The Pokemon White Difference

While it is true that Pokemon White 2 (like Black 2) is a departure from the traditional formula for the series in that it has the player returning to a familiar region, much of the elements that are common to making each title in a set distinctly unique are still present here. In the case of Pokemon White 2, those differences include the following:

(A) Environment Differences

While this is not a major distinction if you own one of each title you will notice that in Pokemon White 2 the Battle Screen is slightly different than it is in Black 2. That difference is directly based upon the version you are playing, with the stat bar and the battle circles being shaded white in White 2, and a darker shade of brown-black in Black 2.

A similar difference is found in the pop-up message windows that appear when you change areas or when a message is being delivered, with the background for the pop-up boxes being black in Black 2, and white in White 2!

(B) Unique Funfest Missions

Funfest Missions are part of the extended game play options and factor into the multi-player co-op play as well, and are available in the game via the C-Gear Interface. Not only are these missions a lot of fun, but they are the best and only way to obtain some of the prizes that you can win, including Berries, the Pass Orbs, Star Pieces, Comet Shards, Lum Berries, Heart Scales, and Star Dust.

Normal prizes for the missions include

• Aspear Berries

• Oran Berries

• Rawst Berries

• Pecha Berries

• Chesto Berries

• Cheri Berries

• Leppa Berries

• Antidotes

• Awakening

• Persim Berries

• Sitrus Berries

• Paralyze Heals

• Burn Heals

• Revives

• Potions

• Super Potions

• Escape Ropes

• Everstones

• Rage Candybars

• Regular Pokeballs

• Luxury Pokeballs

• Pearls

• Big Pearls

• Fresh Water

• Blue Shards

• Green Shards

• Red Shards

• Yellow Shards

• Old Gateau

• Tiny Mushrooms

They are also a source for:

• Dusk Stones

• Thunder Stones

• Leaf Stones

• Sun Stones

• Fire Stones

• Water Stones

• Shiny Stones

• Hard Stones

• Swift Wings

• Resist Wings

• Muscle Wings

• Health Wings

• Genius Wings

• Clever Wings

• Pretty Wings

Mail collectors will happily find Greet Mail, Bridge Mail D, Bridge Mail M, Bridge Mail S, Bridge Mail T, Bridge Mail V, Thanks Mail, and RSVP Mail.

Special hold items like the Mamarizer, Metal Coat, Reaper Cloth, Stick, Thick Club, Dubious Disc, and the Old Amber, Cover Fossil, Dome Fossil, Skull Fossil, and Root Fossil are also obtained as very rare Rewards through special Funfest missions.

In addition to those and other prizes, doing very well in a mission can also reward you with an extra prize or prizes in the form of Premier Pokeballs, Dive Pokeballs,Ultra Pokeballs, Moomoo Milk, Gold Nuggets, Max Repels, Max Revives, Max Elixers, Rare Candy, Big Mushrooms, Lucky Punch, and Pearl Strings.

The significant point to this is that some of the prizes above are more common on one version than in another, including the rarer prizes, though just which is more common in which is not entirely known.

(C) Join Avenue Differences

Another of the areas that varies slightly between the games is Join Avenue, and specifically the various NPC's that you can meet in each game to open shops there. They are not an identical list between the games, and in addition to that, some of the similar shops offer slightly different stock. This is very obvious with respect to the Berry Seller, and you will find that some berries are rarer in Black 2 than in White 2, and vice-versa.

(D) Version Exclusive Pokemon in White 2

The tradition in the Pokemon Series to offer version-exclusive Pokemon is alive and well and present in White 2. The following can only be obtained via capture (or trade with in-game NPC's as marked) in Pokemon White 2:

Dex # – Pokemon Name

• 010 – Caterpie

• 011 – Metapod

• 012 – Butterfree

• 122 – Mr Mime

• 125 – Electrabuzz

• 127 – Pinsir

• 165 – Ledyba

• 166 – Ledian

• 239 – Elekid

• 300 – Skitty

• 301 – Delcatty

• 312 – Minun

• 314 – Illumise

• 322 – Numel

• 323 – Camerupt

• 378 – Regice

• 380 – Latias

• 431 – Glameow

• 432 – Purugly

• 439 – Mime Jr

• 466 – Electivire

• 548 – Petilil*

• 549 – Lilligant*

• 577 – Solosis

• 578 – Duosion

• 579 – Reuniclus

• 627 – Rufflet

• 628 – Braviary

• 643 – Reshiram

• 646 – Kyurem

* - Acquired via in-game trades with NPC's.

(E) Exclusive Areas

If you are a veteran of Pokemon White then you already know that one of the major elements that makes Black and White – and Black 2 and White 2 – different, is the fact that they each have a major town that is exclusive to it and named for it. Pokemon Black/Black 2 has Black City, and Pokemon White/White 2 has the city of White Forest.

In White Forest the player will find a peaceful and serene forest of white trees, intermixed with buildings, houses, and shops where the player will find items and quests that are unique to White/White 2. In Black/Black 2 there is Black City, a corrupt city full of greedy and selfish people!

White Forest is also home to The White Treehollow, which is a place where eager Pokemon Trainers can find and take on extra battle challenges with rival trainers.

Another significant difference between the two versions is the community that is found (or not found really) on Route 4! In Black 2 the Route 4 area is a populated and thriving small community, whereas in White 2 it is largely a small community build on ancient ruins. You have to see both versions to really appreciate the difference...

The layout for Opelucid City in White 2 is very different than that of Black 2, with its appearance being much older and somehow more staid and wise, while the City in Black 2 is modern and slick and new, with a sense that it has not been around long enough to really lay down any roots. That may be an extension of the idea that in the Black games the world is a much more profit-oriented one, with the world in White being more earthy-crunchy. I kind of like White better...

The connecting cave that provides a route between Undella Town and Lentimas Town is also a very different experience in White. Where in Black 2 it was a dark and foreboding cave filled with a river of dark water, in White 2 it is a bright and dangerous feeling cave with a Magma river flowing through it!

There are some esthetic differences in Mistralton City as well, most notably the community gardens area in White, which consist of plots of garden space, whereas in Black it is covered by greenhouses made of metal and glass.

Victory Road Alterations

While this is only really obvious if you have played both games, the path that you use to reach the Elite Four via Victory Road is very different in White compared to Black, and because of the change in the layout of the path, the trainers are encountered in a different order and in different Locations.

(F) Battle and Challenge Differences

There are several minor differences between the two versions of the game with respect to Battle and Challenge that we should cover.

While the multiple-battles in Black 2 tend towards Rotation Battles, in White 2 they are more oriented towards Triple Battles, the difference being that in a Rotation Battle you call out three Pokemon and fight them one at a time, whereas with a Triple Battle, you call out three Pokemon and battle with all three at the same time. Both game versions have both types, but you will find the Triple Battles are more frequent in Pokemon White 2 than in Black 2.

There is also supposed to be a distinct Challenge difference between the two, with Black 2 being slightly more difficult both in battle and in Pokemon captures, whereas Battle and captures are supposed to be easier in White 2. During game play in both versions it soon became evident that the capture rate is better in White 2, with less waste of Pokeballs, and the captures happening faster.

Another key difference in White 2 over Black 2 is that there seem to be more rare Pokemon encounters in White 2, with a higher appearance rate for Shiny Pokemon.

(G) Battle Key System

A new feature that is part of Unova Link in the second Black and White games is the Battle Key System, which is a mechanism that awards special keys for completing specific tasks in the games. The Keys are not actually part of the game in the sense that your character does not acquire them, but rather they are collected via the game's main menu, which is where the Key Interface is located and how you use the Keys to change the game and trade Keys with the opposing color version.

Important Note: Once you trade a Key with another game, you cannot trade that Key back to the original game, so you want to make sure that you have used the Keys you are trading in BOTH games so that you have completed the special capture or change prior to making the trade, as otherwise you will have to complete erase your game save and start over!

The Key System has a Send and Receive Option that allows for you to send and receive keys with your mates who have the opposing color game via either IR or WIFI. You can do this yourself if you have two DS's and one of each title.

Regi Puzzle Mystery Door

Using the first Key you receive in your game, you can change the puzzle in the Regi Cave after you have completed the Rock Peak Chamber and captured Regirock to obtain a second Regi.

In Pokemon Black 2 the Key you receive is the Iron Chamber Key, which allows you to reset the puzzle and door in order to obtain Registeel. In order to obtain Regice, and thus have all three of the Regi's which enables you to find and capture Regigigas, you must trade the Iron Key with a player who has Pokemon White 2, for their Iceberg Key.

In Pokemon White 2 the Key you receive is the Iceberg Chamber Key, which allows you to reset the puzzle and door in order to obtain Regice. In order to obtain Registeel, and thus have all three of the Regi's which enables you to find and capture Regigigas, you must trade the Iceberg Key with a player who has Pokemon Black 2, for their Iron Chamber Key.

Once you have obtained all three of the Regi's above, place them in your party and head to the cave in the back of Twist Mountain. The game will detect that all three Regi's are present and it will spawn the Regigigas for you to battle and capture!

Difficulty Key System

This was created to do three advanced functions: Set Game Difficulty, which allows you to change your game from the first setting – which is the default Normal difficulty, to either the second setting – the Easy difficulty, or the third setting – the Hard (Challenge) mode.

Access to this Key System requires you to have traded your Keys for the two modes with another player who has the opposing color game for their Keys since you can only change the settings with a set of traded Keys.

City Change Key

The Change City Key actually allows you to change the city in your version from one to the other, so in Black 2 you can change from Black City to White Forest and back, and vice-versa in White 2.

Normally the two cities are version exclusive unless you use this Key.

Obtaining access to the respective Key for this is rather complicated. There is a special battle zone in each of the games home cities – the Black Tower in Black City, and the White Treehollow – which each special battle zone having five areas that the player must fully clear to receive their respective Key. In Black 2 the player receives the Black Tower Key, and in White the White Forest Key.

Now you must trade your Key for the opposing Key in another game, at which point you can then use it to change the city in your game!

(H) Story Structure and Encounter Differences

While the two games appear to be very similar on the surface, once you start playing you will notice that they each have a different nuance to their story, and each is set up with differences such as Trainer Locations and order, battles, and the like. Generally speaking when a player asks the question “Which one should I get?” these differences are less important than the overall difference in the tone and the feel of play.

A fair definition for the difference between the two is that Black 2 is a colder and harder world while White 2 is a more friendly and easier one. That is not entirely true – remember that easy is a relative term – but if you play both titles you will find that the Adventure has a different flavor in one than it does in the other.

In addition to that there will be items and rare Pokemon that you will be able to acquire in White 2 that you did not and could not in Black 2. That is the nature of the difference between the two games.