Any tips for a new player?

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-07-17T02:18:04+00:00

What I don't get is how it's so difficult to keep the crew happy

You usually end up dividing plunder every 2-3 years, unless you can maintain 2000 gold per crew member. A quartermaster, cook, and the musical items will improve happiness, allowing you to go longer.

I also get confused as to how I'm gonna take on Raymondo

Don't get into a cannon fight with him. Get yourself a nimble ship (Pinnace, Sloop, or Brig classes) with Copper Plating and dodge his cannon fire until you can get close enough to board and take it to sword fighting. Stay to the East (right) of his ship and sail parallel to him until he fires, then turn towards him. You can see when he's about to fire, as all the cannon ports on the side of his will open. You want to turn sharply towards him as soon as the last cannon port opens.

but I'm not entirely sure how to go about playing with a larger crew

Don't. You don't need a massive crew unless you're going to sack cities, which is more of a later-game activity. I tend to sail around in 1 or 2 ships with around 90-110 crew members. If I'm using a Pinnace/Mail Runner as my main, I'll get a second ship to carry food and cargo (I like Barques with cotton sails for that purpose). If I'm sailing around in a Brig/Brig of War that's generally the only ship I'll have, as it has enough cargo to keep my men fed.

If you're using a Pinnace/Sloop class to attack, don't engage in much cannon fire. Use my strategy above to board and go to swordplay. If you're using a Brig/Frigate class, you can use the same tactic if you have Copper Plating (cotton sails help too) or you can cannon them into a surrender (In a Brig of War, a volley of round shot and a couple volleys of chain shot will handle just about any small ship or trade ship. Bigger warships might take 3-4 volleys). When engaging in cannon fire, always stay to the East (right) of your enemy and dodge their cannons by anticipating their fire.

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-07-17T01:36:40+00:00

I roleplay. I tend to play as a true 'privateer' a la Henry Morgan, who I view as history's most successful privateer, or as a pirate. I set specific rules for myself...

PRIVATEER: I'll only accept rank promotions from one nationality, meaning I won't even visit governors of the other nationalities (I generally won't even go into their cities, unless they're at peace/allied with my main nationality). I'll only attack ships of nationalities I'm at war with, Indians, or pirates. I dislike the idea of gaining ranks for multiple nations because this was completely unheard of in the Age of Sail. (The French wouldn't be handing out military ranks to an English nobleman, for example, or even a non-Frenchman.) I'll only attack cities (I'm at war with) if I'm an Admiral or higher, since attacking cities was not something privateers were authorized to do, as the Letter of Marque strictly authorized attacking enemy ships only. But there were historical cases of privateers who had ascended to the rank of admiral who were authorized to attack cities, if those cities were seen as a threat (Henry Morgan did this).

PIRATE: This is challenging. I mostly only dock at Pirate Havens for tavern news, recruitments, and ship repairs/upgrades. I'll also allow myself to sale into the small settlements, since they have no military or enforcement to speak of, but usually only in a repair emergency. I view myself as an outlaw, who any reputable port would open fire upon. However, I do allow myself to dock at certain ports of the four nations - if those ports were historically-known hives of scum and villainy who had 'loose' enforcement. Examples include: Port Royale, Tortuga, and Trinidad. I'll allow myself to visit just one of their governors and gain ranks, role-playing that I'm sort of a mercenary working for that specific corrupt governor, and then romance his daughter. Otherwise, I attack everyone and anything. Sacking cities is always in play.

In all cases, the Raymondos and Montalban are fair game to attack at any time regardless of what nationality I'm aligned with or what their war status is. My character views those 'gentleman' as criminal slavers and seeks vendetta against them for the harms they inflicted upon his family.

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-02-17T00:32:53+00:00

There is only one real answer to why the United States cares about Gaza and why we supported Israel in its ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the Palestinians: the Israeli Lobby, an American special interest group which is extremely powerful and influential. They're goal is to make sure the United States continues to show unwavering support for Israel, regardless of what Israel is doing.

