Summary
There are many Pokemon withinPokemon Legends: Arceus, and players are likely going to catch whatever Pokemon that happens to cross their path. Not only is catching Pokemon inPokemon Legends: Arceusthe best way of getting money, it’s the only way to get higher Star Ranks and be able to catch stronger Pokemon. Furthermore, the final Mission in the game request players to catch all Pokemon within Hisui.
Ultimately, it is each trainer’s own decision what the best team inPokemonLegends: Arceusshould look like. While players will, of course, be expanding the Pokedex as they make their way through the game, several Pokemon are definite Must-Haves for a balanced party.
Updated on August 09, 2025 by Renri Seong:For each region unlocked inPokemon Legends: Arceus, there are Pokemon that should be caught as soon as possible. This is usually to fill out the Pokedex, but other times, it’s to get a more-balanced or stronger Pokemon in the party. Once players complete the main story, there are various Legendary Pokemon that become available to them in the postgame. To get said Legendary Pokemon, it’s sometimes necessary to catch several Pokemon as a prerequisite. The following guide has been updated to include six Pokemon that should be caught in theLegends: Arceus' postgame.
Coronet Highlands
There isn’t an easy way to catch Magikarp until players have unlocked theRide Basculegion in the Cobalt Coastlands. However, players can get an early Magikarp and evolve it into Gyarados by going to a cliff looking overOreburrow Tunnel.
FromNature’s Pantry, go to the far right to the river. On the map, this isbetween Tidewater DamandOreburrow Tunnel. There will be a ledge that players can jump down on, and two “steps” in the water. A couple of Magikarp will be swimming in the water, and they can be caught byluring them close with Oran Berriesand thenthrowing a Poke Ball. Go as far to the edge as possible, but not too close.
Get Magikarp to level 20 and it will evolve into the powerful Gyarados.Despite its dual Water/Flying-type, Gyarados is a good Pokemon to battle against the Noble Kleavor. It has tons of HP and has access to Water Pulse and Aqua Tail, both of which are super effective against the Bug/Rock-type Kleavor.
Alabaster Icelands
Eevee is a rare spawn in the wild, but if players are lucky, they can catch one as early as the Horseshoe Plains in the starting area ofPokemon Legends: Arceus. Fans of thePokemonseries will recognize Eevee forits potential to evolve into 8 different Pokemon. Catching one early in the game can be beneficial since trainers can choose between 8 different Types of Pokemon to evolve it into.
There’s a high chance players won’t have evolutionary stonesuntil after they’ve cleared the Kleavor Mission, but if Eevee’s Friendship is raised high enough, it can potentially evolve into Espeon (day), Umbreon (night), or Sylveon (Eevee must haveoneFairy-type move in its moveset).
This is one of many Pokemon that aren’t available in the Obsidian Fieldlands, but is still a Pokemon worth getting. Ralts is well-known for evolving into Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy-type) or Gallade (Psychic/Fighting-type). Once players are tasked with quelling theNoble Liligant of the Crimson Mirelands, they’ll be able to find and catch Ralts in the Shrouded Ruins or the Gapejaw Bog. Additionally, wild Kirlia can be spotted at the Shrouded Ruins too.
A male Kirlia can evolve into Gallade if he’s given a Dawn Stone, while a male or female Kirlia can evolve into Gardevoir once they reach level 30. With the move tutor, Gardevoir and Gallade can be taught powerfulmoves that give them much-needed coverageagainst enemy Pokemon.
* Alpha Overqwil can be caught duringAzelf’s Trial.
These three Pokemon are needed to completeThe Sea’s LegendRequest. This Request will allow players to catch Phione and Manaphy, so it’s required to catch these three Pokemon if players want the Water-type Mythical Pokemon.
Buizel can be caught at the start of the game in the Horseshoe Plains, but players will need to surf with Basculegion to get Qwilfish and Mantyke. Qwilfish will evolve into Overqwil once it has used theStrong-style Barb Barrage 20 times in battle. Alternatively, players can catch an Overqwil during Azelf’s Trial at the end of the game.
Cobalt Coastlands
Before Generation 6, Togepi and its evolutions were Normal-type Pokemon. With the introduction of Fairy-type, Togepi’s Normal-typing was swapped out for Fairy-typing instead. As a rare Pokemon, Togepi will spawn in only a few places around Hisui. Furthermore, it’s rare to find more than one Togepi at a time outside of mass outbreaks. When its friendship is raised high enough, it will evolve into Togetic. To get Togekiss, the final evolution,give Togetic a Shiny Stone. If players want to avoid evolving Togepi, they can catch Togetic or Togekiss flying around in the Crimson Mirelands and Obsidian Fieldlands respectively.
While the Togepi-line loses its immunity to Ghost-type moves, its new Fairy-typing makes it strong against Fighting, Dark, and Dragon-type Pokemon. Togekiss is a Pokemon worth having on the team thanks to its high Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense. Its Speed and HP are also average, making it somewhat tanky against opponents. Togekiss' lowest stat is Attack (base: 50), but all of Togekiss' offense-moves are Special Moves, takingfull advantage of its powerful Special Attack. To combat Togekiss' Steel-type weakness, it can be taught Flamethrower or Mystical Fire at the Training Grounds.
It’s likely players will first miss Hisuian Growlithe on their first trip to the Cobalt Coastlands. This Fire/Rock-type only spawns in two areas in the Cobalt Coastlands, and one of these areas can’t be reached until players can call Sneasler. Since it’s impossible to find Hisuian Arcanine outside mass outbreaks, players will need to catch Growlithe and use a Fire Stone to evolve it if they want Arcanine. If lucky, it’s possible to run intoan Alpha Hisuian Growlithe. In the case Growlithe isn’t spawning, return to Jubilife Village, then go back to the Cobalt Coastlands.
The Fire/Rock-type gives Growlithe and Arcanine a 4x weakness to Water and Ground-type moves. However, Hisuian Arcanine has a base stat total of 555 with great HP, Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. GivenLegends: Arceus' new combat system, it’s always good to have a Pokemon that can attack first, and with Arcanine’s base Speed of 90, it’s likely that it’ll be able to get the first hit. Arcanine can combat its Water-type weakness by learning Thunder Fang or Wild Charge.
Crimson Mirelands
Once space-time distortions start appearing, players can find rare Pokemon that don’t normally exist in Hisui. After unlocking the Crimson Mirelands, players will have a chance of finding a Porygon and its evolutionswithin the space-time distortions. The Porygon-line are Normal-type Pokemon, but they can learn a variety of moves that give them coverage such as Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Shadow Ball. To evolve Porygon, players need to give it an Upgrade to make it into Porygon2, and then a Dubious Disc to get Porygon-Z.
The ideal thing players will want to do is evolve Porygon2 into Porygon-Z. However, Porygon2 has better Defense and Special Defense than Porygon-Z. On the other hand, Porygon-Z’s 135 base Special Attack and 90 base Speed means it’s likely to move before the opponent and 1HKO if it has the right moves. Players should decide whether they want a tanky Pokemon (Porygon2) ora somewhat-fast attacker (Porygon-Z).
Seaside Hollow
If players have Overqwil, Buizel, and Mantyke, they’ll be able to complete theRequest: The Sea’s Legend. With those three Pokemon in the party, players need to swim between the two pillars (during the evening) by Sand’s Reach to unlock the Seaside Hollow. The Seaside Hollow is on the north side of Veilstone Cape and is marked by a “white cave icon” on the map. Upon entering Seaside Hollow, players will have to face off against Manaphy and three Phione. What makes Manaphy worth catching is that it’sone of the few legendary/mythical Pokemon that can be caught before the postgame.
As a Mythical Pokemon, Manaphy has a base stat of 100 in all of its stats, totaling a base stat total of 600. Manaphy’s moveset inPokemon Legends: Arceusconsist of Special Moves,so having a Modest Nature Manaphy(+Sp.Attk, -Attk) can give it the boost it needs offensively. If players want to give Manaphy coverage against Grass-type Pokemon, they can teach it Ice Beam or Icy Wind via tutoring. While Manaphy doesn’t learn the move Heart Swap inLegends: Arceus, it learns Take Heart instead. This move cures Manaphy of any status ailments while simultaneously boosting its Attack and Defense.
Islespy Shore
The Sinnoh starters may not be part of the Hisui starters, but theycanbe caught in the wild. These three are worth getting because of their final evolutions: Torterra, Infernape, and Empoleon. The Sinnoh starters are solid Grass, Fire, and Water-type Pokemon that will no doubt help players in the later story ofPokemon Legends: Arceus. Players won’t be able to get them without the Ride Basculegion, but there’s a guaranteed Chimchar for completingRequest: The Mysterious Will-o-the-Wisp.
Lucario’s dual Fighting/Steel-type makes it a very versatile Pokemon. Its Speed is good, and its high Attack and Special Attack makes it a good physical or special attacker depending on how trainers want to use it. Lucario is the evolved form of Riolu, who also appears in the Alabaster Icelands near Icebound Falls. Trainers may find it easier to catch Riolu and evolve it, as it spawns more frequently than Lucario. Riolu evolves when it has high friendship, but only during the day.
