When Nintendo first announced Pokemon Legends: Arceus back in early 2021 as part of the series' 25th Anniversary event, nobody knew quite what to expect. The idea of an open-world Pokemon game sounded intriguing enough on paper, but how exactly this would impact the series' tried and tested formula was anybody's guess. One year on from that announcement, however, and fans of the series now have a definitive answer to that question.

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Though certainly familiar in places, Pokemon Legends: Arceus offers a very different experience from a traditional Pokemon game. As a result, there's quite a big learning curve for new players, even those who have experience with one or more of the game's predecessors. This guide will serve as a one-stop shop for those players, providing tips and tricks, useful information about Pokemon and story missions, and any major news concerning Nintendo's latest Pokemon game.

Updated May 18, 2022, by Tom Bowen: It's been a few months now since the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and what a few months it's been. A new generation of Pokemon games has been announced and Legends: Arceus has received several updates, the most notable of which being the 1.1.0 Daybreak update. As well as a Pokemon Legends: Arceus walkthrough, this guide has been updated to include a new subsection dedicated entirely to user-generated content, which can be found down below within the News & Opinions section. Additionally, a few extra guides have been added to help players tackle some of the game's more difficult requests.

Getting StartedStory Walkthrough
Request GuidesPokemon Locations
Crafting & ItemsNews & Opinions

Getting Started in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus brings with it some of the biggest changes to the series' formula in years. The most notable of these is perhaps the switch to a more open-world design, though there are also some pretty big differences when it comes to both the structure of the game's main story and the way that players interact with their Pokemon. As a result, even series veterans may need a while in order to acclimatize.

This section of the guide will help to ease both new players into the world of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, with How-to guides helping to explain some of the new and altered mechanics. This is also where players can expect to find general tips and tricks as well as answers to some of the more frequently asked questions about the game.

How-to Guides

General Tips & Tricks

Frequently Asked Questions

Story Walkthrough

Unlike a more traditional Pokemon game in which players must defeat gym leaders to earn badges, Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes a somewhat different approach. It instead provides players with a series of exploration-based missions, although the goal of catching as many different types of Pokemon as possible remains largely the same. There are 28 story missions in total, with some being considerably longer than others.

This section of the guide will focus on some of the more difficult parts of the main story, with guides and walkthroughs to help players through any tough battles or confusing puzzles that may halt their progress. This will include all of the key interactions with Noble Pokemon as well as any parts of the story where the player's next steps aren't clearly laid out for them.

Request Guides

As well as main story missions, players can also complete special requests for the Hisuian people. These range from collecting certain items to fully completing a particular Pokemon's Pokedex entry. There are 94 requests in total, though they won't all be available straight away. Some will require players to complete other requests first, while others are directly tied to main story progression. The good news, however, is that none of the requests are missable.

As one might expect from a Pokemon game, a lot of the requests in Legends: Arceus are relatively straightforward, though players will sometimes be tasked with finding items or Pokemon whose locations are not made clear. This section of the guide will help to point players in the right direction whenever this happens, while also providing information about some of the rewards that are on offer for completing each request.

Pokemon Locations

When compared with some of the other recent Pokemon games, Legends: Arceus is a little light in the total number of Pokemon department. That said, there are still 242 different Pokemon available in the game, meaning that those hoping to catch them all are going to have to put in quite a bit of work. Of these 242 Pokemon, seven are brand new, with an additional 17 of them being treated to a shiny new Hisuian form.

Anyone hoping to track down all of the new regional Pokemon should find this section of the guide useful, as too should those in the market for Mythical and Legendary Pokemon. There'll also be individual guides for fan-favorite Pokemon as well as collective guides discussing some of the best Pokemon for certain situations or of one particular type.

Individual Pokemon Guides

Mythical & Legendary Pokemon
UxieMespritAzelf
HeatranRegigigasCresselia
TornadusThundurusLandorus
EnamorusDialgaPalkia
GiratinaArceusPhione
ManaphyShayminDarkrai
Hisuian Pokemon
Hisuian GrowlitheHisuian ArcanineHisuian Voltorb
Hisuian ElectrodeHisuian TyphlosionHisuian Qwilfish
Hisuian SneaselHisuian SamurottHisuian Lilligant
Hisuian BasculinHisuian ZoruaHisuian Zoroark
Hisuian BraviaryHisuian SliggooHisuian Goodra
Hisuian AvaluggHisuian Decidueye
New Evolutions
KleavorOverqwilSneasler
UrsalunaWyrdeerBasculegion
Starter Pokemon
RowletCyndaquilOshawott
ChimcharTurtwigPiplup
Baby Pokemon
PichuCleffaRioulu
BonslyMunchlaxMime Jr.
HappinyMagbyTogepi
ElekidMantykeBudew
Other Pokemon
SnorlaxChanseyBlissey
MagmortarGyaradosEevee
RoseradeTangrowthLuxray
ElectivireMagnezoneMamoswine
WalreinWeavileGallade
LucarioDrapionGengar
CrobatRhyperiorGarchomp
TogekissAlakazamGardevoir
ScizorHeracrossYanmega
ScytherProbopassHonchkrow
Mr. MimeAbraPorygon
DusclopsRotomGible
GolemMachampGliscor
RapidashCranidosShieldon

Collective Pokemon Guides

Best Pokemon by Type
NormalFireWater
GrassElectricIce
FightingPoisonGround
FlyingPsychicBug
RockGhostDark
DragonSteelFairy

Crafting & Items

Unlike most previous Pokemon games, in which players are expected to either find or buy the majority of their consumable items, Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes a somewhat different approach. Like many other open-world titles before it, the game employs a surprisingly detailed crafting system, which allows players to throw together just about any consumable item that they'd like.

This section of the guide will focus on how to unlock new crafting recipes and where to find the crafting ingredients that players will need for each one. This is also where players can find information about evolution stones and items and anything else that they can find, craft or buy as they make their way through the Hisui region.

Individual Items

Crafting Ingredients
ApricornsAspear BerryBall of Mud
Black TumblestoneBlue ShardBugwort
Cake-Lure BaseCandy TruffleCaster Fern
Cheri BerryCrunchy SaltDazzling Honey
DireshroomDoppel BonnetGreen Shard
Hearty GrainHopo BerryIron Barktongue
Iron ChunkKing's LeafLeppa Berry
Medicinal LeekOran BerryPecha Berry
Pep-Up PlantPlump BeansPop Pod
Rawst BerryRazz BerryRed Shard
Sand RadishSitrus BerrySky Tumblestone
Sootfoot RootSpoiled ApricornSpringy Mushroom
StardustSwordcapTumblestone
VivichokeWood
Evolution Items
Linking CordBlack AuguritePeat Block
Moon Stone
Miscellaneous Items
Shiny Charm

Collective Guides

News & Opinions

The release of a new Pokemon game is always a big deal, but the drastic changes found throughout Pokemon Legends: Arceus have amplified this excitement further still. On the day of its release, the game sat atop online retailer charts the world over and broke sales and pre-order records in several brick and mortar stores. If these opening few months are anything to go by, Legends: Arceus may very well go on to become one of the best-selling Pokemon games of all time.

This final section of the guide will collate some of the biggest news stories surrounding the game, including any concerning sales figures, updates and patches, and any bugs and glitches. This is also where readers can expect to find user-generated content and opinions; not just about the quality of the game and the changes it brings with it, but also some of the themes and ideas that it explores and the impact that these could have on the future of the franchise as a whole.

News

User-Generated Content

Opinions

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for the Nintendo Switch.

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