Weather plays a bigger role in Pokemon Legends Z-A than most players expect. Lumiose City may look like a familiar urban hub, but its changing conditions influence exploration, wild encounters, and even evolution requirements. Understanding how each weather type behaves – and how to reset it – makes a noticeable difference when hunting specific Pokémon or completing weather-based objectives.
Lumiose’s weather isn’t just atmosphere. Several Pokémon only appear under certain conditions, and one evolution method depends entirely on rainfall. Because weather shifts gradually over time, knowing how to influence transitions helps reduce waiting and keeps your hunt efficient.
All Weather Types in Pokemon Legends Z-A
Pokemon Legends Z-A features six distinct weather states, each with its own look and gameplay relevance.
| Weather Type | Gameplay Impact |
|---|---|
| Clear Skies | Best time to hunt Riolu, Eevee, Helioptile, and Skarmory. One of the most common weather states. |
| Intense Sun | Functions the same as Clear Skies for spawn checks — still good for Riolu/Eevee/Helioptile/Skarmory. |
| Cloudy | Allows Skarmory to spawn; useful if you’re tracking it down and Clear Skies hasn’t appeared. |
| Rain | Critical for Goomy and Sliggoo spawns near water. Also required to evolve Sliggoo into Goodra. Rain windows are short, so be ready. |
| Fog | Reduces visibility but has no major spawn benefits. Mostly atmospheric; not useful for targeting specific Pokémon. |
| Rainbow | Appears after rain. No gameplay impact, but it signals that the rainy window is over — useful if you’re waiting for spawns or Sliggoo’s evolution. |
1. Clear Skies
Clear Skies is the most common condition across Lumiose City. Daylight is stable, visibility is high, and no environmental effects interfere with exploration.
Key Impact:
- Required for Pokémon such as Helioptile.
- Contributes to spawn rates for Riolu, Eevee, and Skarmory.
2. Intense Sun
Intense Sun appears during certain parts of the day when sunlight becomes noticeably harsher and shadows grow sharper. While gameplay remains similar to Clear Skies, it is treated as a separate weather state for encounter purposes.
Key Impact:
- Shares the same qualifying conditions as Clear Skies for Riolu, Helioptile, Eevee, and Skarmory.
3. Cloudy
Cloudy weather blankets the sky with darker clouds but brings no rain. It slightly alters the lighting across Lumiose and serves as an alternate spawn window for specific Pokémon.
Key Impact:
- Skarmory can spawn during Clear or Cloudy weather.
4. Rain
Rainy weather is easy to recognize once droplets start falling, though it may appear subtle when viewed from a distance. Rain is one of the most important conditions in the entire game due to its influence on encounters and evolution.
Key Impact:
- Goomy appears only in the rain and only near water.
- Sliggoo appears under the same conditions as Goomy.
- Sliggoo evolves into Goodra during Rain (details further below).
Rain typically lasts only a short period before clearing, so timing matters.
5. Fog
Fog shrouds Lumiose streets in a thick, misty layer, reducing visibility more than any other weather state. While it does not influence many spawns, it alters the city’s atmosphere significantly.
Key Impact:
- Primarily visual; no major confirmed encounter effects.
6. Rainbow
Rainbows appear after rain subsides. If you tilt the camera upward, you can spot a colorful arc stretching above the skyline.
Key Impact:
- No direct gameplay effects, but it is one of the rarest visuals in the game.
How to Change the Weather in Pokemon Legends Z-A
You can’t manually select a weather option, but you can force time to advance, which triggers new weather rolls.
Use Benches to Fast-Forward Time
Benches are placed throughout Lumiose City, and every Pokémon Center has at least one. Interacting with a bench gives the option to “Kill some time here”, skipping forward to the next day or night cycle depending on the current time.
Each transition rerolls the upcoming weather.
Why Timing Matters
- Weather previews appear during the fade-in between day and night.
- Rain and fog tend to last for short windows.
- It’s more efficient to cycle time when you already know what weather you’re waiting for (e.g., rain for Sliggoo).
Tip for Hunters
If a desired weather condition finally appears, save immediately. If the encounter goes wrong, you can reload without losing the weather.
Weather-Based Pokémon Spawns
A few Pokémon in Z-A require specific weather before they appear. Below are the confirmed weather-linked spawns.
Clear Skies or Intense Sun
- Riolu
- Helioptile
- Eevee
- Skarmory (also appears during Cloudy)
Rain
- Goomy — only found near bodies of water
- Sliggoo — only found near bodies of water
How to Evolve Sliggoo Into Goodra (Rain Requirement)
Sliggoo has the only weather-based evolution in the entire game.
Requirements:
- Reach Level 50
- Wait for Rain
- Have Sliggoo in your party during rainfall
Once the rain begins and Sliggoo meets the level requirement, the evolution prompt becomes available automatically. Because rain ends quickly, it’s best to have Sliggoo pre-leveled before forcing weather cycles. Play Now!
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