nidoking is a good option for example. Double Kick and Horn Attack are decent moves. Gets access to the elemental punches, Sludge Bomb, Earthquake, and Surf too.

@YummyHappyPills Wow. That's a lot of technical stuff for something outside of the competitive battles.
I will find a way to beat it. Even if every 'mon has to be Lv25 to do it.

@YummyHappyPills It's still Vast Poni Canyon.