How to Clear Purple Sludge in Pokémon Legends Z-A (The Easy Way)

Stuck on purple goo blocking your path in Pokémon Legends Z-A? Learn how to clear sludge piles in Lumiose City using Water-type moves and unlock hidden areas with this quick guide.

The Purple Goo Problem in Lumiose City

As you’re wandering through Lumiose City in Pokémon Legends Z-A, you’ll quickly notice something gross blocking your way: purple sludge piles scattered throughout the urban landscape. These gooey obstacles are everywhere, preventing you from accessing entire sections of the city, hidden items, and important story locations.

The good news? Unlike previous Pokémon games where you’d need to track down specific HMs or TMs to teach your Pokémon obstacle-clearing abilities, the solution here is refreshingly simple. You don’t need any special moves or rare abilities—just the right type of attack.

The Simple Solution: Water Washes Away Goo

Here’s the straightforward answer: any Water-type move will clear purple sludge piles. Seriously, that’s it. Water Gun, Bubble, Aqua Jet, Surf—if it’s a Water-type attack, it’ll wash away the gunk and open up your path.

This is way more intuitive than the old HM system. Instead of needing a specific move like Cut or Rock Smash, you just need to think logically: what cleans up slime? Water. The game respects your intelligence here, and honestly, it’s refreshing.

What If You Didn’t Pick the Water Starter?

If you chose Totodile as your starter Pokémon, congratulations—you’re set from the beginning. Totodile learns Water-type moves naturally and can handle sludge clearing duties throughout your entire playthrough.

But what if you went with Tepig (Fire-type) or Chikorita (Grass-type)? Don’t panic. Water-type Pokémon are incredibly abundant in Lumiose City’s Wild Zones, especially early on. The game practically throws them at you.

Easy-to-find Water-types in early game:

• Wild Zone 2 is your best bet and accessible very early in your adventure. Here you’ll find Magikarp (the classic splashy fish), Binacle (the barnacle Pokémon), and Staryu (the star-shaped powerhouse). Any of these will work perfectly.
• Magikarp might seem like a joke Pokémon, but it learns Tackle and more importantly, it can use Water-type moves. Plus, if you evolve it into Gyarados, you’ve got a powerhouse on your team.
• Staryu is actually an excellent catch—it’s useful throughout the game, learns strong Water moves, and even has decent Speed stats for battles.

Pro tip: Catch a Water-type early even if you’re not planning to use it on your main team. Having one in your party specifically for exploration purposes will save you headaches later. You don’t need to level it up much—even a low-level Water-type with basic moves will clear sludge just fine.

The Secret Alternative: Psychic Powers (Sort Of)

Here’s something interesting that the game doesn’t explicitly tell you: certain Psychic-type moves can also clear sludge piles. This seems random at first, but there’s probably some logic about psychic energy manipulating matter or something.

However—and this is important—not all Psychic moves work. It’s weirdly specific:

• Confusion works ✓ – Successfully clears purple goo
• Psybeam doesn’t work ✗ – Has no effect on sludge

The inconsistency here is honestly confusing (pun intended). Since the game doesn’t clearly explain which Psychic moves work and which don’t, it’s more reliable to just stick with Water-type attacks. Why gamble on whether your Psychic move will work when Water always does the job?

That said, if you’re in a pinch and your only available Pokémon knows Confusion, give it a shot. It might save you from backtracking to grab your Water-type from the box.

Hidden Benefits of Sludge Cleaning

Here’s something that might surprise you: clearing purple sludge piles awards your Pokémon experience points. It’s not a massive amount, but it’s free XP for basically using a move outside of battle.

This creates an interesting incentive structure. Even if you’re not immediately exploring in a particular direction, it’s worth clearing sludge piles whenever you see them because:

• Free experience for whichever Pokémon uses the move—great for leveling up weaker team members or newly caught Pokémon
• Opens up shortcuts you might need later, saving backtracking time
• Reveals hidden items that were blocked by the goo
• Completion satisfaction for players who like clearing maps (you know who you are)

As you work through Pokémon Legends Z-A side quests, you’ll encounter these sludge piles constantly. Clearing them as you go makes exploration much smoother than ignoring them and having to return later.

Environmental Storytelling Through Sludge

While the game doesn’t explicitly explain it, the purple sludge situation adds environmental storytelling to Lumiose City. The city clearly has a pollution problem, and you’re actively helping clean it up throughout your adventure. It’s a nice touch that ties into the urban redevelopment themes in Legends Z-A.

This is part of a broader trend in Legends Z-A where your Pokémon’s moves have practical applications outside of battle. You’re not just fighting—you’re actively interacting with and improving the environment around you. Expect to use other moves for different obstacles as you progress through the story.

Quick Reference Guide

To clear purple sludge:

1. Have a Water-type Pokémon in your party
2. Approach a purple sludge pile
3. Use any Water-type move on it
4. Sludge disappears, path opens, you get XP
5. Continue exploring

Best early Water-types for sludge clearing:

• Totodile (starter option)
• Staryu (Wild Zone 2 – strong throughout game)
• Magikarp (Wild Zone 2 – everywhere, evolves into Gyarados)
• Binacle (Wild Zone 2 – decent stats, dual Rock/Water typing)

Alternative method:

• Confusion (Psychic-type move) also works, but other Psychic moves might not—Water is more reliable

For more details about exploring Lumiose City and all the obstacles you’ll encounter, visit the official Pokémon Legends website. You can also grab your copy of the game from the Nintendo Store.

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Bottom line: Purple sludge in Legends Z-A is less of a puzzle and more of a gentle nudge to keep a diverse team. Water-type moves are the answer, they’re easy to find, and clearing goo gives you bonus XP. It’s one of the more player-friendly obstacle systems in recent Pokémon games, and honestly, that’s a win for everyone who remembers the frustration of HM management in older titles.

Also Check: Pokémon Legends Z-A: Your Complete Guide to Alpha Pokémon