So, Switch owners. Here we are again, getting swept up in the holiday season. Buying gifts, stockpiling food, planning annual trips to visit family (🐟trips which remind you, within thirty seconds of arriving🍸, why you only see these ingrates once a year)… it’s such a magical time, isn’t it?

This particular holiday season is going to be a crucial one for Nintendo. The Switch has had rather a slow year, release-wise, and it’s time for a big push to drive sales and make up for that. To help make this happen, they’ve got a two-pronged AAA assault lined up, in the shape of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee.

While Smash Bros. is agreed by many to be the must-have exclusive that they’ve been waiting for to jump on board with the system, Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee has been a much more controversial proposition. The internet is tough to please at the best of times, and when you throw in reveals about the removal of held items, breeding and the like, the accusations of ‘dumbing down’ the Pokémon formula were going to fly thick and fast.

Tꦜhis isn’t the spangly new generation eight title we’re waiting for, no. Taken on its own merits as a reimagining of the original games, though, this is a joyful experience, and there’s a lot of hidden depth to the mechanics and surprises to be found.

What unusual item should you be selling for cold, hard cash? Just how much potential does the Poké Ball Plus have? Just how soon can we get Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Sq𝔉uirtle? Read on for answers, and a lot more handy tips.

25 Because It’s Just Not Kanto Without Bulbasaur, Charmander, And Squirtle

As we know, Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are remasters and retellings of Pokémon Yellow. They’re♈ not completely faithful remakes, but that’s the model the game was bas💖ed on. For this reason, your starter Pokémon is Pikachu (or, obviously, Eevee).

All of which is totally fine, but this bright and beautiful new take on Kanto really should give us the opportunity to nab our favorite Pokémon Red and Blue starter too, and early on.

And so it does. When you reach Cerulean City, an NPC in a house next to the Pokémon Center will give you a Bulbasaur, providing you’ve caught 30 (total, not all different) Pokémon. If you’ve caught a total of 50, a man just above Nugget Bridge on Route 24 will give you a Charmander. Finally, Squirtle can be yours ﷺas soon as you reach Vermillion City. Officer Jenny will give you the little critter, if you’ve hit 60 total catches. So there you are, with all three original starters before you’ve even boarded the S.S Anne.

24 So That’s Not Early Enough For You?

Now, myself, I’m totally happy with that arrangement. The levels you get the three Pokémon are a little lower than your average party will be at the point you reach them, but it won’t be long bef🦋ore ꧋you’ve got them caught up.

If you want to do the catching yourself, that’s also an option. They’re ver𒉰y rare spawns, but you’ll get the starters even earlier than this for you trouble. Bulbasaur is available in the wild in Viridian Forest, Charmander will spawn in Route 3, Route 4 and Rock Tunnel, while Squirtle can appear on Routes 24 and 25. And the Seafoam Islands, if you still don’t have one by that point.

What can you do to ease the process of th𓄧ese rare💫 spawns appearing? More on that later.

23 Buy Items In 10s

Now, the game isn’t shy about handing you Poké Balls. It’s a good thing, too, because the amount you’ll be burning through, launching them Pokémon GO-style, can be quite frighte🐠ning. Especially when you’re shooting for catch chains, which we’ll take a loo🎃k at a bit later.

You’re given them for beating some trainers, you find batches of them in the 🌜overworld, there are even NPCs who will give you more if you run out (there’s one in Mt. Moon, for instance).

Despite this, though, you’ll want to make darn sure you keep yourself stock at the Marts, t♈oo (remember to bulk buy in batches of ten, to get the best fromꦉ the bonus Premier Balls).

On that note, here’s an interesting early-ga🍬me tip that will likely even trip up series veterans: in this game, Rare Candies sell for 5,000 each. If you don’t plan on using them, make sure to keep that in mind.

22 Chains Are Super, Super Useful…

A couple of entries back, we discussed the iconic Kanto st🅘arter Pokémon, and how players can grab them for their own as early as possible. Well, if you want a Bulbasaur from the game’s very first ‘du🍸ngeon,’ Viridian Forest, you’re going to have to earn it.

How do you do that? with catch chains, that’s how. As you probably knܫow, catching multiples of the same Pokémon species consecutively maintains a catch chain. It’s this that increases the chance of a rare spawn.

Think of it as a similar system to chain fishing for shiny P🐈okémon in recent generations of the main game.

21 …In More Ways Than One

If you’ve been around since the days of late-nineties Pokémania, there’s something about Let’s Go that you’re🅰 sure to find a little jarring. While Trainer battles are plentiful, they aren’t a primary source of EXP thisꦿ time around.

The bulk of your levels will come from catching Pokémon, which equally distributes exꦍperience to your whole party. There are all kinds of factors that will increase the experience this nets you (more on that later), but one excellent one is the catch combo. The higher you’ve got the combo, the more bonus EXP each catch will earn you. That’s a big thing to bear in mind.

20 Shiny Hunting — Yes, You Can See Them In The Open-World

Earlier, I spoke of hunting for shiny Pokémon, and a technique that veterans will remember as chain fishing. As you defeat the same hooked Pokémon in a row (running from those that were of a different species), you chance of finding a shiny Pokémon (of any species encountered in tho𝓰se particular waters) would dramatically increase.

In Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, this is another interesting hidden ✱facet of catch chains. As reported by, shiny Pokémon are still darn rare, but your chances of finding one in that area will improve as your chain increases. Players are reporting reaching chains of 100+ without any luck, so be prepared for a potentially long꧂ haul if you want to try it. And, as I say, stock up on those Poké Balls.

Their alternate colors𓂃 and distinctive ‘sparkle’ are visible on the overworld, luckily, so yꦆou won’t miss them.

19 Petting Pays Off

Over the years, Game Freak have gone to great lengths to ensure that the franchise pushes the whole let’s be friends with our Pokémon, let’s bond with them, let’s share glorious sunset-watching romantic moments with them thing to the hilt.

As technology have moved on, we’ve been given different ways to try and bond and interact with these fictional creatures. Hey You, Pikachu! was a huge advancement ജ(that is, it would have been, if the darn game had worked), but touchscreen petting with the likes of Pokémon Amie is also effec꧂tive.

In Let’s Go, petting your Pikachu or Eevee gets its own huge icon on the menu, and you may not want to neglect it. by lavishing attention on y൲our little partner, you have a chance of receiving rare gifts from them.

18 Don’t ‘Sleepy Sleep’ On These Special Moves, They’re Fantastically Broken

Yep, I know. I hear you, friends, I definitely do. When those special moves your partner Pikachu/Eevee can learn were revealed to the world… well, the world was pretty darn snarky about the whole thing. No꧑t without reason, either, because Splishy Splash, Zippy Zap, and such sound every possible kind of pitiful.

Let’s not get hung up on that, though, because these attacks are 👍fantastic. You’re first able to obtain some from ꦚCerulean City (the ringmaster Move Tutor in the Pokémon Center), and their BP level and secondary effects are way overpowered at that point).

Eevee’s Buzzy Buzz, for instance, is equal to Thunderbolt in ཧpower, but also guarantees Paralysis on the target. Getting that directly before M🌱isty’s Water-type gym? Dang.

17 There’s Also An Ultimate Move You May Not Have Seen

As I say, some of these exclusive moves are totally overpowered. Especially for the poi🌃nt in the game that you can first access them. The Partner Powers go a stage beyond that, though.

If you weren’t convinced that playing with your Pikachu or Eevee is a good idea, how about this: doing so builds you relationship with them, allowing you to use a Partner Power. These can be straight-up attacks (Pikachu’s Pika Papow or Eevee’s Veevee Volley, both of which are powered up bꦕy friendship as with Return) or, if your partner isn’t currently active in battle, it’ll buff the stats of your currently-battling Pokémon. Look out for the icon in battle, and use it to best effect.

16 Eevee’s Got Much More Choice Than Pikachu

On the subject of those hilariously-titled special moves, that’s one thing that may sway your decision between the two versions🐼. The differences aren’t particularly s🍸ignificant, but I guess this is the sort of thing that could break a very close tie.

While your partner Pikachu can learn up 🍰to three of these moves (Zappy Zap, Floaty Fall and Splishy Splash), a partner Eevee can learn a move for each of the types it can currently evolve into.

This gives it access to the Dark-t♛ype Baddy Bad, f🐼or instance, alongside the Ice-type Freezy Frost. This is a great way to patch up the Normal-type’s limited coverage.