The Real Reason Cherrim Got Nerfed In Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Players have had a blast exploring the vast open world of "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" and compiling the first Pokédex since the title released on Jan. 28 — but a lot of that good will quickly disappears when players are forced to rely on random outcomes underscored by buggy Pokémon. In a lot of ways, it has never been easier to spot and catch Pokémon in "Pokémon Legends: Arceus," but there are at least a couple of pocket monsters that don't want to behave the way they ought to. 

Alongside the troublesome Buizel and the side quest tied to catching a large version of the Pokémon, players will also be asked to undertake another optional mission that asks for a completed Pokédex entry for Cherrim. Both of these quests have caused grief for players, but Cherrim has proved to be particularly annoying. Thankfully, Game Freak has come to the rescue and released a patch aimed at correcting the issues with Cherrim.

There are few things more frustrating to a completionist than being set against a nigh-impossable obstacle. This was the case for many "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" players attempting the "To Bloom or Not To Bloom" side quest The mission tasks players with catching, battling, and observing Cherrim in the wild to complete its Pokédex entry. The Pokémon was already a pain for players to find, but when they did locate the grass type, it would often glitch out and ruin any chances of capture.

As confirmed by a subsequent Japanese "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" support article (translation via Google Translate), Cherrim would become uncatchable if the Pokémon changed form. This, coupled with the fact that the creature was already a tough one to locate, made "To Bloom or Not To Bloom" a real pain to finish.

That said, Game Freak has been quick to resolve the issue. On February 8, Game Freak released patch 1.0.2, the first post-launch update for "Pokémon Legends: Arceus." Alongside a few other notable fixes, like correcting bugs that caused some Missions to get stuck, one of the entries reads, "Fixed an issue that sometimes made it difficult to catch Cherrim." While the phrasing is pretty vague, the meaning is clear: players shouldn't find Cherrim as difficult to lock down once they locate the rare Pokémon. With that issue out of the way, fans can get back to arguing over the quality of the title's graphics.