Pokémon Legends Arceus Starters Final Evolutions

The overall history of the world of Pokémon is rather murky. Nobody knows whether humans or Pokémon walked the planet first, and how Pokémon came to assume the many forms we know. That’s part of what makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus so interesting; while it’s not exactly the beginning of time, it does give us a small glimpse into the period before Pokémon and human coexistence was a normal thing. With a setting so long ago, it makes sense that Pokémon would assume some forms that may have died out in the modern age, including all three of your starter Pokémon. Here’s what you need to know about the Pokémon Legends: Arceus starters’ final evolutions.

Earlier today, The Pokémon Company released another brief trailer for Pokémon Legends: Arceus showing a few more tidbits of gameplay. In addition to that, though, the trailer offered some ever-so-brief glimpses into the newly confirmed Hisui regional variants of your three potential starter Pokémon. To clarify, these are just variants; they are still technically the same Pokémon, but with modified appearances and typing.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus Starters Final Evolutions

Now, officially, there isn’t anything else to say about the matter. The devs have only confirmed that the Hisui variant final forms exist; they haven’t shown the full art nor divulged anything about their typing. However, unofficially, thanks to that leak that was circulating last week, we do know the appearances and typing of the new variants. We won’t post the images, but we will cover the typing changes, so if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now.

Oshawott – Dewott – Samurott

The Samurott line was an obvious inclusion, given Legends: Arceus’ old-timey Japanese motif. Samurott is usually just a pure Water type, but its Hisuian variant adds Dark into the mix. It’s the most visually similar to its to its normal counterpart, still being a quadrupedal otter… thing with a big helmet and a mustache, as well as a shell sword hidden in its arms, but the plating on its arms and helmet have been changed to a pitch black with red accents, and its gaze is a bit fiercer.

Cyndaquil – Quilava – Typhlosion

The oldest of Legends: Arceus’ starter trio, Typhlosion was a pure Fire type when it was first introduced all the way back in generation II. It was mostly known for its perpetually angry face and spiky mane of flames bursting from the back of its neck. Hisuian Typlosion, on the other hand, is a bit more of a chill dude, with a calmer expression and a darker color palette. Its typing has been changed to Fire/Ghost, and while it still has its fiery mane, it’s more wavy and ethereal and accompanied by a color of smaller flames, all intended to evoke the image of will o’ wisps.

Rowlet – Dartrix – Decidueye

Of the three Legends: Arceus starters, Decidueye is the only one whose original form was a dual-type, that being Grass/Ghost. To fit in more with the aesthetic of Hisui, Decidueye has traded out its usual Robin Hood-styled hood and cape in favor of a headpiece resembling a large bamboo hat. Its colors have also been swapped out with soft autumn reds and dark browns. Alongside its aesthetic changes, Hisuian Decidueye has dropped its Ghost typing and switched to Grass/Fighting, making it the most mechanically distinct starter from its normal counterpart.

As an additional note, the evolutionary process has been tweaked a bit in this game. Your Pokémon will still evolve upon reaching a particular level threshold, but it’ll no longer be automatic. You’ll need to manually trigger the evolution from your pause menu, kind of like how it works in Pokémon GO, except without the candy.