Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the brilliant Pokémon game that successfully managed to reinvigorate longtime Pokémon fans and it was released this year in January of 2022. This Pokémon game differs from the series mainline titles in a number of ways, which include being able to ride your Pokémon around vast areas, catching your Pokémon without engaging them in battle, and battling becoming a secondary goal with your primary focus shifting to filling out your Pokédex.
The Pokédex is one of the biggest upheavals in the new game, as in past Pokémon games the Pokédex was quite simple, simply catch the Pokémon in your current region and you would fill out a Pokédex entry. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus your Pokédex, which is given to you by Professor Laventon, the new professor in the game, is quite different from its predecessors and quite more complicated than them as well. One of your main tasks in the game, aside from filling out your Pokédex (but is still somewhat intrinsically connected), is increasing your Star Rank in The Galaxy Expedition Team.
The Galaxy Expedition Team is the team you are recruited into upon your arrival in Hisui, the region in which Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place. It is commanded by Commander Kamado, but the person who watches over you as you rank up in the Galaxy Team is Captain Cyllene. One of your roles in the game, aside from helping Professor Laventon by filling up the Pokédex, and of course your main goal of finding out why the Noble Pokémon are acting strangely, is advancing in the Galaxy Team Survey Corps by increasing and completing your Star Ranks.
When playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus you must travel from your hub world of Jubilife Village and travel to five main biomes to encounter and capture different Pokémon. Interacting with the Pokémon is what increases your Star Rank. You earn a certain amount of research points, which are points connected to your Pokédex progress which are then banked once you talk to Professor Laventon, and this is mandatory when you want to leave to go back to Jubilife Village.
Research points can be earned in a few different ways. You receive a base of twenty research points whenever you complete a research task in your Pokédex. Research tasks are certain objectives you need to complete for your Pokédex and they vary slightly for different Pokémon.
To explain these objectives let’s look at the Pokémon Psyduck’s Pokédex entry as an example. The tasks are usually incrementally increased starting at doing whatever the task is once. The tasks for Psyduck, some of which are common for other Pokémon, are catching a certain number of Psyduck, catching heavy Psyduck, defeating Psyduck, defeating the Pokémon with a certain type of move, with Psyduck that move must be of the Electric-type, seeing Psyduck use Confusion (with other Pokémon the moves vary), giving Psyduck food and finally evolving Psyduck.
Ticking off the tasks gives you twenty research points per rank, so catching one Pokémon would be twenty points, then three would give you another twenty, and so on. Fulfilling ten of these tasks gets you to research level ten which gives you another hundred research points. There are plenty of Pokémon to catch and therefore you will definitely not run out of research tasks before you manage to fully raise your Star Rank to level ten. There does seem to be a rate at which the research points you are given start to decrease, based on the number of research tasks completed in one run. But there are plenty of research tasks to complete, more than enough to complete your Star Ranks.
There are ten Star Rank levels in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and these levels get increasingly harder to reach, but as you find new Pokémon you shouldn’t have trouble finding the research points you need. Upon the completion of each level, you are rewarded with an unlock of some kind, usually with a crafting recipe and some items. The game also uses these ranks how other Pokémon games would usually use gym battles, as your Star Rank increases so does the level cap on Pokémon you can control. Here is a list of how many experience points you need to unlock each level of the Star Card and what you unlock upon completion:
The First Star
The first Star Rank is fairly easy to unlock and one of the first things you will do in the game. It takes a total of 500 research points to unlock and lets you control Pokémon up to level 20. Unlocking the first Star Rank gives you both the crafting recipe for Heavy Balls and the crafting recipe for Revives.
The Second Star
The second Star Rank unlocks with a total of 1,500 research points and lets you control Pokémon up to level thirty. The rewards for unlocking the second Star Rank are a crafting recipe for Feather Balls and a crafting recipe for the Super Potion. A new biome is also unlocked at this point, granting you access to the Crimson Mirelands.
The Third Star
The third Star Rank unlocks when you achieve 3,500 research points and lets you control Pokémon up to level forty. The reward unlocked at the third Star Rank is that a Great Ball recipe. A new biome is also revealed, giving you access to the Cobalt Coastlands, home to many Water-type Pokémon.
The Fourth Star
The fourth Star Rank unlocks at 6,000 research points and lets you control Pokémon up to level 50. There are two rewards unlocked at this Star Rank, the Leaden Ball crafting recipe and the Hyper Potion crafting recipe. Coronet Highlands is a new biome home to many Rock-type Pokémon, which is unlocked at this Star Rank.
The Fifth Star
The fifth Star Rank unlocks at 8,500 research points and lets you control Pokémon up to level sixty-five. The crafting recipe unlocked at this level is for Wing Balls. A new biome is also unlocked, the Alabaster Icelands which are home to many Ice-type Pokémon.
The Sixth Star
The sixth Star Rank unlocks at 11,000 research points and lets you control Pokémon up to level eighty. Both the Ultra Ball and the Max Potion recipes are unlocked at this Star Rank.
The Seventh Star
The seventh Star Rank unlocks at 15,000 research points and lets you control Pokémon of any level. Unlocking the seventh Star Rank grants the recipe for Gigaton Balls.
The Eighth Star
The eighth Star Rank unlocks at 20,000 research points and unlocks two recipes, the recipe for Jet Balls and the recipe for Full Restore.
The Ninth Star
The ninth Star Rank unlocks at 30,000 research points and gives you 10 Rare Candies, which can be used to level up your Pokémon, along with twenty Grit Pebbles.
The Tenth Star
The tenth Star Rank unlocks at a whopping 50,000 research points and is the final Star Rank you can achieve. Upon completion, you are given 20 Rare Candies and 10 Grit Rocks.
It is also worth noting that increasing your Star Rank also increases the rewards you receive upon completion of your expeditions, resulting in more Pokédollars, which you will need if you want to increase how many different items you wish to carry at one time in your satchel and to purchase more items. You need to go to Galaxy Hall in Jubilife Village to see Captain Cyllene in her office, so she can judge your Star Rank progress and give you your rewards.
Remember, with a total of 242 Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus there are more than enough research tasks for you to complete your Star Rank and be the best member of the Galaxy Team. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is currently available on Nintendo Switch.
