Pokemon Ultra Sun Update 1.2
According to the official patch notes (and community testing), update 1.2 addresses:
No Pokémon stats, moves, or encounter rates were changed. This is strictly a stability and bug-fix patch.
Whether you own a physical cartridge or a digital copy, applying the update is straightforward:
Note: If you are using a ROM or a flashcart, Version 1.2 breaks most cheat engines. Action Replay codes from 1.1 will cause immediate freezes.
The most famous change in Update 1.2 was the removal of the "warstory" glitch. Previously, players could disconnect their internet during a specific frame of a Link Battle replay, causing the game to load garbage data. This allowed players to walk through walls, encounter illegal wild Pokémon, and even access the void of the Battle Tree. pokemon ultra sun update 1.2
Post-Update 1.2: Attempting this glitch now hard-crashes the game or displays an error message. Speedrunners lamented this fix, as it eliminated the fastest any% routes.
For the uninitiated, software updates for 3DS titles often carry one of two purposes: stability or content. Update 1.2 falls into a hybrid category. While it did not add new story chapters, new Ultra Beasts, or a new Battle Tree mode, it provided critical infrastructure changes.
Key details:
If you attempted to go online in Ultra Sun without installing Update 1.2, you were greeted with a mandatory download screen. This patch became the new baseline for the game’s lifecycle. According to the official patch notes (and community
The Alola Photo Club was prone to crashing when loading custom QR codes for backgrounds. Update 1.2 stabilized the QR reader, preventing the “An error has occurred, please restart the system” black screen.
With the Nintendo 3DS eShop officially closed (as of March 2023), new players often ask: Can I still get Update 1.2?
Yes, but only if you downloaded it before the closure or use specific methods:
Warning: Do not skip this update. Without 1.2, you cannot use Pokémon Bank, trade online, or participate in any online battle. Your game is effectively offline-only. No Pokémon stats, moves, or encounter rates were changed
Even now, users report errors. Here are the three most common and their fixes:
Error Code: 005-2008
Infinite "Preparing update..." screen
"No update available" on a fresh cartridge
Unlike the massive content drops we see in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet or Sword/Shield DLC today, Update 1.2 is purely a maintenance patch. There are no new Ultra Beasts, no Episode RR epilogue, and no shiny Necrozma giveaway. The official patch notes—buried deep in Nintendo’s support archives—boil down to three cryptic lines:
But as any Alolan veteran knows, the real changes were felt in the trenches of the Battle Spot.