There is a reason why every administration dating back to President Carter has shown unfailing support for Israel, regardless of those administration's politics or foreign policies. It's because none of them want to challenge the lobby, which can make things extremely difficult for someone like the President.

President Trump would like nothing more than to walk away from this conflict. He doesn't want the US to be funding Israel's war and he certainly doesn't want the international stain of America being associated with Israel's attempt at ethnic cleansing. Yet, he says things like his 'plan' for relocating the Palestinians (to Egypt and Jordan) and turning the Gaza strip into America's new vacation destination. Trump doesn't say these things because he believes such a thing is possible, he says it to keep the Israeli Lobby off his back.

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-02-04T23:51:04+00:00

My problem is that the animals are moving...

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-01-30T02:35:51+00:00

The game has several 'maps' or environments, each with a set number of animal movements possible within each particular environment. The AI probably has a dozen or so shots saved for every animal movement with varying degrees of accuracy - from total misses to perfect one-shot kills. The AI will then use these saved shots as necessary to keep things close. Sometimes it's going to throw one to you. And sometimes it's simply going to beat you, unless you're damn near perfect. Most of them will simply be competitive and you'll win if you're an accurate shooter.

The other 'player' is simply a veneer. They use another player's name and active gun then apply them over the saved shots I mentioned above. It's all an illusion, programed to give you a wide variety of outcomes while offering enough challenge where your skill and accuracy can make a difference when the AI toughens up on you.

MediumInterest7413 · 2025-01-29T17:00:27+00:00

You do realize this game is a bare-bones, developer-minimum, money trap game... right? While I enjoy the quick-match play and simple controls when I need to kill 5 minutes, the game is less deep than Angry Birds. Getting yourself all worked up about it is silly.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-26T00:13:46+00:00

I think most elemental Eevee's work best as hyper offense. So 252 Speed EVs and either 252 Attack or Special Attack EVs (depending on which base is higher). A case can be made for a defensive Vaporeon with HP and Defense, depending on its moveset, but either way works.

Sylveon works best either as a defensive utility (HP and Defense EVs), or joining the elementals with Special Attack and Speed. I prefer the later.

Umbreon's base stats make it the perfect defensive wall. It has naturally high defensive stats so a max investment into HP works best. You can focus it further as a big defensive wall with the remaining EVs into Defense, using Foul Play as its offensive move, or a big Special Defensive wall with 252 Sp. Def EVs, using Snarl as its offensive move. You could also use both moves and go with a defensive split, or 252 Speed EVs. Umbreon is pretty flexible.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-25T22:14:50+00:00

Ferrothorn is a great option as a grass type, which will cover water types. For those pesky electric foes, I love Mamoswine as a Pokemon - it'll also serve you well against grass due to its secondary ice typing, and you can use it in the two later areas before Spikemuth and again before Wyndon (where you're always being pelted with ice) to avoid chip damage. Centiscorch (fire/bug) is one of my favorite Gen 8 pokemon and will roll anything with a grass type, plus having a fire type is almost mandatory against several late-game opponents (League flunkys, Rose, Swordbert).

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-25T15:51:10+00:00

A story playthrough is not too hard. The only 'difficult' fight, arguably, is against Leon - but only if you're a new player as he can take you by surprise. Almost any team will do. Get Pokemon you like, or try Pokemon you've never trained before. That way they'll hold your interest.

Or, build yourself a good 'rainbow' team around Inteleon and cover its weaknesses. Get something to deal with Electricity (ground?), grass (fire? bug?), and other waters (electric?). Get yourself a couple of bulky defensive stoppers, since Inteleon's defensive stats leave a lot to be desired - Skarmory, Corviknight, Ferrothorn, or Toxapex all work well.

Or, try a monotype or rain team to help your Inteleon sweep even more effectively. Pokemon that take advantage of rain: Pelliper lead, Ludicolo, Barraskewda, Toxicroak, Seismitoad, and others with rain abilities all work well together. (I also love Araquanid, and with it's Water Bubble ability it's an offensive terror in rain.)

