So here’s the thing about Plus Moves in Pokémon Legends: Z-A—the game just kind of throws them at you without much explanation, and suddenly you’re staring at your move list wondering what that little plus icon means and why your Mega Power meter keeps draining.
I spent my first few hours completely ignoring Plus Moves because I didn’t understand the resource management aspect. Big mistake. Once I figured out how they actually work, combat became way more strategic and satisfying. Let me save you the confusion I went through.
What Exactly Are Plus Moves?
Think of Plus Moves as the “premium” versions of your Pokémon’s regular attacks. Every move in the game can potentially become a Plus Move, and when it does, it gets noticeably better.
Here’s what the upgrade actually does:
- Physical/Special attacks: Deal significantly more damage
- Status moves: Effects last longer on the battlefield (like Toxic and other status conditions)
- Area-of-effect moves: Larger coverage area plus increased damage (Surf users, rejoice!)
How to spot them: Look for a small plus symbol inside a circle next to the move name when you check your Pokémon’s status screen. It’s subtle, which is probably why so many players miss it at first.
The Mega Power Connection (This Is Important)
Here’s where things get interesting—and where the game does a terrible job explaining itself. Plus Moves aren’t free. Every time you use one, you consume one chunk of your Mega Power meter (that bar in the bottom right corner during battles).
“But wait,” you’re probably thinking, “isn’t Mega Power for Mega Evolution?” Yes! And that’s what makes this system fascinating from a strategic standpoint.
How Mega Power Actually Works
Your Mega Power meter is shared across your entire team. It’s essentially the energy stored in your Mega Ring, and you have to decide how to spend it:
- Use Plus Moves with regular Pokémon (each uses 1/4 of the meter)
- Mega Evolve a Pokémon (uses the full meter, but all moves become Plus Moves automatically)
- Mix and match strategically
The balancing act: If you Mega Evolve a Pokémon and then switch out to use a Plus Move with someone else, you’re reducing how long your Mega stays in that powered-up form. BUT—and this is clutch—using regular moves with non-Mega Pokémon actually recharges the Mega Power meter.
This creates really interesting battle decisions. Do you burn Mega Power for a crucial Plus Move, or save it for a full Mega Evolution? It’s resource management in a Pokémon game, and honestly, I’m here for it.
When Do Plus Moves Unlock?
You won’t have access to Plus Moves from the start. They unlock during Main Mission 09 after you defeat the Rogue Mega Absol and obtain your Mega Ring. Before that point, don’t worry about any of this—you literally can’t use the mechanic yet.
Once you’ve got that ring, though? Game on. Check out our Rogue Mega battles guide for more info on these challenging fights.
How to Actually Learn Plus Moves
This is where players get tripped up because there are two completely different systems depending on how your Pokémon learned the move originally.
Method 1: Level Up (The Natural Way)
Moves learned through natural level-up progression will automatically upgrade to Plus Moves as your Pokémon continues leveling.
Example: Your Heracross learns Bug Buzz at level 30. It’s a regular move at first, but as Heracross keeps leveling up—somewhere between 3 to 10 additional levels—Bug Buzz will transform into a Plus Move on its own.
This is the easy path. No extra resources needed, just keep battling and leveling like normal. It’s why catching the best early Pokémon and leveling them consistently pays off.
Method 2: Seeds of Mastery (The TM Problem)
Here’s the catch: moves learned from Technical Machines (TMs) will NEVER become Plus Moves naturally. They’ll stay regular moves forever unless you manually upgrade them.
How to upgrade TM moves:
- Collect Seeds of Mastery (more on this below)
- Reach Rank E in your progression
- Visit Josee at the Justice Dojo (directly east of Prism Tower, near central Lumiose)
- Trade Seeds of Mastery to upgrade your TM moves to Plus versions
This is honestly a bit of a pain, especially for TM-dependent builds, but it forces you to engage with the Alpha Pokémon hunting system.
Farming Seeds of Mastery: The Alpha Method
Seeds of Mastery primarily come from Alpha Pokémon—those larger, more aggressive variants you’ll encounter in Wild Zones. You can get them by either defeating or capturing these Alpha ‘mons.
