Pocket Gaiden 2 FAQ (Aug 2025)

Pocket Gaiden 2 FAQ (August 2025)

Q: What is this game?
A: This is Pocket Gaiden 2, a romhack that came out in August 2020 and was created by Ocean.

Q: Is it related to Pocket Gaiden?
A: Yes, and no. It's not a direct sequel with the same characters, but is made by the same creator, is a short hack and has some interesting, challenging mechanics which made it fun to route.

Q: Are you playing on emulator?
A: Yes, on Bizhawk.

Q: What Pokemon do you use in the run?
A: I'm forced to start with Wailmer, which I won't be manipulating and will only be in two fights, plus as fodder in two fights later. I'll then manipulate a Druddigon and complete the game with that.

Druddigon has a Serious nature with IVs of 25 HP, 4 Att, 30 Def, 11 SpA, 23 SpD, and 31 Spe. This Druddigon has Sheer Force so all attacks with a secondary effect get a 30% boost (Bite, Crunch). The Attack could be better, but since this is a very rare encounter there are limited options. What really matters is this Druddigon has good HP, Defence and Speed. Ideally, I'd want Adamant, Naughty, Jolly, or Impish but couldn't find any of those.

Q: What makes Druddigon ideal for this run?
A: Really high base Attack. Speed and HP are a bit lacking but this isn't too much of an issue. Being Dragon type means you resist a lot of attacks and most fights are smoother compared with alternatives (Sanchez, Ryan, and Nas 2 are probably the worst). Also having Hone Claws is very nice as there are no X items. Its moveset is insane as well (by L27, we'll have Dragon Claw, Crunch, Hone Claws, and Dragon Rage).

Q: Any weird mechanics in this hack?
A: Yep. You can only use a maximum of four healing items per battle, you cannot use Revives in battle (this one makes things challenging), and there are no X items. Finally, you get double EXP if you are lower level than the opponent, which I abuse in order to fight a lot less trainers.

Q: Any improvements to the route since you last ran it?
A: Yep! Finally figured out a yolo ball for Druddigon (6 frames wide!) and the encounter is a 4 frame window. This alone will save over 70 seconds over my PB. Also added Secret Power to the early game - it's boosted by Sheer Force and has the potential to save 4 turns, though the mediocre Attack IV means you risk some ranges. There is a Silk Scarf option which eliminates a couple of the ranges, but this loses time overall.

Q: What is the WR?
A: 47:55 by me.

Q: What is your goal time?
A: 45:xx