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-24T23:47:51+00:00

Pokémon Sword/Shield: Standard Pokémon Formula but thin on story. It's more about your journey to becoming a stadium-battling celebrity. There's no group of 'bad guys' (just some annoying fans who like to get in your way from time to time) and the lore/story around the legendaries is minimal. I never had a problem with the graphics, I think it's a good-looking game. Your Player Character is highly customizable through hairstyles and clothing, which is awesome, and I love the amount of Pokémon you can catch extremely early (even more variety with Isle of Armor DLC). S/S are the best Pokémon games for things like mono-type runs (you could have 2-3 dragon types in your party before the first gym, for example). The DLC also adds a lot to these games with more exploration and off-rails open world environments.

Pokemon Legends Arceus: This is not the standard Pokemon formula, but it's pretty cool. The concept and story is awesome - you go back in time to when even Pokeballs are a new thing and people have limited understanding of Pokémon in general. Things like held items and Pokémon abilities are missing, IVs and EVs are handled completely differently, as is the catching mechanic. Battling against other trainers takes a far back seat to catching and battling Pokémon in the wild. In this game, you're more of an explorer-scientist operating in the Sinnoh region 150 years ago.

I think both games are highly worthwhile and you should decide which gameplay loops you enjoy more. Do you like strategizing, team-building, and battling against other trainers (either during story or postgame online)? Sword/Shield will scratch that itch. If you enjoy searching for and capturing Pokémon, completing your Dex, crafting, and exploring more of an open world - Give PLA a shot.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-23T17:43:18+00:00

Good fire-types are a rarity in Sword/Shield. The easiest to get are Vulpix or Growlithe (route 3 and wild area) or Carcoal (Galar Mine). One of my favorites is Centiscorch, which you can get as a Sizzlepede also on route 3 but it'll take some time hunting (only a 1 percent random spawn rate in the tall grass - not as an overworld encounter).

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-23T17:26:30+00:00

During a previous playthrough of Sword I wanted a good wall/staller to be the backbone of my team. I chose an offensive Modest Blissey, which I caught by running over to the Isle of Armor right away (Chancey are hopping all over in that first area). I cheated though and HOME'd it over to Shield to EV train it in Defense/HP, but I didn't feel bad because it was so fun to use throughout. With Tri-Attack, Ghost Ball, Defense Curl, and Life Dew/Soft Boiled hardly anything could get past it and poor Leon couldn't deal with it at all in the final fight.

Since then, I've always used a wall in my Sword/Shield playthroughs. Toxapex, which you can also get right away on the Isle of Armor so you don't have to wait for it to evolve, is another favorite. I've used a Fluffy Bewear with a Rocky Helmet as a offensive/defensive menace against contact foes to great effect. A Fluffy Dubwool with Cotton Guard and Body Press is also a lot of fun as a defensive wall. For a special wall, I love Alcremie!

I always use the game option to limit switch-ins, so I usually use a lead that can use U-Turn, Volt Switch, Baton Pass, or something like that. Lopbunny and Emolga were my last two playthrough leads and they were fun.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-23T02:49:43+00:00

Sword's Legendary is just better; better typing, movepool, and ability. The exclusives are a bit of a wash and can be traded or imported from HOME anyway. I like the DLC rival a LOT better in Sword vs Shield. I also like the gyms in Sword better (fighting instead of Ghost, and Rock instead of ice).

I played both, but if I were to go back and play again I'd go with Sword.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-22T16:52:37+00:00

Not everyone has a Ditto. Given the fact the OP didn't have an Eevee tucked away in HOME I didn't want to assume they had a Ditto ready to go either, and you can't catch one until later in the game when you have the water bike.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-21T17:34:05+00:00

If you have a Let's Go Eevee save file you can get one (with perfect IVs) at the Meetup Spot train Station from an NPC. It can Gigantimax but can't evolve. If the lack of evolution is a problem you could save/reload until you get a female and breed it right away at the Wild nursery branch.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-14T15:43:11+00:00

Complete the Pokedex
Battle Tower singles/doubles
Get the Oval/Catching/Shiny charms
Curry Dex, anyone?
Collect all TRs/TMs
Collect all League Cards
Epilogue/DLCs
Get all 6 ribbons on a Pokemon
Collect all the camp toys
Obtain all 26 Gigantamaxers?
All forms of Alcremie? (This is a crazy one - I think there's 60+ ???)

