Open the Play page and launch the official game. Start as a guest or use the game’s own account options. This guide cannot read your save: available partners, purchased upgrades and collection progress are managed by the game.
Charmander begins with Ember, Squirtle with Water Gun and Bulbasaur with Vine Whip. They introduce a targeted projectile, a piercing stream and a close-range arc. Pick the opening style you can position safely. A large attack multiplier does not automatically make a partner easier to play.
Before starting, note your opening move and one evolution goal. Read its required stat card in Level-up Cards. Use the Pokédex for the partner’s actual starting HP, movement speed and attack factor; these differ from main-series Pokémon stats.
2. Move deliberately and switch the active slot
Move with WASD or the arrow keys on desktop. Select an attack slot with 1–4, cycle with Q/E or use the move icons. Esc pauses. On mobile, use landscape orientation, drag to move and tap the move icons. Give the battlefield enough screen space to see warning markers.
Only the selected slot triggers attacks. Learning four moves does not make all four cast together. Switch when the current attack no longer suits the approaching enemies. Some already-created projectiles or timed buffs can persist after switching; Bonds later let multiple moves cast from one active slot. Choice Band is an item exception that prevents ordinary slot switching while equipped.
Circle the edge of a group and keep a second exit in mind. Take nearby experience when the route is open. If a warning circle or line appears, leave it before returning for the pickup. Crossing the center of a horde for one experience gem often costs more health than the level is worth.
A controller can move, switch attacks, pause and operate menus; check Settings > Controls for your device. Automatic firing and automatic aiming are separate: Manual aim in Settings > Accessibility is off by default and lets a mouse or right stick control direction. Try it in open space before committing to a close-range attack.
Game battlefield: keep an escape route open before moving in for experience. This image illustrates positioning, not a fixed enemy spawn.
3. Give the opening minutes a clear job
Your first job is to establish a reliable attack and stay alive long enough to improve it. At a level-up, read all three offers: a new move changes your options, a move upgrade strengthens an existing attack, and a stat card helps the current run or satisfies an evolution condition.
Choose one main evolution instead of distributing early levels evenly across every available move. Ember, for example, needs level 5 and a Power card taken in the same run. The card can be taken before level 5. Once ready, select the gold evolution offer; permanent menu upgrades do not substitute for that run card.
If you are losing health because enemies survive too long, improving the main attack may help. If you are repeatedly trapped, change the route and attack spacing before assuming another damage card will fix it. Survival choices can justify delaying the planned evolution.
Check Physical or Special on the card as well as its type. A partner can learn a compatible attack that uses its weaker attack factor. For example, Machamp favors physical attacks such as Karate Chop; being able to learn Shadow Ball does not make its special damage equally strong. The Level-up page shows this difference for the partner you choose.
4. Read waves and bosses as changing pressure
Outside type-horde events, the game draws seven species per wild-enemy tier from overlapping base-stat-total bands. Later tiers join the pool while older casts continue with less weight. The schedule below describes eligibility, not a promise that a named species appears at that minute.
A healer or shielder can make an ordinary crowd harder to clear. A summoner adds bodies, a runner intercepts a predictable route and a bomber punishes staying close. Beam, jump and ground-zone warnings give you information: move out of the marked area first, then decide whether to attack or collect experience.
Boss slots in the game begin at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 minutes, with a different selection each run. The displayed HP and damage are templates before species, time, behavior, spawner and co-op modifiers. Use the candidate lists to recognize possibilities, not to predict exact fight length.
At 30:00, once any current Rift or card choice ends, the Judgment of Arceus begins. Arceus is invulnerable, and a new legendary joins every five seconds. Movement speed above 130 has only a quarter of its normal extra effect in this phase. Arceus accelerates further after five minutes; its contact damage rises after seven and can reach your full HP after ten. These are escalating hazards, not a fixed 40-minute end screen.
Explore the data: 6 wild tiers & 5 boss slots
WILD ENCOUNTERS
Six wave tiers, different casts
The game selects candidates by base-stat-total (BST) bands. These pools are possibilities, not guaranteed appearances. Wild tiers exclude rarity 5; bosses exclude legendary partners. Later wild tiers join the pool instead of replacing every earlier enemy.
The game selects candidates by base-stat-total (BST) bands. These pools are possibilities, not guaranteed appearances. Wild tiers exclude rarity 5; bosses exclude legendary partners. Later wild tiers join the pool instead of replacing every earlier enemy.
A locked chest takes 3.5 seconds nearby to open in the game, and enemies keep attacking. Move away when the space closes; opening progress decays rather than forcing you to remain. Healing springs consume charge, while an altar grants a temporary effect instead of permanent strength.
A Rift takes you into a separate legendary arena. Each victory grants a Bond for move fusion; it does not automatically unlock a normal legendary partner. Check your health, attack and the arena’s 120-second limit before entering. Losing the challenge returns you to the map without the victory reward. New Rifts stop opening at 28:00 before the Judgment of Arceus.
Other events include type hordes, golden hour, rescues and fleeing treasure thieves. A timer or a shiny-looking reward does not make a chase safe. Check the event effects below before deciding whether to change your route.
Compare world events, chests, springs & altars
THE WORLD BETWEEN WAVES
Events & interactable objects
30 seconds
Golden hour
Existing enemies become golden and give double experience. The golden event can also produce extra coins.
120 second limit
Lost partner
Escort a grounded, non-legendary partner from the lower-rarity pool to its destination. Keep it alive along the way.
30 seconds
Type horde
The spawn pool temporarily narrows to one eligible type. Use attack typing and open ground to manage the wave.
15 seconds to escape
Treasure thief
A Meowth carries coins; the rarer Gholdengo variant carries a ×10 ticket. Thieves run away, so decide whether a chase is worth the risk.
14% max HP / second
Healing spring
Standing close heals while the spring has charge. It recharges over time; it is not an unlimited instant full heal.
3.5 seconds nearby
Locked chest
Stay within range to open it while enemies can still attack. Moving away makes opening progress decay.
25 seconds
Temporary altar
Four possible effects: damage ×2, movement speed ×1.45, pickup radius ×4, or cooldown ×0.6. A used altar switches off.
74 world-unit effect radius
Ground traps
Poison, sticky and explosive variants affect nearby enemies and can also harm or slow your partner. The player danger area is smaller than the full enemy effect radius.
After a run, identify the immediate cause: a warning marker you stayed in, an escape lane you closed, an attack that did not cover the crowd, or insufficient damage against a durable enemy. Pick one change for the next attempt so you can tell whether it helped.
Run cards disappear after the run. Tickets expand the collection through regional banners; coins can buy upgrades for the selected partner. Spend according to your goal rather than treating every currency as interchangeable.
A useful first-run checklist is simple: know the active slot, keep a clear route, focus one evolution, select its required stat card and leave a dangerous reward behind when necessary. Review the upgrade cards and type chart before your next attempt.
7. Save before leaving or changing devices
With a signed-in account, changes are recorded in the current browser first. Cloud uploads are scheduled after about 30 minutes with pending changes. Finishing a run or making a gacha pull is no longer a promise of an immediate cloud upload.
Use Save at the top right before closing or switching devices. Check that the pending indicator clears. If a recent upload is still inside the minimum interval, the button may queue the next upload rather than finish immediately; wait for the status shown in the game. A guest session does not keep permanent progress.
30 seconds
120 second limit
30 seconds
3.5 seconds nearby
25 seconds
74 world-unit effect radius