Pokemon Legends Z-A introduced real-time combat to the franchise for the first time, replacing turn-based battles with cooldown-driven attacks and player-controlled positioning.
While the shift has added speed and tension to encounters, it has also exposed a major mechanical weakness that continues to frustrate players. Traditionally, Pokemon games rely on turn-based combat, where accuracy determines whether moves land or miss.
In Legends Z-A, that system was replaced entirely. Moves now only miss if a trainer successfully kites their Pokemon out of the attack’s path, and battles unfold continuously rather than in turns. Pokemon can repeatedly use moves as long as cooldowns allow, fundamentally changing how fights play out.
However, that real-time system comes with a glaring flaw. Poor pathfinding often leaves Pokemon struggling to reach their targets, turning high-pressure moments into avoidable failures.
Pokemon Legends Z-A pathfinding needs an ARC Raiders update
Pathfinding has become one of the most consistent points of frustration in Pokemon Legends Z-A. After selecting an attack, Pokemon frequently get stuck on corners, collide with Mega Crystals, or run in the wrong direction entirely.
In many cases, they fail to properly adjust their movement to reach a target that is clearly within range, resulting in an attack aimed at nothing.
This problem is especially noticeable in the Mega Dimensions DLC. Pokemon will regularly run off rooftops when targeting floating Pokeballs, snag themselves on trees or posts, or fail to navigate narrow spaces as the final seconds of a Hyperspace Wild Zone tick away.
With the timer actively pressuring players to complete tasks and break the golden ball, unreliable movement can mean losing valuable rewards through no fault of the player.
So what does this have to do with ARC Raiders? While the two games are vastly different in tone and structure, Embark Studios faced a similar issue and acted quickly to address it.
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The Shredder, one of ARC Raiders’ most dangerous enemies, received multiple pathfinding updates shortly after its integration. On November 20 and again on December 16, Embark adjusted the enemy’s movement behavior to prevent it from snagging on environmental objects while chasing players.
And it was super effective.
The first update arrived less than a week after the Shredder was introduced, following reports that it routinely got stuck on bushes, desks, and other map geometry. What should have been a high-threat encounter often turned into a trivial fight, undermining the enemy’s intended design.
Pokemon Legends Z-A still suffers from many of those same issues. With the Mega Dimensions expansion adding time-sensitive encounters and higher stakes through Hyperspace timers, unreliable pathfinding becomes more noticeable and more costly. Players are not asking for faster Pokemon or removed cooldowns, only for movement that reliably carries out the commands they give.
When there are 10 seconds left on the clock and a single pole separating a Pokemon from a floating golden Pokeball, it is hard not to feel that a Shredder would reach its target more consistently than a Zygarde using Extreme Speed.