Pokemon Lazarus Walkthrough
Pokemon Lazarus is a fan-made Pokémon adventure that takes you through custom regions with new towns, routes, and challenges. You'll catch and train Pokémon, evolve your team, and face gym leaders in battles that follow classic Pokémon mechanics with unique twists. Success depends on smart team building, understanding type matchups, and learning when to grind for levels versus pushing forward. This walkthrough covers the core strategies and progression tips you need to complete your adventure.
Getting started with your first Pokémon
The beginning of Pokemon Lazarus follows familiar patterns: you'll choose your starter Pokémon, receive a Pokédex, and step into the world ready to catch and train. Your starter sets the tone for early battles, so consider its type and movepool. You'll encounter wild Pokémon almost immediately in tall grass and other natural areas. Don't rush into catching dozens of Pokémon early on. Instead, focus on building a core team of four to six Pokémon with good type coverage.
When catching wild Pokémon, weaken them first by using status moves like Thunder Wave to paralyze or Poison Powder to poison them. These conditions make Pokémon easier to catch and don't reduce their combat effectiveness once caught. Avoid using moves that deal damage right before throwing a Poké Ball if the Pokémon's health is high. Your catch rate depends on the target's remaining health, the type of ball you use, and whether it's affected by a status condition.
Leveling your team efficiently
Experience comes from winning battles against wild Pokémon and trainers. Not all battles give equal rewards, so choose your grinding spots carefully. Trainers typically offer more experience than wild Pokémon of the same level, and they have consistent teams that help you predict what you'll face.
Early on, you'll need to grind levels to keep your team competitive with gym leaders. Don't feel pressured to move forward if your team is significantly underleveled. A team at level 25-30 should handle most gym leaders at that stage of the game. Use Pokémon that gain experience quickly, like those with high base experience yields, to speed up the process. Consider rotating less-used team members into battles occasionally to keep them leveled with your core fighters.
Building a balanced team
Team composition separates players who breeze through Pokemon Lazarus from those who get stuck on gym leaders. A strong team covers multiple types and has moves that hit different defensive types. Avoid stacking three Pokémon of the same type unless you have a strong reason to do so.
Aim for a mix of physical attackers, special attackers, and defensive Pokémon. A typical balanced team might include a fast physical attacker, a bulky defensive Pokémon, a special attacker, and a couple of flexible team members that either support your team with moves like Synthesis or Reflect, or cover types your main three don't handle well. Play Pokemon Lazarus free on Dubdoo to start building your perfect team right away.
Understanding gym battles and type matchups
Gym leaders in Pokemon Lazarus use teams built around specific types. Water-type leaders will have Pokémon that exploit weakness to Electric and Grass moves. Steel-type leaders resist most common attacks. Before entering a gym, scout the leader's Pokémon if possible, or at minimum know which types you'll face.
Stock up on healing items before gym battles. Potions, Full Heals, and Full Restores let you sustain through longer battles without relying on Pokémon Center visits mid-battle. Antidote cures poison, Full Heal cures all status conditions, and Revive brings fainted Pokémon back into the fight. A gym leader's team will typically be 4-6 Pokémon, all significantly leveled, so bring at least six Pokémon in your party to rotate through the battle.
Moves and move tutor strategies
Not every Pokémon learns the moves you want by leveling up naturally. Move tutors scattered throughout the world teach specific moves in exchange for items or currency. Identify which moves benefit your team most. A Pokémon with only weak moves will struggle even if its stats are solid. Moves with high base power, good accuracy, and useful secondary effects (paralysis, burn, freeze) tend to perform better than moves with situational effects.
As you explore, you'll find Technical Machines (TMs) that teach moves instantly. Don't waste TMs on temporary team members. Save them for Pokémon you plan to use for the long haul, especially your core six.
Items and resources you can't miss
Healing items and Poké Balls are your lifeline. Early in the game, money is tight, so farm trainers who give large monetary rewards rather than grinding wild Pokémon indefinitely. Trainers respawn once you leave their area and return, making them reliable income sources.
Items found on the ground (Potions, Antidotes, Full Heals) should be used immediately when picked up unless you're preparing for a gym battle. Don't hoard healing items hoping to use them later. Use them to grind safely and keep your team healthy during training. Specialty Balls like Ultra Balls have higher catch rates for Pokémon that are harder to catch, so save those for rare Pokémon encounters rather than common ones.
Progression pacing and when to push forward
The balance between grinding and progressing forward varies by playstyle. If your current team is 5-10 levels below the next gym leader's team, grinding a few more levels usually makes the battle much less stressful. If you're within 3-5 levels, the gym leader becomes a skill-based challenge where the right move order and type matchups matter more than pure stats.
Avoid the trap of grinding to absurdly high levels. Overleveled teams teach you less about type matchups and team synergy. The best learning happens when battles push your team to their limit but remain winnable with smart play.
FAQ
What are the basic controls for Pokemon Lazarus?
Use arrow keys to move around the world. Press Z or Enter to confirm actions and interact with NPCs. Press X or Backspace to cancel. Additional keys are mapped for menus and items depending on your setup.
How do you catch Pokémon in Pokemon Lazarus?
Pokémon appear in tall grass and other environments. Battle them until their health is low, then throw Poké Balls to catch them. The lower the Pokémon's health and the higher your friendship with it, the better your chances.
What's the best strategy for gym battles in Pokemon Lazarus?
Build a balanced team with Pokémon of different types to counter gym leader strategies. Train your team to higher levels before challenging gyms, and stock up on healing items like Potions and Full Heals.
Where can I play Pokemon Lazarus for free?
Pokemon Lazarus is playable entirely free on Dubdoo without any download required. Simply visit Dubdoo, find the game, and start playing in your browser.
If you're looking for similar Pokémon adventures, check out Pokemon Emerald, which offers classic gameplay in another beloved generation. For different RPG experiences, DeltaRune provides a unique story-driven adventure, and Fallout offers turn-based tactical gameplay in a post-apocalyptic setting.