How To Find Space-Time Distortions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks the traditional Pokemon formula in many ways. The game is an open world, there are no gym leaders, and the setting is a version of feudal era Japan. However this ancient environment does present some Poke-problems, mainly how do you include 'mons which were only around in other time periods? The answer is the new space-time distortion mechanic.

Space-time distortions are the only way to catch certain Pokemon, such as the team pictured above. If you are struggling with finding these anomalies, don't worry, we have everything you need to know on space-time distortions below.

Before space-time distortions can appear, you must first beat Kleavor, the axe-handed insect which acts as the boss of Obsidian Fieldlands. Once you've done this, space-time distortions have a possibility of spawning whenever you are exploring one of the games five areas. If you want to hunt down one of these rifts, the most important thing to note is that their chance of appearing based on time. Whenever you're out exploring, there is a chance a distortion will appear, a chance which increases as time passes.

Time	Chance Increase	Overall Chance
5 minutes	+10%	10%
10 minutes	+20%	30%
15 minutes	+20%	50%
25 minutes	+25%	75%
40 minutes	+25%	100%

The good news is as the table shows, eventually there will be a 100% chance of a space-time distortion appearing. The bad news is that the game does not count time passing if you are in a menu or battle, and the timer resets if you rest for any time other than "a little while".

However if you avoid resting for too long or leaving the area, eventually a space-time distortion will appear. When one does, warning text will flash up on the screen, and the affected area will appear on your map. The game gives you a grace period before the rift materialises, so you have a few minutes to travel to the spawn point after you see the initial warning.

Once you arrive, it is advisable to hide in tall grass until the distortion actually starts. Until then, the Pokemon that usually inhabit the area will remain, and fighting them can use up precious resources you'll need for the main event. You'll know when the distortion begins, because the area will grow much darker and more warning text will appear.

From here on it's up to you! Space-time distortions are full of rarities, and the game ups its challenge accordingly. If you want to "catch 'em all" you're going to have to brave a few of these to find Pokemon like the long extinct Shieldon, or the computer-age Porygon. It is also advisable to pick up everything you can, as the distortions are the only place you can find certain evolution items in the wild.

Got any questions? Anything we missed? Please comment below, and happy distortion hunting!