With Pokémon Legends: Arceus' story set in Sinnoh's ancient past, here's how potential DLC could show how the famous Pokémon Gyms first began.

While Pokémon Legends: Arceus covers a handful of interesting series lore, a potential DLC update could flesh out so much more, such as showing how Pokémon Gyms first began. Released in January, Pokémon Legends: Arceus takes place hundreds of years in the past in ancient Sinnoh. As the oldest entry in the Pokémon franchise, Game Freak was able to tackle some exciting series lore for the very first time, such as the origins of Poké Balls and the creation of what will eventually become Diamond and Pearl's big Pokédex. Many fans that are in love with the game's deep dive into the past desperately want a Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC to add even more to the Generation 4 story.

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players are tasked with exploring the vast wilderness of Hisui and studying the Pokémon of the region. Because of its time-traveling plot, the story gives Pokémon fans a fascinating glimpse at the origins of many features, mechanics, and plot points in the Pokémon series. Throughout the game, players get to meet many ancestors of beloved NPCs featured in 2006's Diamond and Pearl, as well as visit many iconic Sinnoh locations before they are eventually inhabited. The 2022 title even explores how Pokémon are able to fit into their Poké Balls and threw out decades of accepted theory by stating that Pokémon actually have the ability to shrink themselves.

Although never confirmed by Game Freak, fans that were critical of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus time-travel story hoped that a DLC expansion would be released to add more content to the RPG to flesh various narrative elements out. With the Sinnoh origin story teasing a whole ton of lore, a Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC could explore a variety of additional plot points such as the creation of the very first Pokémon League. Below is a breakdown of how Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC could show fans how Pokémon Gyms and other iconic features first began.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC Could Show Us The First Pokémon Gyms Origins

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus' story, players eventually are introduced to the Hisui region's "Wardens". The incredibly skilled trainers are tasked with taking care of the region's Noble Pokémon. Wardens are essentially the Gym Leaders of Hisui and even oversee specific territories on the map just like the Gyms seen in the mainline Pokémon series. In a post-game DLC, Game Freak could show these trainers building their Gyms in each Noble location, such as Warden Palina of the Cobalt Coastlands, or Warden Sabi who is found in the icy tundra of the Alabaster Icelands.

Since there is no Pokémon League yet in the Hisiui region, Game Freak could instead create a post-game battle mode where players can revisit the Pokémon Legends: Arceus Wardens and battle their now expanded team just like Gym Leaders in the main series. The story even supports this, as the main protagonist teaches various Wardens throughout the campaign the importance of working together with their Pokémon. For instance, Warden Melli of the Coronet Highlands vows that he will get stronger and take on the duty of strengthening the Noble Electrode he protects. As is, the story currently feels more like a hint of what's to come. A new DLC update could flesh this out more, and truly give players a glimpse of how the first Pokémon Gyms were created.

A DLC expansion could also be similar to Pokémon BDSP's Gym Leader rematches, which allowed players to battle every Gym Leader a second time with substantially more difficult teams. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus' story the Wardens are pretty much-glorified janitors that only keep the region where the Nobles live clean. When players do get to battle the Wardens, they are often reduced to a single Pokémon being thrown out, which is pretty underwhelming. It would also be an interesting way to fight the Noble Pokémon once again, except this time incorporated in a team instead of a standalone boss fight. A DLC could really bring Wardens more importance in the series lore, and also offer up one final challenge for trainers in the post-game.

Legends: Arceus DLC Could Also Show The Origins Of Other Series Staples

Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC could also expand on other series lore as well, such as the origins of the Pokémon Day Care which was a feature present in Red and Blue in 1998. As players progress through Pokémon Legends: Arceus they eventually gain access to the Pokémon Farm in Jubilife Village. The outdoor land of grass is used to store Pokémon, as the Pokémon Storage System has yet to be invented. In a DLC update, the Jubilife Village mechanic could be upgraded into the series' first Day Care. The new building could add Pokémon Legends: Arceus breeding mechanics, and be a bonus for trainers trying to Shiny Hunt in the post-game.

Another iconic feature that Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC could expand on is the creation of the Pokémon Center. In the main story campaign, players will unlock side quests that will eventually lead them to an NPC named Pesselle in the Galaxy Headquarters. The nurse is a clear nod to Nurse Joy, and her various quests have trainers completing research that will eventually lead to the creation of the Pokémon Center. It's easily one of the game's coolest Easter Eggs. A Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC could actually make this a reality, and have a new building be constructed in Jubilife Village that serves as the first-ever Pokémon Center. The additional building could be used as a feature where players can go to heal up and trade their Pokémon. Technically these features already exist in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but this would be both an incredible payoff to Peselle's sidequests, and an infinitely cooler implementation of the mechanics.

Although the Pokémon Legends: Arceus DLC may not release and seems like a long shot at this point with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet releasing this Fall, the Sinnoh origin story really does have so much more potential left. Even if the DLC wasn't story-focused, there is still a variety of ways that Game Freak could flesh out series lore in a fun and exciting way. Only time will tell though if Pokémon Legends: Arceus will ever get an update, fans may have to wait for another Pokémon Legends: Arceus sequel to get more lore answered.

Next: Legends: Arceus Gets New Lore-Friendly Poké Ball For Pokémon Home