Pokémon Legends: Arceus – 10 Tips and Secrets

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a true revolution for the classic RPG franchise. The game brings a more free-form approach, without the old cliché of a Pokémon trainer in search of badges, and has many new gameplay features.

All players embarking on this new journey will need to relearn how to play Pokémon. So, there’s nothing better than starting the game with the best tips to speed up the process a little and ensure a fun experience. We’ve put together ten of them. Grab your best Poké Balls, turn your cap backwards, and come with us.

Try to capture from behind

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the freedom to try to capture a new monster is similar to what you saw in the anime. You can battle, but you can also try to capture the Pokémon directly with the Poké Ball.

Smaller, more common monsters are the obvious targets of the second approach, but even more powerful ones can be captured this way if the following tip is followed: throw your Poké Ball while the monster's back is to you.

Quickly clear the camps

All of the game's missions feature vast areas to explore, and even with a mount, it can be difficult to keep going back and forth to complete objectives. The key to faster travel is to teleport to camps.

There are several of them to be unlocked on each map, and this should be your priority. The camps have, in addition to the possibility of teleportation, a bed to rest, vendors and the professor to deliver your discoveries.

Complete each Pokémon's challenges

In Arceus, each Pokémon has its own set of challenges – it’s almost like a scientific study of their behavior. All challenges are listed in your Pokédex and can include seeing them use a certain move, catching a certain number of them, or even defeating them in battle. Completing certain challenges fills their entry in your dex and gives you access to extra information.

Keep an eye out for the red symbol next to challenges. This indicates that you’ll earn more research points as you complete them, speeding up the process of reaching max level.

Go to Cyllene to rank up

As you complete challenges and capture new Pokémon, return to the professor to earn your rewards. These include points to increase your ranking within the patrol. However, it’s not enough to just fill the ranking bar; you need to go to Captain Cyllene to secure your promotion.

It is located in the main house of the village, in the first room after the door. As you rank up, you will be able to capture and have higher level monsters without them rebelling, in addition to unlocking new missions throughout the village.

Alpha Pokémon are extremely powerful

One of the variations in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the Alpha. You’ll recognize them around the world thanks to their red eyes. These versions are larger and much more powerful, but they can also be captured. Once you’ve reached their level, go back and capture them.

Additionally, capturing Pokémon Alpha guarantees a nice reward of ranking points and some extra cash with the professor.

Be careful not to fight doubles

Pokémon appear in droves all over the island of Hisui. So be careful when battling one that is close to another, as this will start a one-on-two battle. The reward may be nice, as you can capture or defeat both, but the damage will be much greater and some combos can decimate your monsters.

Understand the attack order

Speaking of combat, notice that there are new changes to the order of action within each battle. The sequence appears on the right side of the screen and, this time, goes beyond the usual alternation between monsters. Now, depending on the agility and the use of the last attack, a Pokémon can attack more than once in a row and finish off the opponent. Plan your turns carefully with this in mind.

Strong attack or fast attack?

Another new feature in Arceus combat is the ability for a Pokémon to master an attack. This happens as it is used or when it reaches a specific level. Mastering an attack means that a Pokémon will be able to use up to three variations of it.

The strong attack causes more damage, but makes your next attack slower, meaning the enemy may attack twice before your Pokémon can act again. The fast attack is the opposite: it causes less damage, but speeds up your next attack. Finally, there is the conventional attack, which is used before mastering a move.

When a monster masters an attack, it means it can use three variations of it.

The choice between strong and fast depends on your opponent and your Pokémon. For some monsters, the fast attack will guarantee a second move right after, which can cause the damage needed to end the match. The strong attack can cause that extra damage that will determine the winner and will not leave that little bit of life left that would allow another attack from your opponent. These are tools that you will use as needed in the adventure.

Talk to Bagin to increase inventory space

The inventory in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is very limited at the beginning of the adventure, especially with the large amount of items that can be obtained in the open world. But there is a way to increase it – something that the game does not make very clear.

Near Cyllene's office, there is a guard named Bagin who will teach you a technique that can increase your inventory space. Each additional space will cost more, but it is worth the investment, especially at the beginning of the game, when it is a good idea to add at least five extra spaces before spending on anything else.

Complete side quests

Side quests play an important role in Arceus, something quite different from the rest of the main series. In the village and in the various maps you explore, there are several NPCs who need help.

Most of the time, the rewards are great, including recipes for crafting rare items and resources. Plus, many of them are fun to complete, especially the capture, mount, and research challenges.

Side missions are marked on the map, so there are no excuses to avoid them.