Can You Catch Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

As the ancient wilds of the Hisui region in Pokemon Legends: Arceus are decidedly less developed than in the modern day, the Pokemon rule is effectively unopposed. When animals govern their own territory, one will naturally rise above the others, and Pokemon are no different. Throughout the Hisui region are massive, powerful, and highly territorial Alpha Pokemon that will attack on sight. But Alpha though they may be, they’re still Pokemon, which means you’re probably wondering if you can catch them. So, can you catch Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

Can You Catch Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

The answer is yes, you can catch and train Alpha Pokemon just like regular Pokemon, and they’ll even still be gigantic while you care for them. However, there are some major quantifiers to that “yes” that you need to be aware of. 

First and foremost, Alpha Pokemon are always mad. Always. If an Alpha spots you, it will immediately turn aggressive, even if it’s a Pokemon that normally has a calm disposition like Bidoof. At this point, your only options are to face it in battle or run away. 

This leads us to the second point: Alpha Pokemon are exponentially stronger than any of the regular Pokemon near them. For example, if nearby Pokemon are around level 10, it’s a good bet that the Alpha will be a good 10 to 15 levels higher than that, if not more. Not only does this mean that battling them too soon is a bad idea, but it also means that training them isn’t even feasible until you raise your star rank.

As you complete the Pokedex and raise your star rank within the Galaxy Team, Pokemon of higher levels will begin to listen to you, kind of like how Gym Badges work in the regular games. This means that, in all likelihood, the first time you encounter an Alpha in the wild, you won’t have a high enough star rank to train it. It’s a good policy to wait until you’ve finished an area’s story events and unlocked the next area before going back to hunt for Alphas.

How to Catch Alpha Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Arceus

As for actually catching the Alphas, it’s effectively the same as catching regular Pokemon. You can either attempt to sneak up on it and chuck a Pokeball at its head (preferably a Heavy Ball, as they’re more effective on unaware Pokemon), or engage it in battle and whittle it down enough to catch it normally. In the event you accidentally knock an Alpha out, it’ll respawn in the same place after some time has passed, so come back later to try again. Alpha hunting in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is dangerous business, but it’ll be totally worth it to strut around with a full team of gigantic Pokemon.