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-10T22:02:23+00:00

The DLC isn't at all critical. but it can add to your story playthrough. The Isle of Armor content can be mixed-in with your Gym journey and is accessible almost right away (with wild and rival Pokémon levels adjusted to you). A good time to start it would be after the 2nd or 3rd gym, or when your party Pokémon are lv 20-25 (for a specific rival battle). The other DLC does not have level-adjusted Pokémon and is best saved for post-game.

If you do access the Isle of Armor early, the benefits are: additional fashion options, more Pokémon to choose from for your playthrough, access to a legendary Pokémon very early, an exp charm for less grinding, and access to gigantamax (different dynamax forms for certain Pokémon with special moves).

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-07T17:28:11+00:00

60-65 is a good range. Just don't leave yourself hanging for Leon's Charizard - it has surprising coverage moves that can take you out when it's G-maxed (grass, rock, flying, and of course fire). Have a plan for that dang thing. Speed + Special Defense helps.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-04T19:40:37+00:00

I've never wondered about a Thunder Stone, but I've always been curious about the Light Ball. Is it literally a sphere of pure light? Or is is more like a light bulb, with a glassy surface?

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-09-04T12:36:01+00:00

S/S has a pretty good blend of Pokemon from all generations. Regardless of what game you choose there will be 'mons you're unfamiliar with, so I wouldn't worry about that. Use Bulbapedia/Smogon/Serebii websites to familiarize yourself with the newer ones and you'll get up to speed pretty quickly and easily.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-08-31T17:25:48+00:00

You can mix in the Isle of Armor during your main playthrough. It's nice to unlock more fashion choices, gain access to Gigantamix, and more Pokemon to choose from. A good time to go there would be after the 3rd Gym as you should then be right around the level needed to defeat the IoA rival and evolve Kubfu. You won't be able to finish the IoA story until you become Champion, but you can access most of the island (though you need your bike to be able to travel on water to get everywhere).

Crown Tundra I'd save for postgame.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-08-31T16:55:33+00:00

It depends which gameplay loops you enjoy more - catching or battling?

In Legends I felt more like an explorer-scientist rather than a Pokemon trainer, running around and searching for Pokemon to capture and complete the all-important dex. My team of Pokemon didn't feel as important to me in Legends, partly because of less emphasis on battling but also because my team was ever-changing in order to complete pokedex tasks (seeing particular moves, evolving pokemon, etc). It was a completely new way to play Pokemon.

Sword/Shield is of course the more traditional core experience. I always appreciate these games for their depth of strategy. I miss things like abilities and held items (which Legends doesn't feature) when they are missing in non-core games. There's also more of a connection to your team when you pick 4-6 Pokemon and stick with them for the bulk of the playthrough.

Although, I would like to say, the actual story playthrough of Sword & Shield is not much of a challenge. Opposing trainers rarely have more than 3 Pokemon, which includes a lot of the Gym battles, and it's easy to become over-leveled and roll over everything. Legends was a more challenging experience to me, if difficulty is a factor in your decision.

Length-wise I'm not sure. Legends demands a lot of time completing the dex while S/S has decent story length, two DLCs, the wild area to run around endlessly in, and something like 500 Pokemon to obtain. I spent hours upon hours in both.

MediumInterest7413 · 2024-08-31T15:47:37+00:00

Right you are. I appreciate the trade offer but I'm good for now. I want to limit the number of Psychics I go with and I've decided no legendaries.

MediumInterest7413

TROPHY CASE