The aquarium quest is TOO GRINDY AND LONG !

[Vhein]

Holy shit that thing is insane, and i mean bad insane, not good, for those who don't know what i'm referring to ( this is very minor btw ) it's a quest that become available later in the game at Akuwa town and the owner ask you to recover all 35 pokemon belonging to the aquarium by donating those you capture.

 

But what is completely out of hand isn't necessarily the number of pokemon you have to get, but the INFINITE AND MONSTRUOUS GRIND THAT ENSUE.

 

Take for example these : you have to get spheal, sealo, walrein, that would mean that by normals means you would need to catch three of these and evolve one into a walrein, xping it all the way till it reaches 44, and then donating them, doesn't seem too difficult, right ?

 

Now multiply that tenfold.

 

You have an incredible amount of very hard to find / to evolve pokemon to fill in those tanks, ranging from huntail and gorebyss ( which are very hard to evolve, you need link heart and a special item for both of them ) to toxapex, which is hard to find ( if you don't know where it is ofc ).

 

And you might ask yourselves " what do i get for such an intense game of hide and seek ? " well, you get...

 

Spoiler

A stupid froakie, and the fabled super rod that 10% of the population use because the minigame suck ass.

 

This pokemon isn't half bad tbh, with it's very good talent, but the grind is nowhere near worth it for him, seriously.

 

Please nerf.

 

 

[kithas]

Wasn't it the actual Super Rod? And a Froakie isn't so bad as a Reward, when you can solve all those grinding with Audino trainers and Exp candies lol. I mean, yeah, its pretty long, but it's not mandatory.

[Vhein]

2 minutes ago, kithas said:

Wasn't it the actual Super Rod? And a Froakie isn't so bad as a Reward, when you can solve all those grinding with Audino trainers and Exp candies lol. I mean, yeah, its pretty long, but it's not mandatory.

I don't remember the rod tbh, doesn't matter imo, the pokemon isn't just worth the grind

 

i've seen easier quest giving you better pokemon ( namely, garchomp quest )

 

That kind of grind would be justifiable for a legendary imo, at least.

[Cyphre]

I do not think the grind itself is that terrible, however i agree that reward is lackluster at best. What i am gonna do with Super Rod at level 90 at this point? Catch myself a magikarp? I should have gotten it 150 hours ago, not at level 90. 

I believe good rewards could include: 

Manaphy
Water Mega stones
Water Memory (we already got it way earlier, but still, it would be an option)
Some Aevian Magikarp
Hell, it could even be a Zygarde Core

While i personally enjoy the quest myself since i love finishing the dex anyway, the reward is trash and absolutely does not correlate with the magnitude of the sidequest compared to others. 
 

[Calentz]

I understand how it might not seem worth it to folks who already chose froakie as their starter.

You also get 3 Karma points for doing the quest, though again might not be worth for some people.

I was lucky in my main play through because I already had quite a few of the requirements, just needed to breed with ditto.  Mareanie was my mystery egg pokemon and I already had wishiwashi from when it was available from the fishing tank in GDC... actually i'm not sure if it's still available that way because in my newest playthrough I got horsea instead, can anyone else confirm?

I would probably reduce the amount of pokemon you need to donate to 15 maybe 20 while getting to choose which of the 35 you need to donate.  The reward just seems rather lackluster, I'll agree with that.

[Vhein]

4 minutes ago, Cyphre said:

I do not think the grind itself is that terrible, however i agree that reward is lackluster at best. What i am gonna do with Super Rod at level 90 at this point? Catch myself a magikarp? I should have gotten it 150 hours ago, not at level 90. 

I believe good rewards could include: 

Manaphy
Water Mega stones
Water Memory (we already got it way earlier, but still, it would be an option)
Some Aevian Magikarp
Hell, it could even be a Zygarde Core

While i personally enjoy the quest myself since i love finishing the dex anyway, the reward is trash and absolutely does not correlate with the magnitude of the sidequest compared to others. 
 

Yeah at least make the reward on par with the grind, even if i hate it if the reward is great i would do it eventually.

[vepper]

I personally disagree. I actually was surprised Froakie was already available, even if it does take a lot of work. It's a lot less of a pain in the ass than Reborn (500 caught mons) other than the fact you have to have multiple copies of a line. Literally the only more busted pokemon it could reward (that are water types) are Magikarp or Dracovish and I'm not counting on those mons being available till 17-18 badges.

 

I do wish the Super Rod actually opened encounters, but there isn't really much left to get in that sense.

[Lucifer Morningstar]

35 Pokemon for a Froakie isn't as bad as 500 in Reborn although in Reborn it is pretty balanced because Froakie is one of several rewards including a Megastone and a Z-Crystal in a Pokedex filling quest and I believe the ultimate reward is Poipol. 

 

Most of the time, I can stand grinding for quite a bit before I start getting impatient therefore I can probably deal with this. 

My biggest grievance with V13 is that the audino grinder on route 9 who I used to favor for Healing Wish now has damage moves and the exp he gives has been nerfed but what I'm finding most annoying about what's been said of this quest here is the requirement of Link Heart evolutions. Link Hearts are an uncommon item in the game so I am not a fan of having to use them on Pokemon that I won't be using. 

 

I'd appreciate the Froakie and the Karma but can see how a Froakie and a Super Rod are lackluster rewards for that amount of work and heavily unbalanced so that there is essentially no gain for those who chose Froakie as their starter. 

I agree with @Cyphre that a Megastone or a Z-Crystal should be thrown into the mix if not swapped for the Super Rod. 

 

Funny thing, I had no idea that we didn't have the Super Rod at this point and I am not sure how early this quest can be done but as others have stated it's a rather useless prize for those continuing pre-V13 saves such as myself. 

I'm not much of a fisher regardless as I am not a big fan of most fishing encounters, the only reason the Good Rod has been an asset to me is for Heart Scale farming. I can live without the Super Rod (since this isn't Floral Tempus which seems to require the Super Rod to get Luvdisc and as far as I am aware still isn't available 7 badges in even though the move relearner is). 

[vepper]

1 minute ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

35 Pokemon for a Froakie isn't as bad as 500 in Reborn although in Reborn it is pretty balanced because Froakie is one of several rewards including a Megastone and a Z-Crystal in a Pokedex filling quest and I believe the ultimate reward is Poipol. 

 

Most of the time, I can stand grinding for quite a bit before I start getting impatient therefore I can probably deal with this. 

My biggest grievance with V13 is that the audino grinder on route 9 who I used to favor for Healing Wish now has damage moves and the exp he gives has been nerfed but what I'm finding most annoying about what's been said of this quest here is the requirement of Link Heart evolutions. Link Hearts are an uncommon item in the game so I am not a fan of having to use them on Pokemon that I won't be using. 

 

I'd appreciate the Froakie and the Karma but can see how a Froakie and a Super Rod are lackluster rewards for that amount of work and heavily unbalanced so that there is essentially no gain for those who chose Froakie as their starter. 

I agree with @Cyphre that a Megastone or a Z-Crystal should be thrown into the mix if not swapped for the Super Rod. 

 

Funny thing, I had no idea that we didn't have the Super Rod at this point and I am not sure how early this quest can be done but as others have stated it's a rather useless prize for those continuing pre-V13 saves such as myself. 

I'm not much of a fisher regardless as I am not a big fan of most fishing encounters, the only reason the Good Rod has been an asset to me is for Heart Scale farming. I can live without the Super Rod. 

If you have every current stamp, you can buy Link Hearts for 10,000. At least you can pay back the price with the money rewards. You could also use the Aquarium Mystery at Axis High, though that's random chance. I could see a mega stone or a z crystal replacing the super rod, though I don't really think any of the water mega stones are suitable. Maybe a Flip Turn tutor could open up for V13.5? Though I honestly have doubts on having access to Flip Turn before 16-18 badges...

[vepper]

Accidental post I don't knwo how to delete

Edited August 22, 2021 by vepper

[Lucifer Morningstar]

24 minutes ago, vepper said:

If you have every current stamp, you can buy Link Hearts for 10,000. At least you can pay back the price with the money rewards. You could also use the Aquarium Mystery at Axis High, though that's random chance. I could see a mega stone or a z crystal replacing the super rod, though I don't really think any of the water mega stones are suitable. Maybe a Flip Turn tutor could open up for V13.5? Though I honestly have doubts on having access to Flip Turn before 16-18 badges...

 

There are 8 stamps currently right? If so then I have them all! 10k is a bit steep but doable. That makes me feel a bit better because I do want to do this quest as I do want the Froakie and the Karma. 

 

I feel Blastoisite would perhaps be suitable as a reward for this considering the long ass Goomink quest process for the Swamperite. 

Or perhaps a broken ass crest like Bastiodon's but for a rare water-type such as Phione. 

[Calentz]

29 minutes ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

 

There are 8 stamps currently right?

Seven stamps.  The highest floor available is the 8th floor, the first floor is the receptionist which you don't need a stamp for.  Unless there was another stamp added in chapter 15 that I missed?

[Lucifer Morningstar]

1 minute ago, Calentz said:

Seven stamps.  The highest floor available is the 8th floor, the first floor is the receptionist which you don't need a stamp for.  Unless there was another stamp added in chapter 15 that I missed?

Right no, I went by the floors in the store so accidentally counted the 1st floor. My bad. 

[Vhein]

I think that knowing if getting froakie in rejuv is easier than in reborn doesn't serve any purpose at this point, this is not the question, in fact i think the most valid point to make here is to acknowledge ( or not ) if getting froakie as a reward for those 35 pokemon is great enough of a reward or not.

 

And i say it's not justified to have this much grind for that.

[Lucky98]

I don't think grinding is much of an issue at that point considering you have access to the breeder in Sashilla that gives you XL Exp Candies iirc

[vepper]

2 hours ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

 

There are 8 stamps currently right? If so then I have them all! 10k is a bit steep but doable. That makes me feel a bit better because I do want to do this quest as I do want the Froakie and the Karma. 

 

I feel Blastoisite would perhaps be suitable as a reward for this considering the long ass Goomink quest process for the Swamperite. 

Or perhaps a broken ass crest like Bastiodon's but for a rare water-type such as Phione. 

Blastoisinite I would have said before Gen 8, but I'm not so sure now (Is it possible to teach it shell smash in Rejuvenation now?)  I feel like they wouldn't want you to have a shell smashing mega yet (though Rejuvenation has a few really sick megas already like Swampertite as you said which isn't even available in Reborn).

 

Phione has a crest now! Cairo sells it I think the second you can find him on Route 4. It raises its defense (not sure about S.Def) by 50% and gives automatic aqua ring. Seems like it would make it very bulky at the least.

[Cyphre]

1 minute ago, vepper said:

Seems like it would make it very bulky at the least.

I used it for a long time on Intense, it reached "alright" levels of usable. It's not complete poop anymore, so i guess crest did it's job. 

[Lucifer Morningstar]

48 minutes ago, vepper said:

Blastoisinite I would have said before Gen 8, but I'm not so sure now (Is it possible to teach it shell smash in Rejuvenation now?)  I feel like they wouldn't want you to have a shell smashing mega yet (though Rejuvenation has a few really sick megas already like Swampertite as you said which isn't even available in Reborn).

 

I have no idea if Blastoise can learn Shell Smash in this game and if we got the Mega Ring earlier I'd agree but we just got the mega ring at level 85 so I don't see how it would be too bad.

 

48 minutes ago, vepper said:

Phione has a crest now! Cairo sells it I think the second you can find him on Route 4. It raises its defense (not sure about S.Def) by 50% and gives automatic aqua ring. Seems like it would make it very bulky at the least.

Ah. That doesn't seem too broken but pretty good. 

 

I hope the OP doesn't mind my asking a question related to this quest. 

I'm doing it now and the Pokedex says 'Area Unknown' for Mareanie, Toxipex, Staryu, Starme, Chinhou and Lanturn so where do I find these Pokemon?

 

[Zetto]

9 minutes ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

 

I have no idea if Blastoise can learn Shell Smash in this game and if we got the Mega Ring earlier I'd agree but we just got the mega ring at level 85 so I don't see how it would be too bad.

 

Ah. That doesn't seem too broken but pretty good. 

 

I hope the OP doesn't mind my asking a question related to this quest. 

I'm doing it now and the Pokedex says 'Area Unknown' for Mareanie, Toxipex, Staryu, Starme, Chinhou and Lanturn so where do I find these Pokemon?

 

Chinchou can be found at Xen labs(Sheridan wetlands) fishing, and Staryu can be found at Tejurama Pier you need gourment i think.

[Lucifer Morningstar]

13 minutes ago, Zetto said:

Chinchou can be found at Xen labs(Sheridan wetlands) fishing, and Staryu can be found at Tejurama Pier you need gourment i think.

Is Staryu a time of day thing because there are only Pyukumuku right now. 

[SharlaSmith44]

10 minutes ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

Is Staryu a time of day thing because there are only Pyukumuku right now. 

Night-time if you finished the Lighthouse help request in Kristiline

 

Mareanie (and by extension Toxepex) is found the captain's room of the wrecked S.S. Oceania found by the ranger center on Tejurama Shore [NEEDS DIVE]

[Lucifer Morningstar]

16 minutes ago, SharlaSmith44 said:

Night-time if you finished the Lighthouse help request in Kristiline

 

Mareanie (and by extension Toxepex) is found the captain's room of the wrecked S.S. Oceania found by the ranger center on Tejurama Shore [NEEDS DIVE]

Awesome thanx. 

[Crimson_Mc_Black]

lol i had no problem whatsoever with this quest, aside from the wishiwashi and sharpedo i had to breed, I basically had all the other pokemon in my pc when i went and tried to catch everything i could for the pokedex whilst waiting for v 13 to come out

[Lucifer Morningstar]

Quest complete. 
Although some of the Pokemon took a bit of work to find and I had to do a bit of breeding (i.e the Piplup line), overall it was nothing really. 

 

None of the required Pokemon are unreasonable, not even the Clamperl evolutions and I didn't have to do a lot of grinding as a lot of the final evolution stages required are available in the wild or are obtained using a stone and items. 

 

I had 6 Trade Stones, one of each of the Clamperl evolution items and 6 Water Stones in my bag (and the Carvanha I donated reimbursed the DeepSeaTooth) and a few of the Pokemon in my PC from the beginning. 

[SharlaSmith44]

18 minutes ago, Lucifer Morningstar said:

 

It's now night and I did the lighthouse quest a long time ago, but there are still no Staryu.

This must be a bug right?

Should be on these islands: