win.gg
Win.gg Pokemon How to use space-time distortions in Pokemon Legends

How to use space-time distortions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 02/02/2022
A space-time distortion forming in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Space-time distortions are a big part of the Pokemon Legends: Arceus experience. Here’s all you need to know about making the best use of them.

The latest installment of the Pokemon franchise is receiving strong reviews and a big part of that positive response is the new mechanics and rewards for exploration. Among these is space-time distortion. This phenomenon gives a chance at catching some rare Pokemon and an opportunity to farm items for cash and further evolving your Pokemon.

The trouble is that these areas are almost completely unexplained and are unlike anything seen in the series to this point. They’re also pretty scary, though not as scary as the real thing. So how do Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ space-time distortions work? 

What are space-time distortions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

Space-time distortions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus are timed events where an area of a map will spawn Pokemon that aren’t native to the region. A number of rare items will also appear on the ground.

Each map has its own set of Pokemon that will spawn in space-time distortions. Most of the Pokemon that can be found in space-time distortions can be found in other maps, but there are a few Pokemon that are exclusively found in space-time distortions.

A fully formed space-time distortion in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Active space-time distortions are darker and have a stormy effect around them.

Space-time distortions form seemingly at random. The player will receive an alert that a space-time distortion is forming, which can be seen on the minimap as a hurricane-shaped icon. Eventually, the space-time distortion will form and all the Pokemon native to the area will disappear while the new ones will spawn in. Items will also flash into the area and will sit on the ground.

The space-time distortion ends after a few minutes, at which point all the items and all the Pokemon that were brought into it will disappear.

Distortions have rare Pokemon, including Legends: Arceus starters

Most regions in Pokemon Legends: Arceus have access to rare Pokemon through space-time distortions. The list of Pokemon that are exclusively obtained in this way includes:

Certain Pokemon that require items to evolve will also spawn into these maps. Alongside the likes of Weavile and Porygon 2 are Scizor in the Alabaster Icelands, Magmortar in the Coronet Highlands, and others elsewhere.

Eevee is also a relatively common spawn in space-time distortions. Each map has a selection of Eeveelutions that can spawn as well, starting with Sylveon and Leafeon in the Obsidian Fieldlands.

After completing the story, the three starter Pokemon of Legends: Arceus and their Hisuian evolutions from the game are made available through space-time distortions as well. This includes the Cyndaquil line appearing in the Crimson Mirelands, the Rowlet line appearing in the Coronet Highlands, and the Oshawott line appearing in the Alabaster Icelands. Each of these Pokemon has a chance of appearing as alphas.

How to make space-time distortions form in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Players cannot force a space-time distortion to form in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. They occur seemingly at random while the player is roaming around an area.

If the player dies or closes out of their game while a space-time distortion is forming, the distortion will stop forming and will instead disappear. Some players have claimed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus has protections that will punish players if they try to save and quit out of a space-time distortion then load back into it. They say that this can result in space-time distortions being disabled for an extended period of time based on the Nintendo Switch’s in-game clock. But this has yet to be confirmed.

Steven Rondina Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile
Read Also
Garena Announces Palworld Online, a Mobile MMO Spin-Off News
Garena Announces Palworld Online, a Mobile MMO Spin-Off Hannan Mundia After the success of Palworld, Garena has announced that the game is coming in the form of a mobile MMO spin-off. Palworld divided many fans when it first came out. The resemblance to Pokémon was uncanny, though the entire premise was much more mature and violent than its inspiration. Still, the full release has been a massive success, breaking records and creating Palworld’s trading card game line as well. Hoping ...
These Are All the Horse Pokémon Through Generation 9 Pokemon
These Are All the Horse Pokémon Through Generation 9 Zachary Roberts Pokémon have long been designed after real-life things, primarily animals. There have been horse Pokémon, dog Pokémon, and more throughout nine generations (and spinoffs). Horses in particular are quite popular with players, and the animal's real-life grace and power transfers expertly over to the game. It helps that some of the horse Pokémon in these games are among the best and most memorable Pokémon you can get. They can be ...
You Can Now Trade on Pokémon Card Prices With Kalshi Pokemon
You Can Now Trade on Pokémon Card Prices With Kalshi Zachary Roberts Kalshi now offers traders the chance to trade on Pokémon card prices. The popular prediction market has plenty of available options, ranging from general news to elections. Traders can make predictions on weather, video games, and plenty more. Now, the value of Pokémon cards — one of the hobby's most hotly debated topics — has joined the platform, with users able to trade prediction contracts on future prices Kalshi has ...
Pokémon Winds and Waves leaks: Everything we know about Gen 10 Pokemon
Pokémon Winds and Waves leaks: Everything we know about Gen 10 Zachary Roberts Pokémon Winds and Waves has been given one trailer and no official release date. Clearly, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak have kept things close to the chest. That said, there are still leaks coming out all the time that reveal plenty about what Generation 10 will entail. Here's what we know so far. Thanks to Centro Leaks, we have a lot of (tentative) information about the upcoming mainline Pokémon ...
Nintendo Direct June 2026: Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokémon DLC, and more announced News
Nintendo Direct June 2026: Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokémon DLC, and more announced Zachary Roberts After months of waiting, a real Nintendo Direct was announced for June 9, accompanied by a Treehouse Live afterward. There hasn't been one since August, which left the Nintendo Switch 2 pretty barren in terms of first-party titles. That changed with this stream. Here's everything that was announced. First up, the initial reveal at the June Nintendo Direct was Rhythm Heaven Groove. This was not a new revelation, as it ...
Pokémon TCG announces 30th anniversary set Pokemon
Pokémon TCG announces 30th anniversary set Zachary Roberts Pokémon TCG, as well as the wider franchise, debuted in 1996. That means that this year is the 30th anniversary. Earlier in the year, the Pokémon Company announced several big things for the 30th, including the port of Fire Red and Leaf Green as well as the first look at Generation 10. Part of that livestream included a brief tease about something special for the 30th anniversary, specifically of Pokémon ...
All shiny Pokémon available in Pokémon GO in 2026 Pokemon
All shiny Pokémon available in Pokémon GO in 2026 Zachary Roberts Getting a shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO is an absolute treat. It's not as easy to hunt certain things on that game as it is on something like Legends: Z-A or Scarlet and Violet, but you can endlessly play by walking around. The shiny odds are much higher, too. At 1/512 base odds, it's much more likely than in a mainline game, where the odds are 1/4096. If you're interested ...