Games

Pokémon Legends Z-A November Update: Fixes For Capture Lockouts, Side Mission Glitches, And Ranked Rewards

2 November 2025
Nintendo Switch 2Nintendo Switch
8 min.
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Pokémon Legends Z-A November Update: Fixes For Capture Lockouts, Side Mission Glitches, And Ranked Rewards

Summary:

The Pokémon Company has confirmed a November update for Pokémon Legends Z-A that targets two high-impact issues and introduces adjustments players have been asking for. First, there’s a capture lockout tied to the first Mega Evolution battle against Absol when your Pokémon Boxes are already full and unopened; after that moment, catching anything becomes impossible, and any side mission that grants a Pokémon can’t be completed. Second, certain side missions that ask you to use a move on an overworld object can break if the hit lands as day transitions to night (or vice versa), preventing the game from registering progress and blocking completion. We walk through how these bugs unfold, how to spot if you’re at risk, and what you can do before the patch arrives to protect your progress. We also highlight reported tweaks to Ranked Battle rewards—especially around Mega Stones—and outline quick checks to run after installing the update. If you’ve been stalled by Absol or a finicky mission trigger, relief is on the way, and a few simple prep steps will make your return to Lumiose smoother.

Pokemon Legends Z-A – What’s being fixed in the upcoming update

Two issues have been flagged for a November fix: a capture lockout that can trigger after the first Mega Evolution battle with Absol when your Pokémon Boxes are already full and unopened, and a registration bug in side missions that ask you to use a move on an overworld object exactly as the world flips between day and night. Both are progress stoppers. The Absol issue can quietly nuke your ability to add new team members and blocks any mission that would award a Pokémon. The mission registration bug is more situational but just as frustrating, because you can do everything “right” and still watch the hit fail to log. Addressing both restores confidence in exploration and progression. Knowing this timeline lets us plan: clean up our Boxes, pause any risky mission interactions during transitions, and set aside time in November to update before diving back into hunts, missions, or Ranked play.

The capture lockout after Absol’s first Mega Evolution battle

Here’s how the lockout unfolds. If you reach the first Mega Evolution showdown with Absol while your Boxes are already full—and crucially, you haven’t opened the Box interface at least once beforehand—the game can enter a state where captures no longer register afterward. You can throw all the Poké Balls you want; nothing sticks. That collateral damage extends to side missions that grant a Pokémon as a reward; those completions won’t fire either. It’s a perfect storm of a milestone battle intersecting with Box state, and players often discover it only after a string of failed catches. The patch will correct the underlying logic, but until it lands, the safest move is to open your Boxes before the Absol fight and make room. Even if you don’t feel close to full, treat it like checking your parachute—better to peek than to plummet.

Practical prevention until the fix arrives

Open the Box interface at a camp or PC stand and free at least one page of space. Release duplicates you don’t plan to train, move overflow to a labeled “Trade/Storage” tab, and take a moment to verify recent catches are visible and sortable. If you’re on a speedier run, at minimum open Boxes once to establish state, then step into the Absol encounter. That single action has been the difference for many players between smooth progress and a hard stall. As soon as the November update drops, make that patch your first stop before further catching or mission clearing.

Side missions and the day/night transition registration bug

Some side missions ask you to hit an overworld object—think a substitute doll, a sign, or a target—with a specified move. If your hit lands exactly as day flips to night (or vice versa), the game can fail to record the action. Afterward, the target may no longer accept hits, effectively soft-locking the objective. It’s the kind of bug you only notice after re-trying from different angles, switching moves, even rebooting. The November update is slated to fix the timing conflict so that a clean hit always counts, regardless of skybox changes. In the meantime, aim to trigger these objectives shortly after the clock changes, not right before it. If you see the sky dimming, wait a minute, then try again.

How to spot the risky window (and avoid it)

Watch for lighting shifts, NPC lanterns flickering on, or the soundtrack’s time-of-day instruments changing; those cues typically precede the internal tick that flips the time state. If you’re mid-mission and notice the change, back off the target and reset your approach. You can rest at a campsite to force a clear daytime or nighttime window, returning with the timing guardrail in your favor. These small habits won’t be necessary post-patch, but they’ll save you a headache right now.

How to check if you’re affected before the patch lands

There are two quick litmus tests. For the Absol lockout, toss a low-tier Poké Ball at a common spawn you don’t need; if the capture fails repeatedly under normal conditions, or the post-battle screen behaves oddly, suspect the bug—especially if you hit the Absol milestone with full Boxes and hadn’t opened them. For the mission registration issue, verify whether the target still responds to move prompts; if the prompt appears but never progresses the mission—or worse, the hitbox vanished after a transition—it’s likely you’ve hit the timing trap. If either scenario matches, set the mission aside and avoid wasting rare balls or items until the update is installed.

Smart prep: box management, mission tracking, and backups

Take ten minutes to tidy your Boxes: create a “Pending Evolutions” tab, park trades in a labeled row, and free 20–30 slots for fieldwork. Mark any mission that involves hitting an object and note its location so you can return after the patch if you’ve already encountered issues. If you maintain manual backups of clips or screenshots for bug reports, bundle them now; post-patch, they’ll help verify that your state corrected and that mission flags advanced as expected.

What to expect on patch day: downloads, saves, and stability

When the update goes live in November, install it before doing anything else. Historically, early patches for Switch and Switch 2 titles are small to moderate in size and install quickly. Expect a version bump in the corner of the title screen and a brief “updating data” notice when first loading your save. Once in-game, test a safe capture on a common encounter to confirm normal behavior. Then visit a previously stuck side mission; if the target now registers correctly, you’re clear. Any additional stability tweaks—camera oddities, minor UI fixes—are a bonus. The immediate goal is to get catching and missions back on track.

Ranked Battle reward tweaks and Mega Stone access

Alongside bug fixes, reporting points to adjustments in Ranked Battle rewards that make high-value Mega Stones easier to obtain. If you’re eyeing stones like Greninjite or Delphoxite for your competitive setups, this is good news for your grind. While the exact thresholds are communicated through official seasonal notes, the thrust is clear: more attainable stones mean a healthier ladder and more experimentation with Mega strategies. After updating, check the season card, confirm your tier, and plan your climb. A tighter loop between matches and meaningful gear frees you to iterate on teams instead of being bottlenecked by reward walls.

Quality-of-life we hope follows: UI cues, quest flags, and retries

The November patch addresses two high-priority issues. Looking ahead, a few small improvements would keep momentum strong: clearer UI warnings when Boxes are nearly full before milestone battles; a “retry objective” toggle for any mission with a physical target; and a subtle on-screen indicator when the world is within a few seconds of a time-of-day flip. None of these changes alter core balance, but they turn invisible edge cases into manageable states. The best Pokémon adventures thrive on discovery, not uncertainty about whether the game registered an action. These tweaks would keep attention where it belongs—on route planning, team building, and clutch throws.

Practical tips to keep your run smooth while you wait

Until the patch lands, treat Absol as a checkpoint. Before approaching that encounter, open your Boxes, purge extras, and ensure you’ve got space. For object-hit missions, do them in firm daylight or full night—skip the twilight. If you suspect you’ve been hit by either issue, rotate to exploration, resource runs, or team training and save the mission cleanup for later. And if you play Ranked, spend this time labbing Mega cores you can fully support now, then pivot to newly accessible stones once the reward changes kick in.

Post-patch checklist: verify fixes, reclaim rewards, and report edge cases

After updating, run three checks. One, catch something common to confirm the lockout is gone. Two, return to a mission that previously failed to register and land the required move; look for the proper completion splash. Three, open Boxes and scan for any anomalies—missing entries, mis-sorted tabs, or duplicate flags. If anything still looks off, capture short clips and submit them through the official support channel; polished reports help the team close lingering gaps. From there, it’s business as usual: return to hunts, progress the story, and push your Ranked teams with a more generous reward path.

Conclusion

The November update for Pokémon Legends Z-A tackles two progress-blocking issues head-on and pairs those fixes with healthier Ranked reward pacing. By clearing the Absol capture lockout and stabilizing mission registration around day/night transitions, the patch restores confidence in the loop that makes roaming Lumiose so satisfying: catch, complete, and climb. Prep is simple—open your Boxes, avoid twilight triggers, and hold tricky missions until the patch is installed. Once the download finishes, take a victory lap through a previously stuck objective, pocket a quick catch, and enjoy the momentum that follows.

FAQs
  • Does the patch fix the Absol capture lockout completely?
    • Yes, the update targets the logic that caused captures to fail after the first Mega Absol battle when Boxes were full and unopened. After installing the patch, normal captures should resume, and mission rewards that grant Pokémon should complete as expected.
  • How can I avoid the side mission registration bug before the update?
    • Do object-hit missions shortly after a time-of-day change, not during it. If the sky starts shifting, rest at a campsite to force a stable time window, then retry.
  • Will my saved progress be safe when I update?
    • Standard updates preserve saves. Install the patch from the system’s update prompt, then verify with a quick catch and a mission check when you load in.
  • Are Ranked Battle rewards changing too?
    • Reports indicate requirements for certain Mega Stones are easing in the new season, making key stones more attainable. Check the in-game season card after updating for the exact thresholds.
  • What if my mission is already stuck?
    • Leave it for now. After updating in November, return to the target and perform the required move again. If it still doesn’t register, record a short clip and contact support so the team can investigate.
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