Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced many changes to the core aspects of the Pokémon franchise, and catching Pokémon has never been more complex than it was in ancient Hisui. Like past games, trainers will need to bring a strong team of Pokémon with them on their adventure, but since Pokémon roam freely through the overworld in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, approaching them also requires a good amount of strategy. However, using the right items and tactics can make even the toughest Pokémon easy to catch, allowing trainers to quickly complete their survey work and add high-level Pokémon to their team.
Every Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus has a different temperament, and while some are skittish and flee from approaching trainers, others are aggressive and attack the trainer directly. While a Pokémon is attacking, it will deflect Poké Balls and can’t be caught unless players battle it. The massive Alpha Pokémon found throughout Hisui are notoriously aggressive, and their size and strength can make them a major challenge to capture. Battling a Pokémon can make it easier to catch, but it’s often much more effective to avoid a fight altogether by sneaking up on the Pokémon and catching it unaware.
While each Pokémon has a base catch rate in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that can make them easier or harder to capture, players can increase their catch rate with different items and techniques until they’re nearly guaranteed a successful catch. When players target a Pokémon in the wild, a Poké Ball icon will appear above the target reticle to indicate how easy the Pokémon is to catch. A red ‘X’ signifies that the Pokémon is uncatchable, but a green icon indicates that the Pokémon is easy to catch. Pokémon Legends: Arceus gives players a lot of freedom when it comes to approaching and catching wild Pokémon, and these methods make catching every Pokémon in Hisui much easier.
Best & Easy Ways to Catch Pokémon in Legends: Arceus
Best Poké Balls in Pokémon Legends: Arceus
There are nine different types of Poké Balls in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and each one gives trainers different advantages when catching Pokémon in the wild. Ultra Balls are the best version of the standard Poké Ball and generally have the highest catch rate in most situations, and players can unlock these highly effective Poké Balls once they reach Sixth Star Rank with the Survey Corps. Heavy, Leaden, and Gigaton Poké Balls, on the other hand, are most effective when catching an unsuspecting Pokémon that hasn’t spotted the trainer, but these weighted Poké Balls don’t fly very far. Similarly, Feather, Wing, and Jet Balls are the most effective Poké Balls to use when catching flying Pokémon, and these quick Poké Balls fly fast enough to catch Pokémon that are fleeing as well.
However, for the best chance of capturing a Pokémon, trainers will need to hit the Pokémon in the back without being spotted. This Backstrike technique dramatically increases Pokémon’s catch rate, and the most effective Pokémon-catching strategy in Pokémon Legends: Arceus allows players to land Backstrikes more easily. The Gigaton Ball is the best Poké Ball to use in combination with the Backstrike since it will give players an even higher chance of capture than an Ultra Ball if they manage to sneak up behind the Pokémon using stealth, but they’ll have to get close enough to be within the Gigaton Ball’s limited range.
Best Stealth Items In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
There are several stealth-boosting items in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that makes sneaking up and catching wild Pokémon surprisingly easy, allowing trainers to avoid being detected by even the strongest Pokémon in Hisui. Smoke Bombs are among the most useful items players can keep in their Satchel since they can provide a thick smokescreen that completely conceals the player. They don’t make noise when thrown, so players can throw a Smoke Bomb right next to a Pokémon without drawing its attention and use the cover to sneak in close. In addition, smoke Bombs make it very easy to hit a Pokémon with a Backstrike, allowing trainers to sneak up right behind the Pokémon without being detected.
Stealth Spray can also help players go unnoticed as they approach and catch Pokémon in the wild of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and its temporary stealth buff are surprisingly effective. While the effects will wear off relatively quickly, Stealth Spray is strong enough to allow players to sneak close to a Pokémon without being spotted, even without the cover of tall grass or Smoke Bombs. However, trainers will have to be careful that the Pokémon doesn’t turn around and spot them since they will still be able to see them. Players will be able to run at full speed near the Pokémon without being heard as long as the Stealth Spray is active. Combined with the cover of a Smoke Bomb, trainers will be practically invisible, allowing them to land as many Backstrikes as they need before the Pokémon is successfully caught.
How To Use Cake Lures In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
One of the most effective ways to increase the catch rate of a Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is feeding it some of its favorite foods. While all Pokémon enjoy Berries, each species of Pokémon has certain foods that it prefers, which players will log in the Pokédex as they complete Research Tasks in the field. Trainers can use these foods directly to lure and distract a Pokémon, but Cake Lures made from the Pokémon’s favorite food will drastically increase its catch rate, making it very easy to capture them. The recipes for different types of Cake Lures can be purchased from the Craftworks in Jubilife Village, and players will need to buy Cake-Lure Bases from a shop since they can’t be gathered or crafted.
Cake Lures are not only an effective way to increase a Pokémon’s catch rate in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but Pokémon will also take longer to eat them, which gives trainers a much longer window of time to catch them in a Poké Ball. The best way to use a Cake Lure is to throw it far enough away that the Pokémon will have to turn its back to eat it, allowing players to hit it with a Backstrike easily. However, the Pokémon must be caught while eating since its catch rate will decrease again the moment it has finished its snack. When used with the stealth buffs provided by Smoke Bombs and Stealth Spray, Cake Lures can make even powerful Alpha Pokémon ridiculously easy to catch.
Pokémon Are Easy To Stun In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus also gives players the option to stun wild Pokémon using various thrown items like Spoiled Apricorns and Balls of Mud, which not only makes them easier to catch but also prevents them from running or attacking. The most effective stunning item is the Sticky Glob, which players can craft from a Spoiled Apricorn, Ball of Mud, and Caster Fern after purchasing the recipe from the Craftworks in Jubilife Village. Just one Sticky Glob is enough to stun most Pokémon completely, and even powerful Alpha Pokémon will be incapacitated with just 4 or 5 globs.
Unlike the other catching methods, stunning a Pokémon doesn’t require stealth, and trainers can even stun Pokémon that are already attacking them. Once the Pokémon has been stunned, players can simply walk up behind it and throw a Poké Ball at its back for an easy capture. If the Pokémon breaks loose from the Poké Ball after being stunned, it will take fewer items to stun again. With the right items in their Satchel, players can easily capture every kind of Pokémon they encounter on their adventure through Hisui in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available on Nintendo Switch.