Pokemon Legends: Z-A speedrunners have gotten the game's any% glitchless speedrun record under 7 hours within a few weeks of launch, and it's largely thanks to the backbone of every good Pokemon team: Bois.
Bois, you may have heard, is a free Heracross given to the player fairly early in Pokemon Legends: Z-A through a simple trade with an NPC. Bug is a weaker typing, but it's buoyed by the Fighting type, and Bois' high stats – particularly his attack stat – make him a powerful sweeper pick. So powerful, in fact, that he's all you need for many story-critical fights.
YouTuber PulseEffects has put together a handy roundup of key discoveries and strategies in the Z-A speedrun category, with any% glitchless runs challenging players to essentially beat the game in a normal way. You might throw some matches to save time, which you wouldn't do in a standard playthrough, but you aren't clipping through walls or duping items or any other speedrun-standard nonsense.
Though the actual Speedrun.com leaderboards haven't been filled in yet, complete video runs from folks like Eddaket show just how fast Z-A can be cleared if you never stop to smell the roses and optimize your route. And when you have Bois.
Because Bois is a strong attacker with decent access to offensive moves from multiple types, comes with an EXP boost as a trade Pokemon, and gets a Mega Evolution, you can grab him early, power level the daylights out of him, and keep him around for almost every story battle to mop the floor with most bosses.
Bois does have a few counters that are better handled by other members of your team, and PulseEffects points out how some tough battles are better off cheesed to save time, but Bois has been the rock of every Z-A speedrun I've checked out. Long may he reign.
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