Ways to Make Your Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee Playthrough More Difficult
Permanent Deaths
Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee are great games. It’s the most beautiful Pokemon game to-date, and it’s pretty much everything we wanted Pokemon Yellow to be many years ago.
That said, the games are super easy. Anyone that has ever played a Pokemon game before will find its difficulty to be trivial. Even first time Pokemon fans shouldn’t have too much trouble with it.
If you’re a Pokemon master that has played the series for decades, you’ll be able to beat this game in your sleep.
In the past, what some fans have done to make Pokemon games harder is do something called a Nuzlocke run, which you can read about here.
However, due to various changes in Let’s Go’s gameplay (namely when it comes to gym requirements and the lack of random battles), a true Nuzlocke run isn’t possible. However, there are some elements of it you can borrow.
The best option is to embrace permanent deaths while playing. This makes Let’s Go way more interesting. Your Pikachu/Eevee can be the exception if you want.
When a Pokemon on your team faints, that’s it, they are gone forever; go ahead and send them over to the Professor. If it makes you feel any better, you can pretend that they are just “retiring” or “going on vacation.” You know, whatever helps you sleep at night.
Don’t use any revives either, because that defeats the purpose. If that’s really too much for you, come up with some rules for revives. Maybe you can use them in battle only, or are only allowed to use ones you find, to make them extra special.
Ways to Make Your Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee Playthrough More Difficult
Restrict the Way You Swap Pokemon
This is a combination of self-imposed rules that you can use to make Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee more difficult, all based around restricting how you can swap, move, and heal your Pokemon.
Pokemon Let’s Go allows you to access your Pokemon box whenever you want. Pretend that doesn’t exist if you want to make the game harder. Only allow yourself to swap Pokemon when you’re in the safety of a town or Pokemon Center.
On top of that, you can also keep a set order to your Pokemon. In other words, you have to use your Pokemon in the order that you have them in your party. If you combine this with permanent death, it makes battles way more scary.
A caveat could be allowing yourself to switch to a Pokemon of your choosing only after defeating a Pokemon, that you can at least not leave a party member to die after a close fight.
Ways to Make Your Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee Playthrough More Difficult
Not Using Any TMs/Taught Moves
Some of the TMs and taught moves that you get in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee are absurdly powerful at the time that you get them.
The biggest offender by far is the TM you get from Brock, TM 01 Headbutt. Headbutt is a powerful Normal attack that can make the opponent Pokemon flinch.
Most of the attacks you have at that point are around 30-40 power, and Headbutt does roughly double that and because it’s a Normal move, lots of Pokemon can use it. This bridges you to other overpowered TMs that you’ll find in the game.
Don’t use Headbutt, in fact, don’t use any TMs or taught moves from NPCs in order to make your Let’s Go experience tougher. Just stick to what Pokemon learn naturally, and you’ll be forced to strategize a bit more.
Ways to Make Your Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee Playthrough More Difficult
Area Specific Teams
Another fun challenge you can impose upon yourself is creating a new team after each badge. Ash from the anime often swapped out Pokemon for new ones that he found, and you can do the same.
Every time you get a new badge, ditch everyone except Pikachu/Eevee (or them too if you want), and start over with a new team that can be found in the area surrounding the next gym.
Instead of sticking with the same over-leveled, and overpowered Pokemon like the Kanto starters, you can keep a constantly rotating team.
This not only forces you to think up new strategies and team synergies, but also lets you experience more than just a handful of powerful Pokemon the whole time.
Ways to Make Your Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee Playthrough More Difficult
Don’t Use Pikachu/Eevee
Finally, if you truly want a more challenging Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee experience… don’t use Pikachu/Eevee. Your starter has perfect stats, and can learn moves that are just outright broken to compensate for their inability to evolve.
Aside from a few times where you’re absolutely hard countered, you can probably play most of the game only using your starter if you want.
While it may be sad, because they are so damned cute, if you want the toughest experience possible, combine all of the previous rules with leaving Pikachu and Eevee in your box.
What are some ways that you are making Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee harder? We’re interested to hear your ideas. Let us know in the comments below.
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