Efficient farming route:
- Cycle through different Wild Zones
- Hunt down Alpha Pokémon (they respawn as areas reset)
- Either battle or catch them—both give Seeds
- Use fast travel to quickly move between zones
- Repeat until you have enough Seeds for your needs
Pro tip: Check out our guides for Wild Zone 4, Wild Zone 6, and Wild Zone 8 to find Alpha spawns efficiently. Our Alpha Pokémon guide has even more details on hunting strategies.
How to Use Plus Moves in Battle
Okay, you’ve got Plus Moves unlocked and learned. Now what?
To activate a Plus Move:
- Target an opponent like normal
- Press the + button on your Switch/Switch 2
- Eligible Plus Moves will change their icon (the plus symbol lights up)
- Select the move to execute it
- One chunk of Mega Power is consumed
Important: You can’t just spam Plus Moves. Watch that Mega Power meter carefully. Once it’s depleted, you’ll need to use regular moves to recharge it before accessing Plus Moves again.
Plus Moves During Mega Evolution
When a Pokémon Mega Evolves, ALL of its moves automatically become Plus Moves for the entire duration of the Mega Evolution—even moves that weren’t Plus Moves before. This is huge.
This means your Mega Evolved Pokémon is essentially running on premium moves without consuming additional Mega Power per attack. The catch? You used your full meter to Mega Evolve in the first place, so you can’t use Plus Moves with other team members until you recharge.
Want to know which Megas are worth this investment? Check our Mega Evolution Tier List.
Strategy Tips I Wish I Knew Earlier
Resource management is key: Don’t blow your entire Mega Power meter on Plus Moves early in a tough battle. Sometimes saving it for a clutch Mega Evolution is smarter.
Mix regular and Plus Moves: Using regular moves recharges Mega Power. In longer battles, alternate between Plus and regular moves to maintain resource availability.
Prioritize naturally-learned Plus Moves: If you’re building a team, favor Pokémon that learn powerful moves through level-up rather than TMs. It’ll save you Seeds of Mastery grinding.
Alpha hunting = dual benefit: You’re farming Seeds of Mastery and catching potentially powerful team members. Win-win.
Status move Plus versions are underrated: A longer-lasting Toxic or paralysis can swing entire battles. Don’t sleep on status Plus Moves just because they don’t show flashy damage numbers.
Common Plus Move Questions
Can I turn Plus Moves off? Yes, just don’t press the + button. Select moves normally and they’ll execute as regular versions.
Do Plus Moves work with Protect? Protect strategy works differently, but yes, you can use Plus Protect for enhanced defensive duration.
Should I prioritize Plus Moves or Mega Evolution? Depends on the battle. Against tough opponents like Rogue Megas, full Mega Evolution is usually better. For regular battles, Plus Moves offer more flexibility.
Are there Pokémon I should avoid using? Check our worst Pokémon tier list for team-building guidance, but most Pokémon can be viable with proper Plus Move usage.
Related Guides for Better Battles
Building a strong team requires understanding multiple mechanics:
- How to Get Pikachu – Popular choice for Thunder-based Plus Moves
- Hawlucha Mega Evolution Guide – Strong Mega candidate
- Ralts Evolution Guide – Gardevoir/Gallade are Plus Move powerhouses
- Kanto Starters Guide – Classic picks with strong move pools
Need specific items? Check out guides for Tiny Mushrooms, Colorful Screws, and removing vines/thorns.
My Honest Take
The Plus Move system is one of those mechanics that seems unnecessarily complicated at first but actually adds meaningful depth to combat once you understand it. The resource management between Plus Moves and Mega Evolution creates interesting strategic choices that vanilla Pokémon games often lack.
My only real gripe is the TM situation. Having to farm Seeds of Mastery to upgrade TM moves feels a bit grindy, especially when building diverse teams that rely on TM coverage. But the Alpha hunting at least gives you something engaging to do rather than mindless grinding.
Overall? Once you get past the initial confusion, Plus Moves make battles in Z-A feel more dynamic and rewarding.
Final Thoughts
Plus Moves are essential for tackling Z-A’s tougher challenges. Learn the difference between natural level-up moves and TM moves, farm those Seeds of Mastery from Alpha Pokémon, and always keep an eye on your Mega Power meter during battles.
And seriously—read the move descriptions. Some Plus Move upgrades are absolute game-changers that completely shift how certain Pokémon perform in battle.
For official game information, visit the Pokémon Legends website or grab the game from Nintendo’s official store.
Now get out there and start experimenting with Plus Moves. Your battles will never be the same.
