Pokemon Legends Arceus Beginner Guide

Pokemon Legends Arceus is a brand new spin on the Pokemon RPG. Unlike other spin-offs that tend to take the series far from its monster-catching roots Pokemon Legends Arceus opens up the formula giving players free reign to explore the Sinnoh under a different name, the Hisui region. In this Pokemon Legends Arceus Beginner guide, we'll go over a variety of different questions that you might have starting up Pokemon Legends Arceus so you can set out on your adventure on the right foot.

Which Starter Pokemon should I choose?

The starter Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus are Rowlett, Cyndaquill, and Oshawott. At the beginning of the game, you'll be able to pick which one you're interested in but don't stress about your choice too much as you'll be able to find all three starters in the wilds of Hisui.

Does Pokemon Legends Arceus have gym badges?

Pokemon Legends Arceus follows a different system of progression through the game. The main point of Pokemon Legends Arceus is in exploring the world and completing your Pokedex. You do this not just by catching a Pokemon but by then completing certain tasks with it that help you gather more information.

As you catch Pokemon and fill out their Pokedex entries you'll begin to accumulate Survey Corps ranks, the max being 10 Stars. As you obtain new ranks you'll get higher and higher star ranks, this is what will then progress story events in the game. It is these rankings that will also hold you back from story progression so go get catching!

What can you do when not out catching Pokemon?

When not completing the Pokedex you'll also be able to talk with the denizens of the town. They will offer a variety of quests meant to help give you purpose in exploring the world. A lot of these missions also include criteria like "Find Pokemon X" so it's always worth picking up these missions as they'll align with the greater goal of completing your Pokedex.

How many new Pokemon are there in the game?

There are 242 Pokemon available to catch in Pokemon Legends Arceus. While we won't list them all out here we do have a total list of how many entirely new Pokemon there are, as well as a list of how many Hisuian Variants there are.

• 7 New Pokemon
• 16 New Hisuian Form Pokemon
• 3 New Forms

If you're interested in checking out those new Pokemon then be sure to check out our Pokemon Legends: Arceus New Pokemon and Forms Guide.

Are there shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus?

Yes shiny Pokemon are back in this latest installment. As always these low chance rare Pokemon have a chance of appearing in an alternate colored variant. These shiny Pokemon will also appear shiny in their overworld form. There's plenty of new ways to enhance your shiny collecting too so be sure to utilize those to the best of your ability.

What are Distortions?

Every now and then when roaming the land of Hisui you'll get a strange message that appears: "A Space Time Distortion is forming". Start scanning your environment and you'll eventually see a multicolored dome. Walk inside this dome and you'll find yourself in a new area with extremely strong and aggressive Pokemon. It's inside distortions like this that you'll find additional Starter Pokemon to make sure your Pokedex is complete.

What do I get for playing previous Pokemon games?

If you have save data for previous Nintendo Switch Pokemon games there are a variety of rewards that you're able to obtain. These are listed below: 

• Save Data from Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
  • Post-Game research quest to find Darkrai
  • Team Galactic outfit
• Save Data from Pokemon Sword and Shield
  • Post-Game research quest to find Shaymin
  • Shaymin outfit
• Save Data from Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee
  • Pikachu and Eevee face masks

To get the outfits talk to the owner of the clothing store as soon as you're able to. You can then change your look at the mirror in your bedroom.

Pokemon Legends Arceus - Legendary Pokemon

How do I catch Arceus?

Unlike other Pokemon game box legendaries (even though Arceus doesn't appear on the box) the way to encounter, and attempt to catch Arceus in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is by completing the Hisuian Pokedex. This luckily doesn't mean you have to catch them all, but at least have their information recorded in your Pokedex.

What other Legendary Pokemon are present?

Based on exploring the game and datamining, every Legendary and Mythical Pokemon from Gen IV will be available to encounter in this game.

What's different about Pokemon Legends Arceus?

General Mechanics

• Go on quests and explore regions of the Hisui region
• The player character can be the target of Pokemon and their attacks
• New evolution methods, including a way to perform trade evolutions without trading

Battle Mechanics

• Encounter special Pokemon through the story like the powerful Noble Pokemon, or the extra large Alpha Pokemon
• No Pokemon have their effects
  Note: There are some pokemon that still retain their effect even if it's not listed such as Arceus' Multitype ability or Regigigas' Slow Start
• There are 34 new attacks
• There are new weather effects

Catch Mechanics

• There are new types of Pokeballs
• You can approach a Pokemon in the wild and immediately throw a Pokeball at it, or decide to engage it in battle