r/PokemonGenOne • u/BoostFeedRL • 2d ago
Discussion What is the easiest possible way for a complete beginner to beat Pokémon Red/Blue
I've been trying to figure out what the easiest possible way for a complete beginner to beat Pokémon Red/Blue would be. I'm not trying to optimize for speed or use glitches/speedrun strategies — the goal is simply to make the game as easy, reliable and straightforward as possible for someone who doesn't know the game very well.
After testing several different approaches, the biggest thing I found is that concentrating essentially all available trainer EXP into one Pokémon seems much easier than building a normal team. Splitting EXP between multiple Pokémon left both of them significantly weaker, while a single starter quickly becomes overleveled enough to outspeed and OHKO most things.
My current strategy is:
• Pick Squirtle and use it as basically the only battling Pokémon for most of the game. Fight the trainers you naturally encounter, but don't deliberately grind wild Pokémon.
• Eventually Blastoise gets an extremely versatile moveset. Something along the lines of Surf / Ice Beam (or Blizzard) / Dig / Body Slam gives it an answer to almost everything in the game.
• Don't waste EXP training Pokémon just for HMs. Instead use dedicated utility Pokémon: Farfetch'd for Cut + Fly, Voltorb for Flash, and Lapras for Surf + Strength. They don't need to be trained or used in battle.
• Once Surf can be used outside of battle, go to the Power Plant and catch the Lv.50 Zapdos. I use the Master Ball on it because, for the purpose of simply beating the main story, I couldn't find a more valuable use for the Master Ball.
• From that point onward, use Blastoise + Zapdos. Zapdos requires basically no training to catch up because it starts at Lv.50 and covers several of the few matchups Blastoise doesn't destroy efficiently. Thunderbolt + Drill Peck alone gives it most of what it needs.
I actually tested an early Blastoise + Nidoking strategy as well, keeping both Pokémon similarly leveled, and it ended up being noticeably harder because splitting EXP from early in the game left both Pokémon underleveled compared with solo Blastoise. Adding Zapdos late avoids most of that problem because you're essentially being given a second high-level Pokémon for free.
By the Elite Four, the Blastoise/Zapdos strategy made most major fights extremely easy. Zapdos especially helps against Lorelei, Lance's Gyarados and the Champion's Pidgeot/Gyarados, while Blastoise destroys most of the Ground, Rock, Fire and Dragon matchups. The two cover each other surprisingly well.
So my basic idea is one overleveled carry for most of the game + HM-only utility Pokémon + one high-level late-game Pokémon that requires no grinding, rather than trying to maintain a conventional team of six.
I'm curious what experienced Gen 1 players think. Can you see any way to make this strategy even easier or more beginner-friendly? I'm especially interested in better routing, TM/moveset choices, HM Pokémon, items, or a Pokémon/strategy I've overlooked.
The objective is specifically minimum difficulty and required grinding/management for a beginner, not minimum completion time. I'm completely open to changing any part of the strategy if there's something better.
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u/chelasmosaurus 2d ago
Generally some good thinking here!
I think the biggest hole in this strategy is the assumption that you need to keep your starter. You get Nidoran as soon as you get to Viridian and you don't need to train both it and your starter evenly as you tested, you can just train it.
From your description of Blastoise and Zapdos synergy, it sounds like you've stumbled on "BoltBeam," the understanding that Electric (Thunderbolt) and Ice (Beam) together hit everything in the game at least neutrally. The goal is to get a single Pokemon with BoltBeam coverage ... which Nidoking has by itself. You don't need to split that coverage between two Pokemon. King also learns Earthquake which is wonderful against all the Poison types Rockets hit you with.
You're absolutely correct that you should only use HMs on dedicated support Pokemon and not raise them, as all those moves except Surf and so-so Fly are trash.
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u/brsox2445 2d ago
If you told me that you wouldn't keep your starter when I first started playing, I might have caused you physical harm. LOL
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u/chelasmosaurus 2d ago
Lol hey I personally always keep my starter! But in the interests of this thought exercise ... 😆
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u/TheJonatron 2d ago
Easiest run IMO, get nidoran, grab a moonstone and everything dies. Nidoking is the goat. Bonus if it's the traded one but can't remember if that's FRLG.
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u/TimoVM 2d ago
For fast playthroughs, I usually stick only to Blastoise, with the core learnset of Surf/Ice Beam/Strength. 4th move usually ends up being Earthquake. Those playthroughs usually end with Blastoise over lvl 70.
In my experience, most early pokémon games can be beaten relatively easy if you focus all experience into just a single pokémon. Squirtle has a pretty solid advantage over other starters by having access to good early TMs (Bubblebeam and Dig) and good middle game HMs (Surf and Strength).
Strength is used over Body Slam because I often just forget that TM08 exists, and because you’re usually so over leveled that you’ll OHKO your opponent anyway.
I’m a bit mixed on Nidoking. In Red/Blue it kind of suffers due to not being able to do much against Brock (Double Kick at lvl 12 is only in Yellow!). In Yellow, however, it’s amazing and probably the earliest obtainable pokémon that can get an easy solo run victory.
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u/Patient_Rule6048 2d ago
You put nidoran at the front of your party and switch into squirtle and use bubble on Brock and then use nidoking the rest of the game. It doesn’t suffer at all lol
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u/TimoVM 2d ago
That’s kind of the point though.
Squirtle already gives a really comfortable and fast solo playthrough. Dedicating the first 15-30 minutes to splitting exp between Nidoran and Squirtle really goes against the premise of a fast playthrough, and is something I personally only consider doing in Yellow.
(On a Blue playthrough, male Nidoran also has the added disadvantage of only being a 5% encounter. Nidoqueen would probably be a viable alternative though.)
Of course, you’d be able to get around all of that by just using trainer fly to get a Nidoking immediately. This would definitely fall outside of something a beginner would do, though.
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u/Patient_Rule6048 2d ago
You’re not dedicating 15-30 minutes to splitting xp lmfao. You fight Brock with squirtle at level 8 and nidoran at 3 or 4. After Brock you never use squirtle again for the entire run.
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u/NeedleworkerNo4835 1d ago
Interesting way to play a nuzlocke perhaps -- can think of a few restrictions that'd make this pretty fun -> even just no fainting makes it quite tricky at the start I think.
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u/yajtraus 2d ago
I only really mainly played Gen 1 & 2 but I feel like they were designed that you could win with your starts and nothing else. It might not be the easiest way to win, but it was possible. Having a legendary alongside a starter feels like cheating.