A staple of Pokemon since its very beginning in 1998, Safari Zones serve as a slightly different spin on the conventional ways to capture Pokemon. Instead of weakening your target with a battle, trainers themselves face targets, and while the specifics have varied, the general idea is that you pay a fee for a limited time to try and catch some 'mons using these harder methods.
The flipside of this slightly more annoying capture procedure was that Safari Zones held multitudes of rare Pokemon, many of which weren't available elsewhere. Sadly, after Generation IV, traditional Safari Zones stopped showing up in the Pokemon games, but fortunately, similar areas have cropped up here and there in the years since Sinnoh. Here's every Safari Zone and Safari Zone-like area, ranked from worst to best.
8 ඣ Kanto - The Original Safari Zone, But Also The Most Basic
Located in Fuchsia City, Kanto's Safari Zone was the one that introduced the very idea of Safari Zones to players. For a price🅘, enter and catch some of the rarest Pokemon in the whole region. I♕t also played into the plot, with the memorable false teeth fetch quest serving as the way to obtain the Surf HM.
However, as with many parts of the franchise, Generation I's Safari Zone was outdone in the years that followed. It's also sad that we never got to see the Zone in high definition 3D on the Switch, as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:it was omitted from the Let's Go games to be replaced with the GO Park instead.
7 ♉ Hoenn - Some Subt♍le Steps Up
Despite Hoenn being the third region, its Safari Zone was only the second to be designed, for reasons that will be outlined below. Nonetheless, its Safari Zone, found on Route 121, iterates nicely on that of its predecessor. It's laid out and operates similarly, though in the ORAS remakes, the entry fee is waived, and encounters work as normal.
The most notable improvement is the Pokeblock Feeders, which utilize the region's berry-based Pokeblocks to influence the natures of nearby Pokemon and potentially make them easier to catch.
6 Kalos Friend Safari - The First Spi๊ritual Suc🥃cessor To Safari Zones
When Pokemon Black & White released, traditional Safari Zones died, as the games' Unova region featured nothing of the sort. A mere generation later, however, France-based Kalos picked up the torch with its Friend Safari. It operate♐s a little differently to the Zones of old, but the inspiration is c♔lear.
Players can visit a Safari Area for any 3DS friends they have, and catch Pokemon there. Each friend's Safari contains three different Pokemon of one typing, so while the variety of Pokemon is initially fewer, as you build up many friends, you'll have a good number of Pokemon on offer. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Frien🍒d Safari also features great shiny odds, which is nice.
5 Galar's Wild Area - Takes Many Bold Steps, But Is Definitely Imperfect
Like X & Y before them, Sword & Shield set out to carry on the legacy of Safari Zones with their Wild Area, a sprawling expanse full of more Pokemon than ever before. The encounters change with the weather, and with enough exploring, you can acquire some 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:seriously good team members.
However, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the rec🥀eption to the Wild Area was mixe꧃d. The concept was great, but many found the changes in weather jarring, the graphics abysmal, and the sheer number of Pokemon overwhelming when combined with the lack of direction. Fortunately, theཧ Generation VIII games would rectify this in theiဣr DLC.
4 Sinnoh's Great Marsh - A Major Elevation To The Safari Zone Concept
Coming hot on the heels of Hoenn, Pastoria City's Great Marsh is an area of ecological importance, with natives to the city explaining how it's preserved since it serves as a home to many rare species. The Zone is great for m💖ore than just Pokemon, though — it condenses the Safari Zone experience for players, making it easier to travel through and clearer to understand which Pokemon are where.
A train transports trainers to the Marsh's various areas, and a small fee can be paid in the administrative building's lookout tower to learn what special Pokemon can be found in each of those zones. The Great Marsh is as beloved among fans as the rest of Sinnoh, and considering the improvements it made for players' convenience, it's easy to see why.
3 ꧑ Johto - Th🐬e Final, And Best, Conventional Safari Zone
Johto was Pokemon's second region, but for its debut in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, there was no Safari Zone. Game Freak had wanted to reimplement Fuchsia's Safari Zone, but presumably ran out of time. Therefore, Johto didn't get its Zone until the Generation IV remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, where it's revealed the Kanto Zone's owner, Baoba, had relocated to Route 47.
Fortunately, the wait was worth it. The zone operates identically to the Great Marsh of Sinnoh, but after completing a challenge for Baoba, players are actually able to configure the Safari Zone themselves, choosing six areas from a pool of twelve, each with their own unique set of Pokemon, and laying them out as they wish. Even further customization is unlocked after reaching the Hall of Fame — truly the peak of Safari Zones and𒆙 a fitting culmination of the iconic ar🧔eas.
2 Galar's Crown Tundra - A Notable Improvement Over the First Wild Area
Sword & Shield were the first Pokemon games to receive DLC as opposed to any sort of sequel or third game, and the additional content came in the form of two new parts of the map to explore. These new areas were essentially two more Wild Areas, copying the original's mechanics into new environments.
The Crown Tundra's focus was largely on the story and its Dynamax Adventures, but its Wild Area functionality was still leagues ahead of the original. It felt more cohesive, better to look at, and, being a postgame feature, players were far more eqꦜuipped to handle its wealth of native sp🐽ecies.
1 Galar's Isle of Armor - The Fully Realised Wild Area
While it preceded the Crown Tundra, the Isle of Armor lacked the later expansion's focus on extensive story, instead just offering a vast area of natural beauty in which trainers could catch Pokemon. The differ𒀰ent 🌃biomes felt more natural: a dusty plateau, lush plains, humid swamplands, dense forests, cave networks, and more, all fit together seamlessly.
The Isle of Armor isn't devoid of story; rather, the plot is simply short and takes a back seat while the landscape speaks for itself. The Isle of Armor is o🐻ne of the best places in franchise history to catch Pokemon, and a worthy successor to the Safari Zones of years prior.