How to Trigger a Full Moon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

The celestial cycle plays a surprisingly significant role in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, particularly when it comes to encountering certain Pokemon or triggering specific events. One such celestial event is the full moon, which is a prerequisite for several rare encounters and evolutions. Knowing how to reliably trigger a full moon can be a game-changer for your progress.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus features an in-game day/night cycle, and within that cycle, there are also phases of the moon. While the moon phase progresses naturally over time, it can feel somewhat random and frustrating when you're waiting for a specific event that requires a full moon. Fortunately, there are methods to influence or at least predict when a full moon will occur.

The most straightforward way to advance the in-game time and moon phase is by utilizing the Base Camps scattered throughout Hisui. When you rest at a Base Camp, you are presented with options to sleep until morning, sleep until night, or sleep until a specific day of the week. By repeatedly choosing to sleep until night, you can cycle through the in-game days and observe the moon's phase.

To effectively trigger or wait for a full moon, follow these steps:

Find a Base Camp: Locate any Base Camp in the region you are currently in.
Rest Until Night: Interact with the tent at the Base Camp and select the option to sleep until night. This will advance the in-game clock to the evening.
Observe the Moon: After resting, check the sky to see the current moon phase. You can usually see the moon clearly at night.
Repeat if Necessary: If it's not a full moon, repeat the process of resting until night. Each time you do this, you are advancing the in-game calendar by one day.

While this method is reliable, it can still take a few in-game days to cycle through to a full moon. The game's moon cycle is not perfectly predictable in terms of how many days it takes, but this method guarantees you'll eventually reach it.

Another important aspect to consider is that some events or Pokemon spawns are tied to specific days of the week in addition to the moon phase. For instance, certain requests or legendary Pokemon encounters might only be available on a Friday with a full moon. Always check the specific requirements for the event you are trying to trigger.

It's also worth noting that saving your game before resting can be a useful strategy. If you rest and do not get the desired moon phase, you can simply reload your save file and try again. This allows you to quickly cycle through days without losing progress if you're trying to manipulate the moon phase for a specific purpose.

The most common reasons players need to trigger a full moon are:

Encountering Darkrai: Darkrai's appearance is tied to a full moon at night in the Clamberclaw Cliffs.
Evolving Sliggoo into Goodra: Hisuian Sliggoo evolves into Hisuian Goodra when leveled up to level 50 or higher during a rainstorm. While not directly tied to a full moon, weather can also be influenced by time progression.
Other Rare Spawns: Some other rare Pokemon or specific events might be tied to lunar phases.

By mastering the use of Base Camps and the resting mechanic, you can effectively control the flow of time in Hisui and ensure you are present for all the celestial events that Pokemon Legends: Arceus has to offer.

Full Moon Triggering Guide:

Use Base Camps to rest.
Select "Sleep until Night" repeatedly.
Observe the moon phase each night.
Save and reload if needed to speed up the process.