As players adventure through the Hisui region of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, they will come across over 200 different species of Pokémon. As a member of the Galaxy Team Survey Corps, it is the player's job to catch each Pokémon within the Hisui region to compile a comprehensive Pokédex. Catching powerful Pokémon is the first step many players will make towards becoming the very best.
Over the many hours of gameplay awaiting players in Pokémon Arceus, catching Pokémon will be the real test for many players. An excessive amount of Poké Balls and consumables can be spent as players attempt to capture stronger companions for their journey. While monetary rewards for expeditions increase as the player gains ranks in the Survey Corps, players can quickly find themselves running out of the Apricorns used to craft more powerful types of Poké Balls in Legends Arceus.
The best tool at the player's disposal for catching Pokémon in Pokémon Arceus is the team the player takes with them into the wild areas of Hisui. While players can utilize stealth and baits to capture unsuspecting Pokémon, those with a more aggressive nature will require a properly equipped team if players want a chance at capturing it. This is especially true when dealing with space-time distortions, where players will need to contend with multiple aggressive Pokémon at once.
The Best Moves & Pokémon For Catching Pokémon In Legends: Arceus
When it comes to capturing Pokémon, the companions the player decides to bring are crucial. With Pokémon Arceus ranking up there in difficulty with the most difficult games in the Pokémon franchise, players will want to obtain moves with powerful effects. With the change of the Frozen and Asleep statuses to Frostbite and Drowsy, respectively, Paralysis has become the king of status conditions for catching Pokémon. Thunder Wave is an Electric-type move with 90 accuracy that Paralyzes the opposing Pokémon if it hits. Early in the player's adventure, the player will be required to prove themselves to the Survey Corps by catching a Shinx, a decent early user of this powerful move. Unfortunately, Luxray's defensive stats are too low to appropriately act as a wall as the player tries to capture the opposing Pokémon, so players may want to substitute in a bulkier Thunder Wave user later in the game, like Probopass.
Not all Pokémon can be affected by Paralysis. For enemies immune to the Paralysis, players will want to utilize the Pokemon Arceus's new Drowsy status effect. Hypnosis and Sleep Powder can be used to afflict enemies with Drowsy, but their accuracy is only 70 and 80, respectively. This makes relying on these moves troublesome, as inconsistency can prolong the battle by an additional round, an incredibly terrifying situation when accosted by multiple Pokémon at once. The good news is that players can use Spore, a 100 accuracy grass-type status move that afflicts the opposing Pokémon with Drowsy. The only downside of the move is that only Paras and Parasect can learn it, which have poor defensive stats and are vulnerable to 6 different types. Later in the player's journey, they can upgrade their Drowsy applicator by catching the legendary Pokémon Darkrai in Legends Arceus.
Statuses can go a long way towards capturing Pokémon, but players can increase their chance of success by reducing the health of the opposing Pokémon. While players can adjust the damage, they deal with the new Agile Style and Strong Style attacks. Reducing the health of a Pokémon without causing it to faint can be difficult. This is where False Swipe can be beneficial, a Normal-type attack that cannot reduce the enemy below 1 HP. Scizor, one of the evolved forms of Scyther, is an excellent user of this move. Scizor is only weak to Fire-type moves and has high Attack and Defense stats, making them a durable and powerful False Swipe user. Players that choose Oshawot or Rowlet as their Starter Pokémon can also have this move taught to their Starter by Zisu in Jubilife Village. Utilizing False Swipe alongside status conditions, players will make short work of the while Pokémon found in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.