Pokémon Winds & Waves Leaked Catching System Praised By Fans

Pokémon Winds and Waves have only recently been revealed, but Generation 10 leaks are numerous, and one regarding catching mechanics is getting a lot of interest from fans. The Switch 2 exclusives were classically introduced alongside Gen 10’s new starters, but even an official trailer hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from producing everything from new Pokémon type leaks to the alleged size of the new region’s map.

A new leak suggests Pokémon Winds and Waves will adopt the real-time catching mechanics pioneered by Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This tidbit comes from Twitter account BallGuy, whose supposed insight is cryptic and sporadic, though they do have a history of claiming Gen 10’s combat will take after Arceus‘s. A Reddit thread on the topic by user luxanna123321 shows fans’ enthusiasm for the idea; one comment says the dynamic system in Arceus is “the best catching mechanic ever.”

How Will Catching ‘Mon Work In Pokémon Winds & Waves?

If the leak is to be believed – this is your requisite reminder to take all unofficial information with a grain of salt – then catching Pokémon in Winds and Waves will be much more fluid than it is in almost every mainline predecessor. Since the series’ inception, catching a Pokémon has traditionally been a mid-battle mechanic: weaken the wild Pokémon you wish to catch, then huck a Poké Ball at it. Pokémon Legends: Arceus streamlined this process. While it’s still possible to throw Poké Balls during a battle, you can also simply throw them at Pokémon who are wandering the game world.

Arceus emphasized repeatedly catching Pokémon of the same species in the interest of adding more biological information to the Hisui Pokédex. Lower-level ‘mons didn’t require the whole shebang – sneak up to a Pokémon, and you’d have a good chance of catching it without entering a battle. Pokémon Winds and Waves will supposedly have a similar system, though the details remain unclear.

This New System Sounds Good To Pokémon Fans

The potential return of Arceus‘ dynamic catching system, or an iteration of it, is already going over well with Pokémon fans. In the aforementioned Reddit thread, one comment says, “Amazing news, that is one of the best systems they introduced.” There is a lot of praise for how Arceus made the act of catching more interesting, especially with the various Poké Ball types, which each had distinct advantages and unique physics.

Another comment says dynamic catching alone “would elevate the game for me.” Catching Pokémon is one of the series’ central pillars, but has remained largely unchanged over the decades. Even after Arceus, Scarlet and Violet went back to mid-battle catching, while Legends: Z-A altered the real-time catching in ways that weren’t as celebrated, being slightly less free-form because of that game’s emphasis on battling.

When Arceus first came out, catching felt like an area in which the series could innovate moving forward, yet that hasn’t quite been the case. With only leaked information, there isn’t confirmation that dynamic catching will return, but fans are hopeful. Pokémon Winds and Waves won’t arrive until 2027, so it may be a while before we see how catching will actually work.