Pokémon Legends: Arceus – Alpha Pokémon, explained

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is arguably the most ambitious Pokémon game in years, implementing a variety of all-new ideas while cleverly experimenting with a formula that many fans believed had gone stale. Of all the concepts it has introduced, however, one of the more nebulous ones is Alpha Pokémon — giant, powerful Pokémon with glowing red eyes and a craving for misbehaving.

When you first encounter an Alpha Pokémon, you probably won’t have any idea what’s going on. This is normal, because the game unfortunately doesn’t do a whole lot to explain what happened to these ‘mons, nor does it give you a particularly concrete idea of how they relate to you.

Luckily, we’ve already put plenty of time into Legends: Arceus and have figured out what the deal is with these powerful Pokémon.

Whether you’re wondering if you can catch Alpha Pokémon, what level Alpha Pokémon are, or what happens when you beat an Alpha Pokémon, our handy guide has you covered.

What are Alpha Pokémon?

Alpha Pokémon are just like regular Pokémon aside from the fact that they’re bigger, stronger, and more aggressive. They also have glowing red eyes, so you should be able to pick one out from a mile away.

Can you catch Alpha Pokémon?

Yes, but not easily. Alpha Pokémon are generally a lot stronger than the other Pokémon in the area around them, meaning that if you’ve just arrived in a new location, the Alpha Pokémon there are probably way too strong for your team, your Poké Balls, and your Galaxy Team rank. A good rule of thumb is that Alpha Pokémon in a certain place can be caught when you’ve progressed to three or even four ranks above what you were when you originally arrived there. For the Obsidian Fieldlands, for example, you’ll probably want to have already met and befriended Sneasler.

What level are Alpha Pokémon?

It depends! The thing to remember about Alpha Pokémon is that they’re always going to be stronger than the Pokémon around them, usually by around 15-20 levels — in some cases, even more than that.

What happens when you beat an Alpha Pokémon?

Obviously you get a bunch of EXP from defeating an Alpha Pokémon, but you’ll usually get some decent, semi-rare items to boot. Just make sure to pick up the satchel upgrades from the Galaxy Team HQ so that you’ve got enough room to actually accept these rewards — it’s very easy to let your expedition satchel fill up with junk without even realising.

So, to be clear — Alpha Pokémon are powerful Pokémon that should only be reckoned with when you’re confident you’ve trained enough to take them on or, in certain circumstances, attempt to catch them. There’s no issue with just ignoring them though. If you’d rather keep your team in tip-top shape, call Wyrdeer — the Hisuian evolution of Stantler — and scoot on past them as if they’re not even there.

Want more advice? Be sure to check out our Pokémon Legends: Arceus tips and tricks guide.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.