Pokemon Legends: Arceus: Alpha Pokemon Explained

Pokemon come in many shapes and sizes, especially in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This open-world Pokemon spinoff incorporates a variety of Pokemon ranging from teeny-tiny to elephantine. Alpha Pokemon just happen to be the largest of them all, and the game recognizes them as such with the special name. Naturally, because alphas are new to the series, even long-time fans have plenty of questions. Here are the basics of what you need to know about alphas in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

What are Alpha Pokemon?

Alpha Pokemon are the largest possible Pokemon in the game for their respective species. Just in case you don’t realize it, they remind you with their unique traits and looks; they’re red-eyed, aggressive creatures that attack you on sight. Thankfully, they lose that aggression and their eyes fade to a normal color once you catch them.

Where to find alpha Pokemon

There’s at least one alpha Pokemon in each region. However, not all of them will appear at once. For example, alpha Floatzel appears across the bridge in the Obsidian Lands, which you can cross after receiving your first star. Meanwhile, Bibarel appears at the bottom of the hill before Grandtree Arena.

I hadn’t seen any alpha Pokemon before crossing the bridge in Obsidian Fieldlands. However, when I returned at a later level, I found an alpha Bidoof and alpha Rapidash in the area before the bridge, too.

The first alpha Pokemon players should meet is alpha Kriketune. This Kriketune is special because it’s the only alpha Pokemon that will remotely be close to your level at this stage of the game. It won’t respawn if you kill it.

How to catch alpha Pokemon

Catching alpha Pokemon works basically the same as catching a regular Pokemon. The highest hurdle will be staying alive, considering many of them appear when players are still underleveled for the particular area they inhabit.

First off, you have to fight them. There’s no getting lucky with throwing a Poke Ball while an alpha’s back is turned. However, you can initiate a battle from behind to catch them unaware. The unaware condition gives you a headstart in battle while your opponent gathers their senses.

It’s relatively easy to catch a normal wild Pokemon with any combination of low HP or status effects. Heck, even just throwing a Poke Ball can work. However, alphas tend to be trickier to catch. Players should play it safe, whittling down their HP as much as possible, inflicting a status effect, and then throwing their most powerful Poke Ball at them.

Oh, and of course, save before the encounter. I’ve admittedly killed more alphas than I wish were true, and I’m glad I saved beforehand so I didn’t need to deal with the consequences of my actions.

Tip: If you still can’t seem to catch an alpha, try raising your star rank. The higher the star rank, the higher the capture rate.

Will alpha Pokemon respawn if I KO them?

There are two types of alphas. Only thefirst type will respawn in the same area, even if you already capture or KO it. However, it can be difficult to tell which type of alpha it is if it’s your first time seeing it. Alphas that respawn tend to be evolved forms or uncommon Pokemon in the area.

However, alpha versions of commonly found Pokemon in the area tend to be random encounters that won’t necessarily respawn if you defeat or capture them.

Using Obsidian Fieldlands as an example:

• Alphas that respawn: Floatzel, Rapidash, Magikarp, Bibarel, Snorlax
• Alphas that pop up as a random encounter: Bidoof, Shinx, Buizel

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but just a few examples from one area. You won’t find regular-sized Floatzels, Bibarel, or Rapidash roaming around Obsidian Fieldlands. Magikarp is an exception to the rule. Many Magikarp appear upstream, even when a resident alpha respawns with the school every day.

Don’t stop at alpha Pokemon, though! Also learn how to catch Shiny Pokemon, how to catch legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia, and how to capture the mythical Manaphy to round out your Pokedex.