How to Evolve Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
In this article, we are going to tell you about one of the most important and most exciting aspects of the Pokémon games in general – the evolutions. You’re going to find out how to evolve Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Evolving in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is just a bit different than in the previous games. Whereas evolution was automatic in the previous games (you could stop it, but when a Pokémon reached a certain level, it would automatically start evolving), the process is a bit different in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where the player gets a notification that a Pokémon is ready to evolve and then can do it whenever it wants.
This article is going to function more as an in-game guide to the Pokémon Legends: Arceus game, or one of its concepts, to be precise. You’re going to find out how to evolve your Pokémon, a little bit about the Starter Pokémon evolutions and whether there are Trade Evolutions in the Pokémon Legends: Arceus video game.
How to evolve Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Evolving Pokémon is, of course, possible in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and while the general principle is the same (you have to level up your Pokémon or meet certain requirements), the process is a bit different. Namely, veteran Pokémon players will know that a Pokémon would evolve once a requirement was met.
Since leveling up was the most common way of evolution, players know that when their Pokémon reached a certain level, they would automatically start evolving. You could actually stop that with a button combo, but yours truly doesn’t really know anyone who’s done that (at least not on purpose).
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the basic principle is the same, but the difference is that the process is not automatic anymore. Namely, even when your Pokémon fulfills the evolution requirements, it won’t evolve by itself. So, how do you evolve it? Do you have to memorize every Pokémon’s evolution requirements? Of course not! Once your Pokémon is ready to evolve, you will get a notification confirming it and if you want to evolve it, you have to do the following:
Press Up on the D-Pad to open your inventory > select the Pokémon you’d like to evolve from your Party > Hit X to evolve > Confirm that you want it to evolve.
And that’s it. That’s all there is to it. It’s a bit different but it’s very easy, plus it allows the players more freedom since there surely are those who like to prolong their evolutions or not do them at all.
Now, like in the older games, there are some evolutions where special requirements have to be met in order to evolve your Pokémon. We are going to list these requirements and the Pokémon that evolve in this manner so you can know your way around the game. They are:
Evolutions that require Battling
A relatively small number of Pokémon in the game can only evolve if they use a specific move a certain number of times or take a certain amount of damage during battle. Both of these can happen over multiple fights, so you can go out and attack weak Pokémon to get this done quickly. They are:
- Hisuian Quilfish → Overquil: Use Barb Barrage in Strong Style 20 times
- Standler → Wyrdeer: Use Psyshield Bash in Agile Style 20 times
- White Stripe Basculin → Basculegion: Take over 250 damage in recoil
Evolutions that require Moves
This is a list of Pokémon that evolve only when they learn a specific move, along with the moves in question (of course):
- Aipom → Ambipom: Double Hit
- Bonsly → Sudowoodo: Mimic
- Lickitung → Lickilicky: Rollout
- Mime Jr. → Mr. Mime: Mimic
- Piloswine →Mamoswine: Ancient Power
- Tangela → Tangrowth: Ancient Power
- Yanma →Yanmega: Ancient Power
Evolutions based on the Pokémon‘s Gender
This is a list of Pokémon that only evolve when they’re of a specific gender:
- Burmy (male) → Mothim
- Burmy (female) → Wormadam
- Combee (female) → Vespiquen
- Ralts (male) → Gallade (with Dawn Stone)
- Snover (female) → Froslass (with Dawn Stone)
Evolutions based on Stones and Items
If you want to evolve some Pokémon, you to use a specific item on them. This is not a new concept and has been around since Generation I, but it has been expanded over the course of the Generations. If you have the required item in your inventory and hover over it, the Pokémon will say “compatible” if you can use it to evolve that specific Pokémon.
In the Pokémon Legends: Arceus game, you can use a Linking Cord to get Pokémon that you would usually trade to evolve. You can also evolve any Pokémon that would normally require a hold item while trading simply by using that item on the Pokémon, which makes the whole process a lot easier, honestly.
This is a list of the Pokémon that evolve by using Items and the Items you need for them to evolve:
- Alolan Vulpix → Alolan Ninetails: Ice Stone
- Clefairy → Clefable: Moon Stone
- Dusclops → Dusknoir: Reaper Cloth
- Eevee → Flareon: Fire Stone
- Eevee → Glaceon: Ice Stone
- Eevee → Jolteon: Thunder Stone
- Eevee → Leafeon: Leaf Stone
- Eevee → Vaporeon: Water Stone
- Electabuzz → Electivire: Electirizer
- Gligar → Gliscor: Razor Fang during nighttime
- Graveler → Golem: Linking Cord
- Happiny → Chansey: Oval Stone during daytime
- Haunter → Gengar: Linking Cord
- Hisuian Growlithe → Hisuian Arcanine: Fire Stone
- Hisuian Sneasel → Sneasler: Razor Claw during daytime
- Hisuian Voltorb → Hisuian Electrode: Leaf Stone
- Johto Sneasel → Weavile: Razor Claw during nighttime
- Kadabra → Alakazam: Linking Cord
- Kirlia (male) → Gallade: Dawn Stone
- Machoke → Machamp: Linking Cord
- Magmar → Magmortar: Magmarizer
- Magneton → Magnezone: Thunder Stone
- Misdreavus → Mismagius: Dusk Stone
- Murkrow → Honchkrow: Dusk Stone
- Onix → Steelix: Metal Coat
- Petilil → Hisuian Lilligant: Sun Stone
- Pikachu → Raichu: Thunder Stone
- Porygon → Porygon2: Upgrade
- Porygon2 → Porygon-Z: Dubious Disc
- Rhydon → Rhyperior: Protector
- Roselia → Roserade: Shiny Stone
- Scyther → Kleavor: Black Augurite
- Scyther → Scizor: Metal Coat
- Snorunt (female) → Froslass: Dawn Stone
- Togetic → Togekiss: Shiny Stone
- Ursaring → Ursaluna: Peat Block during a full moon
- Vulpix → Ninetails: Fire Stone
Evolutions based on specific locations
As old players know, most Pokémon can evolve anywhere at any given time. But that doesn’t apply to all Pokémon and with some, you just have to find the right place and the right time This is present in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. For example, Eevee just needs to be around the respective rock for Leafeon and Glaceon, while the likes of Magneton and Nosepass could evolve after just being in the Coronet Highlands.
We have to remind you that some of the Pokémon on this list can also be evolved using different Stones, so you should just keep that in mind and pick the evolution method that is more practical to you. Here is a full list of location-based evolutions:
- Eevee → Leafeon: Near the Mossy Rock in the southwest area of The Heartwood (Obsidian Fieldlands)
- Eevee → Glaceon: Near the Ice Rock in a cavern in Bonechill Wastes (Alabaster Icelands)
- Magneton → Magnezone: Coronet Highlands
- Nosepass → Probopass: Coronet Highlands
- Sliggoo → Goodra: Raining area
Evolutions that require a certain level of Friendship
As we know from the older games, some Pokémon can only evolve if your Friendship level with them is high enough; this is present in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Friendship is increased by leveling up a Pokémon and using it in battle more often. There is an NPC named Belamy in front of the Village Pastures in Jubilife City who will evaluate your friendship levels with your Pokémon. These are the Pokémon in question:
- Budew → Roselia
- Buneary → Lopunny
- Chingling → Chimecho
- Cleffa → Clefairy
- Eevee → Espeon (daytime)
- Eevee → Sylveon (while knowing a fairy-type move)
- Eevee → Umbreon (nighttime)
- Golbat → Crobat
- Munchlax → Snorlax
- Pichu → Pikachu
- Riolu → Lucario
- Togepi → Togetic
Other evolution methods
Mantine, as you’d expect if you know that Pokémon, is a category for itself. Namely, to evolve your Mantyke, you need to have a Remoraid in your party along with the Mantyke. Then you can get a Mantine, which makes sense if you know what Mantine looks like.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus: Starter Pokémon evolutions
The three Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus are well-known Pokémon from earlier generations – Cyndaquil (Generation II), Oshawott (Generation IV), and Rowlet (Generation VII). Now, while the game has given us “old” Pokémon to choose from, it has done the unthinkable – combining starters from different Generations into one game. But, that’s not all when new concepts are concerned!
Namely, although each of the three Starter Pokémon is well-known, their final evolutions are actually Hisuian forms of Typhlosion, Samurott, and Decidueye! And aside from the visual changes (which are very cool, but we’re not going to spoil things for you), they also have new types and are generally cooler than their original versions. Here is an overview:
- Cyndaquil evolves into Hisuian Typhlosion, a ghost– and fire-type.
- Rowlet evolves into Hisuian Decidueye, a grass– and fighting-type.
- Oshawott evolves into Hisuian Samurott, a water– and dark-type.
All three Starters evolve for the first time at Level 17 (this is a change for Cyndaquil, who had evolved starting at Level 14 in the older games), and for the second time at Level 36, save for Dartrix, who evolves at Level 34.
Are there Trade Evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
So far, Trading Evolutions are not a thing in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which makes sense because of the game’s setting. Not many characters actually own Pokémon in the game and there doesn’t seem to be a way to actually do it, since there are no computers in Hisui.
One could literally exchange Pokéballs with another character, but that is not training and it defeats the whole purpose of the mechanism in question. But, as we have explained, a Linking Cord is available as an alternative.
