Building Techniques | Structures & Tips

A comprehensive guide covering essential building techniques and useful structures you should know in Pokémon Pokopia.

Things to Keep in Mind When Building

Gather Furniture and Blocks Before You Start

Furniture and blocks can be collected from the daily shop, trading with Vespiquen, Dream Island, and more. Remember that you can also photograph collected furniture and duplicate it using the 3D Printer at the Pokémon Center.

If you're not too picky, Building Kits are recommended. They can be purchased at the shop — you don't need to build yourself; just put in the necessary materials and let your Pokémon build it, and you'll end up with a high-quality house. Furniture and block colors can be changed using Color Balloons or Paint Smeargle's painting service. Furniture that can change color will display a paintbrush icon.

Set Up a Base Near Your Build Site

Building requires lots of materials and crafting. Traveling far to build wastes time, so place a crafting table, storage box, furnace, and other essentials near your build site as a temporary base. For large-scale builds, placing a Ditto house nearby is also very convenient.

Start with the Frame When Building Structures

When building large structures like houses, start with the frame first. Without understanding the overall scale, you won't be able to gauge how many materials you need or whether the proportions look right. When building the framework, "Mystery Stones" are recommended because their grid lines are easy to see. You can obtain large quantities of Mystery Stones at Sparkling Skylands.

Use ZL+A to Place Blocks Evenly

Holding ZL while pressing A lets you place blocks evenly both vertically and horizontally. This is very useful when building bases or frameworks.

Expand Your Inventory Space

Since building requires carrying large amounts of furniture and blocks, make sure to expand your inventory slots using the "Bag Organization Tips" skill. Additionally, having a Pokémon with the Storage "Storage" ability like Swalot lets you carry even more items.

Sub Bag Is Also Handy

After purchasing a "Sub Bag" from the shop, you can display part of your inventory on screen during building. This allows quick material switching and improves building efficiency.

Hold ZL to Prevent Falling

When building at high elevations, holding ZL while moving prevents you from stepping off blocks and falling.

Mouse Controls Make Building Easier

With mouse controls, you can place and destroy blocks on screen without directly controlling your character. While there are some limitations, the intuitive controls make building enjoyable, and once you get used to it, your building efficiency will improve dramatically.

Magnet Rise Is Very Useful

"Magnet Rise" is unlocked after clearing the game, allowing you to transform into a Fly Magnemite and fly freely through the air. This eliminates the need for scaffolding and greatly simplifies building work. It's recommended to clear the main story first before diving deep into building.

Prepare a Ladder If You Don't Have Magnet Rise

If you want to build without Magnet Rise, craft a ladder instead. Ladders let you climb high walls directly, making them useful for moving between elevated areas. However, note that the materials required for ladders increase with height.

How to Build a Block House for Beginners

Renovating a Building Kit House Is the Easiest Approach

For beginners, it's easier to renovate a Building Kit house rather than building one from scratch. Building Kits can be purchased at the Pokémon Center shop. If you plan to expand or renovate, it's recommended to buy multiple kits to ensure you have enough building materials.

Extend walls with matching materials, change the roof shape, and customize it into your own original house.

Storage Warehouse

Manage All Your Items in One Place

Building a storage warehouse makes it much easier to manage materials and other items in one central location. It prevents the problem of forgetting where you put things, so it's worth building early on.

Use Item Frames for Easy Identification

Attaching item frames to storage boxes lets you see at a glance what's inside each one.

How to Build a Storage Warehouse

1. Prepare Big Storage Boxes and Item Frames

Big Storage Boxes unlock at 30 Pokédex registrations. Item Frames can be obtained by appraising small lost items. The number of storage boxes needed depends on how you want to categorize your items. Note that regular storage boxes can only hold 20 items, making them unsuitable for warehouse use.

2. Line Up Storage Boxes with Item Frames

You can choose either vertical or horizontal placement — pick whichever works best for you. Once you have the required boxes and frames, start arranging them. Attach item frames directly to the side of Big Storage Boxes. Note that placing blocks on top and attaching items may look stylish, but the controller buttons get absorbed by the frame, making it hard to place items — so this is not recommended. Stacking them on top of each other is also not recommended.

3. Sort Your Items and You're Done

Recommended Storage Categories

Splitting items into the following 13 categories makes management much easier:

Blocks
Materials
Food & Cooking
Plants (Trees/Flowers)
Indoor Furniture
Outdoor Furniture
Miscellaneous Goods
Building Parts (Doors, etc.)
CDs
Fossils
Paint & Color Balloons
Building Kits
Other (Important Items, etc.)

Note: Storage boxes cannot be moved while they contain items. When relocating, you'll need to re-sort everything, so make sure to build your warehouse in a location that won't interfere with future construction projects. It's recommended to place it near frequently visited locations like your house or the Pokémon Center.

You can also spruce up the exterior to make it look stylish.

Underground Wiring

Run Electricity Without Ruining the Scenery

By burying power lines underground, you can supply electricity without spoiling the landscape.

How to Set Up Underground Wiring

1. Prepare a Generator and Power Poles

The Generator becomes available after clearing Dreary Sea. Power Poles can be found at the power plant in Dreary Sea. Since the Generator needs to be assembled using a Building Kit, choose a location that won't interfere with other structures. Wind or hydroelectric generators don't require fuel, saving you maintenance hassle. The Generator can also be placed underground. Generators that don't require manual management can be completely buried underground. The hydroelectric generator is compact and runs entirely on water power, making it ideal for underground installation.

2. Dig a Trench for the Power Lines

Dig a trench that stays within 2 blocks of the top of each power pole. The maximum wire reach from the top of a power pole is 3 blocks. If the gap exceeds 2 blocks, electricity won't flow, so be careful.

3. Place the Power Poles

Install power poles in order along the trench you dug.

You can seal the entrance after the wiring is complete. As long as the wires were properly connected during installation, electricity will continue to flow even after sealing. However, it's a good idea to surround the area with blocks to prevent Pokémon from getting lost or trapped.

4. Place Electrical Furniture on the Surface

Since electricity is supplied from the underground wiring, you can now place electrical furniture (lights, etc.) on the surface. When electricity is properly connected, an orange power indicator light will appear.

Waterfall Glide Launcher

Glide Long Distances from High Altitudes

This is a launch pad that combines the moves Waterfall and Glide to let you soar long distances from a high point. It's also useful as a means of transportation before Glide is unlocked.

Required moves: Waterfall, Glide, Water Absorb

Required materials: 20-30 Blocks, 1 Fresh Water

How to Build

1. Find a Location

Near the center of the map is recommended, so you can glide in any direction. Also, consider building a pool-like area at the base to collect water, preventing splashing when you pour water from the top.

2. Stack Blocks

Stack 20-30 blocks vertically.

3. Pour Water from the Top to Complete

Use Fresh Water to pour water from the very top. Ride up with Waterfall, then launch off with Glide.

Note: The Glide Launcher is a large structure, so it may disrupt your town's scenery. If that bothers you, consider hiding it behind a mountain or finding other creative ways to conceal it.

Aerial Camera

Use a Surveillance Camera to View Your Entire Town

Placing a Surveillance Camera at a high elevation lets you get a bird's-eye view of your entire town. This is useful for checking your town's overall appearance and planning large-scale builds.

How to Set Up an Aerial Camera

1. Stack Blocks Upward

Prepare a Surveillance Camera and several dozen blocks, and stack them directly below you. Since the blocks will be destroyed after placing the camera, any type of block will do. Surveillance Cameras can be purchased at the Pokémon Center shop.

Note: If you go too high, the scenery will appear blue. In Pokopia, objects at great distances are rendered in blue regardless of their actual color. Stack blocks just high enough that your target area doesn't turn blue.

2. Place the Surveillance Camera

Place the Surveillance Camera on top of the stacked blocks. At this point, it's recommended to press the + button to select the camera and check what the Surveillance Camera is capturing.

3. Break the Stacked Blocks

Once the camera is placed, break the blocks below it. The camera will remain floating in mid-air.