Now, I know that these games are generally considered pretty easy compared to most RPGs. Once you learn how types matchup well you can complete most games with almost any Pokémon team, with some exceptions. As I’ve wanted to introduce some friends of mine who don’t have much experience with video games to the Pokémon franchise, I wanted to see what the people at Smogon think the best games to start with are. I’m gonna give a synopsis of my opinion on each region’s overall difficulty, and how I think they compare/if I would recommend them to a newcomer. I apologize for formatting; I typed this on a phone.
Kanto: Depends on version. I will admit I have comparatively little experience as I don’t return to these games often, but I’ll give my opinion anyway.
RBY: It’s the originals with all their trappings, though you can make it through pretty fine if you learn basic type matchups. The only real stumbling blocks a newcomer could have are Misty and Sabrina, with the others being handled with experimenting or a nudge in the right direction from a friend (get Mankey or Butterfree for Brock if you choose Charmander or are playing Yellow) or Diglett for Lt. Surge (though his Raichu can pose a threat with Mega Kick and Mega Punch if it hits). E4 aside from maybe Lorelei (her Pokémon can live a Tbolt if you are under leveled and they are dual types) and Lance (if only because you don’t see Dragons almost at all throughout the game) are dealt with through type matchups the player has learned up to this point, and, in the case of Agatha she just has weak mons and/or moves. The Champion...well you’ve had practice with his team, with the only real challenge being Alakazam and maybe the starter due to its high level. He has pretty weak moves in RBY (which is evident of the really bad learnsets in RBY aside from using TMs on mons, mostly special ones like Gengar, Nidos and Clefable) so you should be fine, though his team was made more competent in FRLG.
Speaking of FRLG, it is mostly the same save for slightly updated mechanics like Abilities. As for problematic areas to travel through, only perhaps Rock Tunnel without Flash and maybe Victory Road (though it’s more tedious than actually hard) are kinda annoying to newbies. I haven’t played Let’s Go yet, but I’ve seen a friend play it, and he said he can be difficult if you don’t want to break the game in half. I’d say anyone can likely pick these games up no problem with minor problems here and there and beat them, though I’d recommend FRLG or Let’s Go over the originals because they are less dated the former.
Gen 2...oh boy. The difficulty here is odd due to the weird level curve. You will be underleveled constantly for bosses post Morty unless you feel like going out of your way to grind, but overleveled for most mooks. Aside from fights being tougher than they should be due to the bizarre mook/boss level contrast, the hard fights are pretty well known here (Whitney, Clair, and maybe Morty if he gets lucky with Hypnosis). The saving grace is the elemental punch TMs in Goldenrod, which make otherwise difficult fights like Lance (hello, Ice Punch) much more manageable. Most everything else is dealt with through type matchups, with the main problem being that most Johto mons suck, not helped by the fact that evolution stones are very hard to acquire until Kanto unless you get lucky with the Pokegear. Kanto isn’t bad save for Blue and Red, as IIRC the others until Blaine are below level 50 and thus are technically weaker than Lance’s best Dragonite. I would say a newcomer could beat the game if they knew what they were doing, but I wouldn’t recommend it due to the harsh level curve and many mediocre mons.
These problems are only accentuated by HGSS, where the best TMs (Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, etc) are locked behind the Game Corner with no way to buy coins, which only emphasizes the other problems like the lacking mons and hard to get stones, as well as the level curve which was barely changed aside from postgame. Some fights become harder due to updates mechanics and changes, like Morty’s Gengar using Shadow Ball off its Special Attack (though he’s walled by any Normal especially if you can TM them Shadow Claw from the route east of town) Clair getting better moves, and Miltank holding a Lum Berry. Kanto’s levels, even for the mooks, were buffed up considerably too. I’d say GSC is beatable by anyone who has played a Pokémon game before, while HGSS isn’t recommended until you’ve played a few games first due to being hard for the wrong reasons I’ve mentioned. The only real story you miss out on is Red and some of Team Rocket as they originated in Kanto, but it’s not as bad as Black and White compared to their sequels.
RSE. I started here with Emerald. By now, mons were back to being pretty usable on the whole aside from needing TMS for a few like Shiftry. The level curve is smooth here, with the only numerous stumbling blocks being unusually tough gyms (even more so in Emerald) who either have competent Pokémon with only a few counters (Brawly, Wattson, Norman) or strategies that can throw unprepared players for a loop (Flannery’s Light Screen and Attract, Winona’s DD EQ Altaria, the surprisingly tough Double Battle with Tate and Liza in Emerald after being a joke in Ruby and Sapphire, Juan’s Double Team Kingdra in Emerald). The Elite 4 is pretty manageable with a good team, though I remember hating Drake as a kid. Steven is tougher than Wallace, but I think both are good and fair challenges, especially if you don’t abuse the level 70 Rayquaza in Emerald.
ORAS are pretty beginner-friendly mostly due to EXP Share and past generational changes, most notably much better movepools, with the only real hard bits being maybe Norman, Winona and Steven’s Mega Metagross. I’d say a beginner could start here in ORAS or even RS (where the tough midgame is balanced by the manageable endgame), but maybe after playing another game if playing Emerald.
Gen 4. In DP, the Pokédex sucked (see: literally two Fire types and Steelix being a running gag in Gyms thanks to elemental fangs). Not as bad as Johto but it’s definitely noticeable (just look at Flint and Volkner). The fights are balanced for the most part but the level curve by the end gets absurd (level 66 Garchomp!) and the Elite Four and Champion are in my opinion the hardest in the series with pretty dangerous Pokémon. The only other tough fights are the early Galactic Admin battles (let’s have the player fight fully evolved mons super early on with few weaknesses) and Cyrus, who, despite sharing a Rock weakness across his mons, has really good moves to compensate. Most Gym Leaders are dealt with via type matchups.
In Platinum, this is made much harder despite having a pretty good Pokémon selection unlike the originals. Most important fights are buffed or are swapped around and they are hard (Mismagius Shadow Ball at only the third gym springs to mind, as does Wake’s Waterfall Gyarados and Candice’s Snow Cloak Double Team Froslass). The E4 and Champion were nerfed level-wise slightly but their mons are updated to be better (look at Aaron and Flint for proof). I would say newcomers should play the DPPt games after having beaten multiple games, especially Platinum. Travel-wise, it’s only annoying due to a load of HMs and the snow routes.
Unova. I think Black and White 1 are very well balanced. You have some tough fights (Lenora, Elesa, Clay, Marshall, Ghetsis), late evolving mons, and a less forgiving EXP system, but the last two are compensated by pretty much no other difficulty spikes save the final boss, TMs being reusable, Audino being accessible, and most mons from Pinwheel Forest onward being generally useful (especially the desert). Only downside to playing BW1 first is that it subverts many of Pokemon’s tropes (like the endgame) which is best enjoyed if you play almost any other game first to be properly affected by the plot twist-notice how the Champion is obviously stated instead of somewhat unknown except to people who notice important NPCs easily in the other games (read: this character keeps showing up despite not being the player’s friend, an antagonist, or Gym Leader).
The Unova sequels are easier due to other regions’ mons being available and most tough fights being toned down or removed (the exceptions being Cheren who is tough with no easily available counters to his team as Riolu doesn’t learn Force Palm until level 15, and the new Colress who has great strategies). The only reason I don’t recommend the sequels is that it follow on the story of BW1. The Elite Four is mostly the same with an easier final boss albeit not a total pushover.
Gen 6. Well I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how easy XY are. Exp Share breaks the game, you are given great mons for free, and only the second Gym Leader Grant and Siebold pose a decent challenge. There is a wide mon variety but it might overwhelm newcomers, and some of the references to other games would likely be lost on them. I would recommend it if newcomers are fine with being overloaded with options and having a game they can breeze through. Even without the Exp Share some mons don’t even have full movesets.
Sun and Moon. These games are interesting. I’d say that they are harder than Kanto and Hoenn with much more balanced Exp Share mechanics thanks to Unova’s Exp system returning. The major fights are pretty challenging but on the flip side, the game tells you what mons are weak to what after you battle them now. A newcomer could beat these games with some effort, even as their first game, but they aren’t cakewalks by any means.
USUM on the other hand are very, very hard unless you really know what you are doing. Every major battle save the first Totem has tricks up their sleeve, and everyone knows how hard that one fight is towards the end. The endgame is slightly easier (final boss has no competitive strats) and harder (the Fighting E4s replacement has a much better team in terms of mons). In every playthrough I have whited out at least once save my mono Psychic run. I would recommend playing two other games first before this one.
So yeah, I think Black and White are overall the best games to start with aside from the plot subversions, though the Unova sequels and the Kanto remakes are also good choices, with an honorary mention to RS/ORAS. I know this post is long but I wanted to share my opinions on how the difficulty of each set of games might be acceptable or too challenging for a newcomer. All these games are great in their own ways. What do you guys think is the best set of main Pokémon games to start with?
Kanto: Depends on version. I will admit I have comparatively little experience as I don’t return to these games often, but I’ll give my opinion anyway.
RBY: It’s the originals with all their trappings, though you can make it through pretty fine if you learn basic type matchups. The only real stumbling blocks a newcomer could have are Misty and Sabrina, with the others being handled with experimenting or a nudge in the right direction from a friend (get Mankey or Butterfree for Brock if you choose Charmander or are playing Yellow) or Diglett for Lt. Surge (though his Raichu can pose a threat with Mega Kick and Mega Punch if it hits). E4 aside from maybe Lorelei (her Pokémon can live a Tbolt if you are under leveled and they are dual types) and Lance (if only because you don’t see Dragons almost at all throughout the game) are dealt with through type matchups the player has learned up to this point, and, in the case of Agatha she just has weak mons and/or moves. The Champion...well you’ve had practice with his team, with the only real challenge being Alakazam and maybe the starter due to its high level. He has pretty weak moves in RBY (which is evident of the really bad learnsets in RBY aside from using TMs on mons, mostly special ones like Gengar, Nidos and Clefable) so you should be fine, though his team was made more competent in FRLG.
Speaking of FRLG, it is mostly the same save for slightly updated mechanics like Abilities. As for problematic areas to travel through, only perhaps Rock Tunnel without Flash and maybe Victory Road (though it’s more tedious than actually hard) are kinda annoying to newbies. I haven’t played Let’s Go yet, but I’ve seen a friend play it, and he said he can be difficult if you don’t want to break the game in half. I’d say anyone can likely pick these games up no problem with minor problems here and there and beat them, though I’d recommend FRLG or Let’s Go over the originals because they are less dated the former.
Gen 2...oh boy. The difficulty here is odd due to the weird level curve. You will be underleveled constantly for bosses post Morty unless you feel like going out of your way to grind, but overleveled for most mooks. Aside from fights being tougher than they should be due to the bizarre mook/boss level contrast, the hard fights are pretty well known here (Whitney, Clair, and maybe Morty if he gets lucky with Hypnosis). The saving grace is the elemental punch TMs in Goldenrod, which make otherwise difficult fights like Lance (hello, Ice Punch) much more manageable. Most everything else is dealt with through type matchups, with the main problem being that most Johto mons suck, not helped by the fact that evolution stones are very hard to acquire until Kanto unless you get lucky with the Pokegear. Kanto isn’t bad save for Blue and Red, as IIRC the others until Blaine are below level 50 and thus are technically weaker than Lance’s best Dragonite. I would say a newcomer could beat the game if they knew what they were doing, but I wouldn’t recommend it due to the harsh level curve and many mediocre mons.
These problems are only accentuated by HGSS, where the best TMs (Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, etc) are locked behind the Game Corner with no way to buy coins, which only emphasizes the other problems like the lacking mons and hard to get stones, as well as the level curve which was barely changed aside from postgame. Some fights become harder due to updates mechanics and changes, like Morty’s Gengar using Shadow Ball off its Special Attack (though he’s walled by any Normal especially if you can TM them Shadow Claw from the route east of town) Clair getting better moves, and Miltank holding a Lum Berry. Kanto’s levels, even for the mooks, were buffed up considerably too. I’d say GSC is beatable by anyone who has played a Pokémon game before, while HGSS isn’t recommended until you’ve played a few games first due to being hard for the wrong reasons I’ve mentioned. The only real story you miss out on is Red and some of Team Rocket as they originated in Kanto, but it’s not as bad as Black and White compared to their sequels.
RSE. I started here with Emerald. By now, mons were back to being pretty usable on the whole aside from needing TMS for a few like Shiftry. The level curve is smooth here, with the only numerous stumbling blocks being unusually tough gyms (even more so in Emerald) who either have competent Pokémon with only a few counters (Brawly, Wattson, Norman) or strategies that can throw unprepared players for a loop (Flannery’s Light Screen and Attract, Winona’s DD EQ Altaria, the surprisingly tough Double Battle with Tate and Liza in Emerald after being a joke in Ruby and Sapphire, Juan’s Double Team Kingdra in Emerald). The Elite 4 is pretty manageable with a good team, though I remember hating Drake as a kid. Steven is tougher than Wallace, but I think both are good and fair challenges, especially if you don’t abuse the level 70 Rayquaza in Emerald.
ORAS are pretty beginner-friendly mostly due to EXP Share and past generational changes, most notably much better movepools, with the only real hard bits being maybe Norman, Winona and Steven’s Mega Metagross. I’d say a beginner could start here in ORAS or even RS (where the tough midgame is balanced by the manageable endgame), but maybe after playing another game if playing Emerald.
Gen 4. In DP, the Pokédex sucked (see: literally two Fire types and Steelix being a running gag in Gyms thanks to elemental fangs). Not as bad as Johto but it’s definitely noticeable (just look at Flint and Volkner). The fights are balanced for the most part but the level curve by the end gets absurd (level 66 Garchomp!) and the Elite Four and Champion are in my opinion the hardest in the series with pretty dangerous Pokémon. The only other tough fights are the early Galactic Admin battles (let’s have the player fight fully evolved mons super early on with few weaknesses) and Cyrus, who, despite sharing a Rock weakness across his mons, has really good moves to compensate. Most Gym Leaders are dealt with via type matchups.
In Platinum, this is made much harder despite having a pretty good Pokémon selection unlike the originals. Most important fights are buffed or are swapped around and they are hard (Mismagius Shadow Ball at only the third gym springs to mind, as does Wake’s Waterfall Gyarados and Candice’s Snow Cloak Double Team Froslass). The E4 and Champion were nerfed level-wise slightly but their mons are updated to be better (look at Aaron and Flint for proof). I would say newcomers should play the DPPt games after having beaten multiple games, especially Platinum. Travel-wise, it’s only annoying due to a load of HMs and the snow routes.
Unova. I think Black and White 1 are very well balanced. You have some tough fights (Lenora, Elesa, Clay, Marshall, Ghetsis), late evolving mons, and a less forgiving EXP system, but the last two are compensated by pretty much no other difficulty spikes save the final boss, TMs being reusable, Audino being accessible, and most mons from Pinwheel Forest onward being generally useful (especially the desert). Only downside to playing BW1 first is that it subverts many of Pokemon’s tropes (like the endgame) which is best enjoyed if you play almost any other game first to be properly affected by the plot twist-notice how the Champion is obviously stated instead of somewhat unknown except to people who notice important NPCs easily in the other games (read: this character keeps showing up despite not being the player’s friend, an antagonist, or Gym Leader).
The Unova sequels are easier due to other regions’ mons being available and most tough fights being toned down or removed (the exceptions being Cheren who is tough with no easily available counters to his team as Riolu doesn’t learn Force Palm until level 15, and the new Colress who has great strategies). The only reason I don’t recommend the sequels is that it follow on the story of BW1. The Elite Four is mostly the same with an easier final boss albeit not a total pushover.
Gen 6. Well I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how easy XY are. Exp Share breaks the game, you are given great mons for free, and only the second Gym Leader Grant and Siebold pose a decent challenge. There is a wide mon variety but it might overwhelm newcomers, and some of the references to other games would likely be lost on them. I would recommend it if newcomers are fine with being overloaded with options and having a game they can breeze through. Even without the Exp Share some mons don’t even have full movesets.
Sun and Moon. These games are interesting. I’d say that they are harder than Kanto and Hoenn with much more balanced Exp Share mechanics thanks to Unova’s Exp system returning. The major fights are pretty challenging but on the flip side, the game tells you what mons are weak to what after you battle them now. A newcomer could beat these games with some effort, even as their first game, but they aren’t cakewalks by any means.
USUM on the other hand are very, very hard unless you really know what you are doing. Every major battle save the first Totem has tricks up their sleeve, and everyone knows how hard that one fight is towards the end. The endgame is slightly easier (final boss has no competitive strats) and harder (the Fighting E4s replacement has a much better team in terms of mons). In every playthrough I have whited out at least once save my mono Psychic run. I would recommend playing two other games first before this one.
So yeah, I think Black and White are overall the best games to start with aside from the plot subversions, though the Unova sequels and the Kanto remakes are also good choices, with an honorary mention to RS/ORAS. I know this post is long but I wanted to share my opinions on how the difficulty of each set of games might be acceptable or too challenging for a newcomer. All these games are great in their own ways. What do you guys think is the best set of main Pokémon games to start with?
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