Can You Catch Alpha Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus? (& How to Do It?)

Die-hard Pokémon fans will certainly know of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, the remake of the original Pokémon Sapphire video game that launched Generation III. But, that is not what we are going to talk about in this article, although it has something to do with the Greek letter Alpha. Namely, the newest Pokémon video game, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, introduced the concept of Alpha Pokémon and in this article, we are going to tell you whether you can catch these Pokémon and if you can, how you can do it.

Alpha Pokémon are a new group of Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. They are regular Pokémon that are of a greater size, strength, and level, distinguishable by their big red eyes. They can be caught in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but they are extremely difficult to catch, with your chances ranging from a 0.2% chance to a 2% (this is their spawn rate) chance depending on the Pokémon, location and time of day.

The rest of this article is going to provide you with further information on the Alpha Pokémon as a whole, as well as with additional instructions on how to approach them, how to fight them and how to catch them, as well as where to find them and how. Alpha Pokémon are a completely new, yet intriguing concept and it seems that the developers of Pokémon Legends: Arceus have created them to be very useful for the player.

What are Alpha Pokémon?

Alpha Pokémon are a completely new concept introduced to the world of Pokémon with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Alpha Pokémon are basically normal Pokémon, they’re not a separate species, but with several distinguishing features. The most noticeable ones are their size (they’re bigger than regular members of their respective species) and their bright, red eyes; they also have very aggressive behavior.

Less noticeable differences include their level (their level is significantly higher than those of the player’s Pokémon when you first encounter them, sometime even by more than 20 levels), powers (they’re significantly stronger than any Pokémon you, as the player, would have encountered before), and catch rate (they’re extremely difficult to catch).

Alpha Pokémon are an original concept unique to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a concept that had not appeared in the core games before. These Pokémon are somewhat similar to Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Go, although they’re not in pain because of their Alpha status, like Shadow Pokémon are.

Can you catch Alpha Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Newer Pokémon games have significantly altered the concept of catching Pokémon from what older players might remember. And while the basic mechanism remains, there have been significant changes; for example, in Pokémon Let’s Go (both Pikachu and Eevee), players did not have to fight wild Pokémon to catch them (save for the Legendary ones and a few selected non-Legendary ones), which was a not do the Pokémon Go video game, but also something new for console players.

With the introduction of Alpha Pokémon, another novelty to the core games, players – naturally – wonder whether these Alpha Pokémon can be caught or just battled? Well, if you want a strong Pokémon on your roster, we have some good news for you – aside from being battled for large amounts of experience, Alpha Pokémon can be caught and we are going to explain how you can do it in the next section.

How to catch Alpha Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Alpha Pokémon can be caught, as we have established. But, how do you do it? Is it like catching any other Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or is there some special way of doing it? Well, we have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that they can be caught like any other Pokémon in the Pokémon Legends: Arceus video game. The bad news is that it is extremely difficult.

As we have said, catching Alpha Pokémon is the same as catching any other Pokémon in the game. You approach it, you engage it and then you either fight it or calm it down to catch it, or you simply throw your PokéBalls around hoping that the more you throw, the more luck you will have. Catching Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is different than before, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy and very fun. So, where’s the catch?

Alpha Pokémon are extremely strong and they have a very low catch rate. On top of that, they are very difficult to find, since their spawn rate ranges from a 0.2% chance to a 2% chance depending on the Pokémon, location and time of day. The good thing here is that  every Pokémon encountered in the wild aside from Legendary & Mythical Pokémon has got a chance of being an Alpha, which is good.

So, how do you do it? Well, you use the same methods as usual but you have to arm yourselves with one important weapon – patience! Patience is the key to catching these creatures, as their catch rates are very low. The best thing would be to get as much useful items as possible, including better PokéBalls, such as Great Balls, or specialized ones like Heavy/Feather Balls. You should fight it and weaken it and then simply throw your PokéBalls and hope for the best.

They’re not impossible to catch, far from it, but you have to be patient and put in a lot of effort. The good thing is that, in the end, the effort certainly does pay off.

Where to find Alpha Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

Alpha Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus have several locations where they can be found. In this article, we are going to bring you a full list of currently discovered Alpha Pokémon and their in-game locations, so you can decide on your tactical approach if and when you decide to face them (we’ll be updating the list if more Pokémon keep appearing):

Obsidian Fieldlands:

Crimson Mirelands:

Cobalt Coastlands:

Coronet Highlands:

Alabaster Icelands:

Do Alpha Pokémon respawn?

Good news for players is that Alpha Pokémon actually do respawn and at the same location where you originally found them, at that. This has been confirmed in-game, but you have to return to Jubilife Village in order for that to happen. So, whether you caught an Alpha Pokémon or defeated it in battle, once you return to Jubilife Village and then to that same location, you will see the same Alpha Pokémon and you can have a